Disassembly and repair of LED flashlight

Chinese flashlights have flooded the market, becoming an important part of many people's lives. They are cheap, functional and require no maintenance. However, there is a risk of an unexpected failure of the device. To help you know how to disassemble and repair the LED flashlight.

What are the malfunctions of a flashlight

Common causes of failure include the following factors:

• oxidation and clogging of the battery contacts;
• failure of the integrity of the wires;
• failure of the switch;
• lack of power in the circuit;
• problems with battery charging;
• breakage of LEDs.

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Often the malfunction is due to oxidation. This is especially typical for older devices used in harsh weather conditions with high humidity or temperature fluctuations. Oxidation products remain on the metal contacts and do not allow current to flow from one element to another. In this case, the device may blink or not turn on.

How to disassemble the flashlight with your own hands

The first stage of repair is disassembly. Most models have a similar design and disassemble according to the same principles. Separately, it is worth considering handheld and headlamp devices.

Handheld

Hand-held flashlight in disassembled form.

Disassembly procedure:

1. The handle is unscrewed from the main part. Sometimes the body consists of three parts and then you have to disconnect first the upper part with the lens and then the handle.
2. From the remaining part, the chip with the diode is pushed out.
3. You may need to unscrew the washer with tweezers to gain access to the LED and the driver.
4. Removed the board itself with the LED element.

Assembles the design in reverse order.

Headlamp

The battery compartment of the headlamp.

Disassembly instructions:

1. The battery compartment is opened.
2. The batteries or rechargeable batteries are removed.
3. In the open area you will need to unscrew the screws with a screwdriver.
4. Immediately under the battery tray is the circuit board with the LED and all related elements.

Usually after removing the screws, the board can be removed from the lamp housing for later examination or repair. Sometimes it may be necessary to disconnect the latches or fasteners.

Assembly is done in reverse order according to the same rules.

How to fix a flashlight

If the flashlight stops working, often the problem is solved by your own forces without special knowledge and tools. The first thing to do is to check the power sources. It is better to try to insert known-charged batteries.

Cleaning the contacts inside the illuminator.

Next, it is necessary to carefully inspect the contacts. It is desirable to clean all accessible places with alcohol to remove oxidation products.

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Separately check the condition of the o-ring. If it is worn out, it is better to replace it. Do not forget about the silicone lubrication of all joints. The gasket is especially important for devices operated in conditions of high humidity.

If after cleaning and checking the batteries the device still does not work, it makes sense to consider the power button. It may be that it prevents the contact from closing and directing power to the LEDs. You can check the functionality of this component by manually closing the contacts with tweezers or other conductor. If the device lights up, it is necessary to change the switch or restore its functionality.

Also helpful to read: Flashlight Repair Notes

There should be no foreign objects or contaminants in the switch. Finish the threads, thus ensuring a tighter contact. If that doesn't work, you can try soldering a switch from another flashlight with a similar design.

Tips for reading: What LEDs are used for flashlights.

In some cases, the cause of the malfunction is the burnout of the microcircuit elements. Sometimes the problem can be solved by testing and then soldering the failed parts. But such work is quite complicated and requires certain skills from the user. Given the low cost of Chinese models, the procedure makes no sense at all.

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How to prevent breakage

To ensure that the flashlight could last as long as possible without malfunctioning, it is recommended to adhere to certain rules:

• Buy products only from reliable manufacturers with a good reputation. Choosing in favor of cheap Chinese models with a high degree of probability will lead to a rapid failure.
• The operating conditions of the device must be consistent with the design. If no quality protection against moisture or dust is provided, it is not recommended to expose the device to these environments. The same applies to temperature conditions.
• Batteries or batteries must also be of high quality. Any voltage or current fluctuations negatively affect the life of the product.
• It is desirable not to leave the device switched on for a long time, if it is not required. Each minute of operation accelerates the degradation of the crystal and also reduces the capacity of the battery.
• It is advisable to avoid physical impact on the device and minimize the risk of destroying the housing.

Observance of the described recommendations will ensure stable operation of the flashlight with preservation of all its operational characteristics. At the same time the degradation of the illuminator is inevitable, but it will take much longer.

In a number of cases it is possible to repair a defective flashlight on your own, without recourse to specialists. This is due to the simplicity of design and wide possibilities for replacing components.

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