Exploding Niteye/Jetbeam Ec-R16 ?

Well it could easily of been the usb cable that caused the fire. Also remember all usb cables allow different amps with a minimum of 500 milliamp for usb type 2. Unless some one pulled the light apart no one would know? Most likely a cable got to hot and caught on fire.

damn, i also have this light but i never used the internal charging function. Its a super nice light, very small and bright. I like the elegant smooth ramping trough the different modes, i hope you know what i mean. Now you scared me with this post but i prefer external chargers for any light i own.

I completely disagree. The amount of current being drawn is dictated by the device, not the cable. If the Jetbeam relies on a proprietary cable with built-in resistance to current limit, then they are not using USB standards which should be included in their manual in big bold fonts.

One other thing, if there was a problem with the cable, it would have done something to the power supply, not the flashlight.

I can’t believe that got so little attention, especially on cpf. They just carried on scheduled programming.

I use micro-usb chargers in lights, but never while I’m sleeping and never without testing the charger first.

so was the cause found?
or is it time for me to make a mod for gta5?
put it in the store next to the note 7.

Yes the amount of current is dictated by the charging device to a certain degree. Some cables can not physically allow a lot of current through! I have cables that supply my phone with 800 milliamp max and others that do 2 amps fast charge. Plus the usb charging device could have malfunctioned and caused a short which would have made a cable get hot and burn.

True, but lesser quality cables will current limit on their own which is safer for the device being charged. Less current= less heat. That fact is, the Jetbeam is defective. Hopefully it’s not a common problem

https://empireherald.com/texas-woman-electrocuted-in-her-sleep-from-wearing-earbuds-while-iphone-was-charging/

I really do not trust any charging device.
Although usb are low power still more enough energy to cause harm. But this should be a lesson about charging any thing. Take the Samsung problem now.

I hear you my friend. I always monitor my batteries while charging. I take temperature readings during the charging cycle to make sure nothing’s getting too hot. Thankfully, I haven’t had a battery get above 35 degrees C while charging. I use a Fluke Mini 62 to take my measurements

My guess is, the battery was the problem. Since JB doesn’t make batteries, there may have been a faulty protection circuit, or the cell was re-wrapped wrong or sloppy. The user could also have damaged the cell in some way by mishandling.

That still doesn’t excuse the JB rep’s first post where he gave a snarky smart-ass analogy of how the user was at fault. I think the rep realized his stupid post, and quickly became helpful by offering a free replacement.

Not sure how wise it is to be charging a lithium Ion cell in a sealed air-tight tube anyway.

Very possible the battery was at fault. Scary to think about. I’m still thinking this guy got one with a defective charging circuit

I think this is not possible. The reason that it’s called a universal serial bus, is because it is universal. If older (low power) cable would cause a safety issue with newer USB variants, then the whole standardisation would be a failure. Newer USB variants exist, because it is universal with older generations.
A flaw in the cable is nevertheless still a possible cause in my opinion, at this moment.

Having a closer look at the pictures, here is my thought on the technical aspect of this fiasco:

Picture #1: The dark grey stuff that you can see on the white plug of the cable seemed to have been spewed out from the inside (the battery) via the port, which is the only way out, since the light is sealed. IF the cable was faulty at the plug, and generated a lot of heat triggering a bad effect of the battery, then I suspect you would see the plastic white plug deformed due to the heat. This is not the case. I believe you do need a lot, really a lot of heat for the battery to go poof, so I find it hard to believe the cable could have been faulty. The potential heat caused by a faulty cable would also not be in direct contact with the battery, as there is the driver/charger in between. So to me it seems unlikely that the cable was faulty.

I’m more than sure the USB cable wasn’t the cause of the problem, more likely it was the internal charge circuit or the battery. The cable supplied by jetbeam is cheaply built and not special by any mean, the guy was using a PISEN branded cable which is a good quality one.

It amazes me how little attention he got, people just ignored him, like it was the users fault.

I agree. If the cable was at fault, the housing on the connector would have shown distortion from overheating instead of just soot.

Using JB’s analogy, does that mean you’d have to use Mercedes-branded gasoline (and oil, etc.) :)?

Well, thank you for the very interesting answers, the sad thing about this, it’s that i will have hard time to trust the internal charging of this flashlight which is a shame, it destroys one of its handy side…

I agree with the use of an external charger, it’s alway a better idea but… i loved the idea of internal charging, it’s like an almost self-sufficient unit, perfect for holydays.
Now,i think i will only use it like a regular flashlight, i don’t want to burn my flat to the ground. :partying_face:

Better to be safe than sorry I always say. I’m sorry you had a problem. Thankfully it didn’t burn your house down or worse.

Buy one of you want to do an insurance job! lol.

It is hard to say unless we see the whole board! I am not defending Jetbeam the rep was a idiot for what he said! The guy who wrote the review used his internal charger and nothing happen.

But some thing went wrong with either one of power supplies. The battery or the USB.

It could also be a fail safe gone wrong? Traces could have burnt. The way it looks some thing caught fire or exploded.

Candlepower forums is timing out. Maybe jetbeam hacked the site. Lol!

Seriously though, I have 2 of the little buggers. One for me, one for the wife. I’ve charged mine many times without incidence. Usually charges to 4.23v though… So a little on the high side, but I don’t just leave it plugged in all the time. Once the Blue light turns off, I unplug it.

I also use my Samsung Galaxy S5 wall wort.

It’s an unprotected efest purple button top in both lights.