Novatac 120p questions/comments/advice and a bit of a story

Charon

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Feb 25, 2008
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Location
Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada
A little background, I have carried a Novatac 120P for a long time. And a few months ago it started acting funny. And was very unreliable. This was unacceptable as I used at as a EDC and when I would go to use it I would grab it from my belt and turn it on, sometimes it would work, sometimes it would not, and other times it would pulse randomly. And some many failed emails with no response to novatac I still need a replacement

So, after some reading I find out new Novatac's are not made to the same quality. Either not made in USA or hearing of others having issues. Well I really liked my current one when it worked. Had various accessories.
It is serial #20218

I just picked up a second one to replace it, serial #10177 which I believe is an older series 1 120P. The olive on the body is slightly off from the tail cap and battery tube which seems constant with the older versions.

What I did notice though was a gap around the emitter and reflector in the 10177 version, where the 20218(my original) has NO cap between the emitter and reflector.

Now was this normal in the earlier versions?

Is there a guide or timeline on the novatac identifiers so you can properly figure out your version ?

I THINK, (correct me if I am wrong)
10000 series the first batch, has "Novatac EDC 120P" on one side of the body, serial # on the other. Also "www.NovaTac.com" on the tail cap
20000 series has "Novatac" on one side, serial # on the other. And "120P Made in USA" on tail cap

I don't know of any possible identifying features on other novatac 120P series, or when these changes may have happened.


Now I have two 120P lights, my old one (which is well used and beat up bad) but still works sometimes, and the "new"(old) replacement. If I can still somehow get my original fixed that would be nice, but novatac has not responded to any emails. Is there anyone able to fix the board on these or provide troubleshooting on the electronics? I can find my way around a circuit board at least. Seems a shame to have a light that works sometimes, as sometimes it is flawless, but when it starts acting up I have to unscrew the battery tube, tighten it again. Then it works.

Or just swap all the good parts on my old one over the the new olive 120P titanium bezel, lense, and what appears to be a much "tighter" reflector onto the older-ish model. Which is BTW very minty. Sorry to the collectors as I will probably scuff it up really bad in a short time now with daily use. Also I would like to do a emitter upgrade which I never got around to on my old 120P

Also there is a large mix of threads on emitter upgrades for the 120P is there any consensus as to which one is the preferred upgrade or a comparison of available emitter upgrades that would work in the 120P?

Attached is a photo comparison of the two reflectors and the emittors. Any thoughts or information on any of the above would be great. I could say this is all a little excessive for a flashlight but I know I am in the right place :D

p1030401e.jpg
p1030400v.jpg
 

Pöbel

Enlightened
Joined
Mar 7, 2007
Messages
372
Location
Germany
have you tried just using the new battery tube to at least rule out that it's merely a switch or contact problem? The electronics are potted if I remember correctly, so not that much hope to fix anything electronics wise.
 

CarpentryHero

Flashlight Enthusiast
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Jul 4, 2010
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3,096
Location
Edmonton
Pobel is right try, swapping the body and tailcap between the two, until you know whether its head, spring, or tailcap
 

Charon

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Joined
Feb 25, 2008
Messages
78
Location
Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada
Ill try swapping the parts around until I can narrow down which part may have been the issue. With my luck, both will work great now. And I will always have that nagging not knowing when my original may fail. I prefer to find something wrong then just have the problem "go" away.
 

maroast

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Joined
Apr 5, 2008
Messages
42
I have an early version 120p that started acting funny/inconsistent. I just called them up, got an RA, mailed it in... They had my light back to me with a new pill and it's worked fine ever since. They were very easy to work with. A few months ago I put an XM-L U2 emitter in the light and now it cooks!
 

Charon

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Joined
Feb 25, 2008
Messages
78
Location
Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada
Thanks for the info louie,
And maroast did you contact novatac or Lumeway ? Im quite sure my old novatac will be out of warranty but would like to find out if it can be repaired.
Im pretty sure its a little more than a tweaked spring. I tried using it again today, and it would use random light levels. And sometimes even start cycling through all of the modes as if you were to do the double click then click and hold as if you were programming it. And all I did was turn it on. :shrug:
 
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