I am cursed!

ubermensch

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Whilst playing with my lights outside, I grabbed my 6d mod by the head and it went out. The only thing that could have happened was the reflector touched the negative lead which then touched the centering post on the heatsink, would that kill my light?
 

Chief_Wiggum

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Hmmm, not knowing the specifics makes it tough. If you the reflector shorted the _negative_ lead and the centering post, I don't see how that would be a problem. The positive lead...well I'm not sure.

So what did this post just accomplish??? Well, you have my sympathy at least /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

flash....

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Is it over driven?
I have had two overdriven 5w LS's pop on slight impact. I thought this was always a coincidence.
I am now beginning to wonder if the bonding wire (red hot?) or something is more susceptible to impact while hot and driven hard?
 

MR Bulk

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While assembling mods I have on occasion inadvertently allowed the wire connected to the Luxeon's positive (that's positive) lead to touch, just for a split second, a heatsink or some other grounded surface, at which time the Luxeon became instantly, as well as very permanently, inoperable. But if you have a 6D Mag, I doubt this is the case since the reflector is only made of non-conductive plastic, plus you mention it was the negative lead anyway which should already be grounded. Hopefully it's just a loose wire due to the heavy weight, and the inherent problems associated with anything of great size and mass...
 

ubermensch

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flash, it was overdriven so that could be the cause of death, I guess. But the impact was very slight, I merely bumped the light on my shoulder.
Mr Bulk, when you shorted yours, did the emitter change its appearance, get deformed, etc. ?
 

LukeK

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I have a 6D Mag mod using a Hotlips heatsink. Whilst messing around with the light outside I was unscrewing the bezel and the light went off. It would not come back on at all. Roth thinks it is the switch which is defective but if the positive wire touched the heatsink, would that screw up the LED?
 

evan9162

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If the positive wire touched the heat sink, it could have caused a short (direct battery short, no LED involved), burning out a connecting wire on the flashlight, or doing something to the switch. Try using a 9V battery and a couple of wires to directly light up the luxeon (it will be safe, a 9V battery can't supply much current)
 

Rothrandir

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well we went through extensive testing of lookes light, and discovered that the positive connection was broken...
since all wires appeared to be intact and a reading from the top of the switch still yielded no result, the switch seems a logical solution...
 

LukeK

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Ok so I tried a 6v source directly to the LED. However, the wires going to the Mag switch and batteries are still connected. When I stuck the extra wires from the 6V source to the LED (making sure of correct +/- leads) it failed to light up. Would having the wires still soldered onto there affect anything at all or do I have YET ANOTHER fried LED? (I've already spent 60 bucks in LEDs on this mod /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif )
 

ubermensch

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When I have some time I'll un-solder my leads and hook up a 9v battery. But replacing the switch and/or wires isn't really an option when they are all epoxy-ed together. Thanks for the great leads on the leads.
 

Rothrandir

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looke, hooking up 6v to the led should light it up, no matter what else it's hooked to...
 

ubermensch

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I hooked up the light to a 9v, to no effect. The battery and wires were correct (tested by blowing out a krypton bi-pin--"take that you ugly thing!") Looks like what flash describes has occurred. And LukeK you have blown out 3 leds on the same light? Did they all go the same way? I'm starting to think that the 6d is not a friendly platform. Anyways, I don't think I'll be replacing mine any time soon. . . . grumble, grumble, grumble . . .
 

evan9162

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6D - no resistor? What was the current?

If there was a short somewhere, hooking up 6V may not light it up - the only real way to be absolutely sure would be to disconnect the LED and test both parts. However, it sounds like everyone here already has a good handle on what's going on.

[edit]

Another thought is that if you bumped the emitter hard enough, you jarred the plastic portion (lead carrier and lens) and shifted it relative to the die/slug part. The bond wires span across these two parts, and if they were hot and on the brink of melting, a slight jar/jerk/rotation/shift might have pulled one loose.
 

AilSnail

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[ QUOTE ]
While assembling mods I have on occasion inadvertently allowed the wire connected to the Luxeon's positive (that's positive) lead to touch, just for a split second, a heatsink or some other grounded surface, at which time the Luxeon became instantly, as well as very permanently, inoperable. [ QUOTE ]


That sound odd. I don't know much about electronic stuff but If there were a diode and a cap before the die (inside the emitter) then the diode could have been blown when the cap discharged to ground?
 
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