Exploding LD01

Well, sort of.

Picked up a Fenix LD01 about 5 weeks ago, and immediately fell in love with it -- the spot was brighter and whiter than lights several times its size.

About a week ago, it was getting progressively harder to rotate the head to turn the light on and off, until I was barely able to turn it at all. Thinking that it needed oiled, I unscrewed it, and as I did it made a loud pop, and an acrid smelling gas hissed out of it. There must have been some pressurized component inside which slowly was leaking.

The strange thing is that it still works, but the light seems a bit dimmer, and has a yellowish hue to it. Quite unhappy about this, as the store has a 30 day return policy, and I don't fancy shipping it back to China for repairs.

Any thoughts or similar experiences?

What kind of battery were you using in the flashlight?

:welcome:
Sounds like your battery vented. Clean all contacts really well, and then try a new cell. If the output is still weird, you may get some warranty service from the vendor or the battery manufacturer.

cell vented.
I am not sure if Fenix warrants against battery venting.

If theres one knock against waterproof designs its this.

The battery vented most likely. What type of battery were you using?

When I read the thread title I thought someone had let a 10440 run down in it.

:welcome:

Good call -- I've never even heard of a battery venting before. Was using a new Duracell Ultra in it. Tried a regular Duracell after that, but it still has a yellow hue and is decidedly less bright. Guess there's nothing much I can do now, short of sending it in for repairs?

Perhaps the led was heated beyond tollerance levels.. They say if you use turbo mode too much on the P range too much, that it will degrade the level of the LED. Perhaps the venting caused the light to heat up and degrade the performance of the LED?

I can't think of anything that would do that except a serious internal short in the light somewhere, which caused the cell to drain so quickly that it overheated and vented.

Don't try to use the light again - the residue and fumes from venting cells are toxic. If you think you may have breathed any of it in, you should consult a doctor.

The light is obviously damaged, and IMO you should return it for replacement. Whether or not the store has a 30-day policy, I think you can make a reasonable case that they sold you defective goods and should therefore replace it or give you your money back.

It's a AAA light... and aren't Duracell Ultra's an alkaline battery? Can an alkaline vent like that?

:tinfoil:

I'm off to bury my alkalines in the bunker with my CR123s...

While you're trying to get it repaired, check with Duracell, i believe they will replace anything that one of their batteries destroyed. Check the back of the battery package for more info.

I had this happen once with an Energizer lithium AAA battery; lithium batteries smell bad no matter what, but this one really outdid itself. It didn't cause any damage, though; I've never seen a lithium battery leak.

The LD01 relies on having both sets of threads anodized to prevent metal-on-metal contact when the light is supposed to be off. If the thread anodizing is worn off, even a tiny bit, then its possible there was a very slow drain on the battery for a while, and that caused it to overheat and vent.

I have never heard of an alkaline battery venting! Leaking yes!!

Mike

deusexaethera said:

The LD01 relies on having both sets of threads anodized to prevent metal-on-metal contact when the light is supposed to be off.

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Then how does the stainless one work?

deusexaethera said:

The LD01 relies on having both sets of threads anodized to prevent metal-on-metal contact when the light is supposed to be off. If the thread anodizing is worn off, even a tiny bit, then its possible there was a very slow drain on the battery for a while, and that caused it to overheat and vent.

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Are you saying if you have a chip in the threadding or it wears over time from use, the light will facillitate the drainage and self destruction of batteries????

DM51 said:

I can't think of anything that would do that except a serious internal short in the light somewhere, which caused the cell to drain so quickly that it overheated and vented.

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Sometimes alkalines lets out some gas, with most lights it is not a problem, but the LD01 is sealed rather tight and the pressure will build up. I have experienced the same with my L0D.

DM51 said:

Don't try to use the light again - the residue and fumes from venting cells are toxic. If you think you may have breathed any of it in, you should consult a doctor.

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It was an alkaline battery, I do not believe that they are toxic.

The battery probably vented. First check with Duracell and see if you can get a refund for the cost of the light.

The leaking of the acid(well actually base IIRC) could have caused some gunk on the contacts. Try cleaning the contacts. The gunk will cause resistance and cause the LED to be driven at a lower current, which could cause the tint shift.

deusexaethera said:

The LD01 relies on having both sets of threads anodized to prevent metal-on-metal contact when the light is supposed to be off. If the thread anodizing is worn off, even a tiny bit, then its possible there was a very slow drain on the battery for a while, and that caused it to overheat and vent.

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Are you certain about this? A design like that seems very unlikely for a Fenix. My E0 and L1T for example are not (thankfully):twothumbs.

dilbert said:

Then how does the stainless one work?

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The - side of the circuit board is not touching the body, so it wont turn on while is not tighen up. I think same goes with the non-SS version, like the L0D.

deusexaethera said:

The LD01 relies on having both sets of threads anodized to prevent metal-on-metal contact when the light is supposed to be off. If the thread anodizing is worn off, even a tiny bit, then its possible there was a very slow drain on the battery for a while, and that caused it to overheat and vent.

Click to expand...

If the head and body made contact the light wouldn't have turn on? If the contact is so small it won't turn on the light then it won't short or drain the battery and heating it very fast neither.

Get a refund from Duracell, and try not to use substandard batteries in premium lights in the future.

dilbert said:

Then how does the stainless one work?

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Ah...well...hm. Good point. I forgot about the stainless model.

Crap.