Suunto problems.

[njmorrell]

Is it just me or are there serious problems with Suunto computers? Following all within one month.

First my Vytec DS wouldn't let me switch to mix 2 on a dive and now behaves in a random fashion when I access the various menus.

Second my wife's Gekko decided to go into dive mode all on its own without being anywhere near the water.

Third one of the rental Gekkos at the dive shop started to continually reset the date/time back to year zero.

Of course I have tried removing/replacing the battery without success.

All these computers have more than 100 dives.

Is there a problem with software corruption after a lot of dives?

Nick.

 

[RickyF]

I am not sure, but mine starting not letting me switch between air and nitrox after i do the first nitrox dive, even after 24 hours? I had to set the nitrox to 21% to overcome it.

 

[tadawson]

Read the maual - that is working as per design, since they don't have the ability to maintain deco status with a mode change . . . clearly in the manual, at least for the Cobra. 24 hours is to get to zero RNT at which time it's allowed. I think the Cobra manual may even mention what you did - if you need to change gases, use nitrox mode and run air as 21 percent . . .

- Tim

 

[tstormdiver]

There have been problems in some batches. I had a HelO2 a couple years ago that decided to invent its own depths. I was teaching an OW class in the shallow end of the quarry (no more than 25 ft deep). I came off the dive to discover that it had recorded a depth of 473 ft. I sent it back in & Suunto sent me back a new one within a few weeks. I have also seen problems with computers loosing the links to the pressure transmitter & not linking up without fully wiping out the transmitter ID & reloading it.

On a lighter note, I sure wish I could find that 473 ft hole in the quarry again (max depth there is about 115 ft), but the narcosis was too bad to remember where it was!

 

[njmorrell]

I wonder how many dives did you have on the HelO2? My Vytec had over 400 and probably downloaded over 100 times. All the symptoms seem to indicate that the software is getting corrupted after a lot of dives and maybe a lot of downloads.

 

[tstormdiver]

I probably had 250- 300 or so dives on that computer. Rarely downloaded them. I would just usually take the information & write it down in my log book (old fashioned in that respect, I guess)

 

[chinacat46]

I have an old vyper which just went south. Has over 1000 dives on it. On my last trip I was on a dive and it said I was on the surface when I clearly wasn't. I looked at my other computer and it read 10 feet. I've tried washing the contacts but it still reads off by 9 to 10 feet. Since it's 10 years old and probably about 1200 dives I think it's time for a replacement.

 

[njmorrell]

More on Suunto problems.

I sent my Vytec back to Suunto under warrenty but they made such a crappy offer (40% off a Vyper Air) that I got it back. After about 20 attempts (it was behaving very erratically to buttons being pressed) I got it into gauge mode and then after another 20 attempts got it into data transfer mode. I used this program Suunto Tools to reset everything and clear the memory.

Now it wont respond to any buttons being pressed.

However I took it diving this week and it worked perfectly in gauge mode.

I think the software is seriously messed up.

I am going to buy a Shearwater.

Nick.

 

[coralcruiser]

I am now on my 3rd suunto computer since 1989 and none of my upgrades were by choice. My first one simply stopped working and could not be repaired. I bought a Gekko and that also stopped working after about 3 years. Bought a vyper 3-4 years ago and am now having issues trying to get into dive mode to set % for nitrox dives. It works, but it takes me many attempts and pushing the set button down with a lot of pressure to get it to function.

Not sure what to do since I can get it to work after messing around with it but do need to start thinking about another computer. I like the ease of working with suunto and the fact that I'm familiar with using them but.... don't like having to buy one every few years.

 

[njmorrell]

Interesting, the more I investigate this, the more divers I find who have similar problems with Suunto computers. Given the reliability of electronic hardware it seems unlikely that all these failures are hardware. I am more and more convinced that the software gets corrupted after a while and then starts to behave erratically. The problem is there seems to be no way to clear the memory and re-load the software.

My Vytec is a now a $1000 bottom timer.

Nick.