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Cygolite Hotshot No Longer Blinking While Charging

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Cygolite Hotshot No Longer Blinking While Charging

Old 12-27-19, 02:43 PM
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Papa Tom
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Cygolite Hotshot No Longer Blinking While Charging

I'm a bit peeved because I haven't owned this for very long and haven't used it much.

Suddenly, when I go to charge my Hotshot 150, the light doesn't blink to indicate that it's charging. And there's no steady indicator light, either. The light, itself, is still shining bright as it was the last time I used it, so I am unable to tell if it is taking a charge or not.
I intend to try to run it down and see if it will take a charge from that point, but just to prepare me, does anybody know if this is typical of a Cygolite with less than two years and (maybe) 50 uses on it?

Also, I've seen posts where people replaced the batteries. Has anybody done this?

Cygolite wants $6 to fix it and $5 to ship it. I can get a new one for about $35, but I hate being "that guy" who throws stuff away and buys new. I'm wondering if the charging port just needs a cleaning...

Last edited by Papa Tom; 12-27-19 at 02:48 PM.
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Old 12-27-19, 06:16 PM
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What does Cygolite say is wrong with it?
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Old 12-27-19, 06:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Papa Tom
I intend to try to run it down and see if it will take a charge from that point, but just to prepare me, does anybody know if this is typical of a Cygolite with less than two years and (maybe) 50 uses on it?
I have several, use them often. No, in my experience this is not typical of these lights. Your experiment might be worth a try. Report back.
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Old 12-27-19, 09:04 PM
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Originally Posted by bpcyclist
What does Cygolite say is wrong with it?
They won't say. They just keep telling me it will be $6 to repair + $5 shipping and handling. With MY shipping cost TO Cygolite, it will end up costing me about half the price of a new light. I really hate throwing things away if they can be fixed, so I'm a little torn.
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Old 12-27-19, 09:07 PM
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Originally Posted by bobwysiwyg
I have several, use them often. No, in my experience this is not typical of these lights. Your experiment might be worth a try. Report back.
Cygolite won't send me a new battery due to "liability restrictions," so if it comes down to that, I'm going to have to figure out where to get a battery on my own.

If I have charged this light 25-30 times over its very short lifetime, that's a lot. I can't believe the battery would be the problem.
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Old 12-27-19, 09:09 PM
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As long as it is functionally working, I wouldn't stress too much.
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Old 12-27-19, 09:25 PM
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Leave it plugged in all night and then see if you get a reasonable run time on it. If so, just use it as always. That blinking light to indicate that it’s charging is not really essential to its function, after all.

Just FYI: in the future, a question like this will probably get more and better responses in the electronics and lighting sub forum.
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Old 12-27-19, 09:28 PM
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OK, problem solved. On a whim, I decided to try a different power cable. Now my Cygolite is blinking as usual as it is charging. Somehow, the cable that came with it (which I have been using all along) must have decided it was "done."

So much drama all the time...
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Old 12-27-19, 10:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Papa Tom
So much drama all the time...
Figure out what the common denominator is.
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Old 12-27-19, 11:34 PM
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Originally Posted by noglider
Figure out what the common denominator is.
That's not the first time that invitation has been offered.
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Old 12-28-19, 12:29 AM
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I have a bunch of these. Two of them are a bit finicky and only work with a small subset of USB cables, and I sometimes have to wiggle them around a bit before I get a good contact. (These are ones with the older mini port rather than the newer micro port.) So try a few USB cables and mess with it before you give up.
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Old 12-28-19, 07:18 AM
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Interestingly, the "bad" cable had been working fine all along and is showing no sign of damage at all. Plus, it is still working fine with other accessories.
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Old 12-28-19, 08:56 AM
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I have two Cygolites, a "Hot Shot" taillight and a "Metro" headlight. They both came with USB charging cables but only one of the cables actually works properly. The other requires very careful adjustment to make it recharge the light it's plugged into and isn't reliable. Fortunately both lights use the same cable configuration so I use the good cable for both. I had a similar problem with a cheap USB tail light I got from Amazon. The charging cable was very fussy about how it was plugged in. Amazon replaced it at no cost and the new cable works fine.

Apparently poor quality charging cables are common.
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Old 12-28-19, 08:43 PM
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I had a similar problem recently with the power/data cable for my iPad and should have learned from it. I thought that either a forced Windows update or a forced IOS update had crashed a certain routine data transfer function between my iPad and my computer. After hours and hours and days and days of Googling possible solutions, I decided to try some different cables. The fourth one, not even an OEM cable, worked like a charm and has been working fine ever since. All that lost time I can never get back.
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Old 12-28-19, 11:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Papa Tom
OK, problem solved. On a whim, I decided to try a different power cable. Now my Cygolite is blinking as usual as it is charging. Somehow, the cable that came with it (which I have been using all along) must have decided it was "done."

So much drama all the time...
That was going to be my suggestion. USB rechargeable devices can sometimes be picky about USB cords and plugs. Often when an electronics maker supplies a USB cord, it's because that cord is needed to properly charge it and retain full features.

My old Mophie Juice Pack Air for iPhone 4s was so picky about USB plugs I had to label the one cord that would properly charge that device, or enable linking to my PC for data transfers. It looked like any other USB cord, but wasn't generic.

And some devices require proprietary cords for full features with rechargeable devices. The Light & Motion Rando 500 is basically a the L&M Urban 500 with the added capability of being charged while running (low or pulse mode only, not on high or medium steady output). But only with the USB cord provided by L&M. Presumably it contains a resistor and other doodads to regulate trickle charging. The big plug end is quite a bit bulkier than most USB cords.

Ditto, my Drift Ghost X video cameras. Only the supplied cord enables both charging and linking to my PCs.
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Old 12-29-19, 05:46 AM
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Yes, but the mystery here is that the USB cable worked fine until now and STILL works with other devices.
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Old 12-29-19, 01:43 PM
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USB cables can go bad from ordinary use. Most low priced cables have a thin aluminum shield that breaks easily from repeated bending.

Some cables are built to be a little more rugged. But even the proprietary L&M cable that comes with the Rando 500 light looks like ordinary cable so I'll be surprised if it holds up for use on the bike. I've already worn out a few USB cords using them on the bike to charge and run cameras and lights. It strains the USB sockets, plugs and attachments between cord and plug. Not really an ideal solution for continuous lighting or operation.
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Old 02-28-24, 12:15 PM
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I have one and the charging light works(blinks red). After charging and unplugging it will not light, pushing button does nothing. Put it back on charge and it blinks. Disappointed as it is nearly new. I tossed it and will stay away from the hotshot variety. POS in my opinion.
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Old 02-29-24, 10:28 AM
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Originally Posted by brewman1947
I have one and the charging light works(blinks red). After charging and unplugging it will not light, pushing button does nothing. Put it back on charge and it blinks. Disappointed as it is nearly new. I tossed it and will stay away from the hotshot variety. POS in my opinion.
It's too bad you were so hasty. I contacted Cygolite after my light failed to hold a charge. They replaced it for me.
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Old 02-29-24, 10:30 PM
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Originally Posted by brewman1947
I have one and the charging light works(blinks red). After charging and unplugging it will not light, pushing button does nothing. Put it back on charge and it blinks. Disappointed as it is nearly new. I tossed it and will stay away from the hotshot variety. POS in my opinion.
Some years back, tired of a multitude of lights with various mounting/charging/battery requirements, I converted the entire household to cygolite hotshots and headlights. They’ve been completely and utterly reliable!

I keep a basket of cygolite extras in the garage by the charging ports so anyone in the family can grab a fully charged set and go. Practically all my personal bikes have cygolite mounts of some kind (seatpost, seatstay, rack, handlebars, fork blade, etc) so I never need to futz about with a bike-specific light, right as I need to head out.

I would recommend cygolite to anyone.
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Old 02-29-24, 10:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Papa Tom
Cygolite won't send me a new battery due to "liability restrictions," so if it comes down to that, I'm going to have to figure out where to get a battery on my own.

If I have charged this light 25-30 times over its very short lifetime, that's a lot. I can't believe the battery would be the problem.
It is not. I recharge mine after every use or every other use, so I have recharged say about 3X per week for several years. The whole family has these. I've never had one fail. We usually have to replace them only when they get lost (kids will do that). Hopefully it is just dirt in the microUSB port. Or maybe the USB cable is bad. Have you tried another one?
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