How to Make Emergency Repairs to a Cheap, Battery-Powered LED Flashlight

I recently bought some cheap cap-brim lights for my husband, who works outdoors at night. These are so lightweight that they do not pull the cap forward, and the LEDs are very bright. They clip to the underside of any cap brim, and have two brightness settings for the eight white LEDs, plus two red blinking LEDs. For less than $2 each, they worked surprisingly well until a cat knocked a cap onto the floor. The jolt broke the contact spring inside the light. Similar broken contacts are common in all kinds of flashlights. Here is a method to fix this annoying problem.

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You will need:
Bare copper wire, 16 gauge or smaller
A pair of needle-nose pliers
Wire cutter
Most needle-nose pliers also have a wire cutter. Copper wire is something I think everyone should have in the gizmo drawer, but if you don't, buy a small roll at any hardware or discount store.

The broken spring inside the light is usually a flat piece of metal bent out to "spring" against the battery's negative end (the flat bottom) and hold the battery in place. The metal in small lights is very thin, and just the slight pressure from inserting and removing batteries can weaken the "fold" line until it breaks, leaving an incomplete circuit. To fix this, all you need to do is complete the circuit.

Remove the broken tab of the old metal. Wind a small, flat coil of the copper wire with the needle-nose pliers until it is about the diameter of the battery. For a small light like the one pictured, you'll need to coil about an inch of wire. Leaving the coil on the end of the wire roll, slip it into the casing to replace the broken spring, and try putting in the battery. The battery should fit snugly without forcing it. Forcing the battery will crack the plastic case. Neatness doesn't count here, but the right fit with the battery does.

When the battery fits correctly, snip the coil from the wire roll. Pinch down sharp edges on the end of the wire, if necessary.

Replace the batteries and turn on your flashlight.

TIPS:
If the fit is too tight with a single layer of wire, use smaller gauge wire. Or try hammering the coil to flatten it a little.

If the fit is loose, add another layer of wire coils until the fit is right.

GREEN TIP:
Remember, copper is a mined natural resource. Take apart broken appliances or anything with a small motor, and unwind the copper wire from the motor before you recycle the plastic junk parts. Don't waste copper by putting it in a landfill!

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Source:
Personal experience