UK Lightcannon trouble

[Shiro]

Hi,
I purchased a LC early this year. After some 40 dives it has developed a strange problem. When turning on the lamp, the bulb flickers for a few secs, makes a small "buzz" but the light wont turn on.

Sometimes unscrewing the lamp cover a bit and turning the switch on helps, most of the times it doesn't.

I noticed that one of the contacts on the battery pack seems a bit loose. Could this be the cause of the problem?

Any info/tips greatly appreciated!

 

[MyDiveLog]

UK serviced it for free, fixing the problem. I think it was an intermittent connection internal to the light housing.

 

[illumiGeek]

Make sure the lamp is firmly seated in its socket. A slightly loose lamp will do that.

If you are using Energizer batteries, try Duracells. There are problems with Energizers in the LC.

Check the various screws that hold the light head together to see if they are snug. Some of the battery contacts are press-contact to the internal electronics, so if something is loose...

Slightly weak batteries can fail to strike the lamp (the buzzing and flickering is the high voltage pulse train trying to initiate the arc). The LC requires a LOT more power to strike the lamp than to keep it running. When the lamp is hot it requires even more power and may not strike with batteries that still have plenty of run-time power. As the lamp gets older, it may require more power to strike as well. This is why I started using rechargeables in mine (rechargeable batteries can pump out several amps of current even when weak; alkalines can't).

Good luck.

Aloha, iG