Batteries drain after light is off?

I have a very puzzling experience. Prior to owning a Z57 clickie for my E1e and E2e I have always locked out the tail cap when not in use and the power remained strong each time. Ever since my purchase of the KL1, E1e, and Z57 clickie, I have been using it as my main EDC light and also a light for burning out used batteries from my other incandescent lights.

I may have experienced some unexpected battery drain. Last night my batteries was still going strong in the E1e with KL1 but this night it is on lowest power, just good enough for me to read my books line by line instead of seeing it as a page. This had happened to me a few times, at least 3 to 4 times, and I am really curious. Is the current still running despite the fact that I had clicked the switch off but did not lock out the tail cap since it was a clickie?

I have not experienced this before when using the LOTC instead of clickie. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif

Is there any chance the cells were well used and near the end of their life or were they new? I'm guessing that if enough current was flowing, due to a leaky switch, to drain the cell, that the LED would be lit up enough to notice. Perhaps not, though. If the switch is leaking, maybe it's only enough to activate the boost circuit without lighting up.

Test the switch with a meter; anything less than a few megohms is suspicious.

Remember that 123 cells can die, unexpectedly, after sitting unused, even when they were providing bright light before. This has happened to me numerous times. Let us know what you determine to be the problem and good luck.

Hi Jay, the batteries are all used from my incandescents. When I fitted it onto my E1e and KL1 combo it still projected a very strong light. Not even the moderate output yet. I used it for only a few minutes before switching it off, but the next night it is down to low output, lower than moderate output. What happened to the moderate output I don't know. Something is wrong somewhere.

Unfortunately, I don't have a meter to test. If anyone else had experienced this problem please share.

Andy, I think there might some truth in what you experienced. I had the same thing happen with my E1e/KL1 combo too. I know for sure that the total combined usage is not even up to 1 hr yet, but all of a sudden one day, the output dropped jus like how Andy described. Having said that, the same has happened to my Eternalight Ergo as well. It uses 3 AA and there's a built in battery tester as well. From 4 Leds (max power) the power seemed to have just seeped out somewhere somehow, it dropped to 1 Led (low power) all of a sudden.

I suppose weather could be a factor to alkalines but definitely not lithiums. Furthermore indoors usually gets to only about 25+- (Celcius) so its not that hot... Hope someone else will be able to enlighten us as well...

So I am not the only one eh??

I've gone through around 20 pairs of batteries in my G2 and Inova X5t. The phenomenon you describe has happened with every set of batteries I've ever used. The light seems to have reasonable output at one time, try to use it the next time, nothing.

I and some other CPFers have asked this question before in the eletronics forum before. However, still no definate answer.

Jeff

Just to add my limited experience, SF incan lights drop and very quickly too. My 6P will give me maybe thirty seconds of orange-colored light at the end before it completely blacks out and won't come back up again. The cutoff is very sharp and you may not have time to realize the cells are at the end of their useful life. My E1e+MN01 used to do this to me, and I kept wondering if it was turned on in my pocket. The second time it happened, I ensured the tailcap was locked out prior, so it couldn't be accidental discharge.

SF LEDs (KL1) have the long, characteristic "tail", the light will continue to light for a while.

One out of a string of alkaline cells often dies before the others - well before they are depleted. 123 cells exhibit the very behavior described above. At this point I believe your problem lies with the cells rather that your lights.

I've had 123 cells die on the night stand. They were good one day but the next day the light was very dim. These were all Sanyos in various ARC LS lights.

On the other hand I've got a couple of Inova X5 lights in car glove boxes with the original 123 batteries that are still going strong after several years.

I think it has nothing to do with the cells dying all of a sudden. I somehow suspect that current is still flowing if I tighten the clickie all the way in even though it is off. I have tried loosening the clickie a little without locking out the light entirely and the battery survived till last night. We are not talking about prolonged storage of lights here but just a day or two's interval so it is highly unlikely that the batteries are at fault. And I have never encountered this before when I was using the LOTC prior to the clickie.

I will do a test by tightening the clickie all the way in and see if my batts die off prematurely day after day. Then I will do another test by loosening a little on the clickie and see what happens. Will let you guys know the outcome.

I don't have an E1e, but I have a Pelican M6 that drains battery power even when it is off. I only know this because I barely ever use that light and the 3 sets of batteries that have been in it have all worked fine the first couple of uses, but then after it sits in the drawer for a month, it looks like it's nearly dead. I'm pretty sure it's a switch problem (it's an older style switch and doesn't have good feel either), so I'm gonna send that one back to Pelican one of these days.

I've had the same problem with my PM6 and McModule. At first I thought it was because I kept the tail cap twisted in too much and slight pressure on the switch was inadvertantly turning it on when I carried it. But after my second set of batteries got drained, I was starting to doubt that it was because of me. I ordered a clickie mod from flashlightlens.com and hopefully that will help.

I've had this happen twice now with my Surefire M6. After a few months one or more of the freshly loaded 123s were dead. They've all been Surefire branded cells too. I've now kind of lost faith in the light's ability to work after it's been sitting a few months. Not good for a light this expensive that is held in reserve for when I need it most.

Based on my experience the PM6 LOTC is suspect and can function as an unintented potentiometer due to inconsistant contact. In contrast, Surefire standard LOTCs usually work with well defined on-off clarity. I now use a FlashLightLens clicky or PM6 LED clicky with all my PM6 incandescent lights

This is an important and rather disturbing thread made more so by the seeming unavailibity of reliable information. Perhaps if it were retitled and posted so as to attract our most knowledgeable members we might get some answers.

Brightnorm

I'm just thinking out loud here, but could you all be using an electrically conductive grease, and it has migrated to the switch.

Dielectric grease wouldn't be a problem, because it doesn't conduct electricity.

Just a thought.

oldgrandpajack

While it's possible for switches to malfunction, remember that 123 cells can and do die after only 15-20 minutes of use. They die while unused, in the light, especially if they had seen 15-20 minutes of steady, high drain, service before being turned off. This has happened to me on three occasions; it was not the switch in my case.

I, too, am very interested to know what everybody has determined to be the problem. A test with a meter might clear up this mystery. Keep us informed.

I had all THREE of the batteries die in a 2C to 3 123 mod.
This was in an OLD RayoVac Sportsman.
They were not used much. I suspect the switch.
I had to "fool with it" sometimes to get it to work.

Glenn

grandpajack,

I happened to be using silicon grease and I don't think they are conductive to electricity. All my other lights are still going strong. The only one that is not is my E1e and that is why I suspected it is the clickie because it is the only one that has a clickie.

I have loosen the tail cap a little and so far so good. Battery still remained strong.

Hi Andy:
I've been racking by brain, trying to figure out how this could be happening. I have over 60 Surefire flashlights in my collection, and this has never happened. I only use dielectric grease on the threads and o-rings. Having so many flashlights, they don't get used. I test them on the walls occasionally. I have Surefire flashlights with batteries over two years old, that still light up like they have new batteries.

I use the same dielectric silicone based grease's that Surefire uses. I suspect that silicone grease will be a problem, if it doesn't say "DIELECTRIC" on the packaging or tube. There could be additives that make it conductive, that aren't present in dielectric grease.

This is speculation on my part, but like I said, I have an awful lot of Surefire's, and it's never happened to mine.

oldgrandpajack

I doubt that every case of battery issue can be explained by not using the right NyeGel Lube that SureFire uses. I also have over 60 SureFires and it's never happened to me either.

I don't think we'll ever be able to solve this...

Al /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif