jon_slider
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2015
- Messages
- 5,176
I received Bigburly912's Black Novatac 120T and it indeed had a number of problem behaviors. It turned out they were all caused by the same single issue... the spring was overstretched. The spring also happens to be of rather flimsy design, and made of rather thin wire.
this is what I experienced, before I figured out the reason for the malfunctions:
When I inserted a battery and tightened the parts together, the light would turn on by itself. This was causing a Factory Reset, thereby disabling the 250 click unlock, after which the light would turn off, and the switch would not work.
Sometimes after inserting a battery and starting to tighten the parts together the light would flicker on and off while screwing, the reset would fail, and the light would go into flashing morse code for SOS.
The spring in this Black 120T had been stretched too long, and it was moving into contact with the retaining ring, thereby turning the switch on, at the wrong times.
this made the light flash and flicker like crazy, during the process of trying to tighten the parts together. This issue was also resolved by replacing the spring with a good one, that was not overstretched. The spring on the left is also built from thicker wire than the one in the Black 120T
I have done the 250 click unlock, and the Black light is now programmed as a 120P. It is working normally, and it is no longer flashing, nor resetting itself, nor forgetting its unlock settings.
I was able to increase the reliability of the spring by twisting it around my finger and getting it shorter, but the function is inconsistent, sometimes the light acts like the switch is shorted to ON position, and the light tries to do a Reset, which I dont allow, now that I know its ways.
I have ordered replacement springs from Unique Titanium. You can see their construction is yet again different:
Moral of the story, OverStretching your Spring may cause switching malfunctions, although the cause is actually lateral movement of the spring, making contact with the retaining ring...
Hogo explains the switch, signal wire, and retaining ring issue here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-18650-for-1&p=2626676&viewfull=1#post2626676
Iow, If the spring touches the retaining ring, it shorts the switch, and the light does not work properly.
this is what I experienced, before I figured out the reason for the malfunctions:
When I inserted a battery and tightened the parts together, the light would turn on by itself. This was causing a Factory Reset, thereby disabling the 250 click unlock, after which the light would turn off, and the switch would not work.
Sometimes after inserting a battery and starting to tighten the parts together the light would flicker on and off while screwing, the reset would fail, and the light would go into flashing morse code for SOS.
The spring in this Black 120T had been stretched too long, and it was moving into contact with the retaining ring, thereby turning the switch on, at the wrong times.
this made the light flash and flicker like crazy, during the process of trying to tighten the parts together. This issue was also resolved by replacing the spring with a good one, that was not overstretched. The spring on the left is also built from thicker wire than the one in the Black 120T
I have done the 250 click unlock, and the Black light is now programmed as a 120P. It is working normally, and it is no longer flashing, nor resetting itself, nor forgetting its unlock settings.
I was able to increase the reliability of the spring by twisting it around my finger and getting it shorter, but the function is inconsistent, sometimes the light acts like the switch is shorted to ON position, and the light tries to do a Reset, which I dont allow, now that I know its ways.
I have ordered replacement springs from Unique Titanium. You can see their construction is yet again different:
Moral of the story, OverStretching your Spring may cause switching malfunctions, although the cause is actually lateral movement of the spring, making contact with the retaining ring...
Hogo explains the switch, signal wire, and retaining ring issue here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-18650-for-1&p=2626676&viewfull=1#post2626676
Hogokansatsukan said:
See that outer ring? It's not just for holding in the pill. This is the main "negative" for the flashlight. See that big flat ring inside that? That is where the spring needs to make contact ...
...
your switch won't work ...
Iow, If the spring touches the retaining ring, it shorts the switch, and the light does not work properly.
Last edited: