Review - ThruNite Archer 1A V3 (Pic Heavy)

Appears to be Red Locktite. I believe red Locktite needs 400 degrees F to melt. Why do manufactures to do this?

Very nice thermal path:

Direct Thermal Path! Yay! :)

Very nice looking driver. Shelded inductor, nice looking components, was partially potted. I picked off the potting material for these pics.

Reflector is aluminum and screws into the bezel.

I'm hoping the driver still works and will be running tests on it in the next day or two. Will also get better beam shots if all goes well too.

Wow ! Nice to know it’s put together so well. And I like that it is a bit oversized than the norm. Something in the hand that hefts and points so much better than a mini version.

Great Work ! Thanks for the tear down.

Well, I did want one of these but I don’t really want to mess with the Loctite.

Looks pretty long comparing to standard AA…but anyway - nice one! Where I could get one? And the code. :wink:

I would like to buy ThruNite Archer 2A V3.
Is there any code for better price?

Thanks for the feedback guys. I think it would be too much of a conflict of interest for me to negotiate a deal for this light given I have reviewed it. Hopefully, one of our deal makers can get us a special price on these Archer line lights. I would hope they would include having the lights not glued as part of the deal.

EDIT: I'll post a couple ThruNite links for those that would like to contact ThruNite or purchase a light. I have no idea how to tell if they affiliated or not. I have no deal with ThruNite for such an arrangement. So let me know if they are affiliated.

Official Website: http://www.thrunite.com (link is external)
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FCTD9PG/ (link is external)

EDIT2: Fixed a few typos

Yay! It's still alive! Still has all the modes and great UI.

So it turns out I apparently caused the LED leads to unsolder from the MCPCB when I first attempted to open the light. Now to hook up the driver proper and get some measurements. No intentions to mod it as I think it is perfect stock. Just want to see how it is performs.

To celebrate not losing my Archer 1A V3, swapped the switch and installed a PD68 taillight PCB. My wife said I should put Orange emitters. Sounds like I may be losing the light again, but I do love it when my wife avails herself to the benefits of being married to a flashaholic.

Could have kept the stock switch, but I want to see if a reverse clickie makes any difference in this light. Probably will end up switching back to the stock switch.

I have a Archer 1A V3 that took a spill about a week ago. The fall scraped and deformed on end at the bezel. The light kept working just fine for the past week. Today it fell about 18” to the floor. Now it will not work properly with Nimh batteries. I put a new alkaline in it and it works totally fine.

Here is how it functions:
Firefly, Light on, unscrew tail cap. tighten tail cap, firefly level comes on.
Low, Light on, unscrew tail cap. tighten tail cap, low level comes on. Summary here is firefly and low seem to work normal
Transition to medium, light sort of flickers, both on/off and in light intensity. High, same sort of thing. Strobe, light strobes with full brightness for a short time (single digit seconds), then starts looking like medium/high.

Medium, Light on , unscrew tail cap, tighten tail cap, light does not come on most of the time. If I push the mode select button, light comes on in the next higher mode, behaviour as above.

It seems to slowly be improving a bit. When this first happened, I cleaned the tail cap with alcohol. It was definitely a bit dirty. Just realized I did not clean the body. So I cleaned the body and the tail cap again, no change.

I would just return it, as it is in the 30 day window still, but I doubt it would be refunded due to the damage in the first fall.

I feel like this is some sort of loose connection, or dirty connection somewhere. I tried a fully charged Nimh cell at 1.45 V, and while it is a bit improved with that, nothing works as well as the new alkaline at 1.57V. Actually, upon further inspection, the new alkaline does not work perfectly either it does seem a bit better than the Nimh cells.

Suggestions?

I am thinking of disassembling it to find the loose connection. I have a solder iron, but the tip is sort of big. At my work I have access to smaller iron tips if necessary.

For disassembly, I have the fireplace going, which is a nice hot plate. would this be an appropriate way to heat the light to loosen the glue? Then how does disassembly proceed from there?

thanks, Matt

Crisis averted. I decided to try to remove the body from the head. Set it on my heatplate (fireplace) for about 30 minutes, head and body separated fairly easily with pliers. screwed it all back together, now it works properly. I knew there was a loose connection somewhere.

Any recommendations on how to reassemble it so that I won’t need to clean the body head connection?

Hi sbslider. Congrats on diagnosing and fixing your light. I'm not sure I understand your question about not having to clean the connection. I just picked off the thread lock material, lubed the threads, and reassembled. I would recommend getting that thread lock material out of the threads as it is solidified now and may interfere with fully screwing the head back together.

Thanks for reporting your incidents and repair. That could help future 1A V3 owners.

Thank you for your insight ImA4Wheelr. I see now my post was unclear. I did manage to just pick off the old thread locker. Now I find that when I reassemble it with the head on tightly, it still behaves funny. But if I back off the head slightly, it works properly. So I think I don’t so much want to lubricate those threads, but maybe put some sort of thread locker back in to keep the head in place. I am guessing the connection between the body and head is not happy when the body tube is tightened all the way. Not sure how this connection is made, as I don’t have a magnifying glass or microscope handy at home.

I was considering just some silicone or seam grip that I have, but am open to other options and insights.

many thanks, Matt

^

Hmmm, maybe one of your leads is getting pinched between the top of the driver and the bottom of the LED shelf when you tighten the tube down. The LED leads attach to the top of the driver and maybe there's a cold solder joint (weak connection that can disconnect under pressure).

If not that, your idea to "lock" the head but with something weaker like silicone sounds like a good idea. Keep in mind that the most popular type of silicone is acid cure which is corrosive to copper and certain polycarbonate plastics. There are two types of cures that are more nuetral to electronics. They are Alkoxy cure and Oxime cure. IIRC, Alkoxy cures are better than Oxime cures for copper and certain polycarbonate plastics. I don't know any commonly available Alkoxy cure products. GE Silicone II's product line are Oxime cure and are readily available. Here is one of those products:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Silicone-II-10-1-oz-Clear-Kitchen-and-Bath-Caulk-HD5040-24C/100663319#.UlbxcBBr3KE

I wonder how good hot glue would work.

As far as using silicone goes, I would try to put it just on the aluminum body tube and aluminum heat case, so I wonder if the fact that it is acid would be a problem there. I have also read about folks using nail polish in other applications, or also super glue. No current flows through this connection, so it seems like anything that would not damage aluminum and is somewhat removable would work. By the way,thanks for the recommendation on the silicone, might have to try that when next time I need some around the bathroom. Then I could use it for the light head too :slight_smile:

I am not excited about further disassembly of the head to see about pinched wires or cold solder joints, as my eyes are not the best and I don’t know how to take it apart any further. I have been wondering what materials are used for the connection between the body tube and the head piece for the cell negative connection. I can tell most of the contact area in the head appears gold plated (as all good connector pins are) but it is hard to see what is going on at the edge where the body tube connects. Did you by chance look at that when you had yours apart? I am tempted to take a look tomorrow at this under a microscope while I am at work.

^

Shoot, I typed a long reply and it got lost. I have to be brief because I have to get to work

I don't know if the off gassing from the silicone will cause issues. Maybe put a small piece of copper wire, a dab of silicone, and a slightly moistened paper towel in a baggie to see if the copper corrodes. The moisture is needed for the acid cure silicone to cure.

Yes, I looked at that connection and I don't see how pressure could cause an issue. Maybe a cold solder joint between one of the 3 pcbs could disconnect when the driver flattens under the pressure of the tube. I think this because you mentioned the drop and then the problem.

Thanks for the response on the silicone. Hope you were not late to work on my account!.

Thanks for the picture of the connection, I was imagining those small fingers like you show. I considered maybe trying to lift up on them ever so slightly, but I now realize that this really should have no effect. I am sure I won’t get a picture but I will report on what I can see under the microscope today at that connection. I likely won’t do it, but just out of curiosity, how is further disassembly of the head completed?

^

I think there is wisdom in your earlier decision to just lock the head in a working position. So please to don't take my posts as pressure to do anything you are not wanting to do to your light. I very much understand your concern with vision. It is a challenge for me too. The driver is this light has small components and is tightly packed on 3 different PCB's.

With that being said. The LED leads to this driver are on the top edge and easy to access after you pull out the driver. You may want to contact BLF member SnowWhite. He is a ThruNite rep and might be able to help you. I know ThruNite has replaced drivers that developed problems for couple members that I can recall.

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/42140

You pretty much have the head apart. Just unscrew the bezel, pull out the reflector (be very careful not to touch the reflective surface, and unsolder the 2 LED leads (wires connecting driver to the LED base). Then pull the driver out the bottom. You will need a good hot iron with a medium sized tip to unsolder the wires because the LED base is copper and absorbs heat fast.

Best wishes on what ever approach you take and please keep asking if have any questions you may. You clearly have a good head on your shoulders and already had a good knowledge base before you even posted here.

Thanks for the feedback. I am definitely not feeling pressured to do anything, but I am interested in getting my light in a reliable, easy to use state and also understand more about how it all works. I definetly love taking things apart, but don’t want to do it without the right tools.

Thanks for the contact info also.

As far as unscrewing the bezel goes, are the two pieces the hex sided one and the smooth one with the clear glass? Sorry, my flashlight lingo is a bit lacking.

The bezel starts at the seam that is just to the left of the switch in the below picture.

Here is what you will see after you unscrew the bezel and unsolder the wires from the LED base. Unfortunately, it also appears to be thread locked. I should warn you that Red thread lock melts around the melting point of solder. So you will be taking some risk it you take it apart. I see the plastic LED isolator distorted some when I took mine apart.

Thank you for the detailed explanation and pictures. This is all been a great help.

I got a chance to examine the head under the microscope today. It looks like there is residue on the contact surface for the body. I was able to clean it with isopropol alcohol. Looks much better. Hoped it would work better, but not sure if the battery I just put in is good or not, and I only have one with me presently. I’ll get to check a for sure good battery when I get home. Only thing not working now is I don’t get any more lumens on the highest mode, which has never been the case. Suspect it is a weak battery. As I posted in a different thread, I am in the process of reconditioning some several year old Nimh batteries.

One thing I wonder about this interface is it is uncoated aluminum to either gold or more likely copper. What keeps this interface from being gooped up over time by oxidation?

I’ve just got an Archer 1A V3 and the rear switch seems more recessed behind the boot than I would have expected, this makes switching it on and off…temperamental. I quite often have to use the tip of my thumb or nail to get the switch to click.

Thrunite Direct are going to send me a replacement switch to try, but I was wondering if you’d seen this behaviour in your light?

Sanding down the rear washer may raise the switch up a bit, but I don’t want to start messing with it until I’ve decided whether I’m keeping it!