Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - What part of my LED flashlight might I have broken?

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Mondoman
01-19-11, 04:07 PM
So I picked up a $20 floodish MC-E LED light from DX:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.39359
It worked fine, but yesterday I dropped it 3 feet straight down onto my ceramic tile kitchen floor and it's dead. I swapped in a different battery and that didn't help. Any idea of where I should look for the damage? I figure if it's just a loose connection I might be able to solder it. Anyone have experience with this?
Take the switch out of the equation by touching a coin or piece of metal between the back of the battery and the case.
Beyond that, take the LED assembly out and look for anything amiss. You could also try touching the + end of the battery to the appropriate place on the assembly, and run a wire between the back of the battery and the frame of the assembly (I have this light, but don't have it in front of me to remember what it looks like internally.)
Just narrow the problem down.
But really, the most likely problem is that you just knocked the assembly loose, and putting it back properly will fix it.
Plutonix
01-19-11, 05:04 PM
Sometimes the retainer in the base that holds the switch in place can come loose/back out - make sure it is tight. If all else fails and you have another 50X body, move the drop in to it and see if it works to test the switch. Some of those come with everything really loose and dirty - they will look DOA, but just tightening things and cleaning it up fixes them.
cheungupdt
01-25-11, 12:38 AM
yea, really check for loose connection. Connect the LED directly (or via a regulator) onto the battery and see whether it works, then check for loose connection.
Mondoman
01-26-11, 02:34 AM
Couldn't quite figure out how to remove the LED module from the top section, as the spiral brass spring prevented me from getting it out. I've ordered a duplicate from DX; will try mixing and matching sections once that arrives. Thanks to all for your replies!
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