About how many charge cycles did you put the light through before this problem happened?
(I just ordered 2 of these. One of them will be a gift. Now I’m concerned. Dont want to give someone a poison gas bomb.)
Odds are very slim that the S model has a proper USB-C PD high voltage/current capability. “Real” USB-C PD requires the endpoint device to tell the charger what it wants and/or can accept. I would love to be wrong, but Sofirn has little incentive to rework the firmware AND driver when a simple firmware change will achieve the same effect.
If anyone has an SP36S and a ‘real’ USB-C PD type power supply with a C-C cable, can you test this combination of parts?
Sofirn does include a cable with their devices i believe
Trying each individual cell is a good idea. I didn’t think of that. Maybe I will give it a shot before I send this back. So you guys think I’m good to send this back and it won’t pose any safety hazards in the mail?
This is the last time I will buy a cheap light personally. I’m not really a modder or active on the forums, but I have been collecting flashlights since the 90s. My first high power LED light was back around 2006 from novatech. I still have it it still works. I bought my first fenix around 2009. I have a pretty large collection mainly of acebeam and fenix lights and I have never had a problem with any of them.
I would say I charged this light about five times before this happened. I don’t know about the USB cable brand but it’s a good quality cable that has worked fine. The wall unit is LG and I have used it to charge many different things including some of my acebeam and fenix lights.
I only bought this light because it was high CRI and did some things none of the quality brands offered, but from here on out I am done with bottom shelf garbage brands like this. The light did work fine for a few days, but from the moment I open the box it was clear that you get what you pay for. This didn’t particularly bother me but the machining was sharp and the anodizing had several flaws. I’ve always been a function kind of guy, but it seems that the low build quality continued inside of the light. I think good evidence of that is another guy who replied here had the same problem.
Too bad these guys are based in China. I’d make them buy me a new phone or pursue litigation.
You are probably right that it won’t get 20V unless the device has the right circuitry. I just don’t know what the fail-safes are.
Regarding the smell , you could look HERE it’s about burnt food odours, but presumably it would work on any odour.
Either way you may have some cleaning to do.
**But why would your phone be affected???
Its a totally different device … if the charger and cable are good it shouldnt matter
You can ship it back with the bats inside just tape up the both terminals on each individual bat with electrical tape
I’m pretty sure the chlorine smell is halogenated dioxins and furans. Pretty nasty stuff. the light is outside the house has been airing out for a day and a half. The chargers and my phone still have a very strong smell. Not really sure what to do about that. Maybe it will go away. I’m okay with throwing the cables out but I don’t know if I want to replace an $800 phone over this.
So in my original story I explained the phone connection. I know I am a little bit long-winded though. when I first went into the affected room my phone was dying so I immediately unplugged at the flashlight and plugged my phone in not suspecting the flashlight at this point. My phone has a strong smell from being plugged into the same charging cable for a short time. All of the subsequent cables I have used to charge my phone in the last day and a half also now have the smell. I cleaned my phone pretty thoroughly with rubbing alcohol but I don’t know how to clean this out of the port or if it’s even possible. It’s giving off a strong chlorine like odor which I suspect to be halogenated dioxins and furans given off from the burning board.
So electronically the phone works and charges fine?
I would contact sofirn about this as well as amazon, send em the link to this thread
Its possible that some screw got loose and shorted the board
Yeah my phone works totally fine. It’s not a function problem. But I’m not making this up when I tell you that you can smell like chlorine like smell coming off of the charging port on the phone a day and a half later. Just to make sure I wasn’t insane I had a couple of other people check and they don’t like the smell of it either and they can detect it from several feet away.if someone wants to give these guys a heads up about this and link them to the thread I’m totally fine with that. Hopefully they don’t get it deleted or something because this is a true story that people should know about.
Blf wont delete the thread … thats one good thing about posting here
I know it doesnt help u, but this has happened with other brands as well
Imalent …
And even what many here consider the most “reliable” light, zebralight …
it can happen to any light or brand, though thats not to say that some brands or lights might be more susceptible
What model was the charger & cable? Also you’re coming off as ridiculous to me when you’re talking about the phone charging port; clean your phone.
Who here on BLF can we mail this light to for a post mortem analysis?
^That’s the solution.
OP should return to amazon if within the 30 day window
Full refund and paid return shipping
Unless some BLFer wants to compensate him 
Might want to check with Sofirn first.
Disassembling the head of the light might void your warranty.
Presumably he wants his money back though - I’m not sure taking it apart is the way to go if he wants that outcome, interesting though it would be.
I think if OP just wanted his money back he would’ve already gone through Amazon & posted a simple ‘heads up my SP36s had a problem while charging etc.’
Yeah I get that sometimes quality control issues are isolated. I also understand that they can happen with any brand, but do you think it’s a coincidence that another guy replied here and had the exact same problem? I don’t. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that after more than two decades of collecting high-end flashlights and dozens and dozens of lights none of the reputable brands have ever failed in any way shape or form. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that the cheapest brand I’ve ever bought is the one that failed and also the one that has had the worst quality fit and finish and packaging. You get what you pay for I suppose. I just didn’t realize I was paying to be poisoned. I was prepared for the light to fail at some point since it effectively has no warranty from what I can tell.
Has anything like this ever happened with acebeam or Fenix as far as you guys know? Those seem like two of the better Chinese brands to me. I have more Ace beams but that’s just because I like their lights better. I’ve never had a problem with Fenix either.
As for the guy calling me ridiculous you’re not here you don’t have any idea what’s actually happening. If you don’t have something useful to contribute then maybe don’t. I already answered the charger and cable question to the best of my ability.