Photon 3 - Fatal self-discharge!

Just got a brand-new turq P3 (via Aragorn), original packing - and even that plastic strip. Whipped out the strip, played with it a coupla hours then assigned it gastank-keyring duty in my car glovebox. A coupla broiling tropical days later - hit the button and NOTHING!

Ok, no sweat, maybe the batteries were duds or something. Swapped them out for new CR2016s straight off their cards and left the P3 to hang on my corkboard at home. Worked fine - til another coupla days - NOTHING AGAIN!

LRI supposedly has a return policy for defects, so I'm gonna try that avenue - but has anyone had this problem with their P3 too? It made me wonder WHY they had to have that little plastic shipping insulator strip in the first place. Incidentally, with a new set of cells and that plastic strip back in place - 3 straight days now and the batteries are still fresh and bright.

I'm curious if this is a design flaw. Have you seen how the plastic strip works? Well, I removed the PCB from my P3 to see if anything was bent outta place and shorting out the light and I noticed that there is actually a mini-contact lever-spring surface moounted on the PCB. When the strip is removed, this spring is allowed to make contact with a lead on the PCB itself, enabling the rear button.

Someone please tell me I just got a dud - I like the P3 and it would suck if this really is some sort of design flaw.

You got a dud....there were some issues with certain P3's...not all of them, and I think most of the problems are resolved now. Just get it replaced (for free--they're pretty good about warranty issues).

My P3's are fine....I've had them for months, and no self-discharge....

(The problems stems from the electronics...that's why when you remove the plastic it starts to discharge. The P3 needs a bit of power to retain the "memory" of what the last mode was, but not THAT much that it will drain the whole battery that fast!)

via aragorn so let aragorn help you- ping me one via email- DONT TRADE IN,TOUCH, OR MESS WITH THE CRIME SCENE IN ANY WAY! we WILL work this out (unsheathes Greenie) "LETS TAKE THIS JOINT BOYZ!"

you are not alone Hotfoot- help is on the way!

Wow - those replies came fast!

Aragorn, thanks. My email server is being shifted to another location now and I'll really only be able to send email in the next 24-48 hours. It's not urgent, so I'll just send it back to ya to look at via the box that you have coming

Why'r ya so quiet nowadays, huh - lurking are ya? Say it isn't so....

Hotfoot,

Your problem is simple - you have the older, first generation Photon 3. Since your's was made, a newer one was produced which uses microswitches and also (speculating a little here) improved circuitry to avoid the very problem you are having. I say all this from first hand experience. If you have just purchased your P3 as new, then return it for a new one and this time make sure the replacement has microswitches!!!

If you want to know what the newer P3 looks like, look here

Cheers,
Alan from Ireland

Let's see.... I bought my P-3 back in October. I had no problems whatsoever with it until about 1 month ago. I popped the batteries out just for kicks (yes I'm sick) and when I put them back in I started having malfunctions with the rear button, and the light would dim horrendously after about 2 seconds.. OK, so I must've shorted the batteries or something, so I bought 2 new cells, and installed them. Good as new, and bright as hell!! ....err... until the next day....dead as a doornail. I sent it back to L.R.I. and got a new one with the microswitches on the PCB, and I haven't had a problem since. By the way, since I included in my letter that the batteries that were in it were less than 24 hours old since purchase, they sent a set of spare batts with it! Good product, and great service there.

arab : very informative picts. So I guess the way to tell if it is a new one is by the battery retainer.. mine was the older model.

I too was a unfortunate victim of a dud I had bought recentely off ebay. It was new and everything and had the plastic piece installed... except for that when I pulled it and replaced the cover... the secondary switch didn't work ... rather it suffered the dimmed output for about 5 seconds and thats all i saw of the secondary switch getting any output from the light hopefully they're sending me a replacement by now.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by arab:
Hotfoot,

Your problem is simple - you have the older, first generation Photon 3. Since your's was made, a newer one was produced which uses microswitches and also (speculating a little here) improved circuitry to avoid the very problem you are having. I say all this from first hand experience. If you have just purchased your P3 as new, then return it for a new one and this time make sure the replacement has microswitches!!!

If you want to know what the newer P3 looks like, look here

Cheers,
Alan from Ireland<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for those great pix Arab
But now I'll have to say Uh-Oh - mine looks *exactly* the same, with those microswitches and that battery-restraining strap - that means its positively the new design right?

I got mine from Aragorn and I'm sure he wouldn't have knowingly sent me one of the more inferior oldies (right, Aragorn? )

Nuts... looks like mine's a dud after all. Aragorn, should I still send it to you or LRI? Singapore's a long way off from where they make Photons

ya the older design ones don't have the full length retainer clip, only the newer ones do.

Oddly enough I have just written to Bryan at Photon Light earlier on today and explained that my two P3s are draining the batteries.
We spoke on MSN and he said that I should send them in as this was definitely covered by the life time warrantee.
He also added:
Quote:
"If you include a note describing the problems you have been having and how many batteries you have gone through, there should be no problem including some extra replacement batteries as well."

As others have pointed out they do seem to have very good customer service.

I checked my Photons and they are the older model P3s with just the clip and not the bar holding the battery in place.
Thank you for the photos arab.

Hi Hotfoot,

When you originally said "mini-contact lever-spring surface moounted on the PCB", I misunderstood - that sounded very like the original Photon 3 - lets call it the Mark 1.

The photos I posted are for the Mark 2 Photon 3. The microswitches and the battery retainer are the obvious visible differences between this and the Mark 1. But the Mark 2 is not perfect either!!!. The very model as displayed in my pictures developed a fault where the rear button would only work intermittently. I spoke to Brian in LRI and - after I said all these returns were costing me lots of money (I live in Ireland) - he sent me a replacement P3, a spare set of batteries and an orange P2 !!! Oh - and I got to keep the defective P3 which now lives in my toolbox and happily works as a Photon 1!

And there is more! Any day now, Photon will be making the full range of Photon 3s with new logic - as seen on their Fusion model. This will be the Mark 3 Photon 3. This is much improved with reduced inter-mode delay, a more clever auto off mode (no blinking - a ramp up at the start and a ramp down at the end), an SOS mode instead of the current slowest blinking mode, and (as yet unconfirmed) a battery test mode. Photon have launched this logic in the P3 - but only the UV model for the moment. As ever, Craig has got his hands on one of these already. Check it out on his LED Museum site.

If you are in the market for a Photon 3 it may be a good idea to hold off until the Mark 3 becomes available. Bryan said this to me in February concerning availability:

It will be this year, but I don't have any good estimate for how long. We will be getting some new Purple Photon 3's in within the next week or two that I understand will have the new chip, however it may be a while before the new chip makes its way into all of the other P3's.


All the best
Alan RABbitte

Hiya, Arab - Thanks for all that input!

I do hope they get it right with the MkIIIs, the P3 is not a cheap light to buy, or for that matter, ping-pong around the world for warranty exchanges. February's a long way away, so I'll still have to exchange it for a new one or, like you, keep it and use it like a Photon I (and occasionally it can come out as a true P3).

This seems like a fairly serious problem - wonder why they're still selling current P3s when they're aware of this fault - their reputation may unnecessarily be at risk.


(ps. finally figured out why you're called 'Arab' when I saw your signature - at first I thought your were the son of a sheikh )

Hi Hotfoot,

Just to clarify something; when I said February, that was for the February just gone and not February 2003. I would guess that M3 P3s will be available very soon - maybe within the next 2 months - so if you are thinking of buying now, it may be worthwhile waiting ...

Hotfoot said
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR> (ps. finally figured out why you're called 'Arab' when I saw your signature - at first I thought your were the son of a sheikh ) <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well spotted!

All the best from the Emerald Isle

I don't really get the SOS thing on a Photon 3. <shrug>

hotfoot you want that echanged for an arc turq? same led -better quality. your choice- sent ya an emial. you will get it wont you?

radellaf said <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I don't really get the SOS thing on a Photon 3. <shrug> <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The truth is, all of it's flashing modes are really a gimmick imho. So if it's going to flash slowly, why not make it flash an SOS?

I always thought that the plastic strip was to prevent a potential purchaser from turning the thing on in the retail package and leaving it flashing merrily away.

I thought that too. And also to stop it coming on by accident during shipping- you know, when the folks at the sorting office get bored and start shooting hoops with the packages (how else do you think some get in the state they do? ).


Alan- I don`t think the SOS mode is a total loss. The tiny size of the P3 makes it an ideal emergency/backup light for caving, camping, backpacking and any other outdoorsy activity that ends in "ing" Should you get into trouble, the SOS mode can be used to attract attention- guide the mountain rescuers to your location after you`ve radioed for help, that sort of thing.

The blinking/"slow strobe" mode is good as a marker in the car or on your tent perhaps. But the fast strobe mode is surely just a gimmick. More for those raver types who insist on spinning them round and round in the air, and then complain when it smacks into someone and the battery lid plops off spilling the CR2016s all over the place

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris M.:
More for those raver types who insist on spinning them round and round in the air, and then complain when it smacks into someone and the battery lid plops off spilling the CR2016s all over the place

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This is probably why they changed to a full-width battery retainer strap; this helps keep the btteries in when the door gets nocked off.