Flashlight Repair Services, Flashaholic Help, or Just Throw it Away??

qqqqqqqman

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Messages
54
Hey guys....joined back in 2010, but disappeared shortly after getting into guns and knives :duh2:

Anyway, here's my dilemma:

I have a Sunwayman M40A flashlight (4xAA) that I hardly ever used due to having several flashlights. It is from 2010, but was used less than 8-10 times. Now, when I went to use it....it worked for
20 minutes and shut off. I thought the batteries were dead, but upon replacing the batteries (several days later) it still doesn't work.

Battery Junction, where I purchased it for about $100, said all I could do is to try to clean contacts.....but the light is almost new and hardly used. Anyway, tried cleaning with an alcohol swab and no luck.

Are there flashlight repair services around? Or any CPF members who fiddle with other's flashlights? Or do I just chuck all these near-new parts into the garbage?? :confused:

Thanks for any thoughts!
 

bykfixer

Flashaholic
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
20,352
Location
Dust in the Wind
Welcome back Qman.

I have acquired new old stock stuff that failed to work from the get go. Sometimes oxidation builds onto these alloys in a thin film that is not visible but can be enough to halt the flow of electricity.

We have the usual gamut of clean the threads and contacts but sometimes it takes more than that.

First off use a "de-oxit" or other tarnish remover as alcohol may not be getting the crud off. I scuff surfaces when practical before applying any tarnish remover.

Next, if that didn't work I get out my trusty digital volt meter, set it for volts to see if I can get the light to turn on. If that fails I set it for ohms with sound and poke around various places. Example would be hold the negative probe against the rear battery (tail cap off of course) and the positive on the outside of the light. The light should light up. That'll tell you if the switch is the issue.

If it will not light I use a clip to hold one probe to the body (batteries removed) and poke contacts to see where the electricity flows or not. It beeps when current flows from one probe to the other.

Without knowing how your switch works it is difficult to tell you how to repair/replace parts (if it allows) but you can test that similar to testing other parts with the probes.

Hope that helps.

Oh, one more thing... many times a light that won't work with the tailcap tightened completely can be coaxed to operate by slightly lossening the tail cap. That indicates dirty threads.
 

archimedes

Flashaholic
Joined
Nov 12, 2010
Messages
15,780
Location
CONUS, top left
Plenty of options here on CPF ....

• always reasonable to check with manufacturer / dealer / customer service

• lots of help and experts here to talk you through a troubleshooting thread

• plenty of modders around willing to repair and/or upgrade (with quite a range of pricing and service)

• forum members looking for parts, for sale or gift

OR ...

• your very own first "7Qs" modding project :D
 
Last edited:

Crazyeddiethefirst

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
2,005
Location
Southern California
Although I have several Sunwayman lights, I am not familiar with this one. Does it have a "lockout"? i.e. hold the switch for three seconds until the light flashes & turns off...I second "Got Lumens" recommendation of calling the manufacturer directly. Even if the light is passed the warranty timeline most manufacturers will repair for just the actual cost of parts...
If all else fails, sell it here with a clear note regarding it not working, as-is condition. Better than tossing it...
 

qqqqqqqman

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Messages
54
Although I have several Sunwayman lights, I am not familiar with this one. Does it have a "lockout"? i.e. hold the switch for three seconds until the light flashes & turns off...I second "Got Lumens" recommendation of calling the manufacturer directly. Even if the light is passed the warranty timeline most manufacturers will repair for just the actual cost of parts...
If all else fails, sell it here with a clear note regarding it not working, as-is condition. Better than tossing it...


@Got Lumens, also.....yeah, I originally contacted Sunwayman through their website contact and I believe they must've forwarded my case to Battery Junction through my serial number registration....cuz it was Battery Junction who contacted me with no real help.

But maybe I will try calling Sunwayman directly and see what they say.

No, there is no lockout, as there is only a rotary ring switch on this model.....low, med, high, strobe.

I don't think I can figure this out myself, I'll check out what modders say, too.

Here's the specs....maybe it's this "magnetic control ring" that some reviews have said got troublesome?


  • CREE XM-L LED, with a lifetime of 50,000 hours;
  • Three modes constant output, one strobe mode (below is the output and runtime of using 4*AA 2600mAH Ni-MH batteries)
  • Three modes constant output: 600 Lumens (1.5 hrs)- 200 Lumens (6 hrs)- 30 Lumens (35 hrs)
  • Strobe mode:600 Lumens (1.5 hrs)
  • Digital Sensor Magnetic Control system, slightly twist the Rotator Ring to select from different modes
  • Digitally regulated output - maintains constant brightness
  • Effective range of 250 meters
  • Using 4*1.5V AA(Alkaline, Ni-MH, Lithium) batteries
  • Working voltage:3.3~7V
  • Reflector of good quality maintains both great throw distance and spread, perfect beam pattern
 

glimmer

Newly Enlightened
Joined
May 25, 2017
Messages
173
Location
TX/CO
Great news when stuff breaks!
You have a legitimate excuse to buy more stuff.
:thumbsup:
 

tatasal

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 25, 2012
Messages
1,192
This might be a more expensive option because of freight charges, but in my experience, I have lights that failed on me (Olight, Nitecore, Zebralight, Fenix) and I am almost sure same with Sunwayman, just check out their website, go to their "Contact Us" and get their China email address, usually it's their service or cs@(name of brand) and send an email to them stating your case. It has never failed, they always give instructions on how to send it back to them for repair. Their policies may differ among each other but they always entertain repairs.
 

qqqqqqqman

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Messages
54
Great news when stuff breaks!
You have a legitimate excuse to buy more stuff.
:thumbsup:


LOL....I'm already looking! Maybe a Thrunite TC12 V2, seems to be what I want.....usb rechargeable, dual clicky, turbo and a firefly, good med and high modes, 18650 power, simple UI
 

qqqqqqqman

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Messages
54
This might be a more expensive option because of freight charges, but in my experience, I have lights that failed on me (Olight, Nitecore, Zebralight, Fenix) and I am almost sure same with Sunwayman, just check out their website, go to their "Contact Us" and get their China email address, usually it's their service or cs@(name of brand) and send an email to them stating your case. It has never failed, they always give instructions on how to send it back to them for repair. Their policies may differ among each other but they always entertain repairs.


Yeah, I will either CALL DIRECTLY or use the CHINA EMAIL you note......thanks!
 

Crazyeddiethefirst

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
2,005
Location
Southern California
Hopefully you can send it directly to Sunwayman. My repair work on an Olight with BJ ended up taking much longer & more challenging than if I had sent it back to the manufacturer. Good luck & please let us know how things turn out...
 
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