Hello all! This is my first post in BLF and first of all sorry for my bad english.
Convoy S3 + Triple Nichia bought by MtnElectronics; cost, including shipping and taxes, more than $ 100. It works just arrived; but soon he begins acting up: switches off by itself, comes on at a lower level than the minimum set, etc.
I remove the battery and turning it over in my hands I feel a little noise that was not there before, and I conclude that like maracas can fit! In the end I realize that block pill / driver swing within the body; I do further investigation and I realize that the pill can slide up and down along the longitudinal axis of the torch, according to the direction in which it is rotated, as if it were an internal screw, but that in any position always has a certain mobility; only inserting the battery and tightening the tailcap not hear any noise, even shaking his torch, because the pressure pushes the group pill/driver/lens against the bezel. Actually the flashlight works well, but I understand the problem. Convoy S3’s host is designed to accommodate an optical reflector and not a shorter tir optic.
So who took care of the assembly had to use a spacer longer.
The end of the driver is “contact” with the threaded part and not anodized body only for a portion corresponding to a pair of “twists” (but very loose, because the all you can “unscrews” without finding any resistance) … of course dancing.(Not even the cheaper of my Chinese flashlights has a similar defect!)
The mass and heat loss are assigned to this small stretch of contact, which is realized only thanks to the thrust of the battery when plugged in!
So much for maximum heat dissipation! The group Noctigon copper / spacer / drivers will also be quality, but coupled with a torch body like that, wonder it works!
MtnElectronics, on his site, proclaims: “The triple LEDs are mounted on a direct-thermal-path copper Noctigon MCPCB for optimum thermal transfer, output, longevity, and efficiency. (…) The flashlight pill’s thermal shelf is thickened to handle the extra current, and the unibody S3 host transfers the heat down the entire body for increased dissipation.”
I don’t think is true! But I leave to you to judge from the photos and schedule.
_
Note the pop-up about staffing there over the USA Thanksgiving holiday (last week of November)
I don’t have an S3 so can’t comment on the description.
I’m puzzled — your drawing shows what looks like old version of the S3, which had a separate pill.
It’s pictured for example at FastTech’s S3 page
(mistakenly, as the FT description and customer comment warns that FT is not selling that older pictured version — typical enough FT error)
But the MtE page for the S3 triple I linked to (and your text description) describes the newer S3 version — not the one with a threaded pill.
From your drawing it looks like you got the old S3 with the pill, and it ought to have a spacer and it isn’t there.
For an S2 or S2+ that would make sense. Did they ever offer a spacer for the old pill-type S3+ host?
What model flashlight do you have? Is it the S2+ or is it an S3? Just curious as newer S3 have a solid shelf for the emitter instead of a removeable pill.
Does yours have the spacer installed between the pill and the PCB?
From your drawing (very nice drafting work ) it looks like the spacer was omitted?
There should be a spacer between the pill and the PCB; the spacer should compensate for the additional length lost by the removal of the reflector. If the pill isn’t in the correct location, you could have bad battery contact, resulting in the unusual behavior you are reporting.
Thank you all for answers!
My order from MtnElectronics was: “S3” EDC Flashlight V2 - Triple LED - 18650- custom modes, etc.
To me it seems clear by now that the problem is the lack of a spacer between the PCB and pill, like this:
Now I do not know what to do; I wrote to Richard; his answer not adequate was |( :
“You don’t have the pill tightened down correctly. You need to have the lens and reflector tightened against the pill to hold it tightly in place, otherwise the ground connection will not be good.”
I wish it were so, but it is not true! :_(
Now what can I do?
Best regards!
like others said, it seems as if the spacer is missing, but i do know from my experiences, that a loose ground, or one that is not extremely tight (driver to pill) will result in slight flicker or weird mode behavior. how is the driver secured to the pill?
Send RMM a picture of the pill with the emitter, set on top of a ruler, showing what you have
To be clear the picture you posted above isn’t what you have, right?
And send a picture of the inside of the flashlight where you took the innards out.
It sounds like you have the old model light that came with a removable pill — not the model that he’s currently selling, which is a different setup.
He can look up your order, give him the order number and date info/payment name/whatever.
If someone picked an old stock light off a shelf when they should have sent you a new type, that’ll be easy to straighten out.
Just my opinion, I’m not him nor associated with him except as a repeat happy customer; he’s sorted out problems in the past and I trust he’ll do that.
You have to figure out how come what you have doesn’t match what he’s selling — the order details ought to solve that question.
This puzzles me to no end because Richard builds the lights himself. Richard has done this many many times, if he had an old style threaded pill, he would have built it accordingly. Likewise, with the integrated shelf he would have built it for that too. I have talked to Richard extensively over the years building these lights, I KNOW he knows what he’s doing, more so than I do and I’ve built literally hundreds of lights.
Has someone else had this light in hand that you didn’t see it for a while? This is not Richard’s work. He simply wouldn’t have built a light this way. He has the spacer’s built for just this light, he knows better than anyone what it takes.
I have one of Richards triple tube lights, even though I build them myself, and I do believe it was $65 when I bought it from him. So yeah, on multiple fronts, I’m puzzled.
There is not someone else to grab the wrong light off the shelf. Richard and his wife handle the business, Richard builds the lights himself, the drivers included. And he tests every one before it leaves his shop. The old threaded pill style simply won’t work without the spacer. And a protected cell usually won’t fit in the light with a spacer. The spacer is designed to fit on top of the pill when the pill is in it’s usual position, raising the triple mcpcb and optics up to meet the lens. Likewise for an integral shelf variant, the spacer simply takes up the slack of the shorter optic.
Send Richard a PM or PM me with any further questions or details and I myself will call Richard for you if need be. This is very unusual. But it will get repaired and put in proper condition if I have to do it for you myself, that’s how strongly I feel about Richard being right. OK? Either way, your light will be right. Guaranteed.
) it looks like the spacer was omitted?
