DealExtreme P60 drop-in... OWW

I bought a DealExtreme drop in (1343) thinking it would make a good addition to a Brinkmann LX I had lying around.

At first it worked great. Then one time I tried to turn it on, it didn't light up. I tried clicking the switch on and off a few times, and still nothing. I then clicked it on again and slapped it against my palm a few times (a useless maneuver I know, but it's an involuntary reaction). I tried to click the switch again, and it wouldn't click! It suddenly stopped working, but there felt like there was pressure behind it.

I unscrewed the tailcap, and found two lithium batteries that were starting to melt! Not only that, but after disassembling the tailcap to find out how it broke, the heat had apparently build up so high inside the flashlight that it started to melt the plastic parts inside the switch and deform the small metal spring!

I can see why those modules from DX run so cheep. After using it for only minutes, I found myself out $10 and a perfectly good Brinkmann LX. Lesson learned.

I don't think it's fair to blame the DX drop-in since its not a good fit in the LX without some minor work. If you use the outside spring, theres more of a chance that it'll touch the inner spring and short out. I have this same exact setup and it works fine. However, I put an o-ring on the center of the drop-in to make it a snug fit in the LX head and to keep it centered. I also opt not to use the outside spring. Don't screw the bezel down completely, leave about 1/4 of a turn to keep it from compressing reflector down onto the LED leads.

ideefixe has it right. That is one of the discussed fixes for the DX lights. People ought to read and post in the sticky p60 sized drop-in's thread re P60 drop-ins.

Bill

I had the exact same problem. Same DX drop-in. I was anxious to see it. While off I noticed it was warm. I took it outside and opened it. One of the Sanyo batteries vented (non-explosively) on the top.

I cleaned the flashlight but I wonder if I lost a part. The tailcap doesn't click anymore on this Brinkmann Maxfire.

I also got the 1447 and it works fine in my G2.

The 1443 has had some problems with electrical insulation beneath the reflector. The earlier versions had an o-ring to keep the emitter and wires from shorting out when connecting to the bottom of the reflector. The O-ring sometimes compressed, and together with sloppy threading, the module sometimes shorted out when being assembled into the light.
The newer models of 1443 has some type of cardboard/plastic insulationpad sorrounding the emitter, and this is a safer solution.
Another thing with this module, and I have dismembered quite a few of them, is that the LED often is poorly heatsinked. Oftentimes the PCB is stuck to the module with a very small drop of Thermal epoxy, no bigger than 2x2mm.
Maybe a clue as to where it all went wrong?!