Newfrog P7 torch causes very scary moment(s)

robinchen

This has probably been covered before - can't find it using search function tho!

I used my P7 newfrog.com 5 mode torch last night to commute home in the dark and bloody brilliant it was too....until I went down a wiggly steep hill (no street light - it's a country road) at speed with a couple of cars on my tail.

At this point the speed and bumpy road caused my torch to change through all the modes, including Off, very rapidly. I was so lucky not to crash into the ditch/barbed wire fence/trees/hedge but I did feel like I had taken a big bag of drugs and gone on a roller coaster. The strobe in particular had a novel effect. God knows what the cars behind thought - mobile disco?

Anyhow - point of story - how can I stop this happening again :oops:

craker

Got a link to the light?
I've got a P7 from Dx - no idea whether these similar looking lamps share the same electrics (P7 is the LED).

It might be a hit and miss sorting out where the problem is. Was it wet? I'd look at the connector between the lamp and the battery in the first instance. I've put a small plastic bag over mine to keep the crud off. Is there any weight on the connector? Just the weight of the cable was enough to disconnect my battery - the connector ended up in the spokes and got shredded. No more light for the journey home.

Take it pretty steady until you sort this one out. Once you've done all the sensible checks take it out on a bumpy ride and see if you can make it fail again.

UndercoverElephant

I had a similar thing with one of my cheapo torches last year, seems it was caused by some flakes of aluminium being left in the torch when they were milling out the threads. Stripping it down, cleaning and re-assembling did fix it, to a point, but even then it would go dim after a while, I think that was due to a heat-sink issue though.

Takes a bit of courage when it's your only light for the ride home, though.

essex-commuter

robinchen wrote:

Anyhow - point of story - how can I stop this happening again :oops:

Buy an Exposure / Hope or similar.

iPete

Buy Hope, not the emotional state although you have been going through that sensation at the time!

bails87

I had a DX P7 that flickered off road. It just needed the switch mechanism in the base of the torch to be tightened. It's got two small holes that allow you to get purchase and tighten it. I found a small pair of scissors was perfect for the job.

davis

I'd buy an Exposure or a Hope. They just Work (tm).

bails87

Or just tighten up the loose switch module.

walkingbootweather

bails87 wrote:

Or just tighten up the loose switch module.

+1. And always run with at least 2 torches - chances are at least one will be on. You could probably buy half a dozen for less than the price of say a Hope set-up.

bails87

Yep, I would have thought it goes without saying to have a backup light. Not necessarily running alongside it, but just in your bag so you can get home safely if there's a problem.

prj45

My exposure flash did this to me the other night, hard on the brakes going down a steep canal bridge with a v sharp turn at the bottom, vibrating the forks, and it switched the light's mode, on flashing, on, off, with about three seconds between of off. I did like the feature (or is it a bug) of being able to flick the back of the light to change modes, but I didn't like this.

ToeKnee

essex-commuter wrote:

robinchen wrote:

Anyhow - point of story - how can I stop this happening again :oops:

Buy an Exposure / Hope or similar.

+1 ... and I don't feel safe unless I'm running 2 front and 2+ back lights.

bails87

prj45 wrote:

My exposure flash did this to me the other night, hard on the brakes going down a steep canal bridge with a v sharp turn at the bottom, vibrating the forks, and it switched the light's mode, on flashing, on, off, with about three seconds between of off. I did like the feature (or is it a bug) of being able to flick the back of the light to change modes, but I didn't like this.

That must be a lie because exposure "just work".

prj45

bails87 wrote:

prj45 wrote:

My exposure flash did this to me the other night, hard on the brakes going down a steep canal bridge with a v sharp turn at the bottom, vibrating the forks, and it switched the light's mode, on flashing, on, off, with about three seconds between of off. I did like the feature (or is it a bug) of being able to flick the back of the light to change modes, but I didn't like this.

That must be a lie because exposure "just work".

I know, I was very pissed off!

bartimaeus

The clicky-click end cap on the DX lights changes mode by interrupting the current to the driver... so if your light is cycling through modes under vibration the most likely cause is that some of the internals are too loose. So (1) check the cells... if they are rattling then wrap them in insulating tape to hold them more snugly, (2) check the inside of the end cap - there's a silver ring with two small dimples - this may have come loose, so you will need to use a small screwdriver or wire to engage the dimples and tighten it all up.

DIY has an excellent video on Youtube which covers basic fixes... they are all very simple and should address the issues you are having. Many Mountainbikers use these DX torches, and ours take a fair bit of abuse - for £12 a torch, I'm happy to put up with a small amount of modding. See also the [urlhttp://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12807034]What Lights discussion[/url] on the MTB Buying Advice forum, where you can get help and advice on 18650 torches.

davis

prj45 wrote:

bails87 wrote:

That must be a lie because exposure "just work".

I know, I was very pissed off!

Send it back. They do sort them out.