Good Arc 4+ Switch: Am I Alone???

Well after buying at least 6 AAAs and one LSH-P, I finally bit the bullet and ordered an Arc 4+.

After having seconds thoughts, I emailed Arc and asked them to hold the order for a Rev 3. But then I received an email from Merri "Sorry but we shipped it already"

Guess what? I am GLAD they did!

I was nervous about the switch issue and expected the worst (People with low expectations are seldom disappointed!).

Well, I am happy to say that this Arc 4+ works PERFECTLY!! The switch feel took a short time to get used to, and it took me a few days to master the operation (Which I now find intuitive). But the unit works flawlessly.

So what's the deal? I have heard so much about the switch issue on this forum, only to discover perfection.

Am I alone? Or has the rev 2 switch problem been corrected?

For reference, my Arc 4+ was born on 6/28/04 and carries SN 1637.

I will not be sending it in for the re-designed Rev 3 unless a problem surfaces.

I am very curious to know if I am just lucky or if Peter is just good!

Or is it too early to tell...I have had the light only about 1 week, but have used it constantly!

What do you guys think?

Yea, Arc has done some fixes to the inside of the switch. Lengthen the spring, added or subtracted length to the plunger all depending on the Battery you use. I requested one that works with DP Power I think they are, and they gave me a special fitting. The Rev3 will be apparently a completly different concept with a switch more like the LS's.

I have a rev 2 with a SN of 1613, and the switch worked just fine. When I took the battery out and put it back it, the switch didn't operate very well, so I took it apart and it was a real easy fix. The little rubber ring in the bottom of the switch had just been bent a little, so I fixed that and now it works perfectly! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I had a rev2 4+ that was nothing but trouble. 1st the switch did'nt work right out of the bag and when they fixed that, it still flickered like crazy on the brightest setting. I sent it back for that problem and have been waiting for like 8 weeks now for a replacement.
In the mean time I bought a Surefire L2 and am just happy as heck with it. It does take up a lot more room in the pocket but man is it bright and white!

My switch works well with a little washer trick. But it's definitely not perfect. If I can change this one for a better designed rev3, I'll be super happy.

I have a rev1 SN#0017; perfect in every detail except a small smudge on the reflector - no big deal at all. The switch works perfectly. I'm still waiting for a tail guard that Peter promised.

My understanding from other threads is that the tail guard swith will NOT work with the Rev 2.

Can anyone confirm or deny?

I have REV 1 SN# 0085 and it is perfect hoping for tailguard also.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif

PG wrote in this thread ARC4 New switch design the following (2004 Jul 04):

[ QUOTE ]
Gransee said:
None of the accessories are completed yet. When they are, I would like them to work with the latest version. That would be version 3. As a result, all of those accessories will not work with the older versions.

No, if you have a rev2 that is fine and you want an accessory. We are not going to replace your light just so you can use the accessory. If there is that many people wanting accessories for rev1s and rev2s, I would rather make an accessory that fits those versions. Aside from a few people posting here on the forums, there doesn't seem to be much interest in rev1, rev2 accessories.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok, Thank for the responses...one more related question:

Can someone summarize the switch problem with rev 2? Is it related to battery length?

I use Surefire batts almost exclusively, but have used the included Duracells. Both work fine.

Also, is the problem something that might come up later even if my light currently works well?

I've got a rev1 #0863, my switch works quite well.

I have a rev 1 and have had no problems with it.. The reflector was perfect and no switch issues... I also have a rev 2 that had problems right out of the ziplock bag... The switch didn't work at all and the reflector had all kinds of debris on it ( under the reflective coating ).. I sent the rev 2 back and it looks like they basically took the battery tube to a grinder to shorten it. I could tell because the grinding was uneven and not very smooth. The switch currently works with the original battery but feels soft compared to the rev 1. I would think that any recent rev 2 lights that leave the building have this issue 'corrected' but I would guess that anyone who received one initially had problems... Let us know if it looks like the bottom of your battery tube is scratched up like it was put on the grinder...

I have an early rev 1 and the switch works fine... I've tried it with two or three different types of batteries. And I'm gonna give my "4" a tough field test at the end of this month. I expect it to do fine.

...my "4" is by far my most used & useful FL.

[ QUOTE ]
nisshin said:
PG wrote in this thread ARC4 New switch design the following (2004 Jul 04):

[ QUOTE ]
Gransee said:
None of the accessories are completed yet. When they are, I would like them to work with the latest version. That would be version 3. As a result, all of those accessories will not work with the older versions.

No, if you have a rev2 that is fine and you want an accessory. We are not going to replace your light just so you can use the accessory. If there is that many people wanting accessories for rev1s and rev2s, I would rather make an accessory that fits those versions. Aside from a few people posting here on the forums, there doesn't seem to be much interest in rev1, rev2 accessories.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ] Peter wrote this in the same thread:
[ QUOTE ]
Gransee said:
If you guys really want, I could order another batch of the older guard and 2x123 packs. The engineering has already been done. It will take about 45 days to machine and anodize.

Peter

[/ QUOTE ]

--------------------

Robby,

The Rev2 design is finicky. The switch has very little travel. The gold contact spring in the head has to have been placed just right at Arc – close to or barely touching the switch but not pressing against it. The battery tube was drawn too long and has to be ground to proper length at Arc, a non-CNC process. The negative contact gold spring dimples are too short to ensure 100% reliable contact across deeply recessed 123 ends. Button/spring assembly in the tail needs to be tweaked to ensure continuous battery contact without applying unwanted pressure to the switch. The circuit seems to be completely intolerant of momentary power interruption.

Most of these issues are being handled very well by Arc at their factory. They seem to be taking the time to carefully assemble each light and ensure that it works correctly. Mine was delivered before these issues and their correction had been worked out. After a trip back to Arc it worked much better. Short dimples on the negative contact gold spring continued to create intermittent power loss problems though. That issue mostly went away after I started filling the battery's negative contact depression with a folded piece of aluminum foil.

At this time I consider the light to be reliable enough to be carried in critical situations without a backup light. Inconsistent clicking or the rare battery contact problem keep me from considering the light's full range of operation to be 100% reliable, but its fail-safe design ensures that it will produce light at some level as long as the battery has power. The long term use outlook is good; the light is user tweakable in case problems develop with future battery selections.

My Arc4 is my most heavily used EDC despite these concerns. The variable light levels, and related extended battery life, are very useful. Great light!

Flourescent: My unit definitely looks like the battery tube was shortened by being ground.

Interesting though, my light did not come in a baggie...it came in a bitchen tin box with the new Arc logo embossed and all of the included components (Light, two Duracells, clip and screws) placed in a rubber insrt with cutouts for everything.

A million times better than the ziplock my LSH-P was shipped in. Kudos to Peter for finally realizing the value of packaging for package geeks like me!

Mine too was a ground ARC4+ Rev.2. Was not at all happy with the switch assembly to say the least.

I finally lifted the gold disk on the head, and was *much* happier with it. The switch is alot more crisper, so I get significantly more tactile and audible feedback. Looking at things, I just wish the body tube had not been ground down like that, I could get even better action out of it then.

IMHO, the grinding of the battery tube seems like a band-aid fix, like an assembler or young techician might do. If a person was only looking at something like flicker or lost battery contact, this would definitely seem like the fix.

But it makes the tail end shorter, pushing the battery forward, and loading up the gold contact in the head. I do believe that in the case of my flashlight, it was pushing the front gold contact forward, to the point of partial depression of the snapdome switch that the ARC4 uses. It also made the ARC4 *very* sensitive and critical of battery length. The factory ground down Rev.2 allowed for very little travel of its snap dome switch making for very poor action, and short travel.

I was able to get around the factory "fix", by raising the gold contact in the head, pre-loading everything to the rear. I could now pass a piece of magnet wire (enameled wire) between the gold contact and the snap dome, to verify the gap, and a very thin shim placed between the two, allowed for the ARC4 Rev. 2 to be put together without activating the switch, proving there was now enough of a gap. I removed the shim, as it was there only to prove the gap existed.

Once I did this, the switch action was *awesome* in comparision. I finally could easily navigate the menus for the first time, making the software approach much less of a pain.

On a side note, I did notice someone had built up a uneven layer of solder on the negative edge contact area (body contact) of the board in the head. I'm not sure if this was done on purpose or not (part of the "fix"), but if it wasn't there, the body could be longer if the layer wasn't so thick. As it stands, the layer is 0.020 - 0.030 inches thick. I could possibly see a thin layer, if a designer was wanting to have it act as a lubricant. I can see where the rough ground down area of the body has been slowly wearing down the solder, due to the roughness of the body grind. In other words, if this solder wasn't there, the body could be that much longer.


But, I only have a sample of one, and cannot venture to guess for all cases.

I have version 1 SR 337 its switch is verrrrrrry sensitive but works fine.
I have version 2 SR 1299 its switch is perfict.
I I am with you dono what the hoopla is about but apparently some folks arn't satisfied or got shafted with their swich. May Be that the first one of version 2 were a bit testy.
Mike

So far, Arc has delivered dozens of both the Rev.1s and Rev.2s. I use the ARC4+ as a base-light for a portable fiber optic illuminator by adding a custom-designed aluminum housing which is attached to the head of the Arc4+ and suspends a 13.5mm uncoated BK-7 drum lens between the light and a port at the other end where the fiber optics are inserted. This produces a very narrow beam with minimal sidespill which send a great deal of light down a 3-5mm fiber bundle on an endoscope and delivers more light at the endoscope tip than any other portable light source that is available.

Granted, few of my customers use these as flashlights, but they do use them several times a day for up to an hour at a time. I carry one in each of four scope kits and use them the same way.



I inspect and test every light source that I ship. I have only found one light with any switch problems at all. That light (a Rev.1) healed itself, miraculously, by my exercising the switch a little. I know I haven't had any further problems from it because it's one that I kept for one of my own borescope kits and I use it all of the time.

The guys that I sell these to are safecrackers (the legal kind) and they are a very tweaky bunch. I most of them personally, and I think that I'd have had calls and returns on any lights that weren't functioning within established parameters. So far, I haven't had any and I have been shipping them as fast as I can build them since March!


Just my two cents!

KenSFO
Advanced Safe & Vault Eng.

I have a rev 2 with a decent switch. I did notice that the switch got a little harder to push with less tactile feedback over time but hey... that's also what my wife say about me so... no big deal right?