Weird Photon Fusion problem?

There is one big button on the top of a Photon Fusion. If you press the left side, it toggles the "super bright" setting (the brightest beam the unit will make) and if you press the right side (and hold it down) you get a choice of several different modes (works like the Photon 3s).

Anyway, when I turn on the left-side's "super bright" setting, it only stays on ~45 seconds. If I turn on the brightest setting from the right side, it only stays on ~60 seconds.

Am I missing something? Is this unit defective?

if its on auto-off (smash protection), i believe it will cut itself off after a short time while either in superbright or (auto-off) high mode. if you haven't already done this, hold the right side and cycle through to another setting, high, med, low, etc. and you shouldn't have this problem. but i guess if you've already done this and it still cuts off then maybe the switch is defective. hope this helps.

Auto off mode signals its end by stepping to half brightness for a moment or two, then quitting. It turns on by ramping up to full brightness, a "soft start". If yours just goes on/off without these transitional periods, you`re not in auto-off mode. Additionally, full power overrides auto-off and should stay on till you tell it otherwise.

Sounds like your batteries are getting low. The fusion is an odd beast- instead of just dimming forever till it`s gone, it will cut off when the batteries fall below a certain point. Set it to a dimmer level and try again- if it stays on (at least for a while) then it`s definately your batteries. If not, er...........?

Just be careful with that battery door cover latch

Very similar thing happened with my Photon Fusion with almost new batteries just yesterday. I hadn't used it in 2 weeks. After cycling through all of the modes with the right side of the switch a few times, now it works just fine. Very srange, but it seems OK now...

Gandalf! Was hoping to get a response from you.

I'm definitely going to put new batteries in the unit AND try cycling through the modes a few times.

This "auto going off" crap is really getting on my nerves. The light is just about worthless the way it currently works. Just about the time I get into whatever it is I'm doing, it's time to press a button again. :-\ :-/

Anyway, I'll try new batteries and cycling through a few times tonight and report back to the group my findings.

Thanks for the response Gandalf, I (we) can always count on you.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gandalf:
Very similar thing happened with my Photon Fusion with almost new batteries just yesterday. I hadn't used it in 2 weeks. After cycling through all of the modes with the right side of the switch a few times, now it works just fine. Very srange, but it seems OK now...

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

What you are describing sounds like the low battery indication routine to me. Mine always does that when the batteries are getting low. I have used my Fusion to cycle (break in) several sets of new NIMH's batts and each time the batteries get low, the light will drop out of Hyperbright mode and go to a lower brightness. Eventually, it will only run in the dimmest setting. After a while longer, it will flash off for a few seconds and then come back on agin.

Once you put in the new batteries, the light should remain in Hyperbright mode.

Chris M is right, be very careful with that battery hatch door. I just noticed a tiny crack in mine this weekend. It is living on borrowed time. Hoping the new and improved replacement hatch that I requested arrives soon!!!

I'm certainly hip to the poor "battery hatch door" issue. I've already called them and got replacements coming.

They ought to offer replacements for the latch that holds the headband on as well. It's every bit as bad as the battery hatch door. All you have to do is push and pull it off and on a few times and I'm sure it would crack as well.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Luminocity:
Chris M is right, be very careful with that battery hatch door. I just noticed a tiny crack in mine this weekend. It is living on borrowed time. Hoping the new and improved replacement hatch that I requested arrives soon!!!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Gandalf to the rescue once again! LOL!

As I promised the forum, I worked with the Fusion last night and am reporting my findings.

For starters, I first tried Gandalf's solution of cycling through the modes using the button on the right. That definitely was the solution! After I cycled through all the modes a couple of times, the Fusion started staying on as long as I wanted it to. I left it on around ~10 minutes without it automatically shutting itself off.

At this point, I didn't even bother with replacing the batteries since the problem was already resolved.


It appears that the Fusion has a new problem in addition to the ones we knew about. The electronics gets "confused" and is resolved by cycling through the modes. That does indeed seem to fix it.

I'll see if I can't get ahold of someone at LRI today. I'll report back what I'm told.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gandalf:
Very similar thing happened with my Photon Fusion with almost new batteries just yesterday. I hadn't used it in 2 weeks. After cycling through all of the modes with the right side of the switch a few times, now it works just fine. Very srange, but it seems OK now...

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>