PKEF questions: Help, please...

Hey all!

I just bought a PKEF B5K (first one ever!) and I need some help. Either it has a problem or I don't understand how this works (have no manual for it).





This is what it is doing: (it seems to have the 2-stage twisty:sigh: )

Position 1 on the bezel ring:

- light press = high blue (I guess.. not very bright to me).

- harder press = high white + high blue

- go back to light press
from harder press = low white + VERY DIM blue (low blue, I guess)


Position 2 on the bezel ring:

- light press = low white

- harder press = high white

- back to light press = low white


Position 3 on the bezel ring:

- light press = high red (also not very bright to me)

- harder press = high white + high red

- back to light press = low white + high red

(I could not get low red at all.)


Twisting the tailcap gives the same results. No clickie function at all.

To me, this seems VERY strange. I have many multi-stage lights (three A2's, U2, E2DL, E1B, HDS U60GT, etc...) and this doesn't make any sense to me. I have also read the KROMA reviews and related info about how it works, and still it doesn't make sense.

How is this supposed to work? Am I doing something wrong? Is it messed up and needs to go to SF for repair? As I have no manual for it, I have no info at all about it and a search of CPF yielded no useable info.

Please:help:!

Here an old thread about the PKEF: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/1544228#post1544228

When I first got my PKEF .... I think its been almost 3 years now, I felt the tailcap did not function properly since I wasn't getting the proper 2 or 3 stage(I can't remember how many stages since I don't use it all that often) clicky results. I sent the entire light back to Surefire and they fixed the problem.

Seattlite,

Did you have the twisty or clickie before you sent it in?

What kind of tailcap did SF send it back to you with?

Due to the sensitivity of the mechanical/electrical interface it is sometimes possible for the electronics to become confused by partial contact which results in higher resistance than the the two extremes usually used to switch between the two levels/modes.

This can manifest in a "third stage" which you are seeing as a 'low red' or 'low blue' etc. With the A2 this is seen as a low output from the incandescent lamp.

With the Kroma the high and low coloured outputs are selected using the bezel's selector dial. The two-stage pressure switch is used to select between the secondary beam, and the main beam.

SureFire experimented with a so-called two-stage clickie TailCap which some/several PKEF lights did have. The PKEF in your photograph does not have this TailCap (it looks different from the normal Kroma TailCap). IMHO and experience it was not KISS and SureFire were right not to take that 'two-stage clickie' any further.
Note this is not the same a the dual output clickie UI used by the likes of the E1B and E2DL.
(I don't like this either btw)

Anyway, of course the PKEF were PK Experimental Flashlights and as such were not always as cleanly operational as production models such as the K2 Kroma.

So you should be able to screw the TailCap of your PKEF onto the body such that the secondary beam is activated constant-on. You can use the selector dial to choose which secondary beam you want - red LEDs, blue LEDs and low output main beam are the three choices your PKEF has.
Pressing the push button pressure switch at this point should activate the main beam at it's standard output.

You should also be able to screw the TailCap all the way onto the body such that the main beam standard output is constant-on.
As you noticed the secondary mode is also active when the main beam is active resulting in the red, or the blue LEDs being lit at the same time as the main beam.

I don't know whether operating the PKEF at the 'third output' is dangerous to the flashlight. I don't expect so.
Also, if you are usually able to achieve this third output you may like to carefully check to see whether any of the contact springs in the TailCap are damaged/missing/pushed too flat. And whether the contact surface at the end of the body is clean.

Al

socom1970 said:

Seattlite,

Did you have the twisty or clickie before you sent it in?

What kind of tailcap did SF send it back to you with?

Click to expand...

I've always had the same multi-stage clicky tailcap. I sent the entire light to Surefire and they sent me the same light back but in better working condition.

Ok Here is the research that I came up with when I got my PKEF.

My PKEF has the same problems you are having.

half press forward - low white or color leds

full press - full white

half press reverse - low white with color led

the supposed "3-stage" is a neat gimmick but not really necessary

Just use a 1x17650 and your PKEF will perform like a normal production kroma.

Here is a thread I made back last november
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/212240


Here is a post with pics
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2691718&postcount=398

Also the first PKEFs had a clicky tailcap. look very carefully at this pic

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/3484/640dsc01304hw8lp7.jpg

Look at the three PKEF tailcaps. the indentation (close to the rubber boot) is shallower than our PKEF tailcaps. Our PKEF tailcaps are the same as normal Kroma tailcaps.

Here is another picture of the PKEF tailcap
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2724839&postcount=464

Also, thanks to Dafab, I have the DARPA DEF3C.

I traded my PKEF body for the DARPA body that he had. Im not sure about the timeline but DARPA hired SF to make the PKEF Turbo along with Turbo U2s. Im thinking that the DARPA was made first and then the PKEF? not sure about this.

Anyway I have seen fewer DARPA bodies than PKEF bodies. The DARPA can fit 18650, not bored out but came like that from SF. Also the DEF3C matches the colors of my PKEF head. I have the blue, white, IR version. There were DEF3A/B/C. The only crappy thing is that the DARPA body is different than the PKEF so that the normal Kroma tailcap doesnt quite work very well. of all the DARPA body pictures I have found, they have the prototype cliky tailcap like what i showed above.

pics of my DARPA PKEF
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2735638&postcount=487

PKEF's were the 'left-overs' from the DEF project and offered as an opportunity to experience one of the many R&D field-test projects SureFire has to evaluate new concepts.

Size15's said:

PKEF's were the 'left-overs' from the DEF project and offered as an opportunity to experience one of the many R&D field-test projects SureFire has to evaluate new concepts.

Click to expand...

Ok I thought so. Just wasnt sure. cool so my Darpa is the earlier PKEF. Now if I could only get my hands on one of those two stage Clicky tailcaps

Solscud007 said:

Ok I thought so. Just wasnt sure. cool so my Darpa is the earlier PKEF. Now if I could only get my hands on one of those two stage Clicky tailcaps

Click to expand...

I really don't like the two-stage clickie TailCap. Not user-friendly at all. I'm not convinced it is worth trying to hunt one down unless you find somebody wanting to trade theirs for something better (like your standard two-stage TailCap!)

Size15's said:

I really don't like the two-stage clickie TailCap. Not user-friendly at all. I'm not convinced it is worth trying to hunt one down unless you find somebody wanting to trade theirs for something better (like your standard two-stage TailCap!)

Click to expand...

Sigh. I have tried that, but no one wants to relinquish their two stage clicky.