iTP A3 EOS/ Maratac AAA problem - One Man's Fix

Chicago X

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Hello fellow flashaholics.

I have a SS iTP A3 Eos Upgrade Edition that suffers from the same issue I see all over this forum afflicting the iTP and Maratec offerings.

Problem:

iTP and Maratec lights won't turn off, won't turn on, drain batteries, etc....

One Man's Fix:

Remove miniscule metal shavings from head of light.

The light in question:

A32.jpg



The offender:
A33.jpg


Right where the light engine meets the head, very tiny metal shavings lodge in the space between the LE and the threads. This shorts out the circuit, causing erratic operation and battery drain.

I took a sewing needle and chased the threads, as well as removing a couple of small brass/bronze/copper shavings from the spot indicated by the red arrow.

A quick clean and re-lube after shaving removal returned my iTP A3 to normal operation.

I hope this 'sheds a bit of light' on the issue and helps fellow iTP/Maratec owners. :thumbsup:
 
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mcnair55

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Thanks for the info but never had a problem with mine.Is it just the ss editions that have been suffering?

Food for thought as I have an A2 on the way.
 

Monocrom

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No issues with my black Maratac AAA model. Mine is an older one that is Med./Low/high output. Are these issues effecting the newer versions that are Low/Med./High?
 
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Chicago X

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Thanks for the info but never had a problem with mine.Is it just the ss editions that have been suffering?

Food for thought as I have an A2 on the way.

I've seen at least three threads on the subject lately.

Aluminum, titanium, SS......they all seem equally prone.
 

Dan FO

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I use a pointed toothpick soaked in alcohol instead of a needle. Yes, it does happen.
 

GlockDoc

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No issues with my black Maratac AAA model. Mine is an older one that is Med./Low/high output. Are these issues effecting the newer versions that are Low/Med./High?

I just picked up a black and a matt SS Maratac a little over a week ago and they are still med/low/high. I guess the new UI is not in the pipeline yet.
 

Gregozedobe

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I just picked up a black and a matt SS Maratac a little over a week ago and they are still med/low/high. I guess the new UI is not in the pipeline yet.

At the moment it seems to depend on what and where you buy from. The L/M/H Cu Maratac has been on sale for months. I believe the Alu and SS versions are still M/L/H but will be changing to L/M/H sometime in the not distant future (possibly this year).

ITP have had their Alu L/M/H versons on sale for a while now, but some dealers may still have old stocks of the M/L/H versions. I bought a couple of ITP Natural Alu L/M/H lights recently, but I believe ITP are now only making the Black Alu (ie no more Naturals Alu lights).

If you prefer the M/L/H sequence then you might consider stocking up now before they are all sold. If you prefer the L/M/H sequence then either wait for Maratac to bring out their SS and Alu versions, or buy a Maratac Cu or recent build ITP Alu. It is good to have a choice.
 

march.brown

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Thanks for the info but never had a problem with mine.Is it just the ss editions that have been suffering?

Food for thought as I have an A2 on the way.
I have two A3's , one is titanium and one is stainless plus I have one stainless A2 and a black A2 ... I also have a black A1.

I have not had the "won't switch off" problem (yet) but having read several accounts about it , I am prepared for it.

I guess this problem could occur with any twisty torch ... It is possible that the offending metal debris could be disturbed in cleaning and lubricating the head and it could drop into the gap between the ring and the metal body ... It is possible that small slivers of metal could be on the tools used for cleaning the torches and thence transfered to the torch ... There could even be tiny metal fragments clinging to the battery ... On the other hand , it could be debris from the machining process meaning that there is a problem in the quality control department.

I will continue using my "cotton bud" cleaning and lubricating technique as it seems to work OK for me ... Come to think of it ; my torches have not had a clean for a few months ... Do I clean them now and risk disturbing any debris or just leave them a bit longer ?

Decisions , decisions !
.
 

Chicago X

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....{snip}I guess this problem could occur with any twisty torch ... It is possible that the offending metal debris could be disturbed in cleaning and lubricating the head and it could drop into the gap between the ring and the metal body ... It is possible that small slivers of metal could be on the tools used for cleaning the torches and thence transfered to the torch ... There could even be tiny metal fragments clinging to the battery ... On the other hand , it could be debris from the machining process meaning that there is a problem in the quality control department.

I will continue using my "cotton bud" cleaning and lubricating technique as it seems to work OK for me ... Come to think of it ; my torches have not had a clean for a few months ... Do I clean them now and risk disturbing any debris or just leave them a bit longer ?

Decisions , decisions !
.

Thanks for your input.

In my case, I believe it to be a remnant of assembly. The material removed from the offending areas seems to always be metal from the light engine. I've looked at the small shards under 60x and 100x magnification, and they are a brassy/yellowish metal.

I originally tried the cotton bud technique, to no avail. The metal shavings were too small, and located in an area not reached by the swab. Even a craft knife tip (think scalpel) was too large to adequately chase the area free of debris.
 

march.brown

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Thanks for your input.

In my case, I believe it to be a remnant of assembly. The material removed from the offending areas seems to always be metal from the light engine. I've looked at the small shards under 60x and 100x magnification, and they are a brassy/yellowish metal.

I originally tried the cotton bud technique, to no avail. The metal shavings were too small, and located in an area not reached by the swab. Even a craft knife tip (think scalpel) was too large to adequately chase the area free of debris.
Have you tried a fine dental pick ? ... They are available in very fine points and you can grind them even finer with a Dremmel.

I'm also wondering if the head can be ultrasonically cleaned in an alcohol bath ... If the open end is facing down , any dislodged metal would fall to the bottom of the cleaner ... It's just a matter of then letting the alcohol evaporate from the torch head.

Possibly the offending swarf can be blown out using compressed air though you would have to wear protective glasses.

Perhaps the metal shavings are caused when the LED assembly is forced into the head ... Just a thought !
.
 

GlobalPlayer

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Nov 11, 2009
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Thanks for the infos and the pictures,

I've bought four iTP A3 Eos Upgrade Edition last year and all still work fine until now
 

roberttheiii

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The first thing I do when I receive any new non-surefire light (surefire seems to do a fair job of it at the factory) is disassemble all reasonably disassembled threads, clean then with some paper towel, assess, clean further if need be, clean all terminals, remove o-rings, then grease all threads and o-rings. I find this particularly important if I'm giving a light as a gift as that may be the last grease the light ever sees.
 

Chicago X

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Have you tried a fine dental pick ? ... They are available in very fine points and you can grind them even finer with a Dremmel.

I'm also wondering if the head can be ultrasonically cleaned in an alcohol bath ... If the open end is facing down , any dislodged metal would fall to the bottom of the cleaner ... It's just a matter of then letting the alcohol evaporate from the torch head.

Possibly the offending swarf can be blown out using compressed air though you would have to wear protective glasses.

Perhaps the metal shavings are caused when the LED assembly is forced into the head ... Just a thought !
.

All good thoughts. (agreement bold added by me) :thumbsup:

I looked a bit closer at both the AA and AAA units, under magnification, and there is an important detail I feel needs adding. On my SS AAA example, the etched battery-side portion of the PCB has conductive (copper) material almost all the way to the edge. This allows for a TINY shard of metal to bridge the gap between the PCB and tube wall. The AA model has more of a gap.

This variance in manufacturing is likely the reason that this problem is not seen across the range, IMO.
 

march.brown

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All good thoughts. (agreement bold added by me) :thumbsup:

I looked a bit closer at both the AA and AAA units, under magnification, and there is an important detail I feel needs adding. On my SS AAA example, the etched battery-side portion of the PCB has conductive (copper) material almost all the way to the edge. This allows for a TINY shard of metal to bridge the gap between the PCB and tube wall. The AA model has more of a gap.

This variance in manufacturing is likely the reason that this problem is not seen across the range, IMO.
Just checked my A3 Titanium and A3 stainless against my A2 stainless and A2 black plus my A1 black.

The major difference is the physical size of that gap ... There is more room for a bigger gap in the A2 and A1 as expected but luckily all mine are working perfectly with no visible signs of any shards of metal present ... On the odd occasion the torches do skip a mode but this is due to lack of cleaning and lack of use ... Possibly the over-zealous use of lubricant and silicone grease as it does tend to migrate from where it's put.

The A3's are on keyrings and the A2's are clipped into pockets as EDC ... The A1 (my least favourite) is on the bedside cabinet and is only tested when I remember about it ... One of my Solarforces is also on the bedside cabinet and is used in preference to the A1.

So as far as the gaps are concerned size matters ... The bigger the torch the better the gap.

Nevertheless , I wouldn't choose any other torch (in this price range) to keep on my keyrings or to EDC ... I have to admit though that the A1 (with RCR) is bright for its size ... It's just the dumpy shape I don't really like.

I'm getting to like the fact that my keyring A3's start in the medium mode and this is usually the only mode that I use with them ... I prefer my other EDC's to start at low.
.
 

bshanahan14rulz

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old thread, but thought I'd add. The source of these shavings is most likely from the PCB trace that the body makes contact with. You will see that as it wears, more and more gets shaved off. Was thinking about polishing the aluminum connecting lip on the body so that maybe it doesn't shave as much, and maybe reinforcing what is left of the trace with some solder.

Any tips on disassembly? Haven't searched in depth yet, but right now it doesn't look like the threads go all the way into the head, so don't think it is screwed in...?
 
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