Salvo 10W HID NiMH Can Light - Need troubleshooting help

[undrwater]

Last dive, the can light cut out. No surprise, I hadn't charged for the last couple of dives. When I put it on my bench to charge it, I noticed something that looked different that usual; the charger light blinked green, then red for a couple of cycles, then nothing. When I plugged the battery pack, I got no indication from the charger.

My next step would be to find a known working charger and try that. I'm working on finding one for loan from folks in my area (let me know if you have one and are in the area, and are willing!). Are there any other steps I might try, or is there something else I'm missing?

I am going to call Light Monkey tomorrow and ask their advice (apparently they are moving), but I thought I'd ask here as well.

Thanks!

[PfcAJ]

10w HID ballasts typically don't have a low voltage cutoff the same way 21/18w ballasts do. Its possible that you over-discharged your battery (past about 10v) and effectively ruined it. It happens to the best of us, I did the same thing a few years ago on a Halcyon 10w 4.5ah. I make sure to keep track of that burntime a lot better now.

Replacements are relatively inexpensive ($150 or so) and can be had from places like BatterySpace or you can take your old pack to a store like Batteries Plus and have them custom make a pack for you. Be sure to spend the extra cash and get high quality Sanyo cells, they last longer (more cycles) than the cheap ones.

I'd give LM a call and make sure, they're pretty good at helping folks out, from what I've heard.

[Dashrynn]

Maybe if it's an old ballast, but even my old ballast (w/a) had a voltage minimum (cutoff point).

[undrwater]

10w HID ballasts typically don't have a low voltage cutoff the same way 21/18w ballasts do. Its possible that you over-discharged your battery (past about 10v) and effectively ruined it. It happens to the best of us, I did the same thing a few years ago on a Halcyon 10w 4.5ah. I make sure to keep track of that burntime a lot better now.

Replacements are relatively inexpensive ($150 or so) and can be had from places like BatterySpace or you can take your old pack to a store like Batteries Plus and have them custom make a pack for you. Be sure to spend the extra cash and get high quality Sanyo cells, they last longer (more cycles) than the cheap ones.

I'd give LM a call and make sure, they're pretty good at helping folks out, from what I've heard.

Is it possible to tell visually or any other way that a ballast has gone bad? If the ballast is bad, is it possible the battery pack is still OK? I have BatterySpace open in a tab and I notice they have lion packs that should fit into my can and will drive the HID. If I need a new battery pack, I'll probably go that route. Still...what's up with the charger?

[eagle z]

if the charger can't light up even when the battery is unloaded, the charger is possible break down. maybe the mos piece cause that.

[undrwater]

...maybe the mos piece cause that.

Can you explain what you mean by "mos piece"? It looks like I'll have a second charger tomorrow to work with. I'm hoping for the cheapest possible solution, of course!

[PfcAJ]

Is it possible to tell visually or any other way that a ballast has gone bad? If the ballast is bad, is it possible the battery pack is still OK? I have BatterySpace open in a tab and I notice they have lion packs that should fit into my can and will drive the HID. If I need a new battery pack, I'll probably go that route. Still...what's up with the charger?

No, there isn't a way to just look at it and tell, it takes some testing. The fact that you stated that it turned off after multiple dives is what makes me think you overdischarged the pack (below 9v). The ballast is probably fine. Link up with someone and put your lighthead on their pack and see what happens. If their battery fires your light, then you know its not the bulb, ballast, cord, or switch. If your pack won't charge on their charger, then its probably your pack. In the 7 years I've owned a 10w HID, I've never had a ballast failure.

I am unaware of any 10w HIDs that have an automatic low voltage cutoff. They are simply designed differently than 18/21w ballasts. 18/21w ballasts switch off at 10v, while 10w ballasts keep draining past 9v and the light output diminishes, turning very blue, then eventually off completely. Remember, the discharge curve is non-linear, and the voltage drops off dramatically as your approach (or exceed) 10v.

[eagle z]

Can you explain what you mean by "mos piece"? It looks like I'll have a second charger tomorrow to work with. I'm hoping for the cheapest possible solution, of course!

i mean "Metal–OxideSemiconductor", i ask a electrical engineer, he declare that as your describe.

[ajduplessis]

I agree with PfcAJ on the over-discharge.

[lucca brassi]

some better charger could be helpfull

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