What kind of sorcery is this?

I thougt you were measuring on the battery both times, until i realized that the second photo is not the battery, but the top view of your flashlight!

The flashlight obvious uses some sort of step-up converter

lol! Its my spare DMM. Only got that out to confirm my other DMM isn’t the problem :stuck_out_tongue:

I believe the head unit is off. He did mention battery tube.

Yes. Its just the i3S tube.

Tried with different AAA and still the same. :person_facepalming:

I checked out how the inside of the i3S looks like; it’s just a plain tube with a spring in it… So there is no capacitor or something that could bump voltage…

If the multimeter is broken it could still draw power. Also you will have resistance in the battery tube it’s self that could be messing up the reading. It’s not a true rms meter.

My bad, i should have read better before posting.
I haven’t got any clue

Not possible because the (+) of the battery is not connected to anything (except to the meter probe)

Wuut??

So what happens if you stick the (+) probe in the battery tube, measure voltage over tube and spring?

Could it be the exposed wrapper at cathode?

Maybe the LSD makes the meter trip or something?

^Best comment :smiley:

My other AAA are all in great shape (not tear no dent) and I still get the same reading when inserted in the magical tube :slight_smile:

@Jerommel
I’m not sure understand you correctly? You mean like the second photo?

I have had the same issue with LSD lol

What’s really going on.

Yeah, but without the battery, because apparently the tube and spring add 1.3 Volts to it, so you should measure the voltage over tube and spring.
So if you can, stick the (+) probe inside the tube touching the spring.
It should read 1.3 Volts somehow.

Speaking of LSD, maybe there’s some acid in the bottom of the tube, maybe from a leaky alkaline?
I don’t know what voltage aluminium and chrome produce, but that could be it.
Does the light work properly?

If there is acid, that would explain the doubling of voltage; acid is the same as LSD, hence its voltage value must be identical.

Looks like you are taking the second, higher, reading with the cell installed and the head off. Looks like the driver is not in the head but in the body and is boosting voltage so the LED can light up. This is the only way a NiMH or AA can work in a flashlight with a single cell. Pretty much everyone who posted before me knows this as well so I must clearly be missing something here. In the second pic are you measuring at the tail with the tail cap off or at the front of the battery tube with the head off? It’s really hard to see exactly what you are doing.

Not possible, because the (+) is not connected to the assumed booster in the tail, which incidentally isn’t there…
It’s just a tube with a spring.

You nailed it!! Acid from alkaline battery that came with it and leaked inside. :+1:

You posted before I could get my edited post saved. So this light has the cell reversed with + in the back like the S1?