Hi guys
My trusty Milwaukee work light stopped working.
I saw a dim glow from the led and now it doesn’t work at all.
I have searched for a replacement with no luck. I’m not very clued up with leds.
What’s the easiest way to replace the led bulb.
It’s a 12v Milwaukee work light.
Pictures below.
Not user replaceable as it’s never supposed to fail.
First link is dead, can you fix it as I assume I shows the LED in question :P.
Could be many reasons your light doesn’t work, it would Be unusual, but not impossible for an LED to be dead as they don’t really ‘burn up’ like old style bulbs did (assuming the light is all designed and manufactured correctly, of course)…
If you can get access to the LED, use a multimeter set to diode test to check if the LED lights up. Visual check there’s no obvious damage or burn marks on the LED.
While youve the multimeter out, if you can check the voltage of the battery is good, you’ll be able to rule out battery problem.
Is the battery swappable? Do you have another tool that you can test it in?
Good point, your battery may have bitten the dust. If you can try a new battery, that would really help.
Agreed that it’s probably not the LED (s), but probably a loose connection, driver, or battery.
Time to start taking it apart and look for anything unusual.
They have a lifetime warranty on those particular lights…get in touch with your nearest repair dealer or service center, give them the serial number (I think yours is the later type B).
I don’t have one of these anymore but if I recall looking at it, it didn’t seem to be very accessible and I believe the bezel was sealed such that trying to get in there would be destructive. Mine was the first version, though. If you want to give it a go from the housing side, remove the metal clips (try not to bend them) and the screws, be careful when you separate it and take a couple photos making note of wire routing, and then you can look at the driver board to see if there’s anything obvious that failed and might possibly be replaced. At the service centers, these are just destroyed and I think the only parts available are the housing (maybe still) and clips…they’re inexpensive enough that it doesn’t pay to make the parts available and they’ll just take care of people with replacement units instead. If you don’t have your receipt they may give you the runaround but if so then try to get in touch with them on social media or make a phone call and they’ll probably override that.
Many thanks for all the help everyone.
I have updated the links.
I did use a multimeter just to see if power was coming to the black and red wires in the picture. Power was present.
I have three different battery’s that work with my other tools so battery is good.
I have taken it apart once and I could not see any obvious damage. All connections looked good. I will take it apart again and post more pictures.
I will google “diode test to check if the LED lights up” and try this.
Unfortunately in the uk we only get a three year warranty. This expired 2 years ago.
How much voltage? If it shows more than 2 V, the LED is dead.
I have opened it up.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12j\_\_NyuRD0HVLsnd-uxInpMCxIpLYwa4/view?usp=drivesdk
I tried the diode test and nothing.
Looking at the driver doesn’t really help. What is the voltage at the LED when you said: “I did use a multimeter just to see if power was coming to the black and red wires in the picture. Power was present.”
Sorry my mistake. Just tested again no power coming through.
Please see the picture.
A is showing 11.59v at the wires where it connects to the board.
B is showing nothing.
Okay, so power supply is good, might be the driver that’s dead.
You could try resistance test on the switch and or try bypassing the switch and see if the led lights?
Just to confirm, testing the LED (both ways, as they’re directional) with diode setting didn’t get it to light very dimly?
And also, there’s no power going to the LED from the driver?
I tried power directly on the led. Nothing happened.
I also tried the diode test both ways nothing.
No power going to the led from the driver.
Looks as though the led and driver have gone bad. No idea how.
It’s a really handy light when working on the car/house.
Anyway I can replace the driver/led. I don’t need massive amounts of power.
200 lumens would be good.
This will definitely destroy the LED.
That thing is toast, better start looking for a new one.
Can I replace the led and driver?
200 lumens or a bit more?
You may be able to do that. I have seen people here do mazing things with flashlights, but likely not. You seem to be a bit of a novice at this stuff. As am I. I have replaced drivers and LEDs (already on a star). But that was with drop in parts that just need to be soldered in. The parts on your light are purpose built, so no ordering them for replacement. I think that board is the LED driver and battery management system together. I have no clue as to how you would just swap a new driver in. I never saw a picture that showed how the LED is mounted. Maybe, if you could identify it, you could replace just the LED and see if that works. But that is something requiring not only finding the LED, but quite an investment in time and materials to do.
I hate to be negative, but it doesn’t seem to be worth the effort, if you could do it at all.
Maybe look for a cheap replacement on Ebay or something. Possibly one that has a different problem so you could mix and match parts to get one working light ?
Or just pickup a new light that uses the same batteries. Which would be my choice. :smiling_imp:
I didn’t realize you were in the EU. I had to look around their site over there and sure enough, they don’t give you guys the same warranties at all…doesn’t seem fair. Over here they usually have a 5-year general tool warranty, but on all of their LED lights they have a lifetime warranty on the emitter (the driver is supposedly not covered…but).
Hopefully you didn’t kill the emitter with direct power hookup. The board is stepping down the voltage from 12v to 3v or so, which is what that copper coil inductor is doing. It’s possible the inductor failed but more likely one of the other chips on the board. Quick search showed a few used ones on ebay in your neck of the world…maybe a cheap replacement that way or to get parts? I remember hearing that the switches in these had some failures, too, so it wouldn’t hurt to have a spare. I never liked mine very much and after it took a 27’ fall and died, I looked to see if the board was available and then it went in the bin. A couple years ago I bought their 12v Rover service light (which, for you, they call a Tilting Light or something like that)…it’s actually very nice and I use it a lot, but nothing else they have interests me. That one doesn’t have the throw of the regular lights like yours but the light quality and smooth flood is superb for close work and lighting smaller areas.
Sorry I can’t help any better in diagnosis. If you have a multimeter with a 3v diode test, you can probe the emitter and see if it still lights up (or carefully use a single lithium-ion cell, or a couple of alkalines as a power source for testing). That would at least rule it in or out. Many meters don’t put out enough voltage in the diode test to fire up high power white emitters, so they won’t work for many lights.
The replacement is $30. How much time do you have on your hands?