BLF A6 FET+7135 Light Troubleshooting and Mod thread

My zebralight sc52w has a clip that screws on. Which light are you referring to?

I’m kind of pissed, I haven’t received an answer to both my PM and email in a week now.
My BLF A6 is an useless piece of aluminium and malfunctioning electronics as of now. :frowning:

which one? I don’t know the diameter of either group of lights, they have 2 clips.
Googled and the two seem very close —- 0.9 inch, and 0.94 inch

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I have size issues.

I tested my order: one of each tint. The 3D didn’t light up. The others did.

I pulled the 3D tailcap and did the screwdriver bypass and it lit fine.

The 3D tailcap on the 5A didn’t light. On the 1A it will only if I really crank down.

Putting a paperclip spacer in the 3D tailcap causes it to work on any light.

So, the 1A lights on any tailcap. The 5A and 3D light only on the 1A or 5A tailcaps.

The 3D and 5A tubes are visibly shorter to the naked eye. I can easily pick them out (1A is longer, 3D is way off center).

So as I understand it, I have two short battery tubes (from 3D and 5A), and one short tailcap (from 3D). And I need to email that to heyanqing1@banggood.com

Is that accurate?

Sounds like you have it all figured out burnsd! Sorry that happened to your lights.

These things happen. I still have three functional lights at the moment. And if BG/Manker makes good, I’ll have a trio of perfect interchangeability.

I love the UI, the moon and turbo modes, the bike flasher, the batt check… Overall really love the design. I can’t wait to torture test these as a bike light on the terrible roads here.

That clip though…

……………….
Copper washer from the autopart store
Imgur

This is the one I bought for my A6.

http://www.zebralight.com/Pocket-Clip-for-H31-H32-H302-H51-H52-H502_p_80.html

I’m sorry I can’t speak for banggood. But maybe Neal is keeping an eye on this thread.

Am I the only one who likes the clip? It clips.

I ALWAYS solder the bypass wire inside the spring. The spring is steel, usually, and the solder is likely to let go at some point due to the compressions of the spring when loading cells. So, if the wire is on the outside it is quite likely to cause a short at some point. Inside, it’s contained by the spring itself and can’t reach ground.

Edit: And also, if you must put a ring inside for proper tube to retaining ring contact, remove the retaining ring and put this spacer between the driver and the retaining ring so you don’t have loose parts. Once you re-install the retaining ring it will be spaced upward to meet the tube but everything will be snug and contained. :wink:

Before going to all this trouble, double check that the tube is inserted properly. Even if the clip is on the wrong end, I guess it’s possible the tube could be machined backwards, but it’s normal for the clip to install on the tail end of the tube. It only works one way, it’s not reversible.

Good point DB. I’m having a tough time with flowing at the base of the spring. I think I need a better iron and some helping hands.

Just remember, heating up the pad at the base of the spring is also heating up the switch. Pretty much as easy to kill the switch here as soldering directly to the switch.

Try removing the spring from the board, soldering the wire on in the middle, then run the wire up through the spring and solder the spring back on around the edges. Cut the wire a little long, coil it inside the spring slightly so it’s got easy room to compress, then solder the top end of the wire to the top of the spring. I like folding the wire over the very end of the spring then soldering it. Even if the solder lets go of the spring the wire will stay in place.

Edit: A through-pcb bypass for high amps…

Do I hear a lathe in the background? :-)

Btw, I stand by my method doing the spring bypass on the outside, it is a bit theoretical in my opinion that the solder joint at the base of the spring would break, it is stiff one piece with the base under the spring.

Everyone has their own style :-)

Style notwithstanding, what happens if the top lets go and the wire… still connected at the pad… touches the side of the pill? Direct short, of course. Once you’ve had this happen, you develop more of a safety conscience than a style. :wink:

Also, keep in mind, we are advising many people around the world here with unknown soldering skills. Err on the side of safety.

My soldering skills are known. They are known to be somewhere between bad and nonexistent.

So does anyone make a short little quick-blow fuse with wire leads, that could serve as a spring bypass?

Seems like a thoughtful redesign of the whole switch notion could pay off considerably if there’s a way to separate the conductor from the spring in a way that would negate these low-likelihood, high-boom direct short possibilities.

Perhaps you could make your own by cracking open a glass automotive fuse, or by melting the plastic on a plug-in type with solvent?

Phil

DB I’ve add your video to the op. Along with some explanation as to why it’s safer. I hope that helps a lot of people! Thanks!

Let’s say “potentially” safer, we want people to think on the side of safety while they’re modifying these lights, right? I mean, reckless abandon is well and good when with a consenting adult but sometimes thoughtful care and consideration are appropro…