Circuit for battery electronic lighter not sparking.

[Nick555]

I have an old 1980s electronic lighter which uses an LR44 battery to create a spark that jumps across the gas nozzle as butane gas is flowing.

You are meant to create the spark by just touching the central screw that is connected to the circuit (under the Ronson logo)

I have installed a new battery but it does not create a spark. Wires and connections all seem to be in decent order.

There was some corrosion on the bottom battery contact that I have since cleaned up with vinegar and IPA.

Any help appreciated for how to get this working.

 

[MrAl]

Hello,

When batteries and contacts get dirty, the best way to clean them is to gently scrape the contact surface areas.
You can use the tip of one of those slide razor knifes, and don't have to use the sharp blade. The metal there has sharp corners that act well for scraping surfaces to get them clean. It's about the same as the back edge of the knife blade.
The surface should start to look bright, and with light scratches everywhere. The light scratches help to make better contact too.

This is an ongoing problem in a lot of battery-operated stuff that draws some amount of current from the batteries. Flashlights also develop this problem and have to have the battery ends cleaned and the contacts cleaned.

If they are gold plated then you have to be gentler and maybe scraping isn't the way to go. It depends in part how bad they are.

 

[ahsrabrifat]

Even though you installed a new LR44 battery, check its voltage with a multimeter. It should read around 1.5V when fresh.

 

[Nick555]

Hello,

When batteries and contacts get dirty, the best way to clean them is to gently scrape the contact surface areas.
You can use the tip of one of those slide razor knifes, and don't have to use the sharp blade. The metal there has sharp corners that act well for scraping surfaces to get them clean. It's about the same as the back edge of the knife blade.
The surface should start to look bright, and with light scratches everywhere. The light scratches help to make better contact too.

This is an ongoing problem in a lot of battery-operated stuff that draws some amount of current from the batteries. Flashlights also develop this problem and have to have the battery ends cleaned and the contacts cleaned.

If they are gold plated then you have to be gentler and maybe scraping isn't the way to go. It depends in part how bad they are.

So I've scratched away at the contact and removed lots of the corrosion, it looks clear now but there is still no spark.

Any other ideas on what could be wrong?

 

[MrAl]

So I've scratched away at the contact and removed lots of the corrosion, it looks clear now but there is still no spark.

Any other ideas on what could be wrong?

Hi,

Are you sure the 'new' battery is really new and not sitting around for years before use?
They usually last a long time on the shelf though.

Is it the right type of battery, like Alkaline instead of Carbon Zinc?
Carbon Zinc batteries basically suk when it comes to higher current demains.

How much would a new sparker device cost and would they be available?
If it is electronic it could be hard to figure out without a schematic. If you could take it apart to see the electronics it might be possible to draw up a schematic.

I had a very old lighter a long, long time ago that used a hot wire to light it. The hot wire would glow red and would be pushed out close to where the flame comes from when you went to light it. Not sure what happened to that thing over the years.