Can the Zebralight SC52 be disassembled underwater, like an Elzetta?

I was just looking at the SC52 on ZL's website and I noticed that under the changes it said "LED driver circuits sealed completely from the battery chamber" Does this mean that you could get water in the battery compartment without affecting the flashlight? [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
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Not sure.

It's not possible to tell how sealed it is just looking in the back of the battery tube. Also, like most Zebralights, this one doesn't look like it can be disassembled by the consumer. I'm certainly not going to risk damaging mine by pouring water into the battery tube.

Your best bet might be to send an email directly to Zebralight with your question.

Forgive the crappy picture but taking a picture of the inside of a battery tube with a cell phone is difficult.

It definitely looks like the only thing exposed is the terminal. None of the circuitry. So I don't know if I would say this is comparable to an Elzetta, but I would definitely be more comfortable getting water inside my tube with this than any previous Zebralight. I'm thinking the gasket around the lens is probably your weak point in terms if ingress since the battery tube is pretty well sealed by the o ring in the tail cap. Mind you, this is all speculation.

Are you going to need to disassemble it underwater? I guess its possible that it is waterproof even from the inside of the battery tube, but I think being externally waterproof is probably good enough. Even if you were a scuba diver, you wouldnt need to change batteries underwater.

HighlanderNorth said:

Are you going to need to disassemble it underwater? I guess its possible that it is waterproof even from the inside of the battery tube, but I think being externally waterproof is probably good enough. Even if you were a scuba diver, you wouldnt need to change batteries underwater.

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Mostly I'm just curious.

Battery changes under water, I think that's awesome, is there a YouTube video for the Elzetta on this?

Who in their right mind would change batteries underwater? They will short the moment you submerge them.

HighlanderNorth said:

Are you going to need to disassemble it underwater? I guess its possible that it is waterproof even from the inside of the battery tube, but I think being externally waterproof is probably good enough. Even if you were a scuba diver, you wouldnt need to change batteries underwater.

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Submerged battery changes are clearly an extreme-use case, but they provide a good test for changing batteries in the rain (a much more practical consideration). I immediately wondered the same thing as the OP when I saw this feature.

CarpentryHero and moozooh: here is a link to the Elzetta videos [http://www.elzetta.com/zfl-m60faq.htm].

Wowsa, I'd actually found it last night (I was bored)
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sour...uIH4AQ&usg=AFQjCNFdRqpcqNCsP2aj0n-WGdfJmf3uVQ

Woohoo! Now when I'm snorkeling in the bathtub and my light dies I won't need to sit up to change the batteries. :thinking:

Yes yes we know! Who would ever need to change their batteries underwater right? But we don't want to see these kinds of tests because we may actually use them as such. These tests are a proxies for how the light might respond to a much more normal use scenario. 99% of us won't ever use the lights in any way resembling the IPX-8 standard either but you can sure bet that if one of our beloved companies tried to sell a light without that rating, there would be whole threads dedicated to discussing the lack of water proofness of the light and many people wouldn't buy it.

I'm happy to watch these companies try to one-up each other with torture test videos all day long if it means they're pushing each other to produce more robust, reliable products. Otherwise, what's the difference between the high dollar lights we own and the stuff you can buy from the hardware store? If a non-flashaholic asked most of us that question, we would respond by talking about how much brighter and efficient our lights are but also how we can drop them off a building on to concrete or throw them in a swimming pool and suffer no ill effects. Sure most of our lights will never get used that way but it gives up piece of mind knowing that they could ​take it.

Nope.

Elzetta uses Malkoff drop-ins, which houses all of the electronics inside the self-contained and sealed module. This is why the guy in the video was able to take apart the light underwater, put it back together and still fire it up, because even though water did end up inside the battery compartment, none got into where it actually mattered--inside the drop-in where the circuits and emitters are located.

The water tightness of SC52, on the other hand, ends when the light is opened.

enomosiki said:

Nope.

Elzetta uses Malkoff drop-ins, which houses all of the electronics inside the self-contained and sealed module. This is why the guy in the video was able to take apart the light underwater, put it back together and still fire it up, because even though water did end up inside the battery compartment, none got into where it actually mattered--inside the drop-in where the circuits and emitters are located.

The water tightness of SC52, on the other hand, ends when the light is opened.

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Please provide a source for your knowledge of the Zebralight. Thanks!

I was speaking with a rep at Zebralight a few weeks ago. He told me that the electronics are sealed on the sc52, and that you could get water in the battery tube and it would not damage the light.

I think what others have said, and what my picture shows, is that the SC52's electronics are sealed inside the light's head just like a Malkoff drop in. There even appears to be a similar glossy black epoxy used to pot the electronics. And just like the Malkoff, the terminal that contacts the positive end of the battery is the only thing sticking out beyond the potting.
Also, just for clarification, I don't think anyone is asking if the head could also be disassembled under water, just the cap taken off the battery tube.

enomosiki said:

Nope.

Elzetta uses Malkoff drop-ins, which houses all of the electronics inside the self-contained and sealed module. This is why the guy in the video was able to take apart the light underwater, put it back together and still fire it up, because even though water did end up inside the battery compartment, none got into where it actually mattered--inside the drop-in where the circuits and emitters are located.

The water tightness of SC52, on the other hand, ends when the light is opened.

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GeoBruin said:

I think what others have said, and what my picture shows, is that the SC52's electronics are sealed inside the light's head just like a Malkoff drop in. There even appears to be a similar glossy black epoxy used to pot the electronics. And just like the Malkoff, the terminal that contacts the positive end of the battery is the only thing sticking out beyond the potting.
Also, just for clarification, I don't think anyone is asking if the head could also be disassembled under water, just the cap taken off the battery tube.

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The electronics might not be potted, they would certainly mention it, but I think you have the right idea. If the electronics are sealed, there are no reaons you couldn't be able to change batteries underwater, but your battery is not water proof - please keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that the sealing can be vulnerable to water pressure.

KeeblerElf said:

Submerged battery changes are clearly an extreme-use case, but they provide a good test for changing batteries in the rain (a much more practical consideration). I immediately wondered the same thing as the OP when I saw this feature.

CarpentryHero and moozooh: here is a link to the Elzetta videos [http://www.elzetta.com/zfl-m60faq.htm].

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Oh man... Isn't he using distilled water? That's such a misleading experiment. Even filtered rainwater is at least an order of magnitude more conductive than distilled water, and it only goes up from there if it's polluted in any way or mixed with sea breeze. Batteries will short in rainwater easily if submerged or thoroughly soaked. If there's water in the battery tube, its pressure may also disrupt vent valves on batteries and/or get water inside to react with lithium directly. You absolutely don't want any of that to happen with lithium chemistry. Bottom line: never attempt to change batteries without some kind of rudimentary shelter unless it's a life-or-death situation.

Besides, not sure how tailclicky caps are made at Elzetta, but in most other flashlights they'll make the light constant-on if shorted with water or other conductive liquid.

GeoBruin said:

Forgive the crappy picture but taking a picture of the inside of a battery tube with a cell phone is difficult.

It definitely looks like the only thing exposed is the terminal. None of the circuitry. So I don't know if I would say this is comparable to an Elzetta, but I would definitely be more comfortable getting water inside my tube with this than any previous Zebralight. I'm thinking the gasket around the lens is probably your weak point in terms if ingress since the battery tube is pretty well sealed by the o ring in the tail cap. Mind you, this is all speculation.

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You know what would have been helpful in making that picture more clear? A flashlight.

As far as the idea of making lights waterproof even internally, I like the idea, but I'd also like these higher end lights to be able to handle depths of more than 3 meters on average. I cant imagine it would be that much more difficult or expensive to make them waterproof down to 100 feet or so. a little epoxy coating over the electronics and better quality o-rings. That way these lights could be used by scuba divers instaed of having to buy a special purpose scuba light, or for snorkelers, cave divers, etc.

moozooh said:

Oh man... Isn't he using distilled water? That's such a misleading experiment. Even filtered rainwater is at least an order of magnitude more conductive than distilled water, and it only goes up from there if it's polluted in any way or mixed with sea breeze. Batteries will short in rainwater easily if submerged or thoroughly soaked. If there's water in the battery tube, its pressure may also disrupt vent valves on batteries and/or get water inside to react with lithium directly. You absolutely don't want any of that to happen with lithium chemistry. Bottom line: never attempt to change batteries without some kind of rudimentary shelter unless it's a life-or-death situation.

Besides, not sure how tailclicky caps are made at Elzetta, but in most other flashlights they'll make the light constant-on if shorted with water or other conductive liquid.

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Well, let's keep in mind that the purpose of the video is to demonstrate that the light is waterproof (ie, water will not damage the light). I think they succeeded, and I don't think Elzetta is recommending that their customers use the light in the way shown.

I agree that anyone who does not understand the dangers of lithium cells should not be using them, especially near water or other potential hazards. But it's nice to know that the light will be okay should water get inside.

Unfortunately (or rather, fortunately) I'm vacationing in Hawai'i and didn't have my usual arsenal with me. I was trying to light up the shot with a Light Hound fauxton but it didn't quite have the guts.

Not to go too far off topic, but I find almost all of the lights I own to be much more water proof than you would think. I am a SCUBA diver and I've taken a number of lights with me down just to see how they react. I've had a Solarforce L2 at 50 feet for half an hour and a Peak Logan on a dive with a max depth of 70 feet (total dive time 50 minutes). Both worked under water and continued to work once they surfaced. I've also flooded another Logan on a similar dive but it was still working even with the head filled with water once I surfaced.

My point is, a well placed O-Ring on an aluminum tube with a cap (male gland) is pretty good at keeping water out and it shouldn't take too much additional engineering to make a VERY good seal.