Suunto vyper novo error mode

[MrBigfins]

So was diving yesterday and on the second dive at start the battery signaled ok. Dive was average depth of 23ft max depth of 30 ft and in the middle of the dive it stated battery low, then the next time I looked at computer it stated error mode. I was under the assumption that you could only enter error mode if you exceeded the NDL and that's not possible at that depth. Now battery says ok, but my know fly time was 48 hours. Have a dive weekend scheduled in 3 weeks and a week trip 3 weeks after that. Want to get this problem solved and be comfortable it wont a rise before then. Thanks

 

[GreggS]

I dive the Vyper Novo as well, but have not had that happen...yet. I have 2 thoughts at the moment. Simplest would be that the battery had enough power left that it showed good pre-dive but the dive itself pulled it down enough to do what it did. Hopefully, that's all it is and a battery change may fix your problem.

The other, and hopefully this is not the situation, is a sensor went bad. Unfortunately in a Suunto, that is not a rare occurrence and is usually non-repairable.

But since the DC came back to normal after the dive, I don't think that's it and would seriously suspect the battery. It's were I would start if mine did what yours did.

 

[MrBigfins]

Any idea on turn around time if it proves to be the sensor? I have a backup AL 300 that I can use for the dutch springs weekend, but I really want to use my vyper AI for the cozumel trip

 

[GreggS]

Did you buy it new from your LDS or on-line? If from your LDS, I would take it to them and have them check it out first. If you bought it new on-line, you may be able to contact the on-line store and talk to them. If you have to go thru Suunto support, I don't know what to tell you. I had a problem with a Vyper Air a couple of years ago that was still under warranty and I never could get anything done with support. It wasn't until I took it back to the DS I bought it from that it was replaced with the Vyper Novo I have now. But even that took a couple of months.

Again, hopefully, a battery change will fix your problem.

 

[MrBigfins]

Online, my lds is aqualung and scubapro. Will get in touch with Dolphin Dive center and see what their take is on it. Have a call into Suunto support, and the local repair center. Thanks

 

[GreggS]

Good luck with it. Hope everything turns out well without having to spend a lot of time and money on it.

 

[MrBigfins]

Me too, given that its 1.5 months old with 13 dives on it. Shouldn't have battery issues with a brand new DC. Not sure how confident I am using it as a primary DC on a trip now. Say I swap battery and it works throughout my Dutch springs weekend, then pulls the same bs during second day of my cozumel trip.

 

[GreggS]

Well, the thing is, there's no way of telling what may happen there. You would think that after 1½ months with only 13 dives, the battery should be fine, but that's something you can't really can't predict. I think the Vyper Novo came out in late 2015 so your computer could have been sitting on a shelf for a while before you bought it. I've had mine for about 1¼ years with over 60 dives on it, still on the original battery, and no indication it's getting weak. But I suppose that could happen on my next dive.

If you do change the battery, would you be able to test it out on some dives before leaving on your dive trip? That's what I would do. I would be reluctant as well to trust it on a dive trip without checking it out beforehand. But the good thing is you do have a second computer. If it were me and couldn't check it out before going, I'd be sure to take both. Which I do anyway. I have a Cobra that I use as a back-up. Just in case. I know there are a lot of people that think that is unnecessary, but I just like having it with me.

 

[MrBigfins]

I can test it out on my trip to Dutch springs, bigger problem is the backup isnt air integrated. So that means lugging extra gear on the trip to cozumel in case there is an issue. I wish the firmware would go back to using a battery level indicator instead of just ok or low. Would let you know that you are approaching a time when the battery may be an issue.

 

[MrBigfins]

Well 2 days into discussion with Suunto and I'm no further ahead. The response I got was not even related to the error mode and lockout. It stated that even if i hadn't exceeded NDL that microbubbles still occur and the computer was keeping me safe with a conservative algorithm. Called and emailed back that the response was a joke. We will see how it progresses. I can say if they wont stand behind their product i will switch to the shearwater perdix and never look at a suunto product again.