Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Repairing the Magicshine headlight

Hello all,

I'm wondering if there's some help out there on how to get my light head taken apart. I managed to get the light head taken apart as the pic shows, but I still haven't taken everything apart. My plan is to take the light head apart and check for bad connections. What is happening is that the light head losses the connection to the battery. I is the light head and not the battery giving me the problems. I experience the same problem with both batteries I have, and of course, the batteries are charged.

Any help on this will be GREATLY appreciated.

251037

The ring with two holes screws out.

It's just not budging. There is some translucent disc as you can see on the pic I posted. Under this disc there's two tiny screws that looks the way to go. I'm gona give that a try.

OK I managed to find and get these two screws off. I think I can get it apart from here.

251052

You really need a spanner to grab those two holes at once, if you try to just turn one at a time the ring will bind. Long nose pliers with sufficiently pointy ends might work.

It will turn out. It may have a little silicone on it or something to keep it from rattling loose.

I don't think you want to go for those screws, it looks like a bad idea to me.

This is about as far as I got.

251058

Still that aluminum disk was in there solid. I tried turning it. Pulling on it with a screw set into it. I'm pretty sure the short is in the light behind this disk. I was able to get it short out and everything.

Notice the little copper strand coming out of the wire? Thought that might be my problem, but it wasn't.

The pictures in this link may help.

http://www.el34world.com/misc/bike/BikesLights35.htm

There might be thermal paste around the edge of the star stuck to the bottom of the heat sink disc. Some thermal paste become glue like after they dried up from all the heat over time.

Here is what the threaded ring looks like:

http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l622/Colleenlc/threadedring.jpg

FWIW. Sometimes it is looseness of the threaded insert in the tail cap that causes intermittent operation.

OP, here are some good deals on a replacement (http://www.action-led-lights.com/pages/sales).

At $ 100+ I'd be looking at something other than a Magicshine seeker333. Might even go to what I was going to do when I originally bought MS, and that was to build my own light.

@colleen c, thanks I managed to get it apart to this point. Just wondering if this gets taken apart by prying the two pieces, the brass and aluminum parts apart?

251272

At $ 100+ I'd be looking at something other than a Magicshine seeker333. Might even go to what I was going to do when I originally bought MS, and that was to build my own light.

@colleen c, thanks I managed to get it apart to this point. Just wondering if this gets taken apart by prying the two pieces, the brass and aluminum parts apart?

251272

I do not know what is between the bottom of the pill and the aluminum heat sink disk. For all I know, I think it is flat so there is contact. So removing that brass from the disc may not reveal much.

If you are going to try then before attempting to get the brass pill out, you will need to remove the two wires from the star. Unsolder the two wires but be careful and not hit or scratch the led. Also too much heat on the star can ruin the trace. Do not attempt to remove or move the star because the thermal paste is probably stuck like glue. The unsoldering of the wire will give some slack for the pill to come out.

That driver board is attached to the pill from the two solder at the edge. Many times I get loose solder joint at that location on my flashlight with similar setup. If you can manage to unsolder those two points, the driver should be able to lift out of the pill but becareful with the wires on the led side so they don't get the insulation torn.

At $ 100+ I'd be looking at something other than a Magicshine seeker333. Might even go to what I was going to do when I originally bought MS, and that was to build my own light.

@colleen c, thanks I managed to get it apart to this point. Just wondering if this gets taken apart by prying the two pieces, the brass and aluminum parts apart?

251272

It's ~$75 with shipping to replace your 808, not >100 that you seem to think - and that's for an upgrade to a XML emitter from your P7, which will yield about 40% more light.

On my MS808, the brass mounted circuit board is press fit into the Al heat sink, and there's no solder joints, nor do there appear to be any on yours either. It may not be necessary to desolder the emitter leads to pull the board away for examination, as there will probably be enough slack in the wiring.

OK I managed to take the whole light apart. I'm thinking the short is on the wire from the light to the male connector of the battery connection. What I'd like to do is replace this connector and wire between the light and the battery, on the light side. The thing is I haven't been in the loop for a year or two so I'm pretty much clueless about what's happening in the latest and greatest in lights out there.

If there's a thread someone can point me to for parts and I guess the steps too, that would be great. If that doesn't seem "practical", I still have some battery packs and a good charger from Magicshine. So I would also entertain the possibility of replacing the light with a matching plug to what MS uses.

I do want to read up and study on making my own light, but I need a light like yesterday! I'm thinking somewhere down the line I'll be up for making a light.

It's ~$75 with shipping to replace your 808, not >100 that you seem to think - and that's for an upgrade to a XML emitter from your P7, which will yield about 40% more light........

I'd be interested in knowing how you arrived at 40% more light. As per manufacturer specs we're only looking at 89.3 vs 103.5 lumens per watt. And thats assuming you get the best bin selections. The XML also has a narrower beam. Thats not more light - thats the same light focused more tightly - which might look brighter, but sucks as anything I'd want to drive behind.

A motor vehicle typically spreads a beam accross a 90 degree width. Driving a bicycle behind a 10 or 15 degree beam might be OK for you, to me it doesn't provide enough coverage.

Someone tell me this is a bad idea! I found a light that looks like a good replacement. Item # 261003227568 on ebay.

What I'd like to do is replace this connector and wire between the light and the battery, on the light side.

Buy an extension cord to use as a donor. Three bucks at Dealextreme.com

Buy an extension cord to use as a donor. Three bucks at Dealextreme.com .....and a 4 week wait to get it :)

.....and a 4 week wait to get it :)
You're being optimistic. :lol:

Yes you could go through whatever US magicshine dealer hasn't gone out of business yet.

Buy an extension cord to use as a donor. Three bucks at Dealextreme.com


znomit you're a genius! Pure genius I tell ya!

I think I'm going to pull the trigger on both the extension cord and the ebay light solution. That light has a one year warranty, so that helps. Thanks to all for the vote of confidence and the help provided! :thumb: