Flashlight Parasites

I have found an image of the Chip Weevil.



So if you see anything like this, anywhere near you house, you are in big trouble. My sources (no name agency) says the only way to kill the Chip Weevil is to electrocute them. Now this can kill your beloved LED flashlight.

So you have to make a trail of phosphor leading to an metal plate. The Chip Weevils(CWs) will have to eat all the phosphor in the LED before they look for the new food source. There are some quick calculations. If your LED is dimming slightly, give the CWs 24 hours to migrate to the metal plate. If your LED flashlight got really bright and suddenly died, your Chip Weevil problem is solved. They accidentally ate some of the diode and electrocuted themselves. Now you only have to replace your LED. If your LED is very dim, 5 hours is enough time because they have almost eaten all of the phosphor and will quickly follow the phosphor trail to the metal plate.

When the time is up, electrify the metal plate for no less than 10 seconds. DO NOT electrify the plate before then. A: The phosphor will be vaporized and the CW will not go where there is no food. B: They stay away from the current. Now that the Cip Weevils are dead, just replace the LED.

You probably surmised that the Chip Weevil does not feast on running LED. They only feast when it is off. So if one of your lights has a Chip Weevil infection, turn on all your flashlights. Yes even the incandescents. The incans won't be damaged by Chip Weevils, but they are carriers.

Heat Sink Fatigue(HSF)
The cause of HSF isn't fully known. It is suspected that Chip Weevil droppings insulate the Heat Sink. It may also be CW eggs. It is suspected this happens to flashlights that are used a lot. Because when the LED is on, the CWs can't eat the phosphor. So they move away from the electric current and relieve themselves or copulate. Being the heat sink is so close to the LED, is why they congregate at the heat sink.

Vent Mold(VM)
Further investigation has linked CWs with VM. This is not a direct link. Chip Weevils can carry Vent Mold. The mold can stick to the hairs on the weevils body. This is not very common however. Most cross contamination is caused by flashlight users not washing their hands after picking up individual batteries. When a contaminated cell is placed in a flashlight, some VM or VM Spores are deposited there. When the flashlight user places fresh cells into the contaminated flashlight, the VM hops onto that cell.

As with most common mold, Vent Mold is also hard to eliminate. You have to kill all the mold and remove all the spores. Normal mold can be killed by bleach. But VM is a lot hardier, since the weak ones are killed by the cell venting with flame. The only sure way to eliminate all the mold is to microwave all your flashlight parts and cells for 20 seconds on high. Thankfully VM feeds off of lithium, and other metals. The spores need small current to bloom. So you won't have to microwave your hands. Just wear gloves for one month and keep your hands perfectly dry. Don't forget to remove any jewelry like wedding bands. The VM should die off from starvation in 1 month. It is a good idea to microwave as much cloth objects (towels clothes, bedding, etc.)as possible to limit re-exposure.

Procedure - Wash all your lights and cells with bleach to remove (not kill) as many spores as possible. Microwave all flashlight parts and cells. Microwave most cloth objects found in your house. Wear gloves and don't touch your lights or other metal objects for 1 month. If you do, put on a fresh pair of gloves and safely dispose of the old gloves. DO NOT under any circumstances turn on your flashlights for the month. Any current could bloom any remaining spores. The microwave isn't enough to completely eliminate them.

Insta-Flash(IF)
IF is commonly thought of being too much voltage for an incandescent bulb. It really is Chip Weevils. Now CWs can't eat an incan. But they can infect them. When you increase current slowly, the CW migrate to a non electrified area. But if you increase the voltage faster than the CWs can move, the CWs get fried. Unfortunately, this kills the incan bulb. The vaporized and charred CWs turn the bulb black and corrode the filament instantly.

This at least kills the infestation. Just make sure the other bulbs are sealed. If not, turn up the voltage to eliminate that colony in each bulb.

Reflector Fungus - A.K.A. Mule Fungus
The highly reflective metal used in photon parabolic reflectors is prone to infestation of Reflector Fungus. This fungus, Laccaria Iaccata, has an appetite for metals. Fungi in Metal Contaminated Soil When the shiny metal has been consumed, it will spread to the rest of the reflector(if metal) or to the body and electronics of the light.

If your flashlight reflector gets contaminated by Reflector Fungus, do not open the bezel. To do so will release the spores and contaminate the air and will lie dormant until exposed to another reflector. Do not bury it. Most homes have underground wires, pipes and other metal objects that the fungus will feed upon if deprived of its favorite medium, reflectors.

To remove Reflector Fungus infestation, follow the same procedures as Vent Mold, except open in sealed room and skip the month wait. Just DO NOT put a photon parabolic reflector in it until a month passes.

As with most diseases, it gets name from its first victim. The first case of this was observed by McGizmo in a prototype PD-Q light (The Mule), which eventually lost the entire reflector. McGizmo liked the beam pattern and instead of destroying it, produced more.
*authorities have been sent to McGizmo's shop and it has been certified Reflector Fungus free.

Damn.. those things are serious business..

man I've had 2 LEDs turn an angry blue from those weevils.... roasted them quick!

Can those Weevils also cause venting of Lithium batteries ?


:candle:
_

Burgess said:

Can those Weevils also cause venting of Lithium batteries ?
:candle:

Click to expand...

Good question! I never thought the infestation could get in to the power cells. I must investigate!

That looks like a Queen in the pic. I've only ever seen Workers before. Nice work!

I'll be more careful opening my flashlights from now on.
quote=Dr. Evazan: You'll be dead!

Burgess said:

Can those Weevils also cause venting of Lithium batteries ?
:candle:

Click to expand...

No – this is a completely different problem, namely Vent Mold. It is caused by fungal infestation of cell vents due to damp conditions and the presence of +ve ions, which encourage the proliferation of the black mold spores. These are the same spores commonly observed in ill-ventilated rooms, forming unsightly black blotches on walls.

CPFers who use their cells in conditions subsequent to unhygenic storage risk a serious gas venting incident, especially if brought into reckless proximity or in conjunction with artichokes, incompletely reconstituted dried onions, or industrial quantities of beans. The resultant toxic gases can be overwhelming, so precautionary measures are mandatory.

I'd never heard of Chip Weevils until DM51's subtle post on the Titan, but they sound like modern technology's cousins of the gremlins - just not as cute.

UPDATED Second Post.

Vent Mold(VM)
Further investigation has linked CWs with VM. This is not a direct link. Chip Weevils can carry Vent Mold. The mold can stick to the hairs on the weevils body. This is not very common however. Most cross contamination is caused by flashlight users not washing their hands after picking up individual batteries. When a contaminated cell is placed in a flashlight, some VM or VM Spores are deposited there. When the flashlight user places fresh cells into the contaminated flashlight, the VM hops onto that cell.

As with most common mold, Vent Mold is also hard to eliminate. You have to kill all the mold and remove all the spores. Normal mold can be killed by bleach. But VM is a lot hardier, since the weak ones are killed by the cell venting with flame. The only sure way to eliminate all the mold is to microwave all your flashlight parts and cells for 20 seconds on high. Thankfully VM feeds off of lithium, and other metals. The spores need small current to bloom. So you won't have to microwave your hands. Just wear gloves for one month and keep your hands perfectly dry. Don't forget to remove any jewelry like wedding bands. The VM should die off from starvation in 1 month. It is a good idea to microwave as much cloth objects (towels clothes, bedding, etc.)as possible to limit re-exposure.

Procedure - Wash all your lights and cells with bleach to remove (not kill) as many spores as possible. Microwave all flashlight parts and cells. Microwave most cloth objects found in your house. Wear gloves and don't touch your lights or other metal objects for 1 month. If you do, put on a fresh pair of gloves and safely dispose of the old gloves. DO NOT under any circumstances turn on your flashlights for the month. Any current could bloom any remaining spores. The microwave isn't enough to completely eliminate them.

Flashlight eating bugs you say eh? Well it's not April 1st so it must be true...

Crap, I shouldn't have read this thread... :green:



edit- How common are these? What are the chances my lights have these?

they happen on 90% of all silicon dies.
also explains why gfx cards and processors die.

The more you use your LED's the safer they are since firing up the light interrupts the meal.

I have noticed that they seem to dislike Pelican cases, not sure why.

Sgt. LED said:

I have noticed that they seem to dislike Pelican cases, not sure why.

Click to expand...

Pelicans are birds, birds eat worms.

holy moly... thats bizarre!!

Little suckers eat LEDs, yikes.

Heres the Wiki page.
http://www.cpfwiki.com/Wiki/index.php/Chip_Weevils

Dear Dr.Phil,
I just opened my BOB so I could lube the threads and seals of the three E01 that I have.
OMG!!!1111 WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM!!!??



What can I do and how fast these these these :sick2: procreate, I swear there was only three E01 just 3months ago.

This is very serious indeed. I don't think I want these nasty little buggers around ANY of my lights.

By the way, just out of curiosity, can anyone give me the Chip Weevil's scientific name?

UPDATE: First post has been edited.

Reflector Fungus - A.K.A. Mule Fungus
The highly reflective metal used in photon parabolic reflectors is prone to infestation of Reflector Fungus. This fungus, Laccaria Iaccata, has an appetite for metals. Fungi in Metal Contaminated Soil When the shiny metal has been consumed, it will spread to the rest of the reflector(if metal) or to the body and electronics of the light.

If your flashlight reflector gets contaminated by Reflector Fungus, do not open the bezel. To do so will release the spores and contaminate the air and will lie dormant until exposed to another reflector. Do not bury it. Most homes have underground wires, pipes and other metal objects that the fungus will feed upon if deprived of its favorite medium, reflectors.

To remove Reflector Fungus infestation, follow the same procedures as Vent Mold, except open in sealed room and skip the month wait. Just DO NOT put a photon parabolic reflector in it until a month passes.

As with most diseases, it gets name from its first victim. The first case of this was observed by McGizmo in a prototype PD-Q light (The Mule), which eventually lost the entire reflector. McGizmo liked the beam pattern and instead of destroying it, produced more.
*authorities have been sent to McGizmo's shop and it has been certified Reflector Fungus free.