3.1 roll crimp

what does the roll crimp look like? i just got a 3.1, and where the + end of the battery contacts the head there is just a blob of solder; nothing that looks like a crimp. is this the old style contact?

Actually, it is pretty hard to see without peeling back the foam retainer partially. It is around the edge of the PCB.

Also, having the old style to compare it with makes it much more obvious.

Peter

can this crimp be applied to a flickerer?
wondered if you would be able to fix them rather than tossing them.

Absolutely. I have used this to fix many a unit. This is how we verified that the new crimp design would be effective.

You can do it yourself using various means. One easy way is to remove the retainer (we provide free replacements) and put notches in the lip using a flat blade. You can also drop some solder along the ring to provide another ground path to the pcb ring.

Peter Gransee

i may just try that.
saves sending it back to you.
this is on my cpf aaa.
i thought of maybe conductive ink like a circutworks pen or silver epoxy.
send me some replacement foam spacers and i can experiment and report back.

Ah! Now I see the problem and fix.

I just bought a new Arc AAA from TAD, thinking it was the latest incarnation, but the poor thing has been a flickerer from day one.

I kept thinking that for some reason the battery was not making good contact at one end or the other, and cleaned all contact surfaces to within an inch of their lives, but seeing this thread, and then searching on "flickering" I now know it is the contact 'twixt the PCB and head.

In an attempt to fix the little beast I just very carefully (but very firmly) rolled the edge of the head shell in small increments over the edge of the PCB. Now, except for a destroyed foam ring, which I had to remove, of course, to roll the edge, it's behaving perfectly.

I'm substituting some other foam I have on hand that is just slightly firmer, and expect the problem to have been eliminated.

I'll drop Gransee a note a bit later if this proves to have been a fix, and see about getting a new foam ring if my home made one becomes a problem.

For replacement battery retainers, send Peter a SASE with a love note detailing what product you need the foam for. He'll love you right back.

Arc Flashlight, LLC.
2162 W. Osage Ave
Mesa, AZ. 85202

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by darell:
For replacement battery retainers, send Peter a SASE with a love note detailing what product you need the foam for. He'll love you right back.

Arc Flashlight, LLC.
2162 W. Osage Ave
Mesa, AZ. 85202<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes, I do love our customers! And feel free to send a note telling us how much you love your Arc flashlight (or me)!



SASE stands for Self Addressed Stamped Envelope. If you are overseas, just send money for postage. The retainer/o-rings themselves are free to Arc owners for the lifetime of the product. This is true for our entire product line.

Peter Gransee

Thanks for the replies, Darell and Peter!

The full crimp I put all the way around the base of the Arc-AAA head has completely cured the little beast of it's flickers, and did no damage other than to the foam which I had to remove to do the crimp.

In fact the crimp is smoothly burnished from the polished stainless steel plate I used to turn it. (I'm familiar with metalwork and small part making so the crimp was no problem.)

My Arc-AAA is now a very happy little light, and I'm happy, too.

It has now replaced my CMG Infinity as my pendant-carry emergency light.

"Love note" on way to Peter.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gransee: You can do it yourself using various means. One easy way is to remove the retainer (we provide free replacements) and put notches in the lip using a flat blade. You can also drop some solder along the ring to provide another ground path to the pcb ring.

Peter Gransee[/QB]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well crud. I wish I knew this before I sent one of my LE's back to you.
BTW, is it fixed yet?

Hey Peter:

Do you send back the original Arc flashlight to the person who sends it to you?

Or do you just mail 'em a new one?

If you just mail a new one, what do you do with the old LE's and CFP editions?

--Phil

Usally, it is a new one. The old ones I sell off in groups to hobbists every once in a while.

Can we wait on selling these defective units until I have a little more extra time? It doesn't have to do with our core business so I would like to put it off during this R&D phase.

Peter

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by fishy:
what does the roll crimp look like? i just got a 3.1, and where the + end of the battery contacts the head there is just a blob of solder; nothing that looks like a crimp. is this the old style contact?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Could somebody post some photos of a step-by-step fix to crimp a flickerer? I think I get it, but a picture is worth a thousand words...

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gransee:
Actually, it is pretty hard to see without peeling back the foam retainer partially. It is around the edge of the PCB.

Also, having the old style to compare it with makes it much more obvious.

Peter<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Peter,

I just bought six AAA's to give as gifts, and after reading some of the posts here I'm a bit concerned that some of these idiosyncrasies will begin popping up just when my friends need the lights to be there for them.

It's true that it's a great product (I have four) and that you and ARC are exemplary, but I'm now a little worried about reliability. The fact that you stand behind all your products is excellent, but of small consolation to a disappointed giftee and an embarassed giver.

I'm probably over-dramatizing this but I'd like to know your thoughts about this problem.

Brightnorm

I agree, and as you see, we are open about issues with our lights. If you just bought them, they very well may be 3.1 units. I really do feel that the 3.1 upgrade will address this flicker issue quite well. Our tests have shown a marked improvement in reliability. Only time will tell if our tests translate positively in real world use.

Peter

Per P.G. "Usally, it is a new one. The old ones I sell off in groups to hobbists every once in a while."


OK, I'm going to be bummed if I don't get my LE back that I sent in last week for the flicker fix.

While I understand goodwill and generosity, I hope that I read it wrong that new lights are usually shipped to customers requesting warranty work. I truly don't want a new light; just the one I have will be fine and I'll enjoy it even more once it stops acting like an old time movie projector

Hi Brightnorm...

Flickering Arcs do exist, but im my experience are really rare. I`ve purchased at least 50+ Arc AAA`s for gifts and personal use. All worked like champs except for an older "close-out" AAA which did flicker.

The flickering on that AAA was immediately noticeable, though, and was not something that occurred later after some use. If that holds true, you should be able to cull out any flickering Arc right away from your gift items...and keep your friends!

Now...how do I get onto your gift list? Is it still necessary to marry into your family?

Best wishes!

I was an early adopter of the Arc-AAA and did manage to get 2 units in a row-that started acting up after 2-3 weeks of use.
But today I'm very happy with th Arc products that have given several months of great reliable service.

Conclusion: Arc-AAA is now a mature product.

Thanks Peter, CD and MR G. for those honest replies. I just examined one of the packaged AAA's (LE) that I had sitting around unopened. I had always assumed that those packs were sealed but I discovered that they can be opened. That's good for checking out an immediately flickering light like Carpe Diem's but wouldn't help in the case of Mr. Glow's delayed flickerers. Also, I noticed that the LED in that AAA LE which I bought from a CPF member is not as recessed as the one in my EDC AAA LE. I guess mine was a later model.

The heck with it, I'm not going to worry about it. It's a terrific product and since nothing is perfect why should the AAA be an exception?

Carpe D, with your 50 AAA's given out I'd rather be on YOUR gift list!

Brightnorm

Gransee,
I hope doing this fix doesn't void the warranty, does it? The reason I ask is because I tried this fix because my ARC was flickering, but not only did it not do anything, I actually think I made it worse. Now sometimes it doesn't even come on, and when it does, it still has a noticible flicker, but different than before. Before, it would kind of strobe on-off, but now it's more like bright-dim, kinda like a bad TV.