Hey guys, take a look at this… When I got the light a few weeks ago, I took it apart and didn’t notice a single flaw. But yesterday when I just happen to look at the emitter, I noticed two things. As you can see from the picture below, it looks as though the wire sheathing on the red wire has melted because of the contact with the hot base of the reflector. Also, the paint/anodizing has melted on that same side… This can’t be normal. Anyone else see this before???
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They use really cheap wire that melts extremely easily.
The anodization thing… No idea.
I just got my C8 in, even before I put a battery in it, opened it up, had those "anodizing" marks on it already...so that came from the factory
Melting wire, just hot
I recommend you put some NOALOX on the threads of the pill to help with thermal transfer between the pill and those big ol' heatsink fins on the outside of the head, yeah it's probably not the best material for thermal transfer but it's better than air
Artic silver is also a very good thermal paste, even cheap computer thermal paste will work well
If it got that hot would it not unreflow the emitter and unsolder the wires?
The wire may have been split already and looks like a fingerprint under the ano which may have been painted to conceal (just a theory)
If the light actually got hot enough to melt wire or fry oxidized aluminum i think you would have noticed, you hands would have burned when you touched it and it would be more then a spot (and the battery would be toast too)
If I remember correctly, to lazy to search, but there have been threads where people actual changed the color of the anodizing on a flashlight by heating it in a oven, seems like the temp had to be on broil 500. I don’t think the reflector got that hot.
I would replace the crappy wire with some high strand count silicone wire and see if that doesn’t solve the problem. To me it looks like someone has touched a solder iron to the wire sheath.
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If that is a figure print like bort mentioned, that would explain why its not anodized and holding color properly. Anodized parts have to be free from any oils while in the anodizing process.
I had an MC-E zoomie that melted the entire zoomie inner-plastics from the first day I got it, but even today, it still runs just as bright and I still use it as a bike light. I wouldn’t worry.
Doesn’t surprise me at all, anyone ever touch an exposed led xml starboard when in use? Burnt my finger once testing while undergoing a mod, around 2.8A at 1 second and accidently touched the exposed starboard, smoke came off my finger for a split second.
I also got it before using it, marks is on both sides. My other convoy C8 don’t have them. The wires are also flattened but I see this in almost every lights.
is that wire melted or is it GREY thermal paste/epoxy on the wire?
Is it possible that you squished the cable against the reflector when you screwed it back together? The reflector sits so close I actually filed off the end of it so it didn’t squish and short my solder-blobs.
It’s definitely possible, but i didn’t tighten it any more than it already was when I got it. It was pretty tough to unscrew the bezel. Also, it’s not thermal paste/epoxy, it’s definitely exposed wire. Could that short out the light?
Those stock wires have no temp rating, or some are 80C. Also may depend on what's laying around their factory floor at the time. The good stuff we use is 200C rated silicone -- massive difference.
Also just noticed something… if you were to guess, what emitter would you say is in this picture? XM-L or XM-L2?
Visible features of XM-L:
3 bonding wires, lines on the die, green top
Visible features of XM-L2:
2 bonding wires, dots on the die, silver top
This Convoy C8 is from Fasttech and is listed as an XM-L… did I get lucky and get an XM-L2 instead?
Convoy C8
LOL!!!