My sola 600 won't charge, it's likely that the metal contacts in the light and/or plug have corroded. Anyone have a good technique for cleaning them?
Dan
Sola 600 won't charge
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dphershman
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Sola 600 won't charge
Dan Hershman 
Re: Sola 600 won't charge
DeoxIt
=============================================
- I got a good squirt in my mouth
- I would imagine that there would be a large amount of involuntary gagging
- I don't know about you but I'm not into swallowing it
CCR discussion on Caustic Cocktails.
- I got a good squirt in my mouth
- I would imagine that there would be a large amount of involuntary gagging
- I don't know about you but I'm not into swallowing it
CCR discussion on Caustic Cocktails.
Re: Sola 600 won't charge
Plain old vinegar. Soak ~ 5-10", flush warm water, re-soak in warm water with a bit of bicarbonate, flush again, shake out, blow dry.
Put just a tiny smidgen of silicone on the contacts? Not sure if that is appropriate for that system but is generally useful and harmless to most electrics. Your call.
I'm assuming there is low voltage protection in those. Lithium batteries that are over discharged can be compromised to ruined in a single over discharge. If possible never run them down lower than 80% of their charge. This is best for ALL rechargeables (not even NiCad PACKS), and most important for lithium.
Put just a tiny smidgen of silicone on the contacts? Not sure if that is appropriate for that system but is generally useful and harmless to most electrics. Your call.
I'm assuming there is low voltage protection in those. Lithium batteries that are over discharged can be compromised to ruined in a single over discharge. If possible never run them down lower than 80% of their charge. This is best for ALL rechargeables (not even NiCad PACKS), and most important for lithium.
To Air is Human,
To Respire, Divine.
To Respire, Divine.
Re: Sola 600 won't charge
Plug and unplug the charging connector rapidly about 10-15 times. That is what the rep had me try several months ago for this same issue and it worked like a charm. Then do the rest of things everyone mentioned to reduce likelihood of recurrence.
----
"I survived the Brittandrea Dorikulla, where's my T-shirt!"
"I survived the Brittandrea Dorikulla, where's my T-shirt!"
Re: Sola 600 won't charge
I had to use steel wool on mine when it did the same thing. Works fine now.
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dphershman
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Re: Sola 600 won't charge
No luck on either DIY methods. If the commercial product (deoxit) doesn't work I guess it'll have to be returned for repairs.
Dan Hershman
Re: Sola 600 won't charge
I have a Corrosion Buster Pen that I have used in similar situations on phones and other electronics. The glass fibers are soft enough not to remove plating on the contacts unlike most abrasives and many chemicals. I don't know how the contacts on the Sola's are, the glass fiber bundle on the pen is around 1/8" diameter, so if it won't fit don't bother buying the pen. I'm pretty sure that I got mine from Fisheries Supply.
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They didn't look too good when I was spitting in my mask for dive #2!" - cardiver
"Mmmm....... Oreos!
They didn't look too good when I was spitting in my mask for dive #2!" - cardiver
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dphershman
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Re: Sola 600 won't charge
A happy ending to this story......
I tried everything that was posted here on cleaning the contacts and nothing worked. I then took it to my LDS, and they called L&M for suggestions. The rep said that if the unit is charged on a lower than normal voltage the battery will go into a "hibernation mode", effectively preventing it from charging. (Which is odd, because the light itself worked fine, it just wouldn't recharge). A quick diassemby of the front lens allowed access to the battery, where a simple adjustment to the circuit inside reset the battery so that it would charge again. Good as new!
The only cause for this 'low voltage' hibernation I can think of is my recent trip to Hornby island in BC. The light refused to charge just as i returned from that trip. Next time I'm up there I'll ask Rob and Amanda how much the power fluctuates up there.
Dan
I tried everything that was posted here on cleaning the contacts and nothing worked. I then took it to my LDS, and they called L&M for suggestions. The rep said that if the unit is charged on a lower than normal voltage the battery will go into a "hibernation mode", effectively preventing it from charging. (Which is odd, because the light itself worked fine, it just wouldn't recharge). A quick diassemby of the front lens allowed access to the battery, where a simple adjustment to the circuit inside reset the battery so that it would charge again. Good as new!
The only cause for this 'low voltage' hibernation I can think of is my recent trip to Hornby island in BC. The light refused to charge just as i returned from that trip. Next time I'm up there I'll ask Rob and Amanda how much the power fluctuates up there.
Dan
Dan Hershman
Re: Sola 600 won't charge
Great ending to your SOLA issue!
Mine is a paperweight now. The tap switch has failed and once turned on, it can't be turned off anymore. At first it started to just stick a bit in the forward position and then eventually got worse until it failed completely. I've tried all the soaking advice L&M told me to do via email- I guess I just have to send it back to them for repair. Sucked to lose it in the middle of a liveaboard.
Mine is a paperweight now. The tap switch has failed and once turned on, it can't be turned off anymore. At first it started to just stick a bit in the forward position and then eventually got worse until it failed completely. I've tried all the soaking advice L&M told me to do via email- I guess I just have to send it back to them for repair. Sucked to lose it in the middle of a liveaboard.
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dphershman
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Re: Sola 600 won't charge
take it to wherever you bought it and ask them to get hold of LM for a solution that actually works. L&M responded to a phone call from my LDS right away, whereas they pretty much ignored my requests for help.Tangfish wrote:Great ending to your SOLA issue!
Mine is a paperweight now. The tap switch has failed and once turned on, it can't be turned off anymore. At first it started to just stick a bit in the forward position and then eventually got worse until it failed completely. I've tried all the soaking advice L&M told me to do via email- I guess I just have to send it back to them for repair. Sucked to lose it in the middle of a liveaboard.
Dan
Dan Hershman