Blinking Bulb

What sort of drop in (or is it the factory P60L)? It sounds like a driver problem, luckily the G2Z is a standard P60 host and you can choose from any of the hundreds of options for replacement.

I have a Cree XLamp XP-G LED in it.

What cells are you using in the light? For what voltage range is the drop-in rated? What drop-in are you using, exactly? (Cree XLamp XP-G LED provides us with some information about the emitter, but not about the drop-in.)

From the limited information provided, it sounds like the cells and the drop-in are not very compatible.

Cells are two 123's. I don't know what drop it it is, when I bought it, it is just advertising the emitter, just as XLamp XP-G R5. I know the voltage range on it is 3.6~18 volts and 6V from the 123's are well within that range.

zacheisjd said:

Cells are two 123's. I don't know what drop it it is, when I bought it, it is just advertising the emitter, just as XLamp XP-G R5. I know the voltage range on it is 3.6~18 volts and 6V from the 123's are well within that range.

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Did you, by chance, pick up the drop-in on eBay? I've purchased a few on there lately that had a different emitter than advertised, so I wouldn't be surprised to find that they also have a different range of acceptable voltages than claimed.

Are your cells high quality (e.g., Panasonic, Surefire, Duracell, etc.)? I've had cheap CR123A cells that lasted barely five minutes, if that, before the light they were in began dimming noticeably.

The blinking every five seconds sounds like a low battery indicator, which could be caused by bad cells or an incompatible battery voltage.

Edit to add: Is the bezel (the flashlight head) Nitrolon or aluminum?

Thanks JCD, I didn't get it on e-bay, but instead purchased it through Amazon, reviews on it were mostly positive (with the occasional idiot who bought it for a torch that wasn't in the drop-in list). Cells are Energizer's so I would assume good quality there, as well as trying two sets of 123's in the torch. I know the batteries aren't bad for sure, multimeter says they are sitting around 2.99V on all 4 of them. I am going to contact the seller and see what they have to say about it, perhaps it is a driver like Cereal Killer suggested. I will post their response.

Like Cereal_Killer suggested, I'm inclined to believe it is a driver issue, either a faulty driver or one that is not compatible with 2xCR123A cells. It also might be possible that it is a heat issue if the flashlight bezel is Nitrolon instead of aluminum.

Hmm, the bulb I put in there is definitely brighter than the stock P60 but I would say just a big brighter than the P61, which runs fine in my torch. Considering they are closely to the same brightness and the new bulb is LED and not incandescent (not as much heat) and that my torch feels cooler than with the P61, I don't see how bezel material would affect it.

Al seems to think the same about the P61 taken from this post http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?3300-nitrolon-vs-aluminium:

Size15's said:

I've used P61 in my field-testing of the G2Z-BK and have P61's in my G2Z-OD and G2Z-BK.
I have never experienced any damage to Nitrolon from heat. Please can you show me the links to threads that have this highlighted because it has passed me by.
Al

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I am thinking driver issue. Thanks again JCD for your help, I will keep this post updated when I find out more.

zacheisjd said:

Hmm, the bulb I put in there is definitely brighter than the stock P60 but I would say just a big brighter than the P61, which runs fine in my torch. Considering they are closely to the same brightness and the new bulb is LED and not incandescent (not as much heat) and that my torch feels cooler than with the P61, I don't see how bezel material would affect it.

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Heat isn't an issue with incandescents in high quality hosts like your Surefire. An incan lamp assembly will still burn brightly when very hot. With LEDs, heat is a very big issue. If the emitter gets hot, it can affect performance and the length of the LED's life. As I understand, Surefire began selling their G-series lights with aluminum bezels for this very reason, heat sinking.

With bright LED emitters, a cool feeling torch is often a very bad sign, indicating that the heat from the LED is heating up and not escaping to the body. Heat could have detrimental effects on voltage regulators, as well, so excessive heat could be causing your driver issues.

Well, it definitely doesn't feel cool, but cooler than the P61, makes sense right? So here is the reply I got from the vendor...
"Hello, friends, I'm sorry to bring you inconvenience. This light bulb is a pattern. Please check to see if poor contact caused by flashing lights. Have any questions please contact me, I am happy for you to solve the problem. Thank you"
Lol, I don't think I'm going to get much help from them...-_-

Anyhow I did some troubleshooting of my own

First, I turned it on until it started blinking on and off. Then I quickly removed the Nitrolon head and with some thick gloves on, I held down the bulb until it completed the circuit and came on and held it in front of a fan inside, with A/C. No blinking holding it like this for about 5 minutes AFTER it was already heated up. Seems like the driver is fine, just the Nitrolon head isn't going to cut it with this bulb, not to mention I have a bulb with a Cree XM-L T6 (more than twice the lumens capability of my current bulb) on the way. So I ordered this:
http://www.solarforceflashlight-sales.com/product_detail.php?t=FA&s=14&id=362

This seemed to be the only aluminum head I could find that would fit my older Nitrolon G2Z, and yes I WILL be needing that bezel as I will be deployed to Afghanistan shortly. I will be able to punch through chest cavity and get the heart out Indiana Jones and weird crazy sacrificial dude style. :devil: