XLR250 Cold Weather Problems

S

snowcamoman

New member
I was out calling Saturday night and my Green LED on the XLR250 kept flickering when it was on. I could screw/unscrew the cap and it would fix itself, but it kept doing it after it was left off and turned on again. Anybody else have this type of thing happen? It was around -30ºF, so the light was definitely cold, but I haven't had any other LED type light do this. The Red LED on the XLR250 didn't do this at -20ºF, so maybe it's just something with the Green LED. I'll test it out again and if it happens again, get in touch with the company.
 
I don't have one, and don't know if you'll get many answers (as many won't be out when it's -30!)
You are a die-hard, my friend!
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-40ºF is my usual cut-off temperature for going out to hunt. If we get a week or more of that -40ºF stuff, I start to get cabin fever and would make an exception though.
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I'm going to do some testing of the XLR250, since the forecast is calling for chilly weather all week. I'll let the different LED's cold soak and see what I can determine. Maybe it was just a fluke, but I don't like that happening when old wily dog was coming in. I got him, but the quick flickering was really annoying.
 
Originally Posted By: snowcamomanI was out calling Saturday night and my Green LED on the XLR250 kept flickering when it was on. I could screw/unscrew the cap and it would fix itself, but it kept doing it after it was left off and turned on again.

Mine has been doing that too, both red and white LED's. I have been having to test the light before heading out into the field now. The manual states to make sure the module is tight if that occurs, but each time the module has been tight. Seams like a connection or grounding issue.
 
Thanks rpc55, I'll defintely be checking them all. If it's going to be a problem, I'll return them for a refund. My Predator light however has worked flawlessly down to -40ºF and I use it in combination with the XLR250. I hope that the XLR250 issue is something I can easily remedy. I like this light though, it kicks out a great beam. I spotted three coyotes at 500 yards this weekend with the thing.
 
We spent 11 hours hunting fri night at -15 and never had a problem with the green
I did notice if i realy tighten the battery cap with the pressure switch it comes on automaticly, so i just leave it a 1/4 turn loose and the problem goes away
 
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Mine does the same thing. I have been unscrewing the cap a quarter turn, and it works again. I need to really look at the end cap switch and see what I can find.
 
XLR Light - tail cap and switch problems.

If you are having problems with the light coming on when you tighten the tail cap or with the light flickering like the battery is not making good contact you need to do the following:

Remove the tail cap. Look inside and you will see and outer ring with 2 small indention's in it. Take a pair of ordinary tweezers or a pair of very small needle nose pliers and insert the tip into the two indention's and check to make sure the outer ring is tight.

On some of the lights there is an insulating washer between the outer ring and the spring that is in the center of the tail cap. On the ones without the insulator, if the ring comes loose this allows the outer ring to come into contact with the center spring and the light will be on all the time.

Also, while you have the tail cap off, inspect the threads on the inside of the tail cap and on the flashlight body and clean any metal dust filings that may remain from the machining process. Be sure that there is not paint in the threads also.

After I have inspected and cleaned mine, I apply a thin coating of dielectric grease to the threads and O-ring to help prevent damage to the O-ring and to help weather proof it.

 
I left the XLR250 sit out all night and was cold soaked to around -34ºF. I'm using the regular cap and it didn't want to turn on at first. Then, I unscrewed it a bit and it eventually came on. No flickering or anything, so it's definitely something in that switch. I put on my pressure switch and it cold soaked to -32ºF and worked just fine. I just took apart the regular cap and cleaned it all out and got the fine metal shaving out of the thing. It's cold soaking right now and I'll report back in a few hours how it does. It's not the light, battery, or anything else though, it's something in the regular switch. Thanks for the tips and pointers.
 
I went out and tested the regular cap in the light and it seems to be working just fine. I'll keep cold soaking it all day to make sure it'll work. It looks like it was just the metal shavings inside the cap that were messing it up. It's good to know that the light soaked down to -32ºF still works and kicks out a good beam. Those Li-Ion batteries are the only way to go in the cold, that's why I run them in my FoxPro too.
 
Update.
I kept cold soaking the light yesterday and it again went into flickering mode. There was a grey colored grease put onto the threads of my cap that I removed. It seems as that might have been the issue, because it's working fine now that I stripped all the grease off the thing. It's working at -43ºF at the moment, but I'll keep soaking it and testing throughout the day. It's possible that grease was getting too thick and reducing current flow between the cap and threaded body.
 
In the CandlePower forums dealing with LED lights, the best recommended lubricant is SuperLube synthetic grease. Another good one (and economical) is faucet silicone grease lubricant found in the plumbing section of the hardware stores.
Vaseline is bad. Automotive grease is bad. WD-40 is bad. Silicone sprays are bad. Moly grease is bad. Motor oil is bad. Gun oils are bad, etc.
 
I've dealt with the grease/oil issue in my guns too in the cold. I Brake-Kleen all of my rifle bolts and firing assemblies. Then, they only get a dry lube. They all work and fire down to the coldest temperatures I've hunted in before too, so it works. I'll check into the superlube stuff, but anything that says "grease" on it scares me on hunting gear.
 
Took the XLR250 out tonight at -33ºF and it worked good for about a minute, and then went into flickering mode. I could mess around with screwing the cap to minimize it, but it kept doing it. Going out tomorrow night and will try one of the caps with the remote/buttons to see if it does the same thing. I hope it's just a faulty cap or something of that nature that I can get replaced.
 
Did you check the data sheet for the Cree LED's? You may be using it in temperatures colder than the working range of the LED. If you just leave it on and let the circuitry warm up does it quit flickering? Of course, I do realize that for a shooting light you can't turn it on and let it warm up for 5 minutes before you shoot. LOL I'm just glad I don't have to deal with those cold temperatures like you have. It is -5 here this morning and that is plenty cold for me.

Edit: Looks like they are tested down to -40C.
http://www.cree.com/products/pdf/XLamp_Reliability.PDF
 
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