Note to self--change computer battery compartment o-ring more frequently than never..

[nolatom]

okay, here's an update from your humble English-major servant..

I took Bladder's advice and found a good 3V battery (computer takes a 3.6V). touched the positive end directly and the negative end via a "wire" made out of tinfoil. held it all in place, turned my longtime- faithful hockey puck over, and with bated breath,pushed the button.....

wait for it.....


normal display!!!! A little dim but that may be the 3V vice 3.6?? And the battery case didn't have any rust. I will do the alcohol q-tip cleaning suggested.

So I may have gotten away with this one. Thanks to bladder, and all, for the sage advice. This computer really doesn't owe me anything, it's 16 years old, but I like it--sweet and simple.

Change out that O-ring!!!! (said with all the fervor of the longtime ignoramus recently converted)

 

[vam]

I found this:

Petrel Battery Cap O-Ring Guidelines - Shearwater Research

Any advice on what lubricant would be best? I happen to be into solving Rubick's Cubes, and have high quality silicone lubricant for my cubes... Also from cubing I've been told that most silicone lubricants from the hardware store aren't great. What do you use?

 

[Fibonacci]

After years of using Dow 111 I've recently discovered The O-ring Store's Super Lube... good stuff, easy to apply in a thin film and not as 'tacky' as 111 for certain applications.

Super Lube® Grease is a patented synthetic NLGI grade 2 heavy-duty, multipurpose lubricant with PTFE. Synthetic base fluids and the addition of PTFE micro powders combine to form a premium lubricant that provides longer life protection against friction, wear, rust and corrosion. Machinery lasts longer, downtime is reduced, and productivity is increased. Super Lube® is compatible with most other lubricants and will not run, drip, evaporate or form gummy deposits, and will not melt or separate.

Super Lube® is Food Grade, rated H-1 by the USDA and NSF for incidental food contact. It is an excellent Dielectric and operates over a temperature range from -45° to 450° F. Impervious to salt water.

Super Lube® 21030 Synthetic Grease Tube 3oz Super Lube® 21030 Synthetic Grease Tube 3oz [21030] : The O-Ring Store LLC, We make getting O-Rings easy!

Available in a range of sizes incl nifty 1cc tubes for that save-a-dive kit
Super Lube® 82340 Synthetic Grease 1 cc. Packet [82340-1CC] : The O-Ring Store LLC, We make getting O-Rings easy!

 

[bladder]

So I may have gotten away with this one.

I'd think the voltage is the reason for the dim display. If you had a malfunction due to the flooding it would most likely be blank or the display would look jumbled.

Sounds like only a bit of water got in there, not enough to short everything out.

 

[WarrenZ]

I found this:

Petrel Battery Cap O-Ring Guidelines - Shearwater Research

Any advice on what lubricant would be best? I happen to be into solving Rubick's Cubes, and have high quality silicone lubricant for my cubes... Also from cubing I've been told that most silicone lubricants from the hardware store aren't great. What do you use?

I just use the same tribolube that I use on regulators.

 

[KeithG]

It seems they don't last forever, and I don't recall ever having changed it out--just changed batteries and put more silicone on it. It went blank and when I got around to opening it up, the compartment was very wet, which probably killed the battery since it was making "electric water"?

This is on a rather old Genesis ReAct hockey puck. So I got on Ebay and they had a new o-ring and battery for eleven bucks. And in looking all this up on Google, I saw on several battery-changing tutorials a warning to ALWAYS change out your o-ring when you renew batteries. Who knew?? Possibly everyone but me.


PS: I decline to say if this amazing discovery is related to a recent post about "some guy" who did a drift dive anyway, with a dead computer...
;-)

Agreed. Replace orings as required.

No need for knee jerk premature annual replacement, but they do not live forever.

If an oring "takes a set" then swap it.

I sold a 20 year old computer with the original oring in great shape. I have had dive light orings that went "square" after a few years.

 

[KeithG]

I just use the same tribolube that I use on regulators.

Agreed. As a camera guy I now have 1 lube that I use on everything: camera housing, strobes, regs and hoses.

I purchased a "lifetime" supply in 2 tubes from Piranha

 

[nolatom]

Well I don't know how to upload a photo, so just close your eyes and picture a dinged-up old hockey-puck computer, showing a nice cheerful normal display after new battery and *new o-ring with new silicone*

[imagine picture...imagine picture..]

Happy happy Joy joy!!

 

[Belzelbub]

O-rings are cheap. Assuming you can figure out which one it is. The manufacturers tend to want to sell you their battery replacement kits which include batteries and o-rings at a significant markup.

On my first computer, I didn't replace the battery o-ring. The batteries were a fairly standard CR2 batteries, so they were easy to come by at just about any store. That computer flooded and was toast. Luckily that happened around the time that Oceanic was offering a significant discount for exchanging old (functioning or not) computers on a new one.

I'm now using a VT4.1, and change out the o-rings every time I change the battery.