Knog blinder not charging / replace battery?

slowbike
slowbike Posts: 8,498
edited April 2019 in Commuting general
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

Comments

  • jdee84
    jdee84 Posts: 283
    Slowbike wrote:
    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


    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.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    this has been used for a good couple of years - although I forget how many - probably around 2. I have another one that's still going for now.
    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!
  • moarspeed
    moarspeed Posts: 119
    Slowbike wrote:
    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

    Bad design, adding a mechanical element to an electronic device, constant bending/moving, it may be repairable though.
  • Hello Slowbike,

    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
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Hi
    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.
  • just joined i found the battery for this knog blinder250 from https://tinycircuits.com/collections/ba ... 3-7v-500ma
    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
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Excellent - thanks - $6 shipping to the UK - I'm going to split mine apart and have a look if there's anything I can do - $13 for a fix goes quite a way to getting a Smart R2 ...
  • jh1249
    jh1249 Posts: 1
    Hi Folks - I just replaced the battery on a Knog Blinder.
    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.