FW3A Troubleshooting / FAQ

[JasonWW]

O-rings are not special, try your local hardware store or maybe ebay. Maybe even a rubber band.

[mattlward]

@JasonWW

O-rings are not special, try your local hardware store or maybe ebay. Maybe even a rubber band.

Are you sure about that little white one? None of my assortments even get close to an band diameter that small.

[micknatt]

When I bought the smaller battery tubes, they came with a couple of white O-rings for each.

[mattlward]

I picked up an 18350 tube and it came without one. That was how I broke the first one.

[micknatt]

@mattlward

I picked up an 18350 tube and it came without one. That was how I broke the first one.

I bought my from Lumintoplighting. Where did you get yours?

[mattlward]

Direct from Neal.

[micknatt]

When I bought some deep carry clip from Neal, I thought it was supposed to come with some white O-rings too but it did not. Either I got lucky with Lumintoplighting or Neal just doesn’t put them in the box.

[atobe]

No O-ring with deep clip from neal also. I guess it only comes with the short tubes?

[JaredM]

@Firelight2

I wonder if we can get more resistance in the switch by taking off the spring-steel dome on the switch and bending the 3 wings slightly inward.

FW3A mod thread. Post yours!

@Gunga Yes. I’ll do up a small post with a how to… check back later. UPDATE I’ve revisited the design for creating a nubbin’ replacement that is simpler and (hopefully) universal. I had gone through many trial and error iterations and just stopped once I found a working combination. Turns out only one part of that configuration is needed. That’s the o-ring. 1/16” nominal thickness a 3/16” ID. Industry size –008. Just remove the nubbin’ and insert said o-ring into the nubbin’ cavity of the sw…

Check out the discussion here if you’re interested in stiffening up the switch actuation.

[trailhunter]

@JaredM

@Firelight2

I wonder if we can get more resistance in the switch by taking off the spring-steel dome on the switch and bending the 3 wings slightly inward.

FW3A mod thread. Post yours! - #1099 by JaredM

Check out the discussion here if you’re interested in stiffening up the switch actuation.

Thanks, ordered them from amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FMWLR8?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image

[hank]

What kind of color is applied to the flashlight?
I’ve noticed the gray color coating is disappearing around the edges of the tailcap and bezel

I wouldn’t mind being able to get the extra hard anodizing, even though I think it only comes in black.

[trailhunter]

@trailhunter

@JaredM

@Firelight2

I wonder if we can get more resistance in the switch by taking off the spring-steel dome on the switch and bending the 3 wings slightly inward.

FW3A mod thread. Post yours! - #1099 by JaredM

Check out the discussion here if you’re interested in stiffening up the switch actuation.

Thanks, ordered them from amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FMWLR8?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image

Heads up, these work like a charm, gives a good tactical feel.

[StormRider]

Got my FW3A yesterday from the Amazon sale. I have a few new Sanyo NCR18650GA 3500mAh High Discharge BUTTON Top unprotected cells. After I inserted the cell from the head, the light briefly flashed to indicate contact. However, when I clicked on the e-switch, nothing happens, no light came up, holding down the e-switch doesn’t ramp up to down (no light came out at all).

I emailed Lumintop through Amazon, but haven’t heard back. In the meantime, I just remembered that I have some harvested flattop Samsung 24E unprotected from a laptop battery, so I popped one in, and the FW3A worked like a charm.

I plan to order some higher capacity flat top unprotected LG MJ1 to see if they work. So far, I think unprotected flat top is probably my best bet.

[trailhunter]

@StormRider

Got my FW3A yesterday from the Amazon sale. I have a few new Sanyo NCR18650GA 3500mAh High Discharge BUTTON Top unprotected cells. After I inserted the cell from the head, the light briefly flashed to indicate contact. However, when I clicked on the e-switch, nothing happens, no light came up, holding down the e-switch doesn’t ramp up to down (no light came out at all).

I emailed Lumintop through Amazon, but haven’t heard back. In the meantime, I just remembered that I have some harvested flattop Samsung 24E unprotected from a laptop battery, so I popped one in, and the FW3A worked like a charm.

I plan to order some higher capacity flat top unprotected LG MJ1 to see if they work. So far, I think unprotected flat top is probably my best bet.

Order yourself a couple Sanyo 30Q’s

[JasonWW]

@StormRider

Got my FW3A yesterday from the Amazon sale. I have a few new Sanyo NCR18650GA 3500mAh High Discharge BUTTON Top unprotected cells. After I inserted the cell from the head, the light briefly flashed to indicate contact. However, when I clicked on the e-switch, nothing happens, no light came up, holding down the e-switch doesn’t ramp up to down (no light came out at all).

I emailed Lumintop through Amazon, but haven’t heard back. In the meantime, I just remembered that I have some harvested flattop Samsung 24E unprotected from a laptop battery, so I popped one in, and the FW3A worked like a charm.

I plan to order some higher capacity flat top unprotected LG MJ1 to see if they work. So far, I think unprotected flat top is probably my best bet.

Some button top work and some don’t. The heights vary. You could remove the button top if your careful.

@trailhunter

Order yourself a couple Sanyo 30Q’s

Sanyo? That would be Samsung.

[grin]

I have noticed that the driver shelf has not been cut out completely on a copper version. This puts the driver out of alignment.

[JasonWW]

@grin

I have noticed that the driver shelf has not been cut out completely on a copper version. This puts the driver out of alignment.

That’s normal. The notch on the driver fits there.

[grin]

@JasonWW

@grin

I have noticed that the driver shelf has not been cut out completely on a copper version. This puts the driver out of alignment.

That’s normal. The notch on the driver fits there.

Doh that makes sense

[BOO5TED]

@StormRider

Got my FW3A yesterday from the Amazon sale. I have a few new Sanyo NCR18650GA 3500mAh High Discharge BUTTON Top unprotected cells. After I inserted the cell from the head, the light briefly flashed to indicate contact. However, when I clicked on the e-switch, nothing happens, no light came up, holding down the e-switch doesn’t ramp up to down (no light came out at all).

I emailed Lumintop through Amazon, but haven’t heard back. In the meantime, I just remembered that I have some harvested flattop Samsung 24E unprotected from a laptop battery, so I popped one in, and the FW3A worked like a charm.

I plan to order some higher capacity flat top unprotected LG MJ1 to see if they work. So far, I think unprotected flat top is probably my best bet.

That’s because the FWXX series lights are designed to work on unprotected cells.

[LedTed]

I had to buy a large tweezers and tighten all the retaining rings on my FW3X V2s.

A few days ago, the switch started acting up on my FW3A bare. Today, I took apart the switch to find pieces of what appeared to be the flat black rubber spacer; not the nub. The pieces were not from the spacer in the light. I used canned compressed air to clean the circuit board mounted switch. The switch is now back to behaving.

Wish I would have checked the switch before I originally tightened up the associated retaining ring.