Fenix LOD Deceased - again!

I remember posting on here a couple of years again when my Fenix died for the first time. I tried all the cleaning suggested, tried various batteries but nothing worked. Then a few months later I picked it up and it was working fine.

Now it's gone again. Tried all the usual things but to no avail. Just wondered if anyone had had the same problems and whether they found the cause.

I do love my little Fenix. Can you send them off to get them serviced or is it really not worth it and best to bin it and buy another one?

Cheers,

Alan.

Shoot, that sucks Alan! My L0D was one of my first serious lights and I love it to bits as well.

I noticed with mine that the positive contact in the head would very quickly develop a black tarnish on it which would cause it to flicker/dim during operation, then finally not turn on at all. A bit of research revealed it's a common issue in AAA twisties (can't remember the exact reason, but something about the battery discharging/arcing while not in use?).

Cleaning it with rubbing alcohol did nothing, so as bad as it sounds, I'd very lightly abrade it with either the end of a screwdriver or some abrasive cloth. If you very lightly scratch the terminal with a screwdriver and it leaves a shiny metal streak on an otherwise black terminal, it's covered in gunk. If you scratch it and can't see the scratch, it's already clean.

Don't know if that'll help with your problem or not, but it's worth a shot!

No idea what the issue is, but pencil erasers are commonly prescribed for a relatively gentle method of abrasively cleaning contact surfaces.

Good luck with your L0D,

I first tried the cleaning fluid that comes with camera cleaners. Then the rubber. Then the tip of my penknife but I'm pretty sure it was already clean.

Alan.

You probably already know this but I'll say it anyway. If you think the problem is in the head try getting a couple wires and some refrigerator magnets. Attach the wires to both ends of a known good battery using the magnets.

IMPORTANT: DON'T reverse the leads, if you do you will fry the light .

Touch the positive lead to the center contact on the board and touch the negative lead to the outer ring of the board.

If it lights up when you complete the circuit then the problem is either the spring in the bottom of the battery tube(try reseating it) or the face/end of the battery tube that makes contact with the outer ring on the board(clean that too!).

IMPORTANT: DON'T reverse the leads, if you do you will fry the light.

Hope this helps.

Have you tried a contact cleaner like DeOxit? I use it on all my lights.

http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=237

Right, I messed with the wires and behold, there was light!!! So question now - how do I reseat the spring?

Alan.

Try cleaning the face of the battery tube first(its easier).


If that doesn't work try forming a hook with one of those wires and pull the spring out. Then clean the spring and the bottom of the battery tube.

As wade said, DeOxit is the best:thumbsup: but alcohol will do if that's all you got.

Looking down the tube, is the spring not soldered?

Alan.

:twothumbs Thank you Zendude :twothumbs

It's taken 3 hours but little LOD is now working again. I eventually got the spring out. Gave the inside of the battery chamber and the spring a good clean with the lens cleaning fluid - put it all back together - nothing!!! Dug the spring out again and scraped the bottom of the chamber with a darning needle and went all over the spring with a nail file and eureka, we now have light. Not quite sure which bit needed the work but hopefully that will be it for a couple of years.

Thanks again.

Alan.

Alan F said:

:twothumbs Thank you Zendude :twothumbs

It's taken 3 hours but little LOD is now working again. I eventually got the spring out. Gave the inside of the battery chamber and the spring a good clean with the lens cleaning fluid - put it all back together - nothing!!! Dug the spring out again and scraped the bottom of the chamber with a darning needle and went all over the spring with a nail file and eureka, we now have light. Not quite sure which bit needed the work but hopefully that will be it for a couple of years.

Thanks again.

Alan.

Click to expand...

Alan, could you change the title to the thread so that anyone else having L0D problems will see you've solved this?
A possibility could be as simple as 'Fenix L0D Deceased - and revived again!'

Nice to hear someone is still carrying the old and venerable L0D!

Glad I could help Alan.:thumbsup: That's what CPF is all about.lovecpf

@ Kaichu: How about "Nine Lives of the LOD"? That way you'll never have to change it.

Hmmm, or how about "Fenix Rises From The Ashes"

Oooh, oooh! I got it! "Fenix Rising!":naughty:

Zendude said:

Glad I could help Alan.:thumbsup: That's what CPF is all about.lovecpf

@ Kaichu: How about "Nine Lives of the LOD"? That way you'll never have to change it.

Hmmm, or how about "Fenix Rises From The Ashes"

Oooh, oooh! I got it! "Fenix Rising!":naughty:

Click to expand...

LOL! Zen, dude, you been out drinkin' again!?! :buddies:

Hey, how about Fenix L0D Rises From the Ashes? That's the one!

Good on ya, getting him back up and running!

kaichu dento said:

LOL! Zen, dude, you been out drinkin' again!?! :buddies:

Click to expand...

Actually, that was the normal me!

Does anyone have suggestions for lube that would prevent this problem from happening again? Our would that interfere with the electrical contact?

Damn, spoke too soon :-( It worked perfectly for 3 days, flickered and then died - again. At least I know what to look for this time. Although having filed every curl of the spring and scraped at the base till it shone, I'm not really sure what I can try next.

Alan.

Hmmmm....I guess "Nine Lives of the LOD" should be the title after all!

Well, I'm thinking its got to be the neg. contact ring and the battery tube face. You know, the tube makes contact on the outside edge of the PCB. Most of the trace never even touches the battery tube. Maybe the PCB is worn and not making good contact. You should see abrasion tracks where they mate. How does it look?

b29 said:

Does anyone have suggestions for lube that would prevent this problem from happening again? Our would that interfere with the electrical contact?

Click to expand...

DeOxit...

* Improves Conductivity
* Deoxidizes, Cleans & Preserves
* Reduces Intermittent Connections
* Reduces Arcing & RFI
* Reduces Wear & Abrasion

Alan F said:

lens cleaning fluid

Click to expand...

I have to question the use of lens cleaning fluid. Do you know what the ingredients are? Considering it's designed for cleaning optics and not electrical contacts, it maybe part of your problem. I know some optical cleaning solutions contain things to prevent fogging, protect AR coatings, etc. Could any of these other ingredients corrode electrical contacts, or cause poor conductivity?

I personally would limit its use to the flashlights's lens. I wouldn't being spraying it all over the electrical contacts. I'd stick to rubbing alcohol (any grocery store or drug store), or contact cleaner (Radioshack, etc).

Do you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner that you can drop the electronic free parts into?