Issue with Olight on 18650s.takes several clicks to turn on..Olight says it is normal

Cory S

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Joined
Dec 9, 2011
Messages
9
I have an Olight M3x. On R1234s it runs perfect...no issues. On 18650s, it sometimes requires excessive clicks to turn on. By excessive I mean, maybe as many as 5, or as few as 1...completely random.

Below is a transcript of my emails with Olight on the issue. As you see on the last email I clarified further the issue I am having, but I was hoping to get some support from you guys instead of waiting for their response.

Cory
Fri, Nov 25, 2011 at 9:35 PM
To: olightworld
My light works perfect with 123 batteries, but with 18650s it takes sometimes takes several clicks to turn on.
Any ideas?



Eileen < [address deleted]

>

Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 7:33 PM
Reply-To: service1

Cc: Olight Service [address deleted]



Hi Cory,

Could you tell us which model did you buy?

Best Regards,
Eileen Peng,

Olight Technology
[address deleted]

From: [address deleted]

Date: 2011-11-28 08:40
To: Service1
Subject: Re: Strange battery issue


Cory Simpson [address deleted]

[Quoted text hidden]




Cory
Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 7:36 PM
To: service1 < [address deleted]

>
Im sorry,
I would have included that in the previous email but i did not have the flashlight. The model is m3x triton.

[Quoted text hidden]



Cory
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 at 8:30 AM
To: service1 < [address deleted]

>
Do you have any idead on what is causing my issues?[Quoted text hidden]



Cory
Thu, Dec 8, 2011 at 3:32 PM
To: service1 < [address deleted]>
I was going to buy 6-7 of these as Christmas gifts for the guys in my family... but with the lack of communication on this problem... I have decided maybe I need to go with a brand that has better customer support. [Quoted text hidden]



Eileen < [address deleted]>
Fri, Dec 9, 2011 at 3:15 AM
Reply-To: service1 < [address deleted]>
To: "cory

Dear Cory,

Sorry for my late response!
We have checked with our engineer,there is no problem with the torch,usually ,it need twice clicks to light on the torch while using rechargeable battery.

Any question,please feel free to contact us.Thanks for your supports for Olight flashlights!

PS.:We will attend SHOT show in Las Vegas from Jan. 17th-20th. 2012, you are welcome to visit us at booth: 8211




Best Regards,
Eileen Peng,

Olight [address deleted]


From: [address deleted]

Date: 2011-12-09 05:32
To: [address deleted]

Subject: Re: Re: Strange battery issue


[Quoted text hidden]



Cory
Fri, Dec 9, 2011 at 7:49 AM
To: service1 < [address deleted]>
It can sometimes take 4-5 clicks... And it's different number each time.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DM51

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Welcome to CPF, Cory; but moderating your post has been quite a PITA. Please do NOT include contact details in posts here.
 

Cory S

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Dec 9, 2011
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I apologize for the trouble. I left their contact information in the email because it is public available on their website, and thought it help people in the future get a hold of them if needed (google search results etc) As I hit submit I noticed I missed editing one of my email addresses in the thread...but couldn't edit the post due to the moderation controls on the forum.
 

Nonprophet

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Nov 19, 2011
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I have an M3X Triton that I run with Callie's Kustom 3100 maH li-on batteries and I have no troubles at all--turns off and on with one click each and every time. FWIW, the CK's cells are a button top and not a flat top. What cells are you using? Flat top or button top? NP
 
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peterharvey73

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Yes, what make and model of 18650 batteries are you using???
Your flashlight can play up if you are using Ultrafires, Trustfires, and other cheap batteries.
 

Cory S

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Dec 9, 2011
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I am using Ultrafire push buttons, wasn't aware they were cheapies. I will try another brand and report back..thanks!
 

Cory S

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Dec 9, 2011
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Cory it might help you to understand if your read rule #12

Norm

yes, thank you for the link. I guess I didn't consider a communication with a generic helpdesk email box as a private communication.

I only included the email to be as transparent as possible on their response in order to not pass misinformation, and to help with a quick resolution. Please feel free to remove it if you feel it is inappropriate.
 

Joe Talmadge

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I am using Ultrafire push buttons, wasn't aware they were cheapies. I will try another brand and report back..thanks!

As long as "another brand" means AW, Redilast, or Callie's Kustoms, that should be an improvement. Still, the idea that "two clicks for on" is a feature rather than a bug is abominable. Hopefully it is just the crappy battery -- if it really is a feature, that'd swear me off Olight with rechargeables period.
 

cummins4x4

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I had an issue with my SR51 on XXXFIRE 18650's, mostly switching to low and flickering but occasionally would not turn on at all until I removed and reinstalled the batteries. Switched to AW2900's, problem solved.
 

matthewcyho

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I got this issue in my Olight M3x too when using two 18650 , but i have changed and use the olight by using 4 CR123 .
 

peterharvey73

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I got this issue in my Olight M3x too when using two 18650 , but i have changed and use the olight by using 4 CR123 .

Out of interest, what make and model of 2x18650 batteries were you using Matthew?

I have a Zebralight SC600, and it uses 1x18650.
The SC600 is a modern XM-L emitter with a very high amperage, of over 2 amps, and heading towards 3 amps.
My Ultrafire 2400 mAH Protecteds [which work fine in my RRT-2 XP-G R5] - however when used in the high current drain SC600, on turbo the SC600 turns on for so many seconds, then it automatically cuts off, and locks out permanently! It cannot be switched back on with the side switch again.
The only way to turn the SC600 back on, is to untwist the battery carrier 180 degrees, therefore cutting off the power supply, then twisting the battery tube 180 degrees clockwise and tight again, to resupply the current, and re-start the circuit.
On Redilast 3100 mAH button tops, which is actually a protected version of Panasonic 3100 mAH cells, the SC600 works fine on Turbo mode.
Thus, it's not just the voltage and mAH capacity - the higher quality batteries also have a faster discharge [amperage] rate.
If you want a cheap version of the Redilast 3100's, you can also try callieskustoms.com batteries, which seem to be the same Panasonic cells, with aftermarket protection circuits added, in cheaper looking wrapping.

Thus, you guys may check your batteries first?
What make and model 18650's were you using Matthew?
The Olight M3X is also an XM-L emitter with possibly a full 3 amp circuit!
It's like driving a Porsche on regular low octane unleaded petrol/gasoline.

If it still doesn't work properly with good batteries, then send it back to Olight for warranty!
 
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peterharvey73

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True, the M31 was an SST-50 which runs up to 4 amps etc.
If the M3X still plays up on quality batteries, then we must send it back to Olight...
 

Johnbeck180

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I had the same problem with one of my light. It took quite a few clicks for it to come on. I found that on the inside of my tail clicky, the spring that makes contact with the battery is attached to a removable disk that unscrews. It was loose, I tightened it and that fixed the problem. Mine had to small holes on opposite sides so I used two ball point pens.
d06705a5-c5a9-43b5.jpg

You can see the two holes
Hopefully this helps.
 
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Chicago X

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As Johnbeck 180 posted, please check the tailcap.

It would appear that with a single, slightly shorter cell you may not be putting enough pressure on the switch.

The 2-cell config is just a bit longer, compressing the taicap switch.

Please tighten everything, then report back.
 

Lou Minescence

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Every time any of my Olights act strange it is because of the tail cap contact with the body. Usually loosening and a hard re-tightening of the tail cap gets the light working correctly again.
 

Cory S

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I had the same problem with one of my light. It took quite a few clicks for it to come on. I found that on the inside of my tail clicky, the spring that makes contact with the battery is attached to a removable disk that unscrews. It was loose, I tightened it and that fixed the problem. Mine had to small holes on opposite sides so I used two ball point pens.
d06705a5-c5a9-43b5.jpg

You can see the two holes
Hopefully this helps.

Thanks, that helped a lot. The first time I use the light it takes 3 clicks to activate...but everytime after that for the next 15 minutes or so is only a single click. That is an improvement over 4-5 clicks everytime I tried to use it. Although, it still murders any sense of familiarity with the flashlight...never knowing how many clicks it will take to activate.

One thing I did notice is if I use a piece of metal on the back of the battery to the flashlight housing, it works fine each time. Would that not rule out the batteries?
 
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tre

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I have NO such issue with my M3x. Mine always turns on with the first click using 18650 cells. I would send that back if they refuse to fix it. I use AW 2200 18650 cells, Redilast 2900 18650 cells, and IMR 18650 cells all without issue in this light. I've never used cr123a cells in this light and it always turns on with the first click. Clearly your light has a problem and Olight tech support sounds fairly misinformed to think this is "normal".
 

Cory S

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Dec 9, 2011
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I think I've tracked down the problem..

If I tighten the metal disk too much, the light takes several clicks to activate, but if I loosen it just a tad then it only takes one click. The issue is it tends to loosen up too much over time because it's not torqued down.
 
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