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Just back from a ride on the road bike with it bar-mounted. I've only ever used it helmet mounted for off-road before and have only done local XC stuff with it so far so haven't really used it in anger yet.
Now it seems that the shock from potholes etc.on country roads when mounted on a rigid bike with alloy forks and 100psi tyres is enough to move the battery inside the torch just enough that it can change mode on it's own.
Has anyone else experienced the same? is there a bodge to stop it happening?
I like to nightride in pretty much te same way as I ride in the daylight which means jumping, doing drops and riding DH with a single helmet mounted light and don't really fancy it switching from full beam to Strobe just as I land a drop/jump going into something else tricky.
maybe folding up some tin foil?
what about putting an elastomer under it on the bars to absorb some of the shock?
I'm not too worried about it happening on the bars TBH, I'd just quite like to make sure it can't happen on my head.
I'll only ever be using the bar mount on the Roadbike.
its probably not the battery, but the emmitter pill. Unscrew the lens cover, remove front lens and reflector. Exposes emmitter. Ensure emmitter is tighly screwed in. This has been an issue before with p7's. Reassemble and bingo, no more loss of circuit continuity causing mode shift.
maybe stretch the contact spring a little? plus tinfoil?
My helmet mounted one has had a good bashing & not skipped a beat, but its a 2 mode one though.
This seams to be a common problem with the 5mode models.
Ive had 2 lights come back to me (from customers) that were jumping modes.
So i just swapped them for simpler 2 mode models.
The guys who were using these, used these on road bikes where there is little shock taken up by the bike which didnt help.
Ive used these on my mtb since and find it very hard to make them change modes unintentionally and i have knackered front forks that dont really work.
As above, make sure the pill is tight and check in the tail cap,some models put a cover over the spring that might need tightened as well, then wrap some electrical tape around the battery to stop it rattling inside (or put tape inside the barrel,if you dont want to put it on the batterys).
If you need to lengthen the battery, then get some Earth magnets from DX (around 8-10mm) for a few dollars and stick these on the + end.
Ive done this and the only way it changes without me touching the switch, is by hitting the front of the light of something hard.
You should be fine using it on you're mtb or helmet,anyway have you ever tried riding off road with it on strobe? it can be fun!!!
Drillski - You STAR!!! :0D
Thanks!!
the emitter wasn't screwed in at all, now it is, it's fine. - it's only screwed in about a single turn, eh?
lightman, Thanks for the suggestions. I can now whack it pretty hard and it doesn't flinch. before I tightened the emitter it changed mode if I shook it really hard