whatbrakes

The stupid ring they use was hard to turn and now the outer
light only works. Just wondered if anyone has been inside the
light and how to get in without breaking it beyond repair.

drbenjamin

I'm 1/2 way into it and will let you know how it goes. You can grip the inner silver ring with pliers and unscrew it (along with the inner plastic lens). That assembly hold the outer ring on, and reveals that the bright inner led is a standard "star" mounted unit w/ 2 wires soldered on. I've ordered a replacement led ($2) and will find out if replacing it fixes the light.

Here's a video I found that gives some idea of how to disassemble
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdI_vUiN38I

whatbrakes

Thanks for the info! I'll try using pliers as I wasn't sure. I'm looking forward to see if the LED was the fix for you. Thanks!

buzzbee

I'm having trouble with the rear light not turning on although the ring rotates OK.
I found that I can get it to work by passing a permanent magnet over the sector near where the cord comes out and near the red bezel.
My first MS rear light had the same problem (replaced early this year under warranty).

Have others seen this problem?

drbenjamin

Success! Given how naff my soldering skills are, I'm pretty surprised that it worked.

I ordered 2 red LEDs off eBay (650-660nm, 2.2-2.8V 350mA) mounted on what looked like the same star board as what was in the Magicshine. I soon discovered that
a) the new LED boards were slightly larger
b) the original board was epoxied into place

so I desoldered the LEDs off my Magicshine and the new unit, put a little thermal paste on the back of the new LED and soldered it into place, and the unit is now as good as new! The LEDs have + and - terminals marked on the star board, I kept them lined up. I had ordered a replacement as it's already dark in the morning here in the NW, so now I have a spare.

buzzbee

Well done.
Did you notice the magnetic sensor for turning on and changing modes?
I'm wondering if its mounting position changes over time, making it harder to turn on and off the light by turning the bezel.

drbenjamin

Thanks!

If you check out the youtube video I linked above, you can see the mechanism. The pickup is the long sticklike projection from the outer circuit board; the magnet is inside the silver ring that rotates freely. I'll check again but I don't recall seeing the actual magnet, I think it is embedded in the ring, and my guess is that it has become demagnetized.
BTW, now that I've seen how the whole system works I am inclined to carry a small magnet with me for turning the light on and off. The outer circuit board is not attached to anything, and I can see how it could easily rotate and break the wires.