Pry out the white plastic retainer, add a little bit of solder to the upper ground ring on the contact board where it rests on the little ledge inside the head. If you can drag the solder out beyond the edge so it will be a press fit in the head, all the better. No guarantee the driver ground is the problem though.
Anybody want to send me some dead Z2s? Not that I want to become the Z2 Repair Service, I'm just curious what the cause is. Whatever I find will be public for anybody else to use to fix their own lights.
If it truly is a driver hardware failure that can't be fixed, I can convert them to use 4.2v 14500s using the BLF-15DD. I have a firmware that's an exact duplicate of the stock Solarforce one (off-time, reverts to high mode after ~1 second, 4 levels) or I can re-enable traditional off-time memory (if you didn't like that aspect of the stock firmware).
Sign me up, PM inbound.
if shipping them to you to fix them costs less than shipping them to Hong Kong for Solarforce to “fix” them (probably by sending me another faulty flashlight), then I am in. I don’t think I want to go 4.7v though. I bought this light because I wanted something that takes ordinary AAs for EDC use. I have a L2P for when I need something much brighter.
as for your instructions to modify the light to get it working better, would it be too much trouble to ask for a photo of the parts you suggest I modify? I would like to try it. I know some people who are good with electronics who can help me with the tools.
If the problem is from a poor ground at the driver, then the fix is whatever gives the driver a proper ground. You can see the parts here:
The only ground comes from the driver sitting on the ledge. If it loses contact there everything stops.
Of course it could be a driver fault that's unrelated. Boost drivers can be strange and unpredictable creatures.
Did you get the PM comfy? Not sure if it sent.
I have a Z2 that has had the same issue (intermittently works)
I tapped the tail end on the counter and it started working. I then suspected the tail switch. I took a butter knife and pushed on the metal ring just outside the rubber boot. Seems to be ok know. Be careful that you don’t slip off and tear the boot. I’m sure there is a better tool for this.
Are the BLF-15 drivers available to buy? Thanks.
I think the stock drivers are just really fragile. I was sent two lights, one didn't work at all, the other alternated between dim and inop.
The dead one did nothing with an AA, but DID work with a CR123 or 16340, modes as they should be and all. The boost section of the driver had stopped working, but the MCU section was fine (all that part does is PWM the ground connection to the LED).
The dim/erratic one as far as I can tell, was a poor ground between the driver contact board & pill. It worked properly with an Eneloop AA after the driver was removed and +/- applied with test leads. However... after adding two copper ground tabs to the driver so there'd be something to solder to the pill, it stopped working completely, even with a CR123 or 16340. Completely totally dead. Removed the driver, separated the two boards, inspected under magnification... nothing visibly wrong anywhere. Reassembled it still wouldn't work, no idea what happened to it.
The BLF-15DD will not fit into the stock driver location (the counterbore in the pill is only 13mm), but it will fit inside the battery tube without hitting the threads. It would have to be stuck to the rear face of the pill like I did with the larger Z1 pill+BLF-17DD:
...but of course that adds length which eats up too much room in the battery tube, so the driver-end of the pill has to be shortened by an amount equal to the thickness of the new driver, so that the + contact ends up in the same front/rear spot as the original. Definitely not impossible, but it's more than just a straight drop-in swap.
The BLF-10DD fits but needs a contact board and wiring or pins to connect it up. The 15DD might be the easier choice.
Just received my light back from comfychair and I’m amazed. Talk about a pocket rocket. I’ll let him talk about the specifics and post the pictures he sent me if he feels inclined but big thank you to comfy for the work, it’s much appreciated. I now have my EDC back but better than it ever was. Thanks again.
Stock Z2 shown, mouseover for the XP-L/14500:
Pics of the internals here: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/29450
I did a pair of Z1’s with 15dd’s (well my own version) as a direct fit. I think my boards are around .04” larger diameter than a standard 15dd but if the standard 15 is loose you can just solder it in place. That way no need to shorten the pill and they’ll still do over 5.5A with the AO3400 “Baby FET” running an Efest IMR.
Yeah, but the Z1's driver hole is ~15.5mm ID, the Z2 is only 13mm ID.
For the Z1, the 17DD with the better FET still does higher output than anything that'll fit on the 15DD's pads.
I'm not sure I can tell the difference cc. I'll go and get my sunglasses and double check.
Here’s something else to try if you want to remain stock:
My finicky Z2 was driving me crazy! - I took some pliers (be careful with the brass) and was able to remove the reflector and lens part from the brass transition piece that has the LED on it. I screwed the brass transition (with LED) back down onto the tube and turned the dim light on. I then turned clockwise the white teflon centering ring that centers the LED. I turned it approx. 1/8th inch. LED got blindingly bright!
-We’ll see how that goes. Any ideas on what may have caused it to work?
I used my Z2 for 16 months. Great light. Then one day i dropped it on concrete from about 4 feet. It landed perfectly on its side. It made a loud audible “crack” it hit so flat.
My light works if the tail switch is not in the circuit. So i believe my probs are in the switch. For the life of me i cannot figure out how to disassemble the switch. My L2M is rebuildable. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Just ordered a replacement Z2 tonite. Really hate to just throw this one away if i cant fix it.