FW3A Troubleshooting / FAQ

BLF Special Edition Products
1160

OK, for the record I will go back and take all the troubleshooting steps recommended.

Here’s why. I’ve been using the FW3A every evening walking the dog in the dark.

Tonight was different.

As usual, started from a low setting and ramped up.
Got one blink then the light went out.

Clicked once and it started again in low, ramped up, and went out

Clicked once, started in low, ramped up, flickered several times and went out

Repeated and again got ramp to flicker to out

Clicked again, started in low, got a normal ramp up and turbo bright

Clicked off, back on low, again normal ramp up and turbo bright

Clicked off, clicked on, no ramp or response to clicks, light went out.

Clicked off, back on low, ramped up and went out

Clicked off, back on low, ramped up and got the voltage report (4 blinks then 1 blink)

I think I have an intermittent, and will go looking for anything suggested (retightening, cleaning).

G’night.

1161

The only time this has happened to me was when the tail cap was loose. I modified the switch, removing the nubbin & inserting a 5/32” o-ring, to firm up the button. It works great. But for some reason, it’s a little more prone to loosening when I partially unscrew the head for lockout. The symptom is the light going out while ramping up. Tightening the tail cap fixes it every time.

1162

Does anyone know if the retaining ring for the tail cap can be purchased separately and if it will work in a 1st release FW3A?

1163

Hm, tailcap on mine did not budge noticeably when I tried clamping down on it, but the intermittent problem seems to have cleared up.

I would gladly buy the revised model tailcap with retaining ring, if they made enough of them to sell them as spares. It seems a weak spot to fix.

1164

Well not always., out of more than a dozen first and second run lights (no not all for me) I had one light that the only way I could get it to work reliably was to remove the retaining ring from the tail cap.

1165

OK, I had crud in the threads somewhere. Screwing the head and tailcap back and forth released some grinding/sticking points, then adding a bit of Nyogel conductive lube to the threads, seems to have eliminated the intermittency problem for now.

I’d still like to get one of the new version tailcaps with retaining ring, if they come available.

1166

Cross-reference: FW3A Turns On and Becomes Stuck When Tail and Head Tightened

FW3A Turns On and Becomes Stuck When Tail and Head Tightened

And here’s another case that sounds exactly like the problem I was having:

https://www.reddit.com/r/flashlight/comments/e3svp6/fixed_fw3a_rebootingwhileramping_issue/

and that Reddit thread pointed to this one:

1167

[quote=BOO5TED]

The cell you tried is probably too long. As a result, the light is not firmly closing the circuit on both sides of the inner tube. Try Sony VTC5, VTC5A or VTC6, or Samsun 30q. All should work fine.

1168

I also had a similar issue with one of my FW3As. When I disassembled the tailcap I discovered that the “nubbin” was about 1/3 longer than my other FW3Xs. I replaced it with a shorter nubbin (I cut a piece off of a spare o-ring of the correct diameter) and the problem went away. It also made the switch feel very nice and tactile.

1169

Just received my FW3a. How water proof is it says ipx8 can it be submerged a few feet?

1170

Yes. IPx8 usually means submerged for 30 minutes up to 2 meters (6 feet) depth. It could be better than that, but I wouldn’t count on it.

1171

If you’re planning to submerge your light, it might not be a bad idea to disassemble it and lubricate the o-rings. It’s probably good enough as-is, but you never know.

1172

Please let us know how it goes. Hope there are no issues.

1173

Good point. Also, greasing the threads generously will help stop water seepage.

1174

I wouldn’t purposely submerge any light that isn’t actually a dive light

1175

Oh my gosh, just caught up on Dbsar’s report of the tailcap spring problems.

I hope whoever is managing production of the tailcaps is reading this. I doubt, but I hope.

1176

I would definitely not submerge it, but I would think light rain or splashing should be fine.

1177

Strange. Do you mean “thicker”? Or was the nubbin of a larger diameter? Mine was fine, just making for a very sensitive switch. I removed the nubbin, installed a 5/32” o-ring and switch has a nice firmness now.

1178

Cross-reference to the other Lumintop QA thread:

1179

I generally don’t have an issue with the firmness of the FWxx switch (I always use lockout), but this light in particular had a defect. The diameter of the nubbin was fine, it was just too long. It was physically longer than the nubbins in my other FWxx lights and was pre-loading the switch when the tailcap was tightened down.

I didn’t replace the nubbin with an whole o-ring, I cut a short piece out of the cross-section of a sufficiently thick o-ring to produce a new nubbin which fits in the original location. It’s a tiny bit larger diameter than the original but the rubber stretches to accommodate.

It definitely has made the switch more stable when pressing off-axis and has improved the tactility, even over my other FWs with properly fitted nubbins from the factory. It’s not immediately apparent to me why this would be. Perhaps a combination of the more pliant material and the slightly larger diameter?