Odd failure on EagleTac PN20A2

EDC'd this light for almost 3 years, and it's been fabulous. It has all of the features I need/want, and nothing I don't. But over the last month or so, the output on "low beam" mode has fallen off dramatically, while the "high beam" mode functions perfectly. Tested with brand new alkalines (and metered them, just to be sure) the high beam tested at 410lm, which is reasonably close to the factory spec, while the low beam tested at 15lm, well below the rating of 60lm.

Don't know what to make of that, but it does seem odd to me. Well, I suppose 3 years is a fairly reasonable expectation for an EDC light. Time to start shopping again :mecry:

First things first, make sure all the contacts are clean.

How are you testing this output ?

The specs for this light are:

Led lumen: 179/40
ANSI FL-1 lumen: 127/28

How are you reading 400+ lumens on high... And if that's accurate, what batteries are you using?

I admit I'm none too scientific. I used a 0.5m^3 cardboard box, painted flat black inside with Krylon Ultra Flat Black. There was a hole in the top for the flashlight, and a hole in the side for the remote sensor cable for the light meter from work, the brand of which I've forgotten.

Sounds like you went to some trouble to at least isolate your readings, so kudos for that. Is it possible that the values you gave (410/15) were in fact lux readings? Or did you perform the necessary calculations to get to the lumens values? In any case, it seems unlikely that high is actually 410 lumens from this light, so (if measured consistently, and therefore proportional) your low could be significantly less than 15 lumens. Are there any other symptoms besides low output with the head loose - for example flickering or changes in brightness when you move the head? As suggested by Staticx57, this could be as simple as poor contact, and might be fixable by cleaning and lubing.

It's quite possible that I was using the meter incorrectly. It's not a tool I use every day. Okay, the last time I pulled it out of the drawer was about 2009.

I will look at the contacts and clean them. Is Caig De-Ox-It Gold a good choice?

eggsalad said:

I will look at the contacts and clean them. Is Caig De-Ox-It Gold a good choice?

Click to expand...

I've never used it... rubbing alcohol works good enough for me. Be sure to clean the threads really well, I believe the head-loose (low mode) circuit makes contact through the threads. Hopefully that fixes your low-output problem.

ronniepudding said:

I believe the head-loose (low mode) circuit makes contact through the threads.

Click to expand...

AH! I had no idea this was the case. That may well help, and certainly would explain the vast difference between output modes. You're swell, thanks!

No problem... Please let us know if a thread cleaning fixes the issue.

Well, it turned out you were all correct. Cleaning the threads restored the low beam levels to values I'd forgotten were possible.

Then I kept cleaning. And I tore the "condom" off the clicky switch. It doesn't appear to be replaceable, like my old Fenix.

The light still works without it, but it's inconvenient.

So it's time for a new light anyhow, and I have no one to blame but myself.

Unfortunately, it seems like a lot of manufacturers have abandoned the 2xAAA format, including Fenix and EagleTac.

I'm looking at the Nitecore MT06. It has a 3-stage switch instead of my preferred format, but there don't seem to be many choices.

The switch/boot in the tailcap is replaceable, and there are still some dealers with PN20A2 in stock... but it sounds like you're ready to move on to another light.

Ronnie, you're a genius! I didn't think that boot was replaceable, but when you said it was, I took a deeper look.

You're right, of course - the boot IS replaceable! Once I figured out how to get it apart (and blew the switch into a dozen fiddly bits, which I had to figure out how to reassemble!) I went looking online for the part. One place seems to have it, for a measly $2, but they want $4 to ship it! Grr.

I'm trying to get them on the phone, to see if there's a cheaper method, but they're not answering. I'll try again later.

Thanks again!

My pleasure! Glad to hear you figured it out

For EagleTac items, I've had good experience with illumination gear. If the vendor you're talking to doesn't work out, they might be worth a try. However, I suspect they'll charge you a few bucks for shipping as well. I understand completely feeling put out at having to spend $6 for a piece of rubber that's worth all of 50 cents...

I heard back from EagleTac themselves. They will sell it to me for a mere $5, with a 3-4 week shipping time from China.

To wrap up this thread...

The EagleTac is in a drawer as a spare. I decided I didn't want to spend $5-6 on a switch boot.

I got a NiteCore MT06 on Amazon for $20 shipped instead. Still getting used to the interface. It doesn't throw long like the EagleTac, but it has more oomph at short range. It'll be fine.