I need help with a brand new ARC AAA

Hi,

I just opened up a brand new ARC AAA and put the battery in. I screwed the head on and this thing is really really tight! Anyway, I was able to work it in so it turns somewhat easily.

The problem is the light will not come on. I jumped the battery negative straight to the head with wire and the light turns on so I know the head is working. Is this a bad Head to Body connection? Or do I just need to take a pair of pliers and crank the head more?

Thanks.

Is the negative contact in the tube making good contact with the battery?

Try a little lube first. Two of mine were tight until I lubed the threads and O-ring. Some units have also exhibited "blister pack fungus" or some kind of growth over the insides that renders them non conductive. A quick clean with a cloth had one of mine beaming away happily ever since.

They get depressed by being locked up in a blister pack. Once they know you will use them and rely on them they seem to illuminate with a certain snap of satisfaction at being able to jump to the call. They also seem to drift off with slight degree of smugness from knowing that you are hooked and will call on them again, and quickly.

An amazing amount of electronics stuffed into such a tiny cylinder. A practical use of nanotechnology if I have ever seen one.

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I just cleaned with alcohol and cotton swabs and still no light. Hmm. Just narrowed it down. I put the battery in the tube, and checked voltage with the battery positive and the inside body. I get 1.56 volts so the body part is working.

When I jump the battery, the light works so the head is working. So this leaves body to head contact or battery positive tip contact with the head.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

Is the hole in the foam washer large enough to freely pass the positive battery contact ? You don't by chance have TWO foam washers glued on do you ?? Nah, Arc wouldn't do that to you.
You might also try checking continuity between the bare metal of the reflector and the bare metal of the body where the split-ring hole is with it screwed down tight against the battery. That will tell you if you have good head to body contact

GOT IT! I finally got ticked off at this thing and put cloth around the head, and with pliers I cranked it and the light came on. I took the battery out and cranked it a few dozen times to work it in and now it works.

I don't remember any of my old ARC AAA's being this tight. Did anything change on them? And I think I got one of the LE LEDs in there too. It's not as blue and the same color as my LE. The other ARC standards I have are more blue in color.

Thanks guys for your help!

That's what happends when you have too many Arc AAA's.

I can't say I've ever heard of that problem before.

Did you split the battery when you cranked it down?

Just be careful not to Farkle it up!

Try taking the O-ring off to see if it is the culprit (in making it too tight). If it is still tough to turn, it sounds like the threads weren't cut exactly right or there are some machining chips stuck in 'em. Clean the heck out of the threads and look real close to see if you can spot the problem If working it in and out has loosened it up, it sounds like a thread problem that you've just worn in.

Ive had about 25 arcs pass thru my hands and all of them turned on easily with one hand.

Peter has achieved a good balance between easiy to turn and not so loose it turns itself on.

Still, some defects are likely to appear.

at first i thought you might have had a short battery...seems that's not the case

btw, when you lube it, apply lube to both the O-ring, and the area under the O-ring.