Many of us have the el-cheapo 9 led flashlights laying around. They sell them seemingly everywhere these days, but the one that I have is from Harbor Freight. I'd bet they're all the same on the switch end, and here's a way to make them a momentary switch.
Read all instructions prior to beginning.
1. Remove the switch end from the flashlight, and pull the rubber cover off the switch.
2. Push the entire switch assembly out by pushing from the end where the switch is. It is a tight fit, but brute force will win the war.
3. Pop the switch out of the housing, and disassemble. There are two halves to the housing, a spring, two flat metal contacts, a disc contact, and two pieces of round white plastic that make up the button. (This picture is clickable, so you can see a little text that I wrote on it to make it clearer)....
4. Cut the tabs off the corners of both pieces of white plastic. These tabs enable the push on/push off functionality. Once you cut them off, use a small file to file the remaining plastic until it is completely round, otherwise it can still catch and cause a push on/push off type feel.
(not pictured)
5. Super glue the two white pieces back together in their original order, then super glue the metallic disc to them.
6. There is a small short pin on each end of the top housing section. Remove these two pins, leaving the area flat.
(Not pictured, click on the picture in section three for pin location)
7. Reinsert the plastic disc assembly into the top housing section, and set off to the side.
(Not pictured)
8. There is a wide plastic mount on each end of the bottom section. These mounts would have lined up with the pins that you removed from the top section. Remove these mounts, and file flat.
9. Using your soldering iron and some solder, build up the thickness of the flat metal contacts until they are about 1/8" tall. This will fill in the holes, which are no longer necessary because you cut off the pins that would have gone through them.
10. Super glue the built up flat contacts into each end of the housing.
11. Reassemble the two halves, don't forget the spring.
12. Check continuity both with the button pressed, and without. You should now have a momentary switch. If you do not, check your work.
13. Reinsert the switch assembly back into the housing, making sure that the long metal tab is curved under the switch, and contacting the spring that goes to the battery. The other tab will be touching the metal casing of the flashlight.
A few notes:
By building the contacts up in step 9, you remove the holes that the pins once went thru, and make it so that you don't have to push the button nearly as far to complete the circuit. This extra solder also helps hold the contacts in place by allowing them to press against the top section.
Once you reinsert the assembly back into the aluminum housing, recheck continuity to ensure that you have a complete circuit. One lead on the threads, the other on the spring, then press the button. If you do not have continuity, make sure that the long metal tab is contacting the spring by bending it out a bit. If still no continuity, then add a bit of solder to the outside of the short tab, which will give a better contact to the metal housing.
Read all instructions prior to beginning.
1. Remove the switch end from the flashlight, and pull the rubber cover off the switch.
2. Push the entire switch assembly out by pushing from the end where the switch is. It is a tight fit, but brute force will win the war.
3. Pop the switch out of the housing, and disassemble. There are two halves to the housing, a spring, two flat metal contacts, a disc contact, and two pieces of round white plastic that make up the button. (This picture is clickable, so you can see a little text that I wrote on it to make it clearer)....
4. Cut the tabs off the corners of both pieces of white plastic. These tabs enable the push on/push off functionality. Once you cut them off, use a small file to file the remaining plastic until it is completely round, otherwise it can still catch and cause a push on/push off type feel.
(not pictured)
5. Super glue the two white pieces back together in their original order, then super glue the metallic disc to them.
6. There is a small short pin on each end of the top housing section. Remove these two pins, leaving the area flat.
(Not pictured, click on the picture in section three for pin location)
7. Reinsert the plastic disc assembly into the top housing section, and set off to the side.
(Not pictured)
8. There is a wide plastic mount on each end of the bottom section. These mounts would have lined up with the pins that you removed from the top section. Remove these mounts, and file flat.
9. Using your soldering iron and some solder, build up the thickness of the flat metal contacts until they are about 1/8" tall. This will fill in the holes, which are no longer necessary because you cut off the pins that would have gone through them.
10. Super glue the built up flat contacts into each end of the housing.
11. Reassemble the two halves, don't forget the spring.
12. Check continuity both with the button pressed, and without. You should now have a momentary switch. If you do not, check your work.
13. Reinsert the switch assembly back into the housing, making sure that the long metal tab is curved under the switch, and contacting the spring that goes to the battery. The other tab will be touching the metal casing of the flashlight.
A few notes:
By building the contacts up in step 9, you remove the holes that the pins once went thru, and make it so that you don't have to push the button nearly as far to complete the circuit. This extra solder also helps hold the contacts in place by allowing them to press against the top section.
Once you reinsert the assembly back into the aluminum housing, recheck continuity to ensure that you have a complete circuit. One lead on the threads, the other on the spring, then press the button. If you do not have continuity, make sure that the long metal tab is contacting the spring by bending it out a bit. If still no continuity, then add a bit of solder to the outside of the short tab, which will give a better contact to the metal housing.
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