Help! Quark Mini 123 died :(

progninja

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Hello,

Last Christmas my girlfriend ordered a 4Sevens Quark Mini 123 to give me as a gift.
Since then I have been using it every day and the light never failed me. A few days ago the light died but I am almost sure it was because of the batteries running out. I was using non-rechargeable cr123 4sevens batteries.

Since she also ordered AW 3.7V RCR123 LI-ION BATTERIES I switched to those batteries. I made sure they were fully charged with the ULTRAFIRE WF139 charger but using those batteries the flashlight is not turning on (and I haven't got any other batteries to test).

Fellow Quark Mini 123 owners, have you got any experience with this problem? I did some search and everything pointed to the fact that the 4Sevens Quark Mini 123 works fine with those batteries...

I would very much appreciate some help as I need my little quark mini asap! :)

P.S - My light is in perfect condition (just some scratches from everyday keychain use) but i didn't drop it or whatsoever and nothing is loose in the light.

Sorry for my crappy English,

Thank you very very much!
 

progninja

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Try some new batteries. It is possible that the rechargeable battery has the protection circuit tripped.

I was planning to use only these batteries for this flashlight :\.
I'm quite a flashaholic noob so what you said = these batteries won't work with this light or is it anyway to fix that?

Thanks for the help! :twothumbs
 

cm_mtb

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After trying a new CR123 as suggested, try cleaning all the contacts with a cloth and isopropyl alcohol.
 

samgab

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I hope you haven't fried your light.
Did you say it was the first time you tried RCR123A's that it failed you? And did you say they were fresh off the charger?
So you used it for months and months, every day, and it's worked fine on CR123A's, then you switched to RCR123A's and it stopped working immediately?
Fresh off the charger they would be 4.2 Volts, rather than 3. I'd be surprised if that would zap it, but I guess it's not outside the realms of possibility.
The manufacturer do very explicitly state NOT to use RCR123A's.
Good luck with getting it going again!
 

cm_mtb

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I've played around with an IMR cell in my Mini 123 on several occasions (it's incredibly bright on high). I think the main concern is heat, not the voltage. My light is fine, and I would guess that the higher voltage didn't kill the OP's light either.
 
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samgab

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Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're right there cm mtb. I run my mini AA on 14500's, although I know it's not recommended by 4Sevens and I've never had an issue. Not that I'd recommend it to others in case something went wrong and they blamed me I only use highest output for short bursts when required. But yeah, I hope that's not it... should be easy enough to test continuity with a DMM though...
 

clg0159

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I ran my mini 123 on RCRs for about a year. One day it just wouldn't turn on. I never ran it for extended periods on high either so I don't believe heat was an issue. Considering 4sevens does not officially support RCR use I am out SOL. I don't know if anyone else had this happen, but unfortunately mine was a WW limited so I will be opening it up at some point to replace the driver.
 

malojie

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i ran my mini on rcr no problems but you must keep an eye on it 3 minutes and you cant hold it because of the heat, ive no problems running it on higher voltage but if you have left it on and walked away i think the heat as ruined it on you..... short bursts on high only!!
I've played around with an IMR cell in my Mini 123 on several occasions (it's incredibly bright on high). I think the main concern is heat, not the voltage. My light is fine, and I would guess that the higher voltage didn't kill the OP's light either.
 

glockboy

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Maybe your AW 3.7V RCR123 dead, try your AW 3.7V RCR123 in another light to see if the battery work.
 
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cm_mtb

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i ran my mini on rcr no problems but you must keep an eye on it 3 minutes and you cant hold it because of the heat, ive no problems running it on higher voltage but if you have left it on and walked away i think the heat as ruined it on you..... short bursts on high only!!

One should certainly stick to short bursts only on high. I've never run mine more than 30 seconds on high with an RCR.
 
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