Problems with P60 Host (solar force l2m)

Lumen83

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 21, 2017
Messages
551
My solar force l2m arrived today. Only problem is it doesn't work. I'm baffled because its just a host. When I use known good lamps (p60 or p61) with known good batteries (cr123a, 18650, 18630), the light doesn't come on. It only comes on if I leave the switch clicked in and tail cap tightened and I unscrew the head about half way out. Any idea what is happening? Using these lamps and batteries in a 6p works flawlessly.
 

archimedes

Flashaholic
Joined
Nov 12, 2010
Messages
15,780
Location
CONUS, top left
P60 are not a perfect fit for Solarforce (as they were designed for SureFire hosts) ... but can usually be "adjusted" to work :shrug:

Solarforce has their own dropins, designed for appropriate fitment into their hosts.
 

Lumen83

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 21, 2017
Messages
551
Oh okay. I didn't realize that. I have a couple from lumensfactory on the way so I will wait to see how those work
 

archimedes

Flashaholic
Joined
Nov 12, 2010
Messages
15,780
Location
CONUS, top left
I don't know how to easily describe it in words, but if you look inside of a SureFire host and a Solarforce host, the "shelf" for the dropin is shaped a bit differently
 

pc_light

Enlightened
Joined
Feb 10, 2004
Messages
600
Location
Old Dominion, USA
Most likely some sort of contact issue ....
+1 what archimedes said, more than likely it's a contact issue.

Could be you're missing the P60 drop-ins outer spring.

That spring provides electrical continuity between the brass/metal "pill" and the flashlight body/battery ground. The fact that it works with the head loose means the tailcap is good.
 

rockhound42

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Feb 3, 2013
Messages
21
make sure the switch retaining ring is screwed down tight i've had this problem before and once everything is screwed up tight light worked no problem.
 

cp2315

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 18, 2011
Messages
329
Location
New Jersey
While you wait for more drop ins to come, try something quick first. Wrap the bottom half of you p60 with tin foil or aluminum foil cut from coke so that it touches the negative of the drop in, and the inner wall of the light. This may make the contact.
 

bykfixer

Flashaholic
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
20,351
Location
Dust in the Wind
What I have found is P60 hosts sit too far forward in the Solar Force head. A drop in spring reaches the battery, yes but solid contact is not made.

You either do something to push the drop in towards the battery like an o-ring between the lens and drop in. Or make battery contact move forward by using the large spring of a P60, a SolarForce drop in etc. Or you can wrap the module in foil to bring make the contact points reach each other in the middle somewhere.

It just depends on which of the three would be best for you. But all three ways have been known to work.
 

Lumen83

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 21, 2017
Messages
551
+1 what archimedes said, more than likely it's a contact issue.

Could be you're missing the P60 drop-ins outer spring.

That spring provides electrical continuity between the brass/metal "pill" and the flashlight body/battery ground. The fact that it works with the head loose means the tailcap is good.

You're right about the switch because I've tried other known-good switches and its the same behavior. I think the P60 has its spring. I tried multiple P60s and a P61. Do the P60s from surefire normally work in Solarforce hosts?
 

Lumen83

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 21, 2017
Messages
551
Sounds like the aluminum foil is worth a try. I can't really visualize how to do this though. Anyone have any pictures? Am I wrapping the springs or the back of the reflector?
 

nfetterly

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 17, 2008
Messages
3,764
Location
Cincinnati area, but lots of travel
Surefire hosts taper to meet the tapered crop-in.

Solarforce hosts are almost a straight drop-in. Sometimes when you buy an aftermarket drop-in they include an outer spring that goes around the drop-in - and makes contact with a solarforce - but you remove that spring for use in a Surefire.

So with the foil you're wrapping the outer taper above where the spring comes out of the bottom.

Too busy at work to wrap my head around why it works partially unscrewed.
 

Lumen83

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 21, 2017
Messages
551
Well?....

Wudya end up doing?

Still at work, but gonna try tin foil when I get home. The thing is, I basically just learned about these lamps that they're best suited for cr123a primaries. And, I bought the host for 18mm rechargeables. I probably wont use these lamps in the host anyway. Im waiting for 3.7v LED and a 3.7v incan lamp from lumensfactory. Those will hopefully work. If not, I'll have to figure out the tin foil or some other trick. Probably will just test the p60 with the tin foil and then set it aside for good.
 

vicv

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Messages
2,790
Location
Southern Ontario
The lumens factory incandescent drop ins work excellent in a solarforce host. Actually I've never had contact issues with their hosts and j have half a dozen of them. Used a p91 with no issues
 

vicv

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Messages
2,790
Location
Southern Ontario
I always wanted one of those aw soft-start switches but I was too late to the game and I've never found one. But yes that lamp on those two cells are amazing. Too bad it didn't last me very long though. Still better than a eo9 though I only got about 2 hours out of one of those before it went
 
Top