NovaTac EDC T and E Models CRACKED! Back Door/Easter egg found!

[matrixshaman]

I'm not familiar with sewing machines. I know there's a part that goes up-down, but isn't that where the needle is?

Yes but the needles are removable on nearly all of them. Still I wouldn't want to try it that way as it sounds like a way to possibly damage the light.
If anyone has sore or arthritic fingers just find a friend or kid with two minutes to spare and they'll get it done for you. Other ideas - find a small rubber ball or similar and put it on top of the switch with the light standing on a table and cup the palm of your hand over the ball possibly aided by your other hand on top to push it up and down quickly. Or just hold your thumb on top and push with the palm of your other hand?

 

[chaoss]

I'm not familiar with sewing machines. I know there's a part that goes up-down, but isn't that where the needle is?

In theory: rotate the arm/head of the machine, add a pencil eraser to the needle, adjust speed and needle travel, begin the 250 click process. Should take about 20 seconds and with no finger fatigue.

My wife is doing a Christmas sewing project so i will investigate this further :thinking:.

 

[sappyg]

this may explain something odd...

i recently bought a 120T from botach. it came in the package unopened. the body was engraved with 120P but the tail said 120T. and it functions like a 120T...

has anyone else experienced this? now we know they are all the same, so the 120P engraving really doesnt mean much....right?

my 120T came botach exactly the same way. at 1st i was going to send it back. the engraved body is in the 11000 serial # range and marked as an EDC P. the tailcap is marked T and the battery tube and tailcap clearly show 30.000 series knurling. i think novatac is assembling some old stock inventory to make way for newer offerings.
once i turned it on though i knew it was a keeper.

 

[LLCoolBeans]

Yes but the needles are removable on nearly all of them.

Not nearly all, all. A needle only lasts for a couple of projects, then it must be replaced.

In theory: rotate the arm/head of the machine, add a pencil eraser to the needle, adjust speed and needle travel, begin the 250 click process.

And on the first stroke, the needle will pierce the eraser and the switch boot.


Don't put your flashlight in a sewing machine or anywhere near a reciprocating saw. If you are having difficulty pressing the button 250 times with your thumb, use the other method where you put the flashlight button up against something.

 

[streetmaster]

my 120T came botach exactly the same way. at 1st i was going to send it back. the engraved body is in the 11000 serial # range and marked as an EDC P. the tailcap is marked T and the battery tube and tailcap clearly show 30.000 series knurling. i think novatac is assembling some old stock inventory to make way for newer offerings.
once i turned it on though i knew it was a keeper.

Hmmm, that's very interesting. I wonder if it's only the T's that are being pieced together like that. I ordered an E and got one with a 14000 serial. The body says "NovaTac EDC 120" and has "Made in USA" and "www.NovaTac.com" on the tailcap. All the knurling and anno was "matching".

Anybody order other than a T and get the "lego" build? Personally, if this happened to me I would keep the light, but it would **** me off a little. I think it would get to me after a day or two and I'd end up calling NovaTac to see what's up. I'd end up making them replace it with a "proper" 30000 series model.

 

[kaichu dento]

Don't put your flashlight in a sewing machine or anywhere near a reciprocating saw. If you are having difficulty pressing the button 250 times with your thumb, use the other method where you put the flashlight button up against something.

Either mechanical method can work safely if you don't have the light against anything solid. Take the needle off the sewing machine and double-sided tape a hard, thin piece of rubber onto the switch and hold the flashlight by hand so that it can move, then start the sewing machine and hand control the contact pressure so that you're getting activation with causing the light to hit the sewing machine base.

You should be able to do the same thing with the saw, but again using it without a blade and mounting it in a vice.

 

[streetmaster]

I don't suggest trying anything mechanical, you're just begging to ruin the switch or scratch the anno.

 

[tx101]

I don't suggest trying anything mechanical, you're just begging to ruin the switch or scratch the anno.

+1 ...... really bad idea
Your better off paying a teenager a couple of $$$ to do it for you

 

[Griz]

Great info...My 120T is now fully programable.

 

[kaichu dento]

I don't suggest trying anything mechanical, you're just begging to ruin the switch or scratch the anno.

My assumption, possibly mistaken, is that anyone undertaking working on their flashlight in this fashion would know whether or not they have the capability to do what they intended. I have no confidence in my ability to change an emitter, which is deemed by many members here to be something quite simple, but I can guarantee that I, and many others here, could do the above described operation with no trouble.

So, anyone caring to try, just remember it's the same as when you open up a light; you're on your own responsibility, even in the basics.

 

[sappyg]

Hmmm, that's very interesting. I wonder if it's only the T's that are being pieced together like that. I ordered an E and got one with a 14000 serial. The body says "NovaTac EDC 120" and has "Made in USA" and "www.NovaTac.com" on the tailcap. All the knurling and anno was "matching".

Anybody order other than a T and get the "lego" build? Personally, if this happened to me I would keep the light, but it would **** me off a little. I think it would get to me after a day or two and I'd end up calling NovaTac to see what's up. I'd end up making them replace it with a "proper" 30000 series model.

it does seem a little cheesey getting a brand new light from a reputable manufacture completely mismatched. the light was advertised as a T, packed as a T. the only T on it is the 30000 series tailcap.kind of a let down. :sigh: nothing on the package says "mismatched light assembled in the dark by a blind guy".
you would think they would want to keep a few parts around for service repair. i think i will drop novatac a line and see whet gives. i will post results here

 

[streetmaster]

Yeah, I really can't believe they don't think people will notice a lego from the factory. I'm quite upset at the fact that NovaTac would do such a thing. And the really sad thing is that this is not an isolated case, it's been reported by other CPFers. wtf NovaTac?

 

[Fallingwater]

The needle idea doesn't look very smart to me, either. It'd pierce through all the rubber in no time.
What saw blades I've seen, however, have no penetrating capabilities on their tips; all the teeth are on the side. You also need to put the light in such a position that the ball at the end of the blade only just touches the button; in this situation there can be no breakage because the blade doesn't go out enough to go through the ball and switch.

 

[kaichu dento]

The needle idea doesn't look very smart to me, either. It'd pierce through all the rubber in no time.
What saw blades I've seen, however, have no penetrating capabilities on their tips; all the teeth are on the side. You also need to put the light in such a position that the ball at the end of the blade only just touches the button; in this situation there can be no breakage because the blade doesn't go out enough to go through the ball and switch.

I wouldn't hesitate to use either implement, but I would also remove the needle/blade and use the housing itself as the actuator.

 

[sappyg]

it has been 2 days now and no reply from NT about the mismatched lego light i got. i sent the e-mail to the support address.... no worries i guess. holidays are here and i am happy with my P/ T/ lego. the anno is a lot better than some i have seen that's for sure.
i have several observations re: cracking the egg.
done it several times.... failed many times....
1st time i had the thing get so hokie i had to do a reset.
2nd crack i started setting it to my prefference. battery change = default reset.
3rd time i was afraid to mess with the settings (see 1st time).... funky flickers... what the hey. switched to AW rcr's = default reset... DANG!
4th crack attempt i starting to realize that each time i was successful i had enabled setting #4 . this seams to be necessary for this light.
somehow i have encountered other possible doorways i think. the light freaks before i get to the backdoor and i was able to move through menues but somehow menu 9 would not show up until severl cycles of the menu. this has happened twice now i'm sure but i just am not familar enough with the NT to say for sure what is happening or exactly how. but, i think it happens when i get out of rythem while clicking.
also, the switch did get "funky" on me and became unreliable. i applied some rubbing alchohal with a toothpick in the tiny holes in the tailpiece and clicked it in real good. works like a charm. you do not have to disassemble the spring assembly to do this. the switch may well have gone through a lifetime of clicks and is still kickin'
i gotta say, this is the funnest flashlight i have. it has become a puzzle, a game, a tool, a complete torture, and a constant annoyance. i like my lego'd missfit.

 

[streetmaster]

LOL, you know a flashlight is great when you can spend the better part of a day playing with it.

 

[sappyg]

a day??? a day???? this sucker is like a ruebix cube on roids and i'm not that smart. i'm having fun though. :twothumbs

 

[The Sun]

it has been 2 days now and no reply from NT about the mismatched lego light i got. i sent the e-mail to the support address.... no worries i guess.

call the customer service phone number!!! they will have to answer:thumbsup: i just called them a couple days ago with success.

 

[sappyg]

call the customer service phone number!!! they will have to answer:thumbsup: i just called them a couple days ago with success.

i'm sure NT would hit a homerun. i don't know what to say ... "hey you sold me a chrystler/ camrey/ ford/ tacomah that does everything you said it would"... oh, by the way, i've been doing burnouts and drag racing my chrystler/ camrey/ ford/ tacomah like a man posessed by the devil":devil:
worse still, i would have to send it back and waite for a replacement that does the same thing and may not come near the anno match... dewd, i've seen some lousey anno from NT on this board.
i think NT should be aware of their product and know what their customer receives. i agree that my light should have never left their hands the way it was assembled. it is bizzare in every way you can imagine. inside the main tube looks like it has the 30000 series spring instead of the 3 nipple contact. the serial # is 11668
in the end, my light could be the best that NT has to offer. i know that it is a lego but, it has been lego'd with their best effort.
if they sent me a nice P series switch i would'nt complain

 

[Badger_Girl]

sappyg,

I have not inspected my light as closely as you have on yours...but I will tonight. After I got my odd ball 120L(ego) from botach, I called botach, and they could not answer any questions for me about the lego configuration.

Then I sent an email to NT, and asked all about the lego configuration of my light. They responded, but none of the questions were answered...not even an attempt. They totally ignored the questions. Their response simply said that they would send me a new 120T along with a prepaid UPS sticker to send mine back. The new one they sent me is a 30000 series and black (my original is pewter). The new 30000 series had grit and grime and smudges all over the emitter dome...obviously, I am keeping my original lego.

I might try to call their customer service number and ask a real person about it.

Let me know if you get any further with your investigations...