Review of my new Sola 1200 LED video lights

[globe-trotter]

The contacts between the PCB inside the torch and the charging inputs in the plastic housing are very loose and they can lose contact very easily.
I really think the design is not really good. I have opened my torch many times in order to get it charged.

Did you have pictures of the opened light to see details inside?

---------- Post Merged on August 7th, 2012 at 12:32 PM ---------- Previous Post was on August 6th, 2012 at 07:21 AM ----------

The contacts between the PCB inside the torch and the charging inputs in the plastic housing are very loose and they can lose contact very easily.
I really think the design is not really good. I have opened my torch many times in order to get it charged.

Hello,

Every time, when i talk about opening the Sola, i don´t get reply. Is it top secret and punishable?

Is the LED-module (first generation of Sola 1200) also only plugged in?

I think, this one with flight-mode is the new model!
http://www.globediver.ch/uploads/med..._Dive_1200.pdf

 

[drbill]

I want to emphasize that I can't rely on MY Sola 1200s. I have heard from several people that theirs have worked just fine so one of mine may just be a lemon. The lights both worked well for several months after I bought them, then I started having problems mostly with the light on the right hand side of my housing. I've tried swapping chargers and that didn't solve the problem so the chargers do not appear to be the problem. Not looking forward to seinding the bad light in a third time and experiencing another week or so of down time without good lights for my film work, especially at night. One light just doesn't cut it.

 

[kkfok]

I was preparing the photos
Sola 1200 - a set on Flickr
You can see the contacts as in the 2nd and 3rd pictures.

 

[fire_diver]

What was your fix for the loose contacts?

 

[globe-trotter]

Thank you very much for the detail-photos.

So you can easy open the lights, if you get trouble at the airport.

Also you can clean and grease the o-rings one time a year.

 

[kkfok]

What was your fix for the loose contacts?

I just put them back in contact, with a little shock they may lose contact again.

 

[globe-trotter]

I just put them back in contact, with a little shock they may lose contact again.

I think it is helpful if you solder a little tin on the contact surfaces of the board. It looks as if these contact pads are placed under the pins of the charger jacks. Therefore seems the board is slotted at the contact surfaces so that they can pressed under the charger jacks.Maybe, with a bit of tin is more contact pressure produced.

 

[globe-trotter]

Hello,

I checked the new Product Safety Data Sheet (PSDS) for the Sola 1200 and Sola 2000.


There is described a battery capacity of 7.2V, 3100mAh, 22.3Whr.


If it´s right, the runtime of the Sola 1200 will be much more than the Sola 1200 in first generation with 2200 mAh.


Can everyone confirm these data?

 

[drbill]

There is described a battery capacity of 7.2V, 3100mAh, 22.3Whr.


If it´s right, the runtime of the Sola 1200 will be much more than the Sola 1200 in first generation with 2200 mAh.

I can't confirm the specific numbers but I was told by L&M that the new batteries will yield significantly longer burn times than the old ones originally provided in the 1200s. I'm waiting for the new 2 amp chargers to arrive top see for myself.

 

[globe-trotter]

There are obvious two LI-ION batteries type 18650 inside.
The 18650 are more and more improved and have now 3400 mAh with the new Panasonic cells.

I don´t understand, why L&M don´t advertise the longer runtime of the new generation of the Sola 1200. They still specify a runtime of 65-70 minutes for the new model.