- Joined
- Nov 2, 2012
- Messages
- 626
- Points
- 43
Maybe I'm missing something, but the spring in these tailcaps isn't soldered to anything. In the Cheech's 638nm C6, the spring is soldered to the "pill" or whatever that's inside the tail cap. You would have to rip it out, destructively, or else use your soldering iron to de-solder it, in order to get the spring out.
Not so the SL tailcaps. The spring is held in place (barely, at that) by the plastic retaining ring, which presses the base of the spring against a washer. This washer is in turn pressed against whatever contact leads to the switch itself. It is quite easy, effortless really, to pull the spring out of the SL tailcaps, and more or less of a hassle to get it back in. Also, since the spring and washer are not soldered, I can't imagine that the electrical connection between these parts is as good as a soldered connection.
I'm curious as to why the springs aren't soldered in. Having them loose like this strikes me as a possible cause of failure/issue with the laser unit in general. Can the spring *be* soldered into place by the end-user? I can't think of any reason why the spring should not be soldered in place.
But as I said, maybe I'm missing something.
ETA: In regards to the unsolderered parts being a source of trouble, I had a problem with my DTR 520nm laser sometimes not turning on when I clicked the switch. A quick shake of the wrist and the laser would come on. Seeing the state of the tailcap parts, I naturally assumed the problem was somewhere in there. However, breaking down, checking, and reassembling the tailcap didn't fix the problem.
I later discovered, during some unrelated maintenance and adjustment, that there was a bad solder joint where one of the leads contacts the driver. It appeared to be one of those solder joints that looks just fine when you put it on, but for whatever reason the solder fails to "take" and then falls off later. If you've ever soldered to a circuit board you've probably run into this. A quick dab of solder and the joint was solid, and the laser hasn't flickered or failed since.
The point I'm getting at is that a whole avenue of troubleshooting could have been avoided had the tailcap components been soldered or otherwise solidly joined together from the get-go.
Sorry if this came off as a complaint, it wasn't meant to be, or to be taken as such. I am just curious as to why the tailcaps are set up as they are. (I should note that the switch mechanism itself, i.e. the clicky part, works just fine. No trouble with it at all.)
Not so the SL tailcaps. The spring is held in place (barely, at that) by the plastic retaining ring, which presses the base of the spring against a washer. This washer is in turn pressed against whatever contact leads to the switch itself. It is quite easy, effortless really, to pull the spring out of the SL tailcaps, and more or less of a hassle to get it back in. Also, since the spring and washer are not soldered, I can't imagine that the electrical connection between these parts is as good as a soldered connection.
I'm curious as to why the springs aren't soldered in. Having them loose like this strikes me as a possible cause of failure/issue with the laser unit in general. Can the spring *be* soldered into place by the end-user? I can't think of any reason why the spring should not be soldered in place.
But as I said, maybe I'm missing something.
ETA: In regards to the unsolderered parts being a source of trouble, I had a problem with my DTR 520nm laser sometimes not turning on when I clicked the switch. A quick shake of the wrist and the laser would come on. Seeing the state of the tailcap parts, I naturally assumed the problem was somewhere in there. However, breaking down, checking, and reassembling the tailcap didn't fix the problem.
I later discovered, during some unrelated maintenance and adjustment, that there was a bad solder joint where one of the leads contacts the driver. It appeared to be one of those solder joints that looks just fine when you put it on, but for whatever reason the solder fails to "take" and then falls off later. If you've ever soldered to a circuit board you've probably run into this. A quick dab of solder and the joint was solid, and the laser hasn't flickered or failed since.
The point I'm getting at is that a whole avenue of troubleshooting could have been avoided had the tailcap components been soldered or otherwise solidly joined together from the get-go.
Sorry if this came off as a complaint, it wasn't meant to be, or to be taken as such. I am just curious as to why the tailcaps are set up as they are. (I should note that the switch mechanism itself, i.e. the clicky part, works just fine. No trouble with it at all.)
Last edited:
