Life expectancy of dive computers?

[outofofficebrb]

My 12 year-old Suunto is still going strong (these days used as a backup), and my wife's Suunto Cobra 3 was going on 100 dives or so when she sold it. We currently use Petrels, and hers had a flood apparently caused by a tiny nick on a vulnerable edge of the battery compartment. Not a parts failure, but it was surprising to me who had the impression that Shearwaters were engineered extra-tough for tech diving environments. As others have said, you just never know.

For all we gripe about how expensive dive computers are, they really are not expensive as such electronic devices go; they are priced like other "consumer electronics" and probably built to roughly similar reliability standards. We're not talking mil-spec or even serious commercial-grade electronics here.

So was the Petrel donezo and gone?

 

[Jonny Wishbone]

Of all the different facts and comments here I think the best dive computers are the ones that "can" be serviced by the manufacturer and not just a throw away module that can't be fixed so they sell you a replacement. Anything that can't be serviced or fixed is a throw away piece of trash and should be priced as a throw away piece of trash. I don't mind paying more for a computer that can truly be fixed/repaired/serviced. Just imagine if your home computer or your car was just a throw away that could bot be serviced, fixed or repaired. Imagine if your regulator was just a throw away that once something goes wrong with it you just have to buy a new one. Just sayin...

 

[Damselfish]

I think you had some bum units or bad luck. We've only owned Suuntos like Vypers, Gekkos, and some earlier ones. We each dive with 2 and they all have logged many years and hundreds of dives. Probably some have 500, 800, no idea. I've only replaced computers to get features, and 1-2 floods that weren't the computers fault. Maybe "they don't make things like they used to" applies here and sticking with the old ones that just keep working is the secret for us.

 

[Diving Dubai]

My wife and I both have cressi leonardo which we brought 5 years ago. They got used moderately for 18 months and have around 150 dives each on them. We stopped using them when we upgraded to Eon Steels. We still keep teh Cressi's and renew their batteries as emergency or loan computers. And they're fine

Our Eon's both have 400 + dives again fine. Mine had a pressure sensor fail - there serial numbers are very close which leads me to suspect I just had an errant sensor (I know others here with steels all around the same age and I'm the only one thats had a problem).

You pays your money and takes your chances....

 

[Centrals]

My work horse is a Uwatec Aladin Pro nitrox when I bought it in 1997. My other Uwatec Aladin Pro(bought 1996) died 3 yrs ago.
The oil filled chamber means there is no such thing as flooding. Battery changing is a bit messy but no big deal.

 

[Kimela]

I should add that we both have Gekko's and never had a problem. My husband got a Datamask at the same time as me and it never worked right for him. He kept losing the signal to the transmitter so it became a joke that he had a steel plate in his head that he was never told about! He finally exchanged it for the VT4 and had no problems with it.

I do feel like we've gotten some lemons - and we've since decided that we're not going to spend top dollar to get the latest bells and whistles as long as we can get something solid that will do the job. I.e., I didn't replace my Cobra with another nifty air integrated computer - I got an analog SPG and use my Gekko as backup for my Datamask now.

 

[Steve_C]

Agree. My Suunto Cobra has 71 dives since I purchased it new in Oct. 2013 and still shows the battery to be good, but low. Think I better replace my battery before I take off for some diving in a couple of weeks.

I have seen computers quit working when batter is good but low. Some of them require a certain voltage level to function. I replace my batteries each year. Maybe overkill but small price for piece of mind.

 

[bladder]

I have seen computers quit working when batter is good but low. Some of them require a certain voltage level to function. I replace my batteries each year. Maybe overkill but small price for piece of mind.

You're throwing perfectly good batteries in the trash which only adds to the pollution problem. Also every time you replace the battery you're disturbing the seal which increases the chances of a flood and destruction of your computer at worst, and at the very least, the loss of the use of the computer for at least one dive.

Better idea- have a backup computer on your rig at all times. If and when your primary computer battery gets low, it will let you know. Replace it before the next dive. In the event the computer simply quits on you with no warning due to a low or dead battery, you've got your backup.

 

[Steve_C]

. If and when your primary computer battery gets low, it will let you know.

Not really. Had dive buddy whose computer completely shut down with 80% left in battery.

I had a computer not hold my nitrox settings as I discovered at 100 ft. It would work fine on the dive but did not hold a nitrox setting set a few minutes before the dive so it said I was on air. This was on a Suunto that required resetting nitrox setting before each day of diving. I have since traded it away and now have two computers that keep the nitrox setting until changed.

I do dive two computers. But I prefer to dive two that I think are fully functional and reliable.

If the batteries were pefectly good I would not replace them. I do not consider a depleted but functioning battery as perfectly good. Just like I do not drive my car tires until they go bald and I get a blowout.

 

[bladder]

I do not consider a depleted but functioning battery as perfectly good. Just like I do not drive my car tires until they go bald and I get a blowout.

Might as well change the batteries after each dive then. According to your logic they're no good anymore because "they're depleted".

While you're at it, change your tires every time you drive around the block.