FW3A won't turn on. SOLVED

That’s the problem, you can not use button top battery. Use flat top battery like Samsung 30Q, Sony VTC5/6.

^ this

Well, OK! Thank you! I’ll let the seller know and see what they have to say. I hope it’s really that simple!

I’ll follow up.

I hope illumn didn’t recommend you to get the button top…definitely needs a flat top battery.

I had the same problem.
I found that it was not being transferred - to the lamp body. The problem was in the PCB in the tailcap of the lamp.
Try to measure if it is converting - from the spring to the part of the PCB that touches the lamp body.
Using soldering I solved the problem.

The very first thing you have read in the FW3A Manual was (literally copy):

Safety precautions

  • Use only a reputable 18650 cells of known origin. Quality high drain cells (over 10A) unprotected, flat top type cells, from Samsung, Panasonic/Sanyo, Sony or LG are recommended. The supported maximum length is 65mm.

That was NOT a suggestion.

If the problem persists even after using a correct type of battery try this:
Take head,barrel, tail and inner sleeve apart.

Re insert sleeve into barrel (make sure the thin translucent band is in the correct place just below the shoulder on the sleeve), put on the tail cap only partially tight.

Using your finger inserted inside the sleeve, turn the sleeve and incrementally tighten the tail cap until you can feel the resistance of the sleeve pushing on the tailcap’s PCB as you turn it.

Feeling that there is good direct contact, give it one more turn for luck(!), then tighten the tailcap as hard as you can. When the tailcap is fully tightened, you should not be able to turn the inner sleeve.

Reassemble light with battery, switch on.

This is the technique that I found to work when the connection between sleeve and tailcap PCB was bad. It’s also a good idea to ensure there is no grease etc on two thin end surfaces of the inner sleeve.

yeah just buy a samsung 30q flat tops and im sure light will work just fine.

When you have it disassembled, wipe or “canned air” blow out the threads and contact surfaces, to remove any grit or metal grinding debris.

I usually wipe a little conductive lubricant on threads and contact surfaces when I clean mine, but mentioning that here can set off a religious argument so I will leave that to Google.

Why can’t lights be designed so that they work with button tops and flat tops? Supporting either one is to induce complexity.

Same reason one type of mobile is designed to plough a field, other to drive on race track.

My FW3A Manual, on Page 3, says, “Battery: One flat top or button top 186550 cell. An unprotected cell is recommended. Max length 65mm. Cell is not included.”

Maybe that’s why Illumination Supply thought it OK to send button tops? I have not yet heard back from them. I’ll report when I do, and if I don’t hear from them by later today, I’ll call them.

My “Manual,” BTW, is just one sheet of paper with microscopic type separated into tiny blocks with a “page number” on each block. Disappointing, considering the price of this flashight.

strange, the light should come with a manual and some spare O-rings.

But it was decided very early on that this light will only work on unprotected flat tops.

Generally speaking, all companies send whatever you order. Some people will order a light having plenty of batteries for it and take the opportunity to order some spares for another light or for another purpose because of shipping cost or whatever. Illumn is a great company but you have to ask them if you are unsure of anything. Hope it works out for you, but if not just order a different light for those batteries (any opportunity for another flashlight is a good thing when you join BLF).

Here’s the update on this thread: After lots of disagreement about whether or not button top cells will work in the flashlight, I contacted Craig at illumn and he told me that he shipped button top cells because that’s what my son had ordered. In addition, he said he has these flashlights on the shelf and opened one and installed a button top and it works fine. Also, my son bought his own flashlight from illumn and had it shipped to Sweden and his came with a button top, has worked fine and never gave it any thought. One more detail I mentioned before is that the manual that shipped with mine says “either button top or flat top cells will work.”

So since there’s some disagreement about this on the Forum and even about what it says in the manual regarding cells, I respectfully suggest that maybe somewhere down the manufacturing line a change was made in the flashlight? One detail . . . mine is an FW3T, not an FW3A, even though it says FW3A on the box. Could that be the difference? I never gave it much thought, as I figured it was only the difference in aluminum vs titanium.

The current situation is that Craig sent me an RMA and the flashlight and cells are winging their way back to San Jose, CA. I’m eagerly awaiting his appraisal of the situation, and I’ll post the end of this story as soon as it ends!

Any of your guys (or gals) interested in delving into why some manuals say one thing and others another?

I think it’s the OAL of the battery that determines if it works or not. My FW3A works with Sofirn BT and Lion Wholesale 30Q BT batteries. However it will not work with batteries that I soldered a copper ring to the top resulting in a greater OAL than the ones that work.

Since BT batteries aren’t created equally that’s why some people say that the light works with BT batteries but others not.

Sorry for the long delay, but it took this long for Illumination Supply to return my flashlight. I’m told that yes, all it took was to install a flat-top battery and it worked as it should. So they returned it with a pair of flat-tops this time and I’m good to go. Still think it’s a bit strange that the instruction “manual” distinctly says either flat-tops or button-tops will work.

I’m happy. It’s a great light and lots of fun to play with.

Thanks to all for your input! :+1:

PS: As soon as I figure out how to mark this thread “solved,” I’ll do it!

No idea where you read that.
FW3A manual says:
Use only a reputable 18650 cells of known origin. Quality high drain cells(over 10A) unprotected, flat top type cells, from Samsung, Panasonic/Sanyo, Sony or LG are recommended. The supported maximum length is 66 mm


Mike

Some of my button tops fit in the FW3A, some don’t. It all comes down to battery length.

Iguess the FW3A ships with more than one manual. Mine says, “One flat-top or button-top 18650 cell. An unprotected cell is recommended. Max length 65mm. Cell is not included.” Here’s a picture of it: