I accidentally modded my UniqueFire UF-2100.

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

*Edit*

Apparently, the memory is not the only thing affected. Sometimes (I say sometimes because it varies) if left off for longer than 1 minute, it will go to the next mode. Sometimes it's 5 min, sometimes 2 min, etc. IDK why it varies so much. But for sure, after 10 min it will go to the next mode when you turn it on. So don't go throwing your UF 2100's. Oh well...

*end edit*

Well, I sorta got pissed off tonight and I hurled my UF-2100 with full force (without thinking) down onto the floor (which is carpeted) and said some choice words. As soon as I realized what I had done, I said some more choice words. :)

I picked it up and immediately felt/heard something rattle. "Just great", I thought to myself. I clicked it on but nothing. Click, click...nothing.

Not too long ago, I dropped it from about 5 feet and it stopped working. I took it apart and after examing the pill, I couldn't figure out what was wrong. So I cleaned all parts that touch metal on the board (on the pill as well) and firmly re-attached the retaining ring. Bingo, that did the trick.

So this time around, I was hoping it was the same situation. I took it apart and upon inspection realized a small "part" from the board had fallen off! I remember this piece not being aligned correctly the last time I took it apart nor did it look like it was soldered very well.

In the following picture (posted by heke), it's the small, rectangular silver/brown part located at around the 2:00 position just below the semi-circle. My soldering iron's tip is like the size of the part! I don't know how I'm going to put it back on.

Well, I started praying to anyone who would listen, anxiously put the pill back together and firmly attaching the retaining ring. Screwed everything back together and clicked...

It worked! In fact it's now got a new kind of "memory". lol It now takes only 1 sec or so for the memory to kick in!!! Not the stock 4.5 seconds! I am so stoked. :)

2

Like how hard to throw it, what sort of carpet.......and maybe which 'choice words' and 'prayers' work best.

3

haha, funny! :) But don't do it. It's not perfect. See above edit.

4

I believe that is just a surface mount fuse. Did you reattach it?

Hold the component on the board with your soldering iron tip close to the edge of the component and flow some solder down the side of the component. That should work. SMD fuses are good to go up to like 270C.

5

Probably the capacitor to distinguish long off-taps/clicks from short taps. The µC charges it. When the light is switched off, the cap slowly discharges. When the light goes on again while it’s still charged (above a certain level), then the tap was short. You probably got some loose contact.

6

I threw mine on the floor and now its broken.

Oh.. yours had carpet Damn it!

7

Is that the 3 mode?

If so you can make it 5modes.

You just need to de-solder the solder from the leg on the main chip.

8

You can see in the pic he posted that it’s already been modded to 5-modes. :wink:

9

Read again... "In the following picture (posted by heke)" :p

10

True that! My bad. :D

11

I've used this as a conductive glue substitute in situations where it was impossible to solder. Works, fairly well, but obviously not nearly as strong as solder.

It is a little runny so when trying to use as adhesive, I make a little puddle elsewhere and when it dries enough to be like a putty I apply w/ pin...

edit: duh, i forgot the link - also there are better products...ie conductive adhesives - but I found this same product at radioshack for $10

http://store.caig.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.174/.f

12

\o/

13

i don't have a caliper to get a good measurement on this, could someone tell me the size of the driver in these?

14

If you need to keep an SMD component in place while you solder it, a toothpick-tips worth of crazyglue sometimes helps. I'm not sure of the electrical properties of cyanoacyrlate, but I haven't had a problem yet. (then again, 2 isn't a lot of data points)