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Dear owners of Suunto dive computers,
I have been watching the topics in the Internet diving newsgroups
for one year but never have sent a message to common
distribution.As a representant of Suunto Company I feel now that
some additional comments from our side would be accepted to give
more detailed information regarding low BAT issue.
1.We have for years been using in our Solution,Solution Alpha
and Eon computers lithium batteries supplied by SAFT.This
company is one of the few manufacturing1/2 AA batteries with
higher 3,6 voltage level.In general we have been satisfied with their
quality but they had some problems with excess internal oxidization
of their old battery type LS3 .In limited cases this has lead into
unstable voltagelevel and shorter battery life than expected.To
improve their quality and reliability of this battery they introduced
two years ago the type LS14250 which also has approx. 10% more
capacity over the old one.We have been using the new one just
from the beginning with good experience and all our Solution
Alphas and Eons have been equipped with that battery.
2.Internal oxidization is a common problem with the lithium
batteries.On the other hand it is partly the reason why these
batteries have extremely long shelf life.It namely prevents the
discharging of the battery by itself.However when the battery is out
of use or the current drain is minimal for long period of time it may
be difficult to "wake up" the battery.Some people have done that in
a brutal way by throwing the battery against the floor but we really
don=B4t recommend that.
3.As discussed earlier the external temperature influences into
battery voltage level and if it gets below the microprocessor related
limit it may cause loss of tissue calculation especially during the
pressure measuring and buzzer power peaks.As a manufacturer we
have to stay on the safe side when choosing the alarm limit.
Temprature becomes to a real problem when we approach the
freezing point.Therefore we recommend that the computer shoud
be stored in a warm place before diving in extreme conditions like
we have here in Finland during wintertime.The temperature can
easily be below -20 degrees C before entering the ice covered
water.Naturally in the water the temperature is not so big a problem
for the battery because it doesn`t get very much below 0 degrees
C!
4.Battery replacements should always be made following our
manual for the battery replacements.Eon battery replacement can
be carried out by the owner and the instructions with the list of
spareparts needed can be found from the instruction manual.All the
other computers must be serviced by the authorized Suunto
distributors/dealers.Unfortunately we have seen Solutions and Eons
equipped with 3,0 volt batteries which are cheaper and easier to get
but results into very short battery life and may even cause safety
problems.Most likely these replacements have been made by the
owners.Our Companions and Favors use 3,0 volt battery which are
at the moment made by Varta.
The best way to maximize the battery life of a computer is to store
it well cleaned in a dry place.This enables the computer to go into
sleeping mode just after all the tissue calculations have been
finished.
5.We have adopted the transparent battery compartment lids into
all of our computers to allow for leak detection after the battery
replacements.These lids are also available for "old " Solutions.
Safe and happy diving to all of you!
Ari L{hteenm{ki
=20
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