Hi,
A rubber stopper fell out my bike Light. Rather than replace it I stupidly used a screw to turn it on and off. It's now flattened this metal plate inside. Can anyone identify what part this is, where I can get it and the best way to go about replacing i? (I'm a newbie to the world of electronics with little soldering experience) It seemed to me like a flexible strip of metal?

Thanks in advance.

 

Welcome to AAC!

Could be the remnants of a switch. Is this light so expensive that you can't just chalk it up to experience and buy another one?

 

Ahh I see. It was about 60 quid so if there was a way I could try and fix it I was willing to give it a shot !

 

A picture of the circuit board would help, and you're going to need to disassemble it to fix it anyway. We might be able to identify the part with a better picture.

 

Yeah, sorry I did think as much the picture isn't really giving many clues ! I will disassemble and get one across asap

 

It's now flattened this metal plate inside.

Open up the light and bend the plate back into its original shape.
I don't see how a 'rubber stopper' would operate that. Was it a push-on/push-off action, or a twist action, or .....?
Can you post a link to that model of light?

 

It sounds similar to a Garmin GPS watch that I have (and had to repair). The rubber plug is somewhat solid but flexible and pushing the rubber transfers the force to the switch on the PCB. It's essentially a cheap and easy way to implement a waterproof tactile switch (button).

 

Ahh I see. It was about 60 quid so if there was a way I could try and fix it I was willing to give it a shot !

It looks like a metal dome designed to be flexible enough to form a tactile switch. Once it's been severely deformed, it will no longer work because it won't spring back. Finding a replacement would likely be an exercise in futility.

 

Welcome to AAC!

Could be the remnants of a switch. Is this light so expensive that you can't just chalk it up to experience and buy another one?

Depending on the light they ain't cheap. I think I paid $70 US for mine. Worth every penny. You could pay a whole lot more.

 

Right, good news is I fitted the replacement rubber plunger and it seems to be operating just fine !
I was making some assumptions as it wouldn't work with my 'poke a screw in there' method... but it seems not all is lost.

Thank you all for your assistance.

 

Looks like the switch mechanism is still working. All it needed was a replacement pushbutton cap.

 

Right, good news is I fitted the replacement rubber plunger and it seems to be operating just fine !
I was making some assumptions as it wouldn't work with my 'poke a screw in there' method... but it seems not all is lost.

I assumed that you replaced the rubber bit and found that it no longer worked. Another fire drill...

 

I have a "Cat Eye" brand bike light and no they are not cheap at all but they will work for a few months on 2 AA cells, and they will light up reflective signs from a block away (200 yards or more) and so they are very much worth the price. And the flashing will be noticed by all except the very stupidest drivers, which is the great advantage. Getting bashed by a car is really quite painful, I can tell you that.