BLF Special Edition 18650 after Battery change suddenly dead?

Hi there,

yesterday I was out for a night walk and used my BLF Special Edition.

My rechargeable 18650 battery becomes low after a while and the flashlight turns the brightness down automatically. So far so good. After a while I had to use the flashlight a bit brighter, so I clicked it and it became a bit brighter for a few seconds. I did that a few times.

This annoyed me after a while, so I decided to use two rechargeable CR123 batteries I had with me. I changed the 18650 with the two rechargeable CR123 batteries, while I gave extra attention to the polarity! While I screwed the clicky-part of the flashlight back onto the flashlight, the flashlight illuminates two times and is since then broken.

What could gone wrong?! The clicky-part works on another BLF Special Edition.

Thank you in advance for your help and have a good weekend.

I guess you are talking about BLF A6

In that case the answer is obvious, you broke it by using 2xCR123

Yep, some flashlights can only take about 4.2 volts.

Two CR123 cells provide too much voltage, and will kill any flashlight that can't handle that voltage.

Stupid me!! :rage: :rage:

Is there anything I could replace on the PCB, to get it reanimated?

drivers for them are available but have gone up in price they were about $4 but went up over $5 .. then $6 or $7 and now are really stupidly priced .

It's a nice $4 driver

Not $14

I'd buy the mountain Electonics version over the banggood one. the quality of ricks work it well known . Plus it's now cheaper

Link >>> FET + 7135 Driver - 17mm - MTN-17DDm (mtnelectronics.com)

Link >>> blf x6 driver - Buy blf x6 driver with free shipping | Banggood Shopping

^^^ What he said :P

Thank you for your kind hint! Okay, then I would like to take one of the mountain electonics drivers. Could you please explain me what setup I need or could you please suggest me one setup which is comparable to the stock BLF A6 flashlight?

Or is it in your opinion more smart to buy a new BLF A6 and take my broken one a spare part source? Do you have a link to a trustworthy shop?

Shipment is in both cases to Germany :wink:

What about a different light? The A6 is already several years old and there are better alternatives nowadays. Shipping to Germany might be expensive and you will have to pay taxes and maybe additional service fees. In total the driver might cost you 20-25 € (or you buy from AliExpress which handles taxes for you).

The wealth of knowledge that is available here on BLF never fails to amaze me.

What would you suggest as different light to the A6? I would like to use my 18650 rechargeable batteries.

There are many compatible drivers available starting at just a few bucks. Some might be worse than the original but at least it will give you a working flashlight.

No way would I just abandon a flashlight because the driver was fried.

Which one from mountain would be easy since he only puts the bistro Ui on x amount of drivers and the size for a tube light is 17mm if i'm not mistaken . I think i linked to it .

I agree with the thought that a driver like the ones convoy sells/like their 12 mode might make more sense or opting for another light always seems like a flashaholics best excuse for buying a new light ..I'd fix it and then buy a new light to reward yourself for being so frugal .

17mm 7135*8 ,output 3040ma,12groups (new Program Code),built-in Temperature Control,compatible With Lighted Switch. - Portable Lighting Accessories - AliExpress

$6 for one but almost down to $3 a piece if you buy three . /they get cheaper quickly the more you buy

That’s a 3 A driver. Didn’t the A6 use a FET direct-drive driver? Anyway, a single of these drivers shipped to Germany is 7,24 € with free shipping (due to added taxes).

I suggest you buy a different light, (you can try to learn how to fix your broken light later)
recommend the Sofirn SP31 Pro (choose 5000K):

It is not a good idea to fire Turbo over and over. Especially not on a depleted battery, after it rebounds from resting. Suggest you use lower output, and avoid using Turbo (it kills batteries too fast, plus the output does not stay at Turbo anyway).

Also suggest bring 2 flashlights (not just one light plus one extra battery), so if one Light dies, you still have a working light, with its own fresh battery.

2 lights is better than one. :beer:

The MTN-17DDM Driver has the option for BLF-A6 firmware in the drop down. Guessing that might get it close to stock? I use this driver in my S2+ builds and it is a great driver, I just get it with a different firmware.

https://www.mtnelectronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=67_117&product_id=663

The SP31 V2 might be a good option for someone who carries CR123s around since it is designed to take 18650 or 2xCR123. It has a high CRI option as well.