Straps on Sol/Luna computers

[Meaghan]

The strap on my Sol computer has broken in three places. It is now unusable, and today was almost lost to the ocean. I am extremely wary of purchasing a replacement, since I have heard from so many other divers that they have had the exact same problem with their Sol/Luna straps breaking (even brand new ones). Is there a new design you are shipping to replace these straps?
Thanks,

 

[MaxBottomtime]

For Sale - Galileo Luna/Sol bungee brackets

Uwatec Galileo Bungee Adapter by JanosKovacs on Shapeways

Improvised bungee mount for my Sol

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=19430&p=348278

 

[Ricardo V.]

@Meaghan,
Good to hear you did not loose your computer. We’ve had 3 Luna’s since 2007. My experiences have been overall positive with them. There was a period around 2012-14 when no matter where I bought replacement straps for the Luna’s, they would fail relatively quickly... after 10 dives, the strap would crack and fail.

I’m pretty sure ScubaPro got the message from lots of upset customers and they resolved it. I can’t identify which batch is good vs bad, but for what it’s worth.... the one I’m currently using has a date stamp of April or May of 2015. Look for a date stamp on the replacement strap to see if it’s new(er) or at least manufactured after 2015.

The strap I’m using now has been installed for about 2.5 years, and we’ve put at least 350 dives without strap failure.

I’ve got a Perdix as a backup, I think the Perdix is an excellent computer; however, it has fastening methods that a good number of dive professionals really like. With that said, there are several reasons I still use the Luna. One of them is the strap.

Hope this helps.

Ricardo

 

[Meaghan]

Thank you so much Ricardo and max for responding. I realized that I am within the 2 year warranty period, so I contacted their customer service department. I hope they can send me out a new strap soon, because I’m supposed to be headed out of town on a dive trip soon. Will let you know if they come through for me, and if the new straps really are better!

 

[Meaghan]

Scubapro did send out a couple of new straps for me to the nearest dealer. They look just like the old ones, but I am hopeful (and going to try to keep them out of the humidity as much as possible).

 

[Ricardo V.]

@Meaghan
Great to hear that ScubaPro took care of this.
I don’t know that you need to be overly worried or preoccupied by the effect humidity would have or could have over the new straps.

For what it’s worth, I use and put my dive computers through its paces and the Luna’s don’t get pampered. Yes, I take care of them and they do their work without me having to go out of my way. Our Luna’s have lots of battle scars and they just keep working and working. Same with the straps, I don’t take much care other than fresh water rinse at the end of dives and dry the unit up before packing away till next use.

What is critical for me is making sure that the computer powers down when not in use. I’m talking about after your dive and before you store it away. The computer has a humidity sensor that will keep the unit powered up as long as it’s contacts sense water or that it’s wet.

Try drying the 2 little metal points right where the infrared input/output point is located; bottom center just below the screen. If you wrap up a dive in salt water, just rinse the computer in fresh water, let it dry or speed up the power down process by wiping dry those 2 metal electrode sensors down. After that, hit both left and right top buttons simultaneously and hold them till the unit powers down. That will prolong your battery life.

Your strap should be just fine.

Cheers,
Ricardo