ENEDED

Very strange issue that it would die completely like that. The switch LED should at least light up if the MCU is getting power.

The most likely candidates would be the LDO, R5 resistor or the MCU itself dying.

If you can, check for V+ at both sides of the R5 resistor, if that checks out, then check the voltage at the first “Test” pad above the yellow wire. It should be 5v.

If all of that checks out then the voltage is making it to the MCU so either it is a ground issue or the MCU died somehow. Very strange if that happened, only had an MCU randomly die a few times over the years in a working light.

Hi. It was ridiculous.
After detaching the board to test it, I realised that the spring was not making contact.

Now I have another issue.
While soldering the cables back, the switch V+ metal contact was detached from the board.
It is still connected to the thin, onboard, wire.
Can I take switch V+ from somewhere else on the driver?

Thanks.

On these Texas Avenger drivers, pin 7 Pin 2 on the MCU is always the trigger looking for ground.

You can either attach the switch positive to pin 7 Pin 2 or scratch the coating off next to the original pad that lifted and attach there.

You might have been using too much heat on your iron.

I used some two-ingredient epoxy glue (180 Celsius max) to reattach the pad.
When it dries, I will try to solder the cable very quickly. If this fails I’ll use pin 7.
I will also lower the iron heat.

Thanks for your help, I appreciate it! :slight_smile:

Jason is correct but he got the MCU backwards, I flipped the MCU over for this driver, pin 7 is on the other side which he did not know about:

You have it connected to the FET output right now.

Hi and thanks!

The first attempt was a fail and the pad was completely detached.

The second attempt (pin 7) was also a fail and now I know why.

The third attempt was a success. I removed the coating right after the pad and soldered it there.
I also used a small amount of epoxy resin to stick the cable to the board, right after the connection, in order to secure it.

Finally, I have contacted Lexel for a replacement driver to have it as a spare.

By the way, can someone suggest me a good budget adjustable temperature soldering iron/station?

Yes.

I’m currently using this one:

Using these tips:

It works really well for all jobs. It’s actually quite a good soldering iron, and after calibrating the temperature, it is actually quite accurate.

If you want a step up in terms of heating time and handling, as I’ve actually bought one for a friend, and tested it:

You can also install open source firmware on it, and use battery packs for portability.

Tips(I would recommend the TS-D24, as it is a fat flat tip, very useful for connections and most soldering jobs):

I was looking at MINI TS100 when you replied. :slight_smile:

I am currently using this.
It does the job but the temperature regulator seems to be inaccurate.

Will PX-988 make a difference or better go for MINI TS100 when my budget allows it?

Yes, it will make a very nice difference.

It’s like going from an Ultrafire 10$ light to a Convoy C8. A nice difference for not so much money.

While going from the one you have to a TS100 will be like going from that Ultrafire 10$ light to a Emisar D1S. A completely different level.

Both are great soldering irons though. The PX-988 is a very nice iron, and the TS100 is a step up from that, having better firmware, faster heat up time, better handling.

Get the TS-100 if your future budget allows it, along with a flat fat tip. Otherwise, just go with the PX-988.

OK, thanks!

Interested depending on price. White 70.2 NW please. Thank you.

Isn’t that the little circle in the top left that indicates pin 1? I’m definitely confused.

Every time I see this chip the little circle that indicates pin one is always on the bottom left corner as you are reading the lettering on the chip.

I honestly get confused with that dot as well and kinda gave up keeping track of the pin numbers using it some time ago. Now I just look at the schematic to see which pin goes where and use the technical pin names for figuring out the connections.

Interested in the NW. Could I get a code, Freeme? Thanks.

The TS100 iron has been superceded by the TS80. This looks great for portability as it can run on a battery pack.

Another one that looks good is the KSGER STM32 T12. This uses the Hakko 951 style of tip (or T12 style), but in a cheaper format ($40-$60 instead of $230). I paid $77 for a kit with 8 tips. These Chinese version T12 tips are pretty cheap at $3 ea. Genuine Hakko T12 tips are about $23 ea.

Those slip on Banggood/Amazon tips are junk (IMO). The new Hakko 888 style tips (T18 style) I recently bought are working much better. They make soldering easier. Plus I’m using a thicker flux that I put on with a toothpick instead of an applicator pen and that upped the results another notch. I’m soldering so much better now. :partying_face:

Interested in NW in black. Could I get a code? Thanks.

Got my MT03 TA finally, very nice light and heat up faster than my old MT03 12000lm. But it can’t be completely turn off, it continue to output very dim light which is lower than moon mode. I didn’t measure how much current it consume with these very dim light.
I managed to completely switched it off without output any light one time when i tried to on off it multiple times, but it has a beating sounds when it’s completely off. This is first time i heard hearbeat of a flashlight. :sunglasses: but i can’t make it happen anymore.

Still trying to figure it out, anyone encounter this?

I’ve heard some of the recent MT03 and MT09R lights having a bit of leakage like yours. Texas_Ace showed Haikelite exactly how to build these drivers and with what exact parts. Unfortunately, they seemed to have changed a few components just save a penny here or there or maybe they recieved some counterfeit components.

To find the source of the leakage does require a soldering iron and maybe a hot air station. The most likely component “leaking” current past are the 2 FETs. The little one can be unsoldred to check it, but the big one has to have hot air to check it.

You can request a new driver from Haikelite, but whether you get it or how long it takes is an unknown.

Thanks for your help JasonWW. I will contact Haikelite and report here what they can offer.

I turned off blue led while off thinking it could be leaked from that part of circuit, but it is not helping. And leave it off all night didn’t help too. The very dim light actually is not stable like moon mode, they flicker a bit but never turn off.

The flickering is very odd indeed, it says that for some reason a cap somewhere must be discharging / recharging and this is causing the flicker.

It is possible a fake LDO could cause this I suppose, but pretty unlikely. I am not really sure what could cause this behavior to be honest. It is a very simple setup to avoid issues like this and as far as I know all the 100 lights I built are still working fine with no issues. So I know it is not the base design but sadly that is about all I know.