Just a warning re how good the warranties are with some products.
Bought an Imolent LD10 keyring torch off eBay last December. Came to use it an it was NG
Put it on charge, charge stopped after a few minutes and the thing is now completely dead.
Contacted eBay seller - no reply
Contacted Imolent - no reply

So much for that.
Obviously what has happened is that through disuse battery had dropped below cut off level and it would not recharge. So standby must have been consuming excessive power. Its ridiculous as my Scorpion TGX on standby has a negligible drain, it would take years to discharge the battery below cut off level, and then it would just recharge unless below danger point.

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Roy, open 'item not as-described' case.
My Ebay/Purchase History/Item/Actions
Seller is then obligated to reply and if not ebay automatically finds in your favour.
then lob a healthy dollop af Neg feedback and a truthful review - after you've got your money back! :devil:

MARK

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Roy, open 'item not as-described' case.
My Ebay/Purchase History/Item/Actions
Seller is then obligated to reply and if not ebay automatically finds in your favour.
then lob a healthy dollop af Neg feedback and a truthful review - after you've got your money back! :devil:

MARK

Ahh, and me supposed to be the legal expert.
Of course, "Item not as described" would include an implied description that it was fit for purpose and of merchantable quality.

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No good. Only actions available are "Contact Seller" and "Save this seller"

Cant see anything else there.

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I'm reminded of a tool I bought a while back that had a 'lifetime warranty'

When I contacted them to inform them it had broken I was told, 'well then it's reached the end of it's life' :lol:

and the "Free [whatever] check" websites that only charge £9.95

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and the free "Windows Driver Update" advertised at some expense on YouTube. So kind to spend money advertising something given away for free.
I wonder what else it does they dont tell you about
:lol:

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and the free "Windows Driver Update" advertised at some expense on YouTube. So kind to spend money advertising something given away for free.
I wonder what else it does they dont tell you about
:lol:

Yes, that's a bit like some quite well respected organisations selling 'miracle' diagnostic devices for fault lights on your car for £70-80 which are little more than bluetooth OBDII readers of the sort you can buy for less than a tenner with free phone apps available.

I've also seen Facebook adverts portraying such run of the mill devices as profile gauges as new 'miracle' devices.

I'm reminded of a tool I bought a while back that had a 'lifetime warranty'

When I contacted them to inform them it had broken I was told, 'well then it's reached the end of it's life' :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Thank you! That has made me laugh and has MADE MY DAY!!

:thumbsup:

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OK, try this:

up at top of page click HELP & CONTACT
(to right of "Hello Roy" and Daily Deals)

There should be a section HELP WITH RECENT ORDERS - if not scroll all the way down and HAVE US CALL YOU - always works a treat if your preferred option not available

Hope this helps MARK

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re-reading the threads there may be an issue with the item being outside the Ebay return period - 30 days (which is generous compared to statutory 14 days in Distance Selling Regs)

If however they are touting a warranty of say 1 year, which might thereby induce you to make the purchase on that basis, then they have to make good on that warranty and I would see THAT being an issue for Ebay if a seller is making promises which they are trying to circumvent by hiding behind the 30-day return policy.

MARK

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:offtopic: but....


Some companies are better than others.
I bought a Hewlett Packard 32S calculator in 1989 and it had a lifetime warranty of sorts...send it back with ANY fault at ANY time EVER, with £20 to cover P&P etc and they guarantee to repair it for ever.

Now bear in mind that calculator would set you back £150 in 1989, or about £350 in 2020 money, I thought that was a pretty good deal.

It went back once in 1996 when the ENTER button jammed.
Fine ever since.

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re-reading the threads there may be an issue with the item being outside the Ebay return period - 30 days (which is generous compared to statutory 14 days in Distance Selling Regs)

If however they are touting a warranty of say 1 year, which might thereby induce you to make the purchase on that basis, then they have to make good on that warranty and I would see THAT being an issue for Ebay if a seller is making promises which they are trying to circumvent by hiding behind the 30-day return policy.

MARK

The 12 month warranty is Imolent and I doubt the seller would be responsible for this unless he included it in his description. Its a China seller anyway.

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try Paypal or Card chargeback? worth a pop if nowt else.

M

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Having given up on warranty and it only cost £30 anyway, and being a compulsive messer, I decided to dismantle.

Looking at it, it appears to be assembled from the back. So I thought it would probably just pull apart, most Chinese stuff does that anyway, usually in your hands. Anyway, I gripped what looks like an insert between two pieces of hardwood in the vise, then pulled at the outer body for all I am worth. Well I am supposed to be worth quite a lot, but it would not come out.
Next I tried persuading it from the rear with a drift, what happened next was that the glass, a bezel, and the reflector projected itself across the floor. It appears that this was all held in with a little round bezel which was an interference fit, not even on a screw thread. Glass abutted onto an O ring which I expect is supposed to bear against the outer shell.

The LED is mounted on a copper PCB with the expected 2 soldered wires, which unsoldered I was able to remove. Behind it looks part of the casting. So really nowhere as yet, except the discovery that it is a very poorly constructed torch of dubious IP68 rating.

My overall thinking is that the battery cell has become over discharged and may be replaceable.

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sounds like you've had your £30-worth of fun with it then!!

Look forward to seeing the reverse-engineered retina-roaster!

MARK

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I now have it apart.

The reflector and glass etc retained as previously described. The electronics module on the right is retained by epoxy against an FT 101 type compound. The torch is not designed to support disassembly.

🔗121030[linkphoto]121030[/linkphoto][/link]

Removal of the battery was more difficult and required drilling of the casing where the LED backplate fits, to accommodate a drift.

🔗121031[linkphoto]121031[/linkphoto][/link]

The battery as expected is a CR123 which has a management PCB mounted on the base and external connections to the LED in the form of metal strips, the whole covered in a second shrink wrap. The battery gave 2.51V and inducing some charge into it from the Lab PSU enabled it to light a test LED, however I could not get it to accept charge in the normal way.
Continuing to charge it I got it up to 3.7V and then, lo and behold, it charged off the supplied magnetic USB connection.

I think that before reassembling, which will require 'permanent' sealing, I will discharge it and see if it accepts normal charging. I may have to replace the management chip at the bottom of the battery, this is a standard item I have in stock, so no big deal.

On the face of it, it looks like I have repaired the unrepairable.

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I'm reminded of a tool I bought a while back that had a 'lifetime warranty'

When I contacted them to inform them it had broken I was told, 'well then it's reached the end of it's life' :lol:

I've made lots of caving gear for friends. Rack descenders, zipwire pulleys, the odd harness. All were supplied with a lifetime guarantee.
+/- 5 seconds anyway.

As we said in the trade "Yes Madam, guaranteed for 2 years or 'till you first use it, whichever comes first"

The battery not taking charge below a certain threshold is the manufactures way of sayin'.....No law suites against us 'cos yer house burned down.

Lozz.

Now got to the bottom of it.
Basically, its scrap. Testing it at nominal voltage, its taking a fluctuating 30mA on standby, which is 'off' being under soft control, from a 850 mAh cell. This tends to explain things. Obviously the capacity of the cell indicates a cell designed to deliver a high discharge.

Obviously it discharged itself down to the point whereby the battery management disconnected the battery, this should typically be 2.7 to 3.0 V according to the design. Obviously there has to be a margin as someone could put it away discharged and it could then fall below the 2.5V discharge limit through standing, after which is should not be chargeable.

Lozz makes very pertinent comment. If a LiIon cell falls below the safe minimum (refer to manufacturers data sheet), recharging can cause internal short circuits. There have been fires.
A properly designed charger should not charge a cell if its voltage is below the safe limit.

As far as this torch goes, my advice is to avoid. The warranty situation is obvious and the reliability of the torch design dubious. Shame as I liked Imolent.

I still fancy a 'good' keyring torch, logic being I would never be without a light as keys go everywhere. Maybe try Nitecore or some other. Looking at the Nitcore offering I seem to remember strobes and flashes and coloured lights which to me rubbish, I want something that just works and is reliable.

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