[Closed] Solarstorm X2 Warning please read!

Is that some kind of scone type biscuit in the top right hand corner of the first pic?

...possibly shaped like dogs?

Youch

and so it begins

Ooooooffff!

Yes its hand made dog biscuits [url= http://katiescaninekitchen.com/ ]http://katiescaninekitchen.com/[/url] they are amazing for your pet dog..

Please (in the nicest way) try and keep this on subject as i feel the message is important to owners of this light that you should not trust the battery and you should never leave the charger unattended at any time.

Anyone owning one of these please be careful.

Looks like a short circuit on the 230v side of the pcb, most likely caused by poor soldering. It's concerning that these chargers are unfused, so if it does develop a fault it's relying on the 32a breaker on the ring main to trip.
I've got a couple knocking about, but I don't use them because I thought the rather basic charging circuit probably wouldn't do a lot for the longevity of the battery packs. I think I'll just throw them away now.

The short comings of the supplied battery packs have been discussed at length on one of the other threads - the general consensus is it's a good light, but the battery and charger are pretty useless.

Ooof nasty! Poor doggy. To be fair, I'm pretty sure the Exposure charger (made in china) I had that went dodgy wasn't fused either.

I plug mine into an RCD.

Yup it tripped the ring main (lucky we recently updated the electrics mains board).

No fuse in the plug to blow, thats a good point we failed to note.

I really hope you guys are ok!! That sounds very scary! Poor dog :(. The innards of yours look different to mine :/ Not sure if i should be worried.
Edit: Just took mine apart for another look. Mine is fused. I can't believe they gave you an unfused power plug!! WTF! 😮

Can I buy your solarstorm off you? 🙂

Is it a UK plug or a 2-pin?

Is it a UK plug or a 2-pin?

Unfortunately it's all the same dodgy-made-by-children-fake-CE-marked tat irrespective of the plug. Think I'm on my third one of these & they've all gone in a similar way. Might start charging them outside in one of these:

[img] [/img]

Is there a better off the shelf charger that could be re-purposed?

Is there a better off the shelf charger that could be re-purposed?

I've got one good UK light and that charger does the others. I wouldn't trust the HK stuff - i've got quite a bit of HK stuff at the office on UK converters - none of it's fused and there have been a few explosive moments...

Report it to trading standards, risk of killing someone by the sound of it!

I always charge mine at work.
I think I'd have some serious explaining to do if that happened.
I don't think the usual barf covering cough would suffice.

hot_fiat - Member

Unfortunately it's all the same dodgy-made-by-children-fake-CE-marked tat irrespective of the plug.

Missing the point, 2-pins aren't normally fused.

I guess you get what you pay for? Some might be good, some might not. QC probably non-existent.

Glad to hear that apart from a bit of dog-shock you are all OK.

Perhaps a Chinese light with a UK spec battery & charger would be the best balance between price & quality.

Report it to trading standards, risk of killing someone by the sound of it!

While I agree with you completely, unfortunately I believe it was from a chinese seller.

I also think anyone with this sort of plug should unplug it, wait for a few mins then open it to check for a fuse. The fuse Should be exactly where the wire connects from the plug pins and look like this [img] [/img]

Received mine yesterday, with a UK plug.

Works fine.

Very happy with the performance v cost.

End of story.

End of story.

Probably just the beginning if the above is anything to go by.

Along with exploding battery chargers, these lights are bright enough to blind you aswell. And I've heard they can give you skin cancer if shone on an exposed part of your body for a long period.

Take care out there.

Pardon my ignorance of things electrical, but will plugging it in to an RCD stop that sort of thing happening?

Yes, I had this happen to me a few year back.....only it was a hope light. Thing is, I bet this has come from one of the fake solar x2, so please don't blame it on them all. With how popular and good these lights are the majority of mountain bikers who go night riding will have them, so that's quite a lot of people with dodgy lights from China that have been selling them for years now, and yours is maybe one of the very few reported? 🙄

GolfChick - Member
I know we've all heard the warnings about not leaving the chargers unattended because of the fire risk but never mind leaving it unattended, i shouldnt even plug the bloomin thing in! Just back off our night ride, solarstorm lasted an hourish then died, stumbled home the rest of the route with one light between two. Got home afterwards cleared up etc and decided to plug in the battery to recharge it. It had been plugged in about ten mins maybe, then a house/window shattering bang resonated through the entire house and the charging plug and battery pack launched itself across a room. Within a metre of our dog who is now refusing to leave our side, even lying on hard floors which she NEVER does, because it scared her so much. Threw out the fuses for entire house, has left a nice burn mark on the wall socket and a few smouldering marks on the dog bed that sits right next to plug. [b]I think we'll pay for a better quality light now as we were fairly disappointed with its performance when it did work on the trail. Much better spread and beam on our MagicShine![/b]

Hmmmm, now I think you may have given the game away with that paragraph! 😆

End of story.
Probably just the beginning if the above is anything to go by.

Along with exploding battery chargers, these lights are bright enough to blind you aswell. And I've heard they can give you skin cancer if shone on an exposed part of your body for a long period.

Take care out there.

Far worse! These things have caused inter-planetary wars! It's true! Honest! 😆

Was just thinking the same thing. I was charging three at a time the other day, but figure that the fuse on the power bar would blow before anything too spectacular happens

davidtaylforth - Member

Along with exploding battery chargers, these lights are bright enough to blind you aswell. And I've heard they can give you skin cancer if shone on an exposed part of your body for a long period.

What's even worse is they run on electricity, some of which is nuclear electricity, which will cause mutations.

Northwind - Member
davidtaylforth - Member
Along with exploding battery chargers, these lights are bright enough to blind you aswell. And I've heard they can give you skin cancer if shone on an exposed part of your body for a long period.

What's even worse is they run on electricity, some of which is nuclear electricity, which will cause mutations.

I actually heard that they are the sole cause of melting ice caps, it's true, honest, 😆

Was just thinking the same thing. I was charging three at a time the other day, but figure that the fuse on the power bar would blow before anything too spectacular happens

I believe the fuse on the power bar would only blow if the plugs were drawing more that the amperage of the fuse rating. eg if it was a 13Amp fuse it would only trip at 3120 watts no?

Prefer my melting ice cap theory, 😆

What's even worse is they run on electricity, some of which is nuclear electricity, which will cause mutations.

😀

Here's the nuclear power plant being gripped by a mutated thumb that looks a bit like a mans head.

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

I believe the fuse on the power bar would only blow if the plugs were drawing more that the amperage of the fuse rating. eg if it was a 13Amp fuse it would only trip at 3120 watts no?

better than blowing the 32A fuse on the ring main

Not just nuclear, but French nuclear at that.

Older (from March this year) 3-pin flat version bought from MTB batteries has no fuse either:
[img] [/img]

So for us electrical Luddites what's the solution?
I have a have a short extension lead into which I plug the charger and battery. This is then placed inside a le crueset sauce pan with the lid on.
Safe or not?

with the semi-nuclear explosion described above, you might want to think about what'll happen to the lid when the Daisy Cutter lets go 😉

Hmm, you might do yourself a mischief lifting the le cruset.

I charge mine via a fused multi-way with them and the batteries resting on the hob. I've got a plug-in RCD in there as well, but only because my house was wired by Joseph Swann.

[img] [/img]

😀

well played sir

a le crueset sauce pan

😆 awesome Jamie.

I plug all my Chinese death-trap chargers in a normal socket... Have done for years. Nothing bad has ever happened.

Cheap tat in "I never thunk it'd burn down the house" shocker.

[img] [/img]

Not him again!

[img] [/img]

My recent ebay acquisition of a [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261306176449?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 ]Solarstorm X3[/url] has a fuse in the charger (as pointed out by screwdriver), phew!......meltdown is avoided, i see the price has also increased as two weeks ago he was selling them for £33.99 with free postage but they're now up to £38.99 and £2.99 for postage.

[img] [/img]

It's very bright indeed and a very useable spread of light but it certainly ain't 5000 lumens, perhaps chinese lumens are different from western lumens but i'm very happy with it.

So that's me got a Solarstorm X2 from fastech, the above Solarstorm X3 and my 1200 lumen C&B seen light that i posted about last year, so that's approx 5000 lumens....that should be enough to light up the trails 😀

(or at least entice my bro and his gf out for their first night riding foray, with a hipflask full of whisky, obviously)

hmmm

[img] [/img]

Damn it, how can I sleep tonight knowing that the entire world depends upon whether I dare 'flick the switch' on the cheap Chinese charger!

🙄

Where are the water cooling towers?, if that cap goes pop it'll burn right through that melamine worktop and eat through the earths crust into the magma core - and if that happens then you'll only have yourself to blame for buying a cheap light.

A good time to repost this picture.

[img] [/img]

See all those safety compliance symbols on the charger? CE-certified / GS Mark / TÜV / C-tick + double insulated?
Those are good things. If your charger doesn't have them (or if they look like they've been drawn on in marker pen) then that is a bad thing. Don't use it and invest in a proper charger - it'll be cheaper than the excess on your home insurance!

From an ebay ad for one of these:

"We'll try our best to ensure that all the problems you encounter will be solved immediately."

Reassuring!

See all those safety compliance symbols on the charger? CE-certified / GS Mark / TÜV / C-tick + double insulated?
Those are good things. If your charger doesn't have them (or if they look like they've been drawn on in marker pen) then that is a bad thing. Don't use it and invest in a proper charger - it'll be cheaper than the excess on your home insurance!

Note the very slight product advertising there? Gloworm chargers, way better than your average Chinese chargers!..........oh wait.....they're made in China too! 😆

A sticky label on a foreign charger doesn't actually mean much. Plus you'll see the middle bit of the E isn't flush with the top and bottom.

Plus you'll see the middle bit of the E isn't flush with the top and bottom.

It isn't supposed to be.

Agreed a sticky label doesn't mean much, though.

Note the very slight product advertising there?

No advertising from me! I have absolutely no affiliation with Gloworm other than I own one of their lights.
I'm not saying "buy Gloworm" - I'm saying "buy reputable" and check for compliance symbols.

Gloworm chargers, way better than your average Chinese chargers!..........oh wait.....they're made in China too!

Erm.. Pretty much [i]everything[/i] electronic is made in China these days. That doesn't mean they are all the same quality!

Yes compliance stickers can be faked obviously - but if you are buying goods from a real company who distributes internationally and has a reputation at stake then I think the chances are somewhat higher that the safety compliance is genuine compared to something you bought from an anonymous seller on eBay!

GrahamS - Member
Note the very slight product advertising there?
No advertising from me! I have absolutely no affiliation with Gloworm other than I own one of their lights.
I'm not saying "buy Gloworm" - I'm saying "buy reputable" and check for compliance symbols.

Gloworm chargers, way better than your average Chinese chargers!..........oh wait.....they're made in China too!
Erm.. Pretty much everything electronic is made in China these days. That doesn't mean they are all the same quality!

Yes compliance stickers can be faked obviously - but if you are buying goods from a real company who distributes internationally and has a reputation at stake then I think the chances are somewhat higher that the safety compliance is genuine compared to something you bought from an anonymous seller on eBay!

Well I'm totally convinced by your argument 🙄

 

Suit yourself felt. I don't have an agenda here. You seem to.
Take it you sell these things?

As others have said, buy the light then pick up a better quality CE certified charger and battery elsewhere. (Though chances are it will still be made in China).

GrahamS - Member
Suit yourself felt. I don't have an agenda here. You seem to.
Take it you sell these things?

As others have said, buy the light then pick up a better quality CE certified charger and battery elsewhere. (Though chances are it will still be made in China).

I like the way you accuse me of selling lights 😆 but to make things very clear...... I don't.

Nor do I need to post a picture of a very exciting looking charger

But .....to each their own I suppose, whatever turns you on 😆

 

Nor do I need to post a picture of a very exciting looking charger

Is yours a little less exciting? Perhaps missing all those little symbols? 😀

I'd be interested to know what compliance was claimed on the OPs charger. Can't tell from the photos.

GrahamS - Member
Nor do I need to post a picture of a very exciting looking charger
Is yours a little less exciting? Perhaps missing all those little symbols?

I only dream that my charger is as exciting as yours 🙄 but it still works

😆

Thanks for the stw off topic crap..

It was a UK charger and it was distributed from a UK business..

Also gofaster we never said it was going to burn the house down that was you.
My worry was that someone could be seriously injured by what happened and as better people have pointed out its an unfused charger.
I should have checked or put it into a power breaker.
Also it is CE marked on the charger.

I've been using cheap Chinese lights for a few years now, no issues. I'll pop a charger open and check for a fuse though.

To the OP- Always have a back up light when night riding!

My Gloworm chargers look externally like the one that blew-up, and so does my Exposure one.

I haven't opened it up to see if it is fused but I left one on charge for a couple of days the other day...

It was a UK charger and it was distributed from a UK business..
...
Also it is CE marked on the charger.

In that case it might be worth chasing up with whoever the correct organisation is (Trading Standards, HSE, not sure?)

http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/

philfive - Member

I plug mine into an RCD.

The chargers are normally double insulated so are very unlikely to trip and RCD in the event of a failure as the earth pin is not connected.

A fused extension lead is probably the best protection with a very low rated fuse in. Having said that, the device will probably vaporise before the fuse blows!

I've mentioned this before but might help someone. If you buy a US plugged charger you can get a shaver adapter cheaply to plug it in and it should have a low value fuse fitted.

To the OP- Always have a back up light when night riding!

And test a new light/battery before a ride, so you know what Dort of run time Uluru can great out of it.

so you know what Dort of run time Uluru can great out of it

Lets not get too carried away. This is a charger with a US plug...

[img] [/img]

At first glance it looks like there is no fuse fitted either.

However the green coloured component at the bottom is a fusible resistor. Chances are that there will be something similar fitted to other chargers, its just that it might not look like a fuse as we normally expect.

Request: can someone photo the insides of an unsmoked Solarstorm charger please. Marmaduke- was that one?

so you know what Dort of run time Uluru can great out of it
+1

iPad keyboard/ autocorrect mishap 🙄

zippykona - Member
So for us electrical Luddites what's the solution?
I have a have a short extension lead into which I plug the charger and battery. This is then placed inside a le crueset sauce pan with the lid on.
Safe or not?

no, cast iron, not good for impacts, a normal steel pan will save a chid's face.

Hello hello hello....

The reason they all look similar externally is because the costs of a mould like that is several tens of thousands, so chinese factories share the moulds, sell them on when they're worn and reverse-engineer other moulds from existing products to save the trouble of designing a mould shape that works.

What I am getting-at is: It's not a great surprise when something you buy that is of very low price turns-out to have been made exclusively down to that price, by cutting as many corners as possible.

Quality is defined as "Meeting customers requirements" by J.S.Oakland*; and the form this takes varies depending on the market, market segment, and also the industry.

"Quality" in a hospital, is different from "Quality" in a restaurant, "Quality" in a £38 light is different from "Quality" in a £300 one.

Here the examples include: features [output, run-time] @ the price-point. However, unless there's some crazy market being exploited [Lupine..?] then the £300 light is going to be made with more-expensive components, more expensive labour, more of these components and also, better [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Sigma ]quality-management[/url] practices, and so therefore the reliability, longevity and [importantly] the safety of the electronics [incorporating over-rated components, heat-stable ones and number of fail-safe features] which is not visible to the eye will all have to be reduced in cost to the supplier to continue the normal percentage markup.

With these sort of gadgets, we're usually looking at manufacturing cost being approximately 15% of the retail price, but to be kind here lets say 20% - so the SStorm light was made for about £7.60 or likely less.

So - for £7.60 you might get a lot of lumens, but you won't get a safe charger.

I guess that's what I meant, but due to the remains of a hangover I didn't feel like typing that at midnight-ish.

I am quite tempted to buy one though 🙂

*[url= http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Ly6lPOHNhHAC&pg=PT5&lpg=PT5&dq=isbn+%220+7506+5740+5%22&source=bl&ots=VEy88O-7V5&sig=pA3ftOKdKDOzvoOJ4j3crOEJr00&hl=en&sa=X&ei=BC9qUq-bH4W10QWTtID4DQ&ved=0CGMQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=isbn%20%220%207506%205740%205%22&f=false ]Linky[/url]

also, the parts of the psu case have to be screwed and glued together, should not be able to be opened with just a screw driver

pcb should be designed with gaps between ac in and dc out, amongst other things

dont thing an RCD will help, these psus, dont have an earth

OP where did you buy this from?

Fasttech? (which are genuine solarstorm.hk products) or one of the many copies?

I'll take some pics of my Fasttech chargers and post up

For those ([b]felt[/b]) suggesting that the certifications may be fake on the Gloworm charger I pictured:

Here is the company that makes it:
[url= http://www.gaoyipower.com/en/introduce.html ]
Dongguan Gaoyi Electronic Co. Ltd[/url]
(major customers include Apple, LG and Lenovo)

[url= http://gaoyipower.manufacturer.globalsources.com/si/6008834310834/Homepage.htm ]Here are their company details on Global Sources.com[/url]

[url= http://gaoyipower.manufacturer.globalsources.com/si/6008834310834/Certifications.htm ]Here you can view scanned copies of their safety certificates.[/url]

[url= http://www.certipedia.com/companies/38845/certificates?locale=en ]And here are their TUV certificates in the TUV Rheinland "certipedia" database[/url].

That's good enough for me 😀

GrahamS, interested to know what you make of this:

[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7437/10472761645_cc6e4f6245_o.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7437/10472761645_cc6e4f6245_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/47773257@N04/10472761645/ ]157_5950 (Custom)[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/47773257@N04/ ]Biscuit Powered Biker[/url], on Flickr

Supplied with my Gloworm X2.

Fast tech chargers... Model number PD-05

Certainly very different from OP's, so be interesting to know where OP bought from >>>

This came with my recent SSX2...

[URL= http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101246_zps78a219b1.jp g" target="_blank">http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101246_zps78a219b1.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

[URL= http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101158_zps7315bcaf.jp g" target="_blank">http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101158_zps7315bcaf.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

[URL= http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101441_zpsac424d5f.jp g" target="_blank">http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101441_zpsac424d5f.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

On the right we have my XML T6 cree charger, bought 3 years ago from Fasttech, apart from the gripping feature, its identical, even down to the sticker as current SSX2 ...

[URL= http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101509_zps642311b5.jp g" target="_blank">http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101509_zps642311b5.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

3 year old XML T6 charger...

[URL= http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101519_zpsaed35bcb.jp g" target="_blank">http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101519_zpsaed35bcb.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

1 week old SSX2 charger... (same as all my recent SSX2 ones)

[URL= http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101449_zps7f538fde.jp g" target="_blank">http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101449_zps7f538fde.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

and also some Fasttech SSX2 pics just for helpful comparison purposes

[URL= http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101421_zpsa53ad219.jp g" target="_blank">http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101421_zpsa53ad219.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

[URL= http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101330_zps25e752cd.jp g" target="_blank">http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101330_zps25e752cd.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

[URL= http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101317_zpsadd85c9f.jp g" target="_blank">http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101317_zpsadd85c9f.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

[URL= http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101305_zps19ca3a59.jp g" target="_blank">http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac320/cruzcampo77/20131025_101305_zps19ca3a59.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Biscuit Powered - you have the earlier Gloworm charger, GrahamS has the more recent one.

Both from different suppliers, both suppliers had their CE etc accredition/certification checked by Gloworm that it is genuine.

Gloworm have never had a charger explode or similar. They inform me that the most common cause of these explosions is the use of cheap low quality capacitors.