Charging problems with Sola 1200

[Jak Crow]

I have a Sola 1200 that's probably over a year old now, and recently it's been giving me a lot of problems charging. The first issue is when plugging it into the AC adapter, sometimes the light on the adapter flickers between green and red, which is usually resolved by unplugging it from the light and plugging it back in. The second issue is the light is not displaying an accurate state of charging. With the light drained from normal use, I will plug it in to charge and the indicator lights will go from red to yellow to all solid green in just a few seconds. Obviously it's not fully charged, so I will leave it plugged in. Sometimes the light ends up getting fully charged this way, but sometimes I'll go to use it and find it didn't charge at all. This is getting really frustrating since it's my main video/focus light for my camera. My first thought is to replace the AC adapter, which I'm in the process of doing, but I would like to know if there may be something wrong with the light itself and if I should send it in to get serviced.

 

[drbill]

There was a problem with the charging circuits on some Sola 1200s. I had one light that had to be sent back to L&M and they did a repair, getting it back to me quickly. Mine was under warranty. The light has worked fine ever since.

 

[Jak Crow]

I was looking at the charging ports on the light and it looks like there may be some build up inside them. I've always soaked the light after diving, but after a more than a year, it's probably to be expected and may be what's interfering with charging. What would the best way to clean these out?

 

[Imla]

Use 35% vinegar on a qtip to clean the ports. rinse thoroughly afterwards.