E2DL lockout tailcap problem

iamsilvermember

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Hi, I just jump into fancy flashlight world.

I bought the E2DL because it is praise by many. I am a little disappointed because the tint is more yellowish and it is not as white as my maglite LED or my friends Fenix P1D q5. But one thing i'm sure is that it is bright! (Looks slightly brighter than P1D q5 at max mode)

Anyway, here is my problem:

I was trying the lockout the flashlight to avoid accidental activation. However, it does not always work, one of the following can happen when I try to lock it:


  • No matter how much or how little I turn the tailcap, the flashlight can still be activated (sometime the momentary on function is disabled, but constant on will still work, sometimes both will work)
  • Sometimes I can successfully lockout (I checked to see if it is actually working), but after a while at the same locking position, if i try (within 10 tries) to activate the light the flashlight will turn on
  • Here is the worst possible case. Sometime while I turn the tailcap to find the lockout position, the light will turn on itself without touching the clicky button at the back, turn a little more it will go off, and on again if continue... very random

Is it something wrong I have done?? or I have received a defective light?

Also, I wonder what is the mechanism that allow turning the cap to lockout the light... I know knowing this I may find out the cause.

Thank you so much!!
 

matt0

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You may have a faulty tailcap. The pics below aren't of an E2DL (but it's little brother E1B) but mechanically, its exactly the same. If you notice, inside the body its tapered down towards the battery. As you screw the switch on, the metal contact ring inside the tailcap will touch that. Unscrewing it should allow the metal contact ring to 'float' without touching the body of the light at all thus 'locking' it off. If for some reason the contact ring is bent or damaged or the spring is shorting the battery and body, that could let the light come on.

On my E1B, if I click it on and then unscrew the tailcap, it seems to move about 15 degrees before being locked out. However, with the shrouded tailcap on my E1B I've never had it come on accidentally.

I would call SureFire and let them know. They will take care of you
switch1q.jpg

switch2.jpg
 
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iamsilvermember

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I think I understand the mechanism now.

So, the spring always touches the battery, regardless of the position of the tailcap. But if the tailcap is fully screwed in, something inside the tailcap will conduct the spring and the body of the torch (i.e. allow to be turn on). But when unscrewed for lockout, it is suppose to separate the spring the the torch body (i.e. cannot be turned on)?

Now I wonder my problem possibly due to me touching the spring earlier because the spring was not centered? I tried to screw the spring tighter.

I think now my question become, does how tight I screw the spring affect the lockout function?

And any proposed solution (suppose the problem is due to me moved the spring earlier)?

I hope I am describing my question well... Thank you so much in advance!

Also, thank you so much matt0, I think your answer helped me a lot.
 
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Bullzeyebill

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Yes, as newcomer you are jumping into the fancy world of high end flashlight fast. I started out much slower. LOL. Finicky switch, no doubt. Take the good advice you are receiving and contact SF, but phone, do not email, Surefire. If worse comes to worse you can always try out the excellent McClicky tailswitch, sold at the Sandwich Shoppe. I have had no problems with the McClicky, but I am lucky and have not had any problems with the SF E series clicky tailcaps either.

Bill
 

junmae

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congrats on getting your e2d ! :) I just got mine this week too! It's a great little flashlight with plenty nough power. lovecpf
 

Search

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How far do you have to turn the tailcap before the light will switch off?

I can turn my just a tad and constant will be locked out, a little more and momentary will be locked out.

No more than 1 and a half to 2 turns.

If yours still turns on, then the spring is still making contact, that is the only way. That's how you lock it out, make the spring no longer have a relationship with each other.

The spring in the picture of the E1B above is the same length as the spring in the E2DL. Well, the whole clicking mechanism is the same, the metal body of the tailcap is the only different.

If you think the spring is poking out farther than the one in the picture above, just twist it and when you finally twist the right way you can twist that spring on farther, this will create less distance between the clicker and the battery. If that doesn't fix it, then Harry Potter must be your cousin.
 

Size15's

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:welcome:

The spring contact always makes contact with the negative end of the battery, even when the TailCap is "locked out".

By unscrewing the TailCap beyond the point at which no amount of pressing the switch activates the light you are "locking out" the switch.

What the "LockOut" feature does is prevent the 'return' path of the TailCap switch contact assembly from making contact with the body. This switch assembly has physically limited forward travel inside the TailCap so the whole TailCap can be unscrewed from the body beyond a point that the switch contact assembly no longer is in contact with the flashlight body. The switch is Locked Out.

If you can not disable the switch by unscrewing it from the body (it usually only takes one or two rotations) then it is likely that the TailCap is faulty.
In this instance I suggest you call SureFire.

Al :)
 

iamsilvermember

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Thank you all for the welcome. I actually regret a little about knowing all these exotic flashlights, because they are surely addicting but not cheap at all!! But there is just something about them that I cannot resist... the look of it; the build quality; the texture; the material... not to mention the light!

Anyhow....



@ Search
I experimented your theory by screwing the spring all the way I can, it doesn't seem to work. Two "problem" occur when I do this: in this position, the spring is usually not centered (if you look from the top, the spring is not perfectly pointing the at you); another "problem" is in this case, the problems I mention happen more often...

But thank you very much for your suggestion :twothumbs At least now I know what the problem is not.


@Size15's
you said that:

"By unscrewing the TailCap beyond the point at which no amount of pressing the switch activates the light you are "locking out" the switch."

Do you imply that the original intention of lockout tailcap is just to prevent the momentary activation? In other word, if you actaully click the button, it will still turn on? Sorry to ask this simple question, I am asking just to make sure I understand what exactly is the lockout feature, so I know what to expect.

And correct me if I understand your explanation wrong. You mean the spring always touches the battery, but there is something (pointed by the arrow in photo below) between the spring and the body that will connect/disconnect as we screw in/out the tailcap?

3713236225_25bb1000fa_o.jpg

Photo from matt0




Anyway, I will contact surefire on monday. Hofefully they will help me solve this problem...
 

Size15's

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Firstly, when I say that LockOut disables the switch I mean that pressing the pressure the switch (including clicking it) will not activate the light. When the TailCap is locked out the flashlight is disabled (off).

If the Click switch is latched such that the light is constant-on, and then the TailCap is unscrewed the TailCap will be locked out when the light deactivates and no amount of pressing (including clicking) the switch will result in the light activating again.

Secondly, the photos posted above show the switch contact assembly removed from the TailCap. As far as I'm aware this is not possible on any of SureFire's LockOut TailCaps including that of the E2DL and the E1B TailCap shown in the photo.
I must conclude that the owner somehow remove it (it is not intended to be removed).

Thirdly, it is not the metal "tube/sleeve" (pointed to by the arrow) of the switch contact assembly that makes contact with the flashlight body but a number of tabs that make contact with the end/rear face of the body. By unscrewing the TailCap you are breaking this contact between the tabs and the body.

When the button is pressed (the red component usually covered by the rubber switch boot) it makes or breaks the circuit inside the switch contact assembly. When the TailCap is screwed on tight both the spring contact and the contact tabs are in contact whether the light is on or off.
The switch contact assembly metal sleeve (pointed to by the arrow) is structural and not integral to the electrical switching of the TailCap.

I hope this explains things more clearly?
 

iamsilvermember

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Hey guys, I think I might have fixed the problem... At least I test it and the lockout did work perfectly now!

But I really wish someone can explain to me if my rational make sense.

Based on Size15's explanation. I assume the silver circle (pointed by arrow) is the thing that control the lockout (i.e. if unscrew tailcap it shouldn't touch the body, if screw tailcap in it should touch the torch body)
3714779214_dcab351197_o.jpg

Sorry, out of focus...

When I remove the battery and the head, looking through the body to the tailcap I saw that the silver circle I mention was in the perfect center (the space between silver circle and the flash body is different). So i attempted to use my screw driver to shape the silver circle such that the space between it and flashbody is more even. Now things seems to work! (but the circle is no longer perfect circle :sigh:)

Do you think my fix make sense?
 

Size15's

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Based on Size15's explanation. I assume the silver circle (pointed by arrow) is the thing that control the lockout (i.e. if unscrew tailcap it shouldn't touch the body, if screw tailcap in it should touch the torch body)
The "silver circle" should NEVER touch the body.
The return circuit from the TailCap is via the three tabs that your photo clearly shows. These three tabs make contact with the end face of the flashlight body when the TailCap is screwed all the way onto the body.
When the TailCap is unscrewed past the point at which these three contact tabs are no longer in contact with the end face of the body the TailCap is "locked out" and the flashlight is disabled.
 

iamsilvermember

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Oh, then could it be because during the process I clean up some lubricant?

May be the lubricant somehow conduct the 3 tab to the body before I cleaned it?

Anyway, thank you SO MUCH Size15's.

I think now I totally understand how the lockout works.

Even I feel it's fixed, I will contact surefire on Monday.

Have a wonderful Sunday!!
 

Search

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While I thought it made more sense for the spring to have to be connected for it to work, and not be connected for it to not work..

It makes sense because when I tested a light a while ago by using a paper clip I noticed I had to touch the back of the battery and the body of the light.. Not just the battery.
 

rookiedaddy

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Here is the worst possible case. Sometime while I turn the tailcap to find the lockout position, the light will turn on itself without touching the clicky button at the back, turn a little more it will go off, and on again if continue... very random
hmmm... i think my 2nd E2DL is experiencing the same problem. after loosening the tail-cap for approx. 1 turn, the light will turn on, and this is while the switch is off. It will continue to turn on until I loosen enough that I can take the tail cap off. Screwing back the tail-cap until it's tighten is ok however. If I loosen the tail-cap again (approx. 1 turn), the light will turn on itself again until I take the tail-cap off.
Call to local distributor and was told that "it sometimes" does that? :confused: :sigh:
Send an email to SF international and awaiting (hoping for) reply now...

EDIT: Hmmm... reading Search and Size15 posts, maybe I should try putting an insulation tape inside of the tail tube, if no further replies from SF. :duh2:

Update 2010-01-22: Received a reply from SF international, but instead of solving my tail-cap issue, I received a lesson on how to use the Clickie tail-cap to turn off the flashlight. :ohgeez: :sigh:
 
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rookiedaddy

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This is an update:

I've finally received the second replacement tailcap from SureFire. The first replacement never reach after 1 month+, so SureFire sent a second one after contacted them about the missing unit. This replacement unit works. No more "automatic turn-on" when attempting to lock-out. :thumbsup:

SureFire... :twothumbs :clap:
 

msap

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I've been carrying an E2DL for some time and never had an accidental activation with the shrouded tail cap. Don't really see a reason to lock it out.
 

Mr Bigglow

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I've been carrying an E2DL for some time and never had an accidental activation with the shrouded tail cap. Don't really see a reason to lock it out.

I lock mine out in situations where the light might be clicked on without my being able to tell, ie, in situations where I couldn't see the light or feel the unit getting warm. Not only do you end up with dead batteries that way, you might actually find yourself severely burned or literally on fire.:tinfoil:
 

WildChild

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Same problem with my E2DL. It seems the silver tube/ring makes contact with the tabs and with the battery tube, even when the tailcap is unscrewed. I guess this ring wasn't making contact with the tabs before and may have been pushed completely down by the battery tube.
 
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