Problem with light

[kimbalabala]

I have a little SeaLife Sea Dragon Mini 600 LED UW Light, SL982. It has two power levels. When I'm on land it works fine. When I get to depth it will work fine for a couple of minutes and then it turns itself off. My husband thought it was operator error so I shoved it into his hands to let him show me how to do it properly ... and he had the same problem. I've tried changing out batteries; re-lubing the o-ring; shaking it and cussing at it. It's been like this since I got it (I bought it at a silent auction a couple of years ago). Until recently I really thought it was operator error too. Have any of you had this problem? Suggestions?

 

[SeaLife Bjorn]

Hi Kimbalabala,
I see you have already contacted the SeaLife Service center about this issue, and you suspect bad battery. Using a non-compatible battery could cause issues. Recommend using two single-use CRV123 or rechargeable 18650 Li-ion battery from XTAR or other reputable supplier. Battery should be at least 2600mAh and use Japanese-made cell. Also, when using the light on land it can overheat at full power after a few minutes. The internal thermal protector circuit will dim the light until it cools down. Hope this helps.

SeaLife

 

[fmerkel]

There are a LOT of crap 18650 batteries out there. If ANY of them advertise more than 3400mA capacity I can pretty much guarantee they are junk. Look for Panasonic, Sanyo, LG, or Sony.

 

[SeaLife Bjorn]

That is true. There are some brands using cells made by Panasonic/Sanyo(merged), LG or Sony. Maximum mAh manufactured these days is 3400. Minimum should be 2600 to ensure the battery delivers enough amps. Battery should also have button top and integrated protective circuit. Xtar and Tenergy are two brands readily available that meet these requirements.

 

[Clark Fletcher]

I'm assuming since you didn't mention it that when you opened it up after diving there was no moisture inside?

 

[kimbalabala]

Clark, you are correct - all dry inside.

I traded emails with a SeaLife technician and she confirmed the other info about batteries and recommended XTAR specifically. Hoping this fixes my problem. Thanks for the input!

 

[Clark Fletcher]

Clark, you are correct - all dry inside.

I traded emails with a SeaLife technician and she confirmed the other info about batteries and recommended XTAR specifically. Hoping this fixes my problem. Thanks for the input!

Please keep us posted as to whether this fixes the problem. I have a Sea Dragon light with my camera and was strongly considering a Sea Dragon 650 Mini as a secondary light.

 

[kimbalabala]

Clark, I'll keep you posted. My next dive trip is in September - trying to figure out a way to hit the water locally prior to that though. When the light works, it's nice. It has two settings and a wide beam so it's great for photography. I'm a bit of a minimalist and don't think I'd ever be able to handle the big lighting rig and camera that many underwater photographers use. I set up my SeaLife Micro HD with just this light on an L bar and it takes good pics.

If you're thinking about it as a secondary light, NOT to be used for photography I would look for something else. Because the beam is so wide it's just too diffuse to do a lot. If you need an inexpensive spot light I'd try the dive gear express DGX 600. It's $55 and "Offering 600 lumens and depth rated below 600 feet, the DGX 600 Handheld Light The DGX 600 Handheld Light features a true out-the-front 600 system lumens (1100+ raw LED lumens) of cool white 6500°K light in a tight 8° beam". I really like it for spotting critters but it sucks as a photo light because the beam is too narrow and the light is too intense (I know this because I tried it when my Dragon wasn't working).

I'll let you know how it works. Crossing my fingers.