Ultrafire ssc p7 lasts about 1 week

Hi all , this is my first post althoug i'm a flashaholic for along time,
since about one week i own a ultrafire p7 with 2x 18650, i was very exited about this light it was superbright, but yesterday i accidentally dropped it,and it never went on again, is this normal? so i looked for what was wrong and i think its the emitter, i've put a normal 12V led in and the driver worked, so i guess it's the p7, now it would be no problem for me to put a new one in, but i first want to hear from others what they think about this.i think about 30$ a week for leds is a bit expensive do they last longer normally?

cheers, Sjever

Ps i live in the Netherlands so english is no my first language :lolsign:

hello sjever
welcome to CPF

These power leds are normally very shock resistant since there's not a lot to go wrong with them. If it is the P7 that is to blame then it sounds like you were just very unlucky. Try testing the led with a 3V cr123a battery to see if it lights up. But before you do this, make sure it's not shorting with a DMM and check the polarity is correct otherwise you'll fry the LED.

The LED is shock resistant, but it's not impact resistant.

Typically these flashlights are designed so that the reflector is in close proximity against the LED. A drop can cause the relatively heavy reflector to quickly strike the LED with impact force. The emitter can break, the solder joint can break, or the thermal epoxy can break.

The emitter is connected to a module which is installed in the mid-section. The bezel is screwed onto the mid-section, and a reflector is installed inside. At all of these junctions there is a possibility of shifting when the head is impacted. If any of these points are a loose fit, the reflector will shift relative to the LED, which causes the shearing force.

If I consider that there are two lions = 8.4V and a buck driver I'm really surprised that your 12V LED works. Maybe the driver got broken and fried the LED. SSC P7 has only around 3.5V forward voltage.

jirik_cz said:

If I consider that there are two lions = 8.4V and a buck driver I'm really surprised that your 12V LED works. Maybe the driver got broken and fried the LED. SSC P7 has only around 3.5V forward voltage.

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Good you mention this Jirik , i forgot to measure the output of the driver, i can see it has hi,lo and strobe but not at witch voltage,

thanks Sjever

I would be very surprised if the emitter broke and not the cheap DX/KD driver.

Actually my friend has also some Ultrafire P7 with 2x18650. The driver died after one day of usage. Fortunately it didn't blow the LED, just stopped working. I replaced it with KD super output P7 driver (visually it looks almost the same). So far it works...

But I thought LED lights are indestructible and last forever?

LEDs (emitters) are almost indestructible, but drivers are more sensitive.

phantom23 said:

LEDs (emitters) are almost indestructible, but drivers are more sensitive.

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You're wright phantom, just measured the driver , it gave 7.28 V but it also means that it has fried my P7

ampdude said:

But I thought LED lights are indestructible and last forever?

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Not crappy made ones

Sjever said:

You're wright phantom, just measured the driver , it gave 7.28 V but it also means that it has fried my P7

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That's open-circuit voltage. You can't trust it to know what's getting to the LED.

LukeA said:

That's open-circuit voltage. You can't trust it to know what's getting to the LED.

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Sure, thats wright, so i tried to direct drive the led with one 18650, no such luck

IcantC said:

Not crappy made ones

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:laughing:

:sigh:So now i'm convinced that both the driver and emitter are dead, what's the best option, mod it with the Super KD output driver and a new P7
c bin emitter and some thermal adhesive total about 49$ or buy a new one from KD for about 12$ more ?:thinking:

Sjever said:

:sigh:So now i'm convinced that both the driver and emitter are dead, what's the best option, mod it with the Super KD output driver and a new P7
c bin emitter and some thermal adhesive total about 49$ or buy a new one from KD for about 12$ more ?:thinking:

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To be honest, either make your own which will be built better and last. OR buy one that is quality made .

I have a 2D M@G with a P7 running direct drive with 3C batteries, Darkzero did the work for me. Great workmanship and wow is it bright!

I own various lights from DX to Surefires and M@gs. I have not been happy with the no name DX lights, wish I had saved my money. I have a Fenix E0 and Jetbeam CL-E which are great though. But I will not be buying any "cheap" lights anymore.

My P7 from DX died within hours of use as well. I'm not sure if it's the driver that died or the P7 itself; the "out" from the wires read 8.4v which goes out to the P7 directly.

Btw, i wasn't too impressed with the output when it worked neither

accr said:

My P7 from DX died within hours of use as well. I'm not sure if it's the driver that died or the P7 itself; the "out" from the wires read 8.4v which goes out to the P7 directly.

Btw, i wasn't too impressed with the output when it worked neither

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I think that's the problem of buying cheaper lights from KD or DX. The lights on paper look fantastic, and for a while they'll work okay.

But over time they may start to fail. Or you'll have a % of people who get lemons, or lights with minor problems that will interfere with reliable operation.

Splurging a bit more for a proven quality light with a US distributor who has a solid reputation for customer service is cheaper in the long run, imho.