If the contacts are dirty, apply a little rubbing alcohol with the swab to clean them off. Use a cotton swab to clean all visible dirt inside the battery compartment. To clean, open the flashlight and remove the batteries. If dirt gets inside the flashlight, it can work its way between the battery and its contacts or the flashlight switch and its contacts, breaking the circuit. If any one of these contacts fails to work properly, the electrical circuit will not complete, and the flashlight won’t light. It should be clear now that whether a flashlight works or not is largely dependent on the metal contacts that create the electrical circuit inside the flashlight. Photo: The inside of the flashlight is dirty. If it appears the spring isn’t doing its job, pull it outward a few millimeters to give the spring more tension. Open the battery case and examine these parts. When this occurs, the connection is broken and the flashlight ceases to light. Since the spring is typically made from thin metal, it’s possible for it to become bent so that it either no longer comes into contact with the battery or doesn’t create enough tension to push against the opposing flat metal piece. This creates a connection that completes the circuit in the flashlight, lighting the lamp. The spring comes into contact with the negative end, creating tension that pushes the positive end against the flat piece. These contacts typically consist of a spring and a flat metal piece, both of which are accessible via the battery case. In addition to the two metal strips in the switch, there are brass or copper contacts that touch the battery. Related: 15 Things You Should Have At the Ready in Case the Power Goes Out The contacts are bent or corroded. If you can access the contact strips under the switch, clean them with a little bit of vinegar and check to make sure they haven’t become damaged or bent. These contacts may also become bent or damaged, preventing the contacts from touching either the battery spring or the lamp. When this happens, the electrical current won’t pass through the corroded metal to complete the circuit.
Sometimes these contacts become corroded due to exposure to moisture, preventing one or both of the contact strips from making a clean connection. When you push the switch to the on position, the strips contact the lamp and the batteries, completing the circuit and causing the bulb to light up.
Photo: The flashlight’s switch has malfunctioned.Ī flashlight switch has two metal contact strips. Instead, the light just suddenly cuts off. When these batteries finally give up, the light won’t gradually fade. You might also have a flashlight that uses regulated output, which allows the batteries to deliver a steady stream of light instead of slowly fading. Rechargeable flashlights (and those using rechargeable batteries) will lose their charge more quickly when they sit idle. While it typically takes a long time for this to happen, storing a flashlight with batteries in a hot environment can shorten the battery life. If the flashlight has been sitting idle for an extended period, the batteries inside may have slowly discharged. As batteries discharge, they release less and less power, causing most flashlights’ lamps to fade slowly from bright to dim before going out entirely. Most of the time, identifying a dying battery is easy. While this may seem obvious, more often than not, the culprit is the batteries. The following are the most common issues that cause a flashlight to malfunction and ways you can fix them. Luckily, most problems that cause a flashlight to malfunction are often easy to fix without the need for any special tools. If either the contacts or the battery fail, even the best flashlight won’t work.
#IZOOM FLASHLIGHTS SERIES#
Flashlights consist of a series of metal contacts that create a circuit between the battery and the bulb. Why is my flashlight not working? I’d appreciate any troubleshooting advice you can provide.Ī number of causes can prevent a flashlight from working, ranging from the obvious dead batteries to the not so obvious corroded connections. I’ve only had it for a few months, so age isn’t the issue. Photo: Q: Help! My flashlight won’t light up.
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