Knog blinder not charging / replace battery?
slowbike
Posts: 8,498
Google's not working for me today ...
Got a Knog blinder - 4 blindingly bright LEDs in a square that straps to the seat post. Had it for a few years and used it quite a bit.
It's got to the stage where it will no longer charge - try to turn on and you get the little red warning light next to the switch. Plug in and nothing happens.
Before you shout out the bleedin obvious - I've tried different USB sockets - they work charging other devices and have charged the blinder before - so I know it's not the USB socket.
It may be the flip out plug has a broken cable or the battery itself is stuffed ..
before I go and destroy this thing by taking it apart - anyone else had similar/done similar - fixed or failed?
TIA
Got a Knog blinder - 4 blindingly bright LEDs in a square that straps to the seat post. Had it for a few years and used it quite a bit.
It's got to the stage where it will no longer charge - try to turn on and you get the little red warning light next to the switch. Plug in and nothing happens.
Before you shout out the bleedin obvious - I've tried different USB sockets - they work charging other devices and have charged the blinder before - so I know it's not the USB socket.
It may be the flip out plug has a broken cable or the battery itself is stuffed ..
before I go and destroy this thing by taking it apart - anyone else had similar/done similar - fixed or failed?
TIA
0
Posts
I had one and the same thing happened to it a matter of months after i bought it, and it hadn't even been used much. I got a voucher from CRC for it only because it was still in warranty and they didn't have stock of them anymore to replace it.
IIRC they were ~£15 each and as I've used it all year (I like a back light on pretty much anywhen I ride solo or just with my wife) I can't complain too much - I doubt Knog will replace it FOC!
Bad design, adding a mechanical element to an electronic device, constant bending/moving, it may be repairable though.
I hope you get this message after all these years.
I too have a Knog ARC light that died on me and I'm trying to open it to replace the battery. I know what kind of battery is inside, but I can't seem to open the damn light.
I contacted Knog, and they told me tough luck, can't be opened, here's a crappy 20% coupon to spend more with us. Obviously I scoffed at that.
Did you perchance have any luck in trying to open it yourself? I don't really want to damage it by trying if I don't have to, but at this point there's not much info online in terms of how to do this.
Thank you for your help,
Adamantium
yup - after all these years (only 2) - I've still got the unit - but never did manage to get it apart - ok, I didn't try to destruction because I haven't got a method of holding it other than by hand - perhaps I should give it a go...
Last year the rubber band on the other identical knog blinder failed - so I've now got 2 failed units - I suppose after 4+ years I shouldn't complain - but I hate throwing things away for a relatively small failure.
the unit splits apart the metal housing comes off then there are 4 screws in the front you undo and the light assembly comes off they use a crappy glue , then the light part separates easily from the battery underneath and with your new $6.95 battery you replace and close the unit - viola the unfixable becomes usable again ( shame on knog for such a costly and environmently poor approach - "cant replace battery" ) i will post this in iFixit as well
Battery is here for £3 :
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-7V-500mAh-603030-Li-Po-Battery-For-MP3-MP4-GPS-Toy-Recorder-Pen-Smart-Watch-4/333191083569?hash=item4d93bc7631:g:6mUAAOSwvIBc1b5b
It's 30mm x 30mm.
Takes a while (4wks) to arrive but it's free delivery from Hong Kong.
I advise taking photos during disassembly/unsoldering (you don't want to get the red & black wires reversed!)
Also I'd advise using a 'spudger' (just google it) for disassembly and a tiny bit of clear silicone sealant to ensure waterproofness when reassembling the front cover.