Optima/Hammerhead Primary Handset Failure During Dive?

***jradomski*** · 17th March 2008, 22:34

Quote: (Originally Posted by smokey)

Very true !

Could it be the extra load of the solinoid breaking down the contact. The screw caps actually score the cell, on the new handsets much improvement.

The cell voltage warning should have picked this up ?

I too had problems with the older hand sets, please dont let this happen again.

Duracell are not perfect I found a cell with reverced polarity, yes the + was - and the - was + wish I had sent it back might have gave me a hole box for HH use.

Currently useing Duracell "professional" industrial seem to be ok,

The battery warning should be displayed when the voltage drops due to higher demand and then should clear.. The wraning is only as effective on how closely you watch what its showing you..

**sfldiver** · 17th March 2008, 22:42

Quote: (Originally Posted by jradomski)

What do you have your battery alarm set at??

My battery alarm is set at 1.2.

Quote: (Originally Posted by jradomski)

Do you check what it is saying??

I check the voltage on the battery at the time of installation, but I do not specifically check it at any other time, which is why I opted to put a fresh battery each time I change my scrubber or every day of diving, whichever comes first.

Quote: (Originally Posted by jradomski)

I have seen BRAND NEW batteries give alarms after only a short period of use.. just because its new does not mean its good.. The battery monitor measures the battery under load, a simple volt meter test is useless in that a battery might be able to produce a voltage but not produce any current.. a momentary alarm occasionally (set at 1.2v) when both the Backlight and solenoid are firing is usually ok (not ok without any additional load) but the alarm getting set continually points to a weak cell.. If the voltage drops below 1.0v the controller will reset..

If you can't answer what the voltage was, you aren't paying close enough attention to the information that the handset is telling you.. BTW I just ran 4 CCR classes (and some dives before) on a single set of lithium 3.6v cells.. During each class I never removed the cells.. I finally changed them when the alarms got continual (mostly 2.9v) on the last dive of the 4th class (but no problems yet underwater).

When I was trained, it was suggested by my instructor that I use the higher-end high voltage batteries, which I initially did. One day, my handset fell into a constant loop between dives, without any indication that the voltage was low. Immediately following that event, I posted my experience online and received feedback from several others that had experienced the same thing. Within that post, Kevin Jurgensen himself posted a comment indicating that he personaly just uses simple batteries and changes them VERY often and he seemed to feel that was the best approach, which is the system I adopted - Who am I do go against the implied suggestion of the developer of the handsets, but now it seems that approach may be a problem too.

At this point, I'm not sure what to do? I will certainly make a point of paying closer attention to the voltmeter while the handset is under load, but that still doesn't answer the question of which battery to use and specifically how often to change the battery?

Quote: (Originally Posted by jradomski)

I would also make sure the contacts are clean.. They are now SS so it shoulndt be an issue but a cleaning now and then helps.. A point alot of people overlook is the contacts on the batteries themsleves.. Batteries tarnish quiete easily when exposed to air.. hit each side with an eraser and you would be surprised how shiny they get..

I will definitely make a habit of checking the cantacts within my handsets. I will also make a habit of cleaning the battery contacts as well.

Thanks for the advice!

***jradomski*** · 17th March 2008, 22:57

Quote: (Originally Posted by sfldiver)

My battery alarm is set at 1.2.

I check the voltage on the battery at the time of installation, but I do not specifically check it at any other time, which is why I opted to put a fresh battery each time I change my scrubber or every day of diving, whichever comes first.

When I was trained, it was suggested by my instructor that I use the higher-end high voltage batteries, which I initially did. One day, my handset fell into a constant loop between dives, without any indication that the voltage was low. Immediately following that event, I posted my experience online and received feedback from several others that had experienced the same thing. Within that post, Kevin Jurgensen himself posted a comment indicating that he personaly just uses simple batteries and changes them VERY often and he seemed to feel that was the best approach, which is the system I adopted - Who am I do go against the implied suggestion of the developer of the handsets, but now it seems that approach may be a problem too.

At this point, I'm not sure what to do? I will certainly make a point of paying closer attention to the voltmeter while the handset is under load, but that still doesn't answer the question of which battery to use and specifically how often to change the battery?

I will definitely make a habit of checking the cantacts within my handsets. I will also make a habit of cleaning the battery contacts as well.

Thanks for the advice!

CHanging the batteries frequently is always a good suggestion.. I personally prefer the lithium batteries because they work better in cold water not as big advantage in warm water other than duration.. I also know what to expect since I have been using them this way for a long time..

I will use 1.5v alkalines in warm water and make sure that I pay attention to the voltmeter now that there is one.. My PERSONAL feeling is that since I know how the lithium cells work and once I have a cell that is good I know what to expect.. Changing lots of cells increases the odds that I will hit a duff one, but lowers the odds of a battery failing under use (once you know its good).. Without the battery warning function, I always tried to avoid the 1.5v cells whenever I could..

for the display to be dead as was your last case that battery REALLY had to be bad, because a poor cell even after a reset can usually run the controller for sometime (if the b-l is not activated), then would go into a reset loop mode (when it tries to fire the solenoid), again for some time..
I know from past experience that I have had a handset reset underwater from a low battery (alkaline) and still was able to let the controller keep the po2 for the remainder of the dive (in this case it was over 2 hours of deco in warm water)

diverreb · 17th March 2008, 23:15

I use 1.5 Volt Energizer Titanium AA's from Sams Club. Only had one problem with the old handsets and Kevin gave me some tips to avoid the issue... (Pull the spring out a little, wire brush the threads and clean the contacts with an eraser at regular intervals.) After that I did that I never had a problem in warm or cold water.

I have the new handsets now, but won't get to use them until April.

Question... Is there a battery tester that can not only check the voltage, but also check them under load to see if they OK to use?

Richie

jkaterenchuk · 17th March 2008, 23:48

Quote: (Originally Posted by diverreb)

I use 1.5 Volt Energizer Titanium AA's from Sams Club. Only had one problem with the old handsets and Kevin gave me some tips to avoid the issue... (Pull the spring out a little, wire brush the threads and clean the contacts with an eraser at regular intervals.) After that I did that I never had a problem in warm or cold water.

I have the new handsets now, but won't get to use them until April.

Question... Is there a battery tester that can not only check the voltage, but also check them under load to see if they OK to use?

Richie

Richie

I remember a thread about one year ago covering what was required to check the battery under load. Joe R was involved in the discussion so you might look at some of his old post to find it.

John

SkinAndScuba · 18th March 2008, 00:36

Some comercial battery testers for 1.5V cells load the cell with a 10 ohm resistor. This might give an ok reading, but I think you might want to go down to about 4 ohm to simulate the solenoid.

Quote: (Originally Posted by jkaterenchuk)

Richie

I remember a thread about one year ago covering what was required to check the battery under load. Joe R was involved in the discussion so you might look at some of his old post to find it.

John

***jradomski*** · 18th March 2008, 01:25

Quote: (Originally Posted by diverreb)

I use 1.5 Volt Energizer Titanium AA's from Sams Club. Only had one problem with the old handsets and Kevin gave me some tips to avoid the issue... (Pull the spring out a little, wire brush the threads and clean the contacts with an eraser at regular intervals.) After that I did that I never had a problem in warm or cold water.

I have the new handsets now, but won't get to use them until April.

Question... Is there a battery tester that can not only check the voltage, but also check them under load to see if they OK to use?

Richie

not that I am aware of.. and for that case all testers test for a constant load, which is NOT the case on a device like the HH... a reading with a constant drain around 40ma would show very bad cells, but otherwise would not identify cells that cant deliever on surge.. The voltage monitor on the HH is effective during the dive once you see how it responds over a period of time..

a low resistance short will identify alot of cells as bad that would be perfectly acceptable since all the surges are just pulses not a constant hi current draw..

SCUBAbear · 18th March 2008, 01:29

Please don't take this as jumping to conclusions, but is this possibly what may have lead to Mike's problem on Saturday near Pompano?

Having worked in broadcast electronics over the years, I have truly come to not trust molex style connectors. After many missed top of the hour news casts on a radio network, All molex connectors in the cart playback machines were eliminated. Misfired newscasts went to near zero after that modification.

I had 3 failures with my oxy 2 last year and every time it was due to the 3 pin molex connector that connects the 2 o2 sensors to the circuit board. After the 3rd failure, the female molex connector got cut off and the leads soldered directly to the pins on the O2 sensors. Haven't had a problem of that nature since. It is scary to think what all in the world relies on this style of interconnection.

Electronic connections in the type of gear we are using is further troubled by the moist / salty environment we use it in.

***jradomski*** · 18th March 2008, 01:41

Quote: (Originally Posted by SCUBAbear)

Please don't take this as jumping to conclusions, but is this possibly what may have lead to Mike's problem on Saturday near Pompano?

Having worked in broadcast electronics over the years, I have truly come to not trust molex style connectors. After many missed top of the hour news casts on a radio network, All molex connectors in the cart playback machines were eliminated. Misfired newscasts went to near zero after that modification.

I had 3 failures with my oxy 2 last year and every time it was due to the 3 pin molex connector that connects the 2 o2 sensors to the circuit board. After the 3rd failure, the female molex connector got cut off and the leads soldered directly to the pins on the O2 sensors. Haven't had a problem of that nature since. It is scary to think what all in the world relies on this style of interconnection.

Electronic connections in the type of gear we are using is further troubled by the moist / salty environment we use it in.

doub it highly.. a loose connector would drop that cell to most likely a 0 and it would get voted out.. the 2 other cells would then take over.. if there were multiple troubles, you would get extra o2 injection not less.. and at the early stage of a dive it wouldn't be an issue..

If you keep the connectors clean and use gold plated ones (as does the hh), they last along time.. On top of that the harness used on most of the RBs with the HH installed are very easy to change.. Over the years I have had lots of dives using molex connectors and can only recall a few instances with problems and all of these were on the surface not diving..

I think alot of the variation on how successfull the connection is or isnt depends on what stresses and movements the connectors are exposed to..

Until a report is made public I wount speculate.

Mark Chase · 18th March 2008, 08:53

My routine for diving the Hammer head was to clean the cap spring and battery contacts with Biox. Put silver contact grease on the base of the spring then put it in the battery cap. Clean the battery both end using Biox. Use a small brass wire brush to clean the internal and external threads of the battery cap and hand set. Apply silver conductive grease to the threads of the battery cap and then assemble the unit. Threads were also crimped/burred for bite into the hand set.

Fresh Duracell+ High performance every dive

I did this EVERY dive and I still had multiple problems.

In the end I managed to get a reboot loop that wouldn't stop. I cleaned everything and tried three different 3.6V Saft batteries and it still carried on rebooting.

Kevin kindly sent me new internals for the hand set and I had no further problems.

This proved categorically that the power failure / reboot issue was in my case nothing to do with the batteries or dodgy contacts. What it actually was was never resolved but i am sure a lot of the shutdown issues being experienced out there are from a similar source.

ATB

Mark

17th March 2008, 22:34	#11 (permalink)
*jradomski* Moderator Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Sport Kiss Optima rEvo Other CCR Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Evolution Megalodon Classic Kiss rEvo Other CCR Home Build Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: "Da" Bronx Posts: 2,795	Re: Optima/Hammerhead Primary Handset Failure During Dive? Quote: (Originally Posted by smokey) Very true ! Could it be the extra load of the solinoid breaking down the contact. The screw caps actually score the cell, on the new handsets much improvement. The cell voltage warning should have picked this up ? I too had problems with the older hand sets, please dont let this happen again. Duracell are not perfect I found a cell with reverced polarity, yes the + was - and the - was + wish I had sent it back might have gave me a hole box for HH use. Currently useing Duracell "professional" industrial seem to be ok, The battery warning should be displayed when the voltage drops due to higher demand and then should clear.. The wraning is only as effective on how closely you watch what its showing you.. __________________ Joe Radomski CCR Trimix Instructor Trainer ANDI Instructor Trainer Director #10 All posts are personal opinions and DO NOT reflect any affiliated agency unless specifically stated.
(Online)

17th March 2008, 22:42	#12 (permalink)
sfldiver Team Optima Diver Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Pompano Beach, FL Posts: 635	Re: Optima/Hammerhead Primary Handset Failure During Dive? Quote: (Originally Posted by jradomski) What do you have your battery alarm set at?? My battery alarm is set at 1.2. Quote: (Originally Posted by jradomski) Do you check what it is saying?? I check the voltage on the battery at the time of installation, but I do not specifically check it at any other time, which is why I opted to put a fresh battery each time I change my scrubber or every day of diving, whichever comes first. Quote: (Originally Posted by jradomski) I have seen BRAND NEW batteries give alarms after only a short period of use.. just because its new does not mean its good.. The battery monitor measures the battery under load, a simple volt meter test is useless in that a battery might be able to produce a voltage but not produce any current.. a momentary alarm occasionally (set at 1.2v) when both the Backlight and solenoid are firing is usually ok (not ok without any additional load) but the alarm getting set continually points to a weak cell.. If the voltage drops below 1.0v the controller will reset.. If you can't answer what the voltage was, you aren't paying close enough attention to the information that the handset is telling you.. BTW I just ran 4 CCR classes (and some dives before) on a single set of lithium 3.6v cells.. During each class I never removed the cells.. I finally changed them when the alarms got continual (mostly 2.9v) on the last dive of the 4th class (but no problems yet underwater). When I was trained, it was suggested by my instructor that I use the higher-end high voltage batteries, which I initially did. One day, my handset fell into a constant loop between dives, without any indication that the voltage was low. Immediately following that event, I posted my experience online and received feedback from several others that had experienced the same thing. Within that post, Kevin Jurgensen himself posted a comment indicating that he personaly just uses simple batteries and changes them VERY often and he seemed to feel that was the best approach, which is the system I adopted - Who am I do go against the implied suggestion of the developer of the handsets, but now it seems that approach may be a problem too. At this point, I'm not sure what to do? I will certainly make a point of paying closer attention to the voltmeter while the handset is under load, but that still doesn't answer the question of which battery to use and specifically how often to change the battery? Quote: (Originally Posted by jradomski) I would also make sure the contacts are clean.. They are now SS so it shoulndt be an issue but a cleaning now and then helps.. A point alot of people overlook is the contacts on the batteries themsleves.. Batteries tarnish quiete easily when exposed to air.. hit each side with an eraser and you would be surprised how shiny they get.. I will definitely make a habit of checking the cantacts within my handsets. I will also make a habit of cleaning the battery contacts as well. Thanks for the advice! __________________ *Currently piloting & shooting...* Dive Rite O2ptima FX Rigged w/ a Dsix Custom Aluminum Frame, Nomad Wing, Transpac Harness and VR3 Computer w/ VPM-B/E & a 4th Cell Sensor Link.* Canon PowerShot G9 Digital Camera *Rigged in a Patima-PDCH 2008 G9 Aluminum Housing w/ an Inon UWL-100 Achromat Wide Conversion Lens, 2 Inon UCL-165M67 Close-Up Lenses and 2 Inon Z-240 Strobes.
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17th March 2008, 22:57	#13 (permalink)
*jradomski* Moderator Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Sport Kiss Optima rEvo Other CCR Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Evolution Megalodon Classic Kiss rEvo Other CCR Home Build Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: "Da" Bronx Posts: 2,795	Re: Optima/Hammerhead Primary Handset Failure During Dive? Quote: (Originally Posted by sfldiver) My battery alarm is set at 1.2. I check the voltage on the battery at the time of installation, but I do not specifically check it at any other time, which is why I opted to put a fresh battery each time I change my scrubber or every day of diving, whichever comes first. When I was trained, it was suggested by my instructor that I use the higher-end high voltage batteries, which I initially did. One day, my handset fell into a constant loop between dives, without any indication that the voltage was low. Immediately following that event, I posted my experience online and received feedback from several others that had experienced the same thing. Within that post, Kevin Jurgensen himself posted a comment indicating that he personaly just uses simple batteries and changes them VERY often and he seemed to feel that was the best approach, which is the system I adopted - Who am I do go against the implied suggestion of the developer of the handsets, but now it seems that approach may be a problem too. At this point, I'm not sure what to do? I will certainly make a point of paying closer attention to the voltmeter while the handset is under load, but that still doesn't answer the question of which battery to use and specifically how often to change the battery? I will definitely make a habit of checking the cantacts within my handsets. I will also make a habit of cleaning the battery contacts as well. Thanks for the advice! CHanging the batteries frequently is always a good suggestion.. I personally prefer the lithium batteries because they work better in cold water not as big advantage in warm water other than duration.. I also know what to expect since I have been using them this way for a long time.. I will use 1.5v alkalines in warm water and make sure that I pay attention to the voltmeter now that there is one.. My PERSONAL feeling is that since I know how the lithium cells work and once I have a cell that is good I know what to expect.. Changing lots of cells increases the odds that I will hit a duff one, but lowers the odds of a battery failing under use (once you know its good).. Without the battery warning function, I always tried to avoid the 1.5v cells whenever I could.. for the display to be dead as was your last case that battery REALLY had to be bad, because a poor cell even after a reset can usually run the controller for sometime (if the b-l is not activated), then would go into a reset loop mode (when it tries to fire the solenoid), again for some time.. I know from past experience that I have had a handset reset underwater from a low battery (alkaline) and still was able to let the controller keep the po2 for the remainder of the dive (in this case it was over 2 hours of deco in warm water) __________________ Joe Radomski CCR Trimix Instructor Trainer ANDI Instructor Trainer Director #10 All posts are personal opinions and DO NOT reflect any affiliated agency unless specifically stated.
(Online)

17th March 2008, 23:15	#14 (permalink)
diverreb DE/MD/NJ Wreck Diver Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Dover, DE Posts: 470	Re: Optima/Hammerhead Primary Handset Failure During Dive? I use 1.5 Volt Energizer Titanium AA's from Sams Club. Only had one problem with the old handsets and Kevin gave me some tips to avoid the issue... (Pull the spring out a little, wire brush the threads and clean the contacts with an eraser at regular intervals.) After that I did that I never had a problem in warm or cold water. I have the new handsets now, but won't get to use them until April. Question... Is there a battery tester that can not only check the voltage, but also check them under load to see if they OK to use? Richie
(Online)

17th March 2008, 23:48	#15 (permalink)
jkaterenchuk . Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Megalodon Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: May 2006 Location: Lititz, PA Posts: 558	Re: Optima/Hammerhead Primary Handset Failure During Dive? Quote: (Originally Posted by diverreb) I use 1.5 Volt Energizer Titanium AA's from Sams Club. Only had one problem with the old handsets and Kevin gave me some tips to avoid the issue... (Pull the spring out a little, wire brush the threads and clean the contacts with an eraser at regular intervals.) After that I did that I never had a problem in warm or cold water. I have the new handsets now, but won't get to use them until April. Question... Is there a battery tester that can not only check the voltage, but also check them under load to see if they OK to use? Richie Richie I remember a thread about one year ago covering what was required to check the battery under load. Joe R was involved in the discussion so you might look at some of his old post to find it. John
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18th March 2008, 00:36	#16 (permalink)
SkinAndScuba New Member Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Optima Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: South Africa Three Rivers Posts: 38	Re: Optima/Hammerhead Primary Handset Failure During Dive? Some comercial battery testers for 1.5V cells load the cell with a 10 ohm resistor. This might give an ok reading, but I think you might want to go down to about 4 ohm to simulate the solenoid. Quote: (Originally Posted by jkaterenchuk) Richie I remember a thread about one year ago covering what was required to check the battery under load. Joe R was involved in the discussion so you might look at some of his old post to find it. John __________________ Kenneth Wessels #19799 Skin & Scuba P.O. Box 264493 Three Rivers 1935 South Africa
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18th March 2008, 01:25	#17 (permalink)
*jradomski* Moderator Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Sport Kiss Optima rEvo Other CCR Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Evolution Megalodon Classic Kiss rEvo Other CCR Home Build Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: "Da" Bronx Posts: 2,795	Re: Optima/Hammerhead Primary Handset Failure During Dive? Quote: (Originally Posted by diverreb) I use 1.5 Volt Energizer Titanium AA's from Sams Club. Only had one problem with the old handsets and Kevin gave me some tips to avoid the issue... (Pull the spring out a little, wire brush the threads and clean the contacts with an eraser at regular intervals.) After that I did that I never had a problem in warm or cold water. I have the new handsets now, but won't get to use them until April. Question... Is there a battery tester that can not only check the voltage, but also check them under load to see if they OK to use? Richie not that I am aware of.. and for that case all testers test for a constant load, which is NOT the case on a device like the HH... a reading with a constant drain around 40ma would show very bad cells, but otherwise would not identify cells that cant deliever on surge.. The voltage monitor on the HH is effective during the dive once you see how it responds over a period of time.. a low resistance short will identify alot of cells as bad that would be perfectly acceptable since all the surges are just pulses not a constant hi current draw.. __________________ Joe Radomski CCR Trimix Instructor Trainer ANDI Instructor Trainer Director #10 All posts are personal opinions and DO NOT reflect any affiliated agency unless specifically stated.
(Online)

18th March 2008, 01:29	#18 (permalink)
SCUBAbear New Member Current Rebreather/s: Dolphin Other Rebreather/s: Dolphin Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Ne Florida Posts: 3	Re: Optima/Hammerhead Primary Handset Failure During Dive? Please don't take this as jumping to conclusions, but is this possibly what may have lead to Mike's problem on Saturday near Pompano? Having worked in broadcast electronics over the years, I have truly come to not trust molex style connectors. After many missed top of the hour news casts on a radio network, All molex connectors in the cart playback machines were eliminated. Misfired newscasts went to near zero after that modification. I had 3 failures with my oxy 2 last year and every time it was due to the 3 pin molex connector that connects the 2 o2 sensors to the circuit board. After the 3rd failure, the female molex connector got cut off and the leads soldered directly to the pins on the O2 sensors. Haven't had a problem of that nature since. It is scary to think what all in the world relies on this style of interconnection. Electronic connections in the type of gear we are using is further troubled by the moist / salty environment we use it in.
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18th March 2008, 01:41	#19 (permalink)
*jradomski* Moderator Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Sport Kiss Optima rEvo Other CCR Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Evolution Megalodon Classic Kiss rEvo Other CCR Home Build Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: "Da" Bronx Posts: 2,795	Re: Optima/Hammerhead Primary Handset Failure During Dive? Quote: (Originally Posted by SCUBAbear) Please don't take this as jumping to conclusions, but is this possibly what may have lead to Mike's problem on Saturday near Pompano? Having worked in broadcast electronics over the years, I have truly come to not trust molex style connectors. After many missed top of the hour news casts on a radio network, All molex connectors in the cart playback machines were eliminated. Misfired newscasts went to near zero after that modification. I had 3 failures with my oxy 2 last year and every time it was due to the 3 pin molex connector that connects the 2 o2 sensors to the circuit board. After the 3rd failure, the female molex connector got cut off and the leads soldered directly to the pins on the O2 sensors. Haven't had a problem of that nature since. It is scary to think what all in the world relies on this style of interconnection. Electronic connections in the type of gear we are using is further troubled by the moist / salty environment we use it in. doub it highly.. a loose connector would drop that cell to most likely a 0 and it would get voted out.. the 2 other cells would then take over.. if there were multiple troubles, you would get extra o2 injection not less.. and at the early stage of a dive it wouldn't be an issue.. If you keep the connectors clean and use gold plated ones (as does the hh), they last along time.. On top of that the harness used on most of the RBs with the HH installed are very easy to change.. Over the years I have had lots of dives using molex connectors and can only recall a few instances with problems and all of these were on the surface not diving.. I think alot of the variation on how successfull the connection is or isnt depends on what stresses and movements the connectors are exposed to.. Until a report is made public I wount speculate. __________________ Joe Radomski CCR Trimix Instructor Trainer ANDI Instructor Trainer Director #10 All posts are personal opinions and DO NOT reflect any affiliated agency unless specifically stated.
(Online)

18th March 2008, 08:53	#20 (permalink)
Mark Chase I go down for ages Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other CCR Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kent Posts: 2,410	Re: Optima/Hammerhead Primary Handset Failure During Dive? My routine for diving the Hammer head was to clean the cap spring and battery contacts with Biox. Put silver contact grease on the base of the spring then put it in the battery cap. Clean the battery both end using Biox. Use a small brass wire brush to clean the internal and external threads of the battery cap and hand set. Apply silver conductive grease to the threads of the battery cap and then assemble the unit. Threads were also crimped/burred for bite into the hand set. Fresh Duracell+ High performance every dive I did this EVERY dive and I still had multiple problems. In the end I managed to get a reboot loop that wouldn't stop. I cleaned everything and tried three different 3.6V Saft batteries and it still carried on rebooting. Kevin kindly sent me new internals for the hand set and I had no further problems. This proved categorically that the power failure / reboot issue was in my case nothing to do with the batteries or dodgy contacts. What it actually was was never resolved but i am sure a lot of the shutdown issues being experienced out there are from a similar source. ATB Mark __________________ Is it supposed to make that noise ? I took my unit to the dive shop and demanded they bolt on every thing that would fit. Join my elite diving teem and get a Tshirt "Doing It Chasey"Hammerhead Eccr Advanced Diving System
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