LF2X flickering with 10440's

I got the Nano charger and 10440's a couple of days ago from AW. The light output improvement is impressive, but the beam flickers rapidly. It doesn't do that with eneloops, alkaline or lithium AAA's. I am guessing it is because of the wider, shallower plus contact on the battery. Any ideas for fixing this?

I've not noticed any difference running the 10440's in my LF2x, no flickering at all (knock on wood). I also got the nano charger + 2 batteries from the marketplace. Sorry, maybe others can help.

I've not noticed any difference running the 10440's in my LF2x, no flickering at all

Click to expand...

Same on mine!
10440's from AW and no flickering on any level.

It doesn't do that with eneloops, alkaline or lithium AAA's.

Click to expand...

Otherwise it could be a contact problem. You can still clean all threads and contacts. Also try to make sure that the switch in the head is screwed on hand tight.

I suppose it's more a rapid pulsating than a flicker, maybe 10 times a second. The light doesn't go on and off, it gets a bit brighter and dimmer. I just soaked the switch in alcohol and coated it with Deoxit and screwed it back in as tight as I could with an improvised tool (alright, two ends of a paper clip). I reset with 10 twists. Still pulsating with the 10440, and not the other battery types. Anyone have an idea what the problem could be?

Both my two LF2 operate exactly in the same way with a NiMH or a 10440 in them (except of course for the output...).

Personally in your case I would first look at the batteries/charger. You don't say whether your light does the same thing with both batteries. Have you a mean of measuring the voltage? You can also try to switch on the protection and see what happens. In case the light does not go on at all or flickers it is the voltage that is too low. Another good test is to charge/discharge the batteries a few times and see if there is an improvement.

Of course it may also be a defective LF2X but I believe that very few cases where reported which does not mean that there can't be one.

Kilovolt- The light flickered the same with both 10440 batteries. I don't have a way to measure the voltage, but the LF2X itself says they are 4.2 and 3.9. I had tried with protection turned on and turned off, with no difference. I took your advice and drained both batteries once and recharged them, and oddly there is an improvement, even though I had charged them when they first got here a couple of days ago. There is no flickering on low now, and less flickering on high. So I am draining and charging them again. I have no idea what it means though. Are the batteries bad, or is this normal with new 10440's, or is it the flashlight?

Kilovolt said:

Both my two LF2 operate exactly in the same way with a NiMH or a 10440 in them (except of course for the output...).

Personally in your case I would first look at the batteries/charger. You don't say whether your light does the same thing with both batteries. Have you a mean of measuring the voltage? You can also try to switch on the protection and see what happens. In case the light does not go on at all or flickers it is the voltage that is too low. Another good test is to charge/discharge the batteries a few times and see if there is an improvement.

Of course it may also be a defective LF2X but I believe that very few cases where reported which does not mean that there can't be one.

Click to expand...

I am by far not an expert in Li-ion batteries because I just started using them but reading around here I understood that a few initial charge/discharge cycles do them nothing but good, mostly in case they appear to behave strangely.

So I suggest that with the protection on in your LF2X you perform a few more cycles and see whether the problem is solved. From what you say I still tend to look at the batteries as cause of the defect.

Update: I wrote AW about the problem, he said it sounded like the LF2X driver couldn't buck the higher voltage, whatever that means. So I reluctantly packed up the light, and sent it back to LiteFlux, not expecting it to make it half way round the world and back. But after a few weeks a repaired or replaced LF2X was in the mailbox.

It works great with the same 10440's. Lots of output on the 50% setting, beautiful beam, and no flickering. I haven't compared this light with the other AAA's, but this light is perfect for my use. And LiteFlux stood behind it. So now around the house I carry the LF2X on a custom clip as backup to the L1D, which has a PowerEx 2700.

While waiting for the light to come back, I got a LF2 from Khoo, and now use that as a neck carry when out, leaving the LF2X safe at home.

Excellent news. :twothumbs

I hope you will enjoy your new Liteflux flashlights as much as I enjoy my own ones (four of them for the time being).