Disassembly and repair of LED flashlight
Chinese lanterns flooded the market, becoming an important part of the life of many people. They are cheap, functional and maintenance free. However, there is a risk of unexpected failure of the device. Knowledge of how to disassemble and repair an LED flashlight will come to the rescue.
What are flashlight malfunctions
Common causes of failure include the following factors:
- oxidation and clogging of battery contacts;
- violation of the integrity of the wires;
- switch malfunction;
- lack of power in the circuit;
- battery charging problems
- LED failure.
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Often the malfunction is due to oxidation. This is especially true for older devices that are used in difficult weather conditions with high humidity or temperature changes. Oxidation products remain on the metal contacts and do not allow current to pass from one element to another. In this case, the device may blink or not turn on.
How to disassemble a flashlight with your own hands
The first stage of repair is disassembly. Most of the models have a similar design and are disassembled according to the same principles.Separately, it is worth considering hand-held and head-mounted devices.
Manual
Disassembly order:
- 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.
- A chip with a diode is pushed out of the rest.
- You may need to unscrew the washer with tweezers to gain access to the LED and driver.
- The board itself with the LED element is removed.
The structure is assembled in the reverse order.
Nalobny
Disassembly Instructions:
- The battery compartment opens.
- Batteries or accumulators are removed.
- In the opened area, you will need to unscrew the screws with a screwdriver.
- Directly under the battery tray is a printed circuit board with an LED and all related elements.
Usually, after unscrewing the screws, the board can be removed from the lamp housing for later examination or repair. Sometimes it may be necessary to remove latches or fasteners.
Assembly is carried out in the reverse order according to the same rules.
How to fix a flashlight
If the flashlight stops working, often the problem is solved on its own without special knowledge and tools. The first step is to check the power supplies. It is better to try to insert known charged batteries.
Next, you need to carefully examine the contacts. It is advisable to clean all accessible places with alcohol to eliminate oxidation products.
If, after cleaning and checking the batteries, the device still does not work, it makes sense to consider the power button. Perhaps it is she who does not allow to close the contact and direct energy to the LEDs. You can check the performance of this component by manually closing the contacts with tweezers or another conductor. In the event that the device lights up, it is necessary to change the switch or restore its functionality.
It will be useful to read: Notes on the repair of flashlights
The switch must be free of any foreign matter or contamination. Tighten the thread, thus ensuring a tighter contact. If this does not help, you can try soldering the switch from another flashlight with a similar design.
We advise you to get acquainted: 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 ringing and subsequent soldering of failed parts. But such work is quite complicated and requires certain skills from the user. Given the low cost of Chinese models, the procedure is completely meaningless.
Recommended for viewing: Finalization of the flashlight
How to prevent breakage
In order for the flashlight to last as long as possible without problems, it is recommended to follow some rules:
- Buy products only from reliable manufacturers with a good reputation. The choice in favor of cheap Chinese models with a high degree of probability will lead to a quick failure.
- The operating conditions of the device must comply with the design.Unless adequate protection against moisture or dust is provided, exposure to these environments is not recommended. The same applies to the temperature regime.
- Accumulators or power batteries must also be of high quality. Any voltage or current fluctuations adversely affect the life of the product.
- It is advisable not to leave the device turned on for a long time unless it is required. Every minute of operation accelerates the degradation of the crystal, and also reduces the capacity of the battery.
- It is desirable to avoid physical impact on the device and minimize the risks of destruction of the housing.
Compliance with the described recommendations will ensure stable operation of the flashlight while maintaining all its performance characteristics. At the same time, the degradation of the lighting fixture is inevitable, but it will take much longer.
In some cases, you can repair a failed flashlight on your own without contacting specialists. This is due to the simplicity of the design and the wide possibilities for replacing components.
Also read: headlamp rating
