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HELP! Petzl Myo XP malfunction

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 RichJ634 04 Jan 2011
Hello,

Just packing for my trip to Scotland tomorrow. Checked the head torch and it's busted. After some fiddling around it appears there is a loose connection between the wire and the bulb piece at the front. Problem is I need it for the trip so wondering about trying a repair.


Has anyone ever taken one of these apart? How easily do they come apart and could a bad connection be easy to fix? Kinda worried in case I void the warranty by messing around with it. I'll be sending it back otherwise as it's not that old.

Any advice gratefully received,
GS
 Lh88 04 Jan 2011
In reply to Gob_Stopper:

It's a well known fault. Two broke on us last summer on a mountaineering expedition (left us a bit short actually). It did not seem to be repairable but the importers were happy to replace it no quibble. The best thing to do in the short term is probably just to play with the external wire if it stops working, which seems to restore power about 50% of the time (and hope it's a full moon!)
 Hammy 04 Jan 2011
In reply to Gob_Stopper: I have had three of these headtorches and all of them busted in the same way. I returned two to the importers and they replaced them and the third I tried to fix to no avail and ended up throwing it in the bin in bits.

I would buy a new and different one for your trip and see if you can get the busted one replaced then sell it on ebay as they are not up to scratch.

I do make heavy use of my headtorches.
In reply to Gob_Stopper:

If the trip isn't soon go for a warranty claim.

If you need it asap and have a Torx 6 driver and some soldering skills it's not difficult. I'll wager it's power into the LED driver.
 p3t3 04 Jan 2011
In reply to Gob_Stopper:

same

got mine about 2 years ago and cant remember where I got it from, think ill have a bash opening it up.

If i cant get it working again, what is the best replacement?
OP RichJ634 04 Jan 2011
In reply to Gob_Stopper: Thanks all. Don't want to replace it with another torch as aside from this it has been properly brilliant - very impressed with it's functionality, performance and weight.
If it's a common fault then I'll send it back. No point risking messing around with it as it's quite an expensive torch - would rather just have it replaced. Hopefully they'll swap without quibbles. Fingers crossed they'll let me swap it for a belt version as well, as it has been affected by the really cold temps earlier this season.

Cheers all.
In reply to p3t3:

See above.

The problem is usually the wire (power) cable is very tightly packed in and quite thick wire (probably too thick). It's not difficult to change the cable if you're half decent at soldering.
 danm 04 Jan 2011
In reply to Gob_Stopper:

Nooo! If you want a replacement, don't mess with it. In a former life I was Petzl Headtorch Repair Man (I still have the cape and pants) at Lyon.

If you try a self repair you'll void the warranty; this sucks if you are on the hill or on a trip, but it's for a good reason.

Personally I always use a torch which has no lead (Tikka XP etc) for critical stuff, because no matter how well designed or made, the lead is always a weak point.

You able to get into the shop you got it from on the way to Scotland? They might be able to make a decision there and then and get you a new one from stock. See if they'll offer a credit note rather than a replacement if it is found to be a warranty claim, then buy a torch for the trip and use the credit note later for something else you need/want.
 nniff 04 Jan 2011
In reply to Gob_Stopper:

the wire on mine broke outside the light unit. Of course I only found this out once I had managed to open it and rummage around inside. It was too old to send back fairly.
 danm 04 Jan 2011
In reply to danm:

A quick note to would-be repairers: the modern torches aren't repairable like the older models such as the zoom, duo and micro. If the problem is a loose wire, forget it. The problem is the modern style of case assembly. I never found a way of getting the case parts separated without damaging them, and without this the lead terminals cannot be accessed. You might get lucky I suppose, and be able to bodge the case back together afterwards, but somehow I doubt it.
In reply to danm:
> (In reply to danm)
> You might get lucky I suppose, and be able to bodge the case back together afterwards, but somehow I doubt it.

On an XP?
 henwardian 05 Jan 2011
In reply to Gob_Stopper: I'm on my third Myo XP. First one was quite old when it broke (some sort of short circuit that make the batteries heat up till they burnt your hand or head). Second one I took into a shop and they sent it off to the distributor who sent me a replacement in a timely fashion (I don't know what the fault was, it just didn't work).

In terms of reliability the Myo XP is a little dissapointing but it is such a powerful torch (bearing in mind the small batteries) and Petzl are so good about replacing them that I'm sticking with it for the time being. The last time I tried comparing Tikka/Zipka headtorches they just don't have the brightness of the Myo. If all you want to do is walk in the dark then maybe a Tikka/Zipka will do but if you are searching on abseil for the next cluster of situ pitons at midnight or you are trying to navigate in complex rolling terrain then the extra distance you can see makes all the difference in the world.
 wiwwim 05 Jan 2011
In reply to henwardian: bear in mind that if the cable is fried due to overheating near the unit, when you solder a new connection (use heat transfer grease) the cable will be much shorter. I have an xp where the battery pack is 90degrees to the light, ie can only use it with helmet....
 nikinko 05 Jan 2011
In reply to Gob_Stopper:

two more of us with this problem with the myo range. http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=438337&v=1#x6173153

I sent mine back just inside it's guaruntee (3 years) and got a Tikka 2xp in replacement. Does the job very well so far.
 Fume Troll 05 Jan 2011
In reply to danm: XPs come apart easily, as someone above said: it's just four screws. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=273504

Cheers,

FT.
 Alex Slipchuk 05 Jan 2011
In reply to Gob_Stopper:

Stop using petzl, or at least until they stop using lyon equipment. Search for my previous post about the same problem and the GTF I was told by lyon equipment.

Refused to repair under warranty.

 DaveHK 05 Jan 2011
In reply to Gob_Stopper:

I'm waiting for Myo number 3 to come back from lyon. Both 1 and 2 developed loose connections exactly like you describe. This is clearly an ongoing fault. Which is a pain as otherwise they are excellent but who wants an unreliable head torch? When you need it to work you REALLY need it to work!

According to the petzl site the guarentee is 3 years.
 Adam Long 05 Jan 2011
In reply to Gob_Stopper:

Had no major hassles repairing mine - just take it apart and shorten the cable by an inch. There is a tight kink where the cable enters the lamp housing which is the usual failure point.

If you do some googling there's a fair bit of info, including upgrading to a brigher LED unit. Pretty sure there's a step-by-step guide to taking the lamp unit apart somewhere.
In reply to Adam Long:

It's already been linked above Adam; there are a few mods on that forum usually from the original Myo to the last but one incarnation. There's no mod for the RXP as yet.

And yes, it is relatively easy. I changed the cable as I could see it happening again. Thinner cable, small ties inside and out of the grommet to stop it moving. More space and no trouble.
 David Coley 05 Jan 2011
In reply to Gob_Stopper: I've had this happen twice. First time they sent me a new torch. Second time around a credit note.

Use another type or brand.
 danm 05 Jan 2011
In reply to brt:

I'll take my humble pie served warm please! I'm blaming the fine port I'd been drinking, but I was talking about the Myo 5 not the XP. Doh! Will try and pay attention next time.
In reply to danm:

lol.
 Timmd 05 Jan 2011
In reply to Gob_Stopper:

I took my old Petzl Myo 3 appart with a knife to find out why rather than send it back, not being satisfied with a random malfunction from something which I think you ought to be able to depend upon, and I discovered that the wires inside are just pressed into 2 little vertical metal slots, with two gaps in the wire insulation to make the contact. All one of the wires inside has to do is move a little bit, and you get a dodgy connection.

Why Petzl thinks it's okay to charge upwards of 30 pounds for this quality of product I don't know. I was going to post a picture on flickr and send it into the magazines and post on outdoor mesage boards, but i've lost the relevent parts in my headtorch.

I'm thinking about doing the same with thier cheapest Myo though, and soldering the contacts after I have done. I thought rest of the wiring inside my Myo 3 was pretty cheap and brittle though, and a little bit difficult to bend about much before it broke and needed replacing so you could solder and have a working headtorch.

They're poor quality overall in my opinion, it doesn't sound like the design has changed if malfunctions are still ocurring on Myo headtorches.

I was pretty annoyed actually and still am a bit, and should probably get my act together and send a picture of the wiring inside to Petzl and ask them if they're going to make any changes to the design. If enough people do perhaps they will do...

Cheers
Tim
 Jack B 06 Jan 2011
In reply to danm:

You can get into a myo 5, I repared mine without trouble (though I do work on small systems like the torch in my line of work). The cable goes round a tight bend where it enters the torch, and after 5 years service the wires had broken inside the cable near the bend - probably due to inaddaquate bend relief where the cable enters the torch.

The trick to it (for anyone who happens across this thread in the future) is to get a pair of needle-nosed pliers and twist off the green locking rings, one around the cable and one on the opposite side of the torch. I shortened the cable and re-soldered it, and the torch has been going strong for over a year.

To answer the original question, get it repaired, replaced or refunded under warranty, don't mess with it unless the warranty's long gone.
 Jack B 06 Jan 2011
In reply to Jack B:

I just noticed your earlier post, I guess you know how to open the myo 5 just fine. I'll leave my post up anyway in case someone else finds it useful.
 Timmd 06 Jan 2011
In reply to Jack B:

Oops, it seems like I could be wrong about the design not having changed, I didn't buy another Myo after losing some of the bits on my Myo 3 which I got as a present.

Tim

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