Vyper Failure - should I believe my LDS?

[gstrek]

My Vyper lasted 15 years before it decided to go on a dive without me. Got home from a dive trip, it never turned off and showed a depth of 20 feet or so. I contacted the Suunto repair center (this was when Aqualung distributed them), sent it to the repair center and they determined the sensor had failed. They did sell me a new one at a very good discount.

 

[cool_hardware52]

If the highly skilled and trained dive shop guy simply fumbled the battery and put it in backwards (upside down) might the reverse polarity blow the circuit?

Probably not. I'd be quite surprised if there isn't reverse polarity protection. Simple and cheap to do.

Tobin

 

[lionfish-eater]

Did you turn it on and check it at the shop when you picked it up? Did it turn on?
Did you ask the shop to change the battery, or did you ask them to service/calibrate it?
Did you turn the computer on while in an airplane? Maybe while changing altitude on take off.

 

[KeithG]

Probably not. I'd be quite surprised if there isn't reverse polarity protection. Simple and cheap to do.

Tobin

Agreed. Putting a battery in backwards is the first "stupid human trick" that a competent dive computer designer will think of.

My Sea & Sea strobes actually have a mechanical protection design (a simple raised ring) that will prevent the negative terminal of an AA battery from contacting the positive terminal post. Only the positive button end of the battery can protrude past the raised ring and contact the post.

I would not be worried about "turning on" the computer in an airplane. That is a red herring. Once the battery is installed, the computer is always on...

 

[eelnoraa]

I highly doubt changing battery can cause deep sensor go bad. It is a very simple process. And NO, reversing battery won't damage sensor or anything else. You computer won't power on if battery is reversed.

 

[lionfish-eater]

Agreed. Putting a battery in backwards is the first "stupid human trick" that a competent dive computer designer will think of.

My Sea & Sea strobes actually have a mechanical protection design (a simple raised ring) that will prevent the negative terminal of an AA battery from contacting the positive terminal post. Only the positive button end of the battery can protrude past the raised ring and contact the post.

I would not be worried about "turning on" the computer in an airplane. That is a red herring. Once the battery is installed, the computer is always on...

When my new scubapro computer failed to work on it's first dive, the LDS told me that the pressure in the cabin might have caused the damage, but they were "such nice guys" and "I was such a good customer" they would take care of me. They pulled other shady tricks and clearly follow the "customer is a sheep to be fleeced business model promoted by Paddy and SuckerPro." It was the last thing I bought from that shop and I hope they go out of business.

 

[Diver0001]

The LDS belive that my Vyper has simply died on me (possibly due to age?) and the proximity to their battery change is a complete coincidence.

This is entirely possible. Suunto computers are notorious for pressure sensors failing. It's also possible that it leaked after the battery change.

Either way it's probably ruined. Open it up and see if there is water inside. If so it's their fault and they should give you a nice discount on a new computer.

R..

 

[JohnN]

Probably not. I'd be quite surprised if there isn't reverse polarity protection. Simple and cheap to do.

Tobin

The Suunto pressure transmitter is notorious for releasing that special white smoke if the battery is put in backwards. Yes it is simple to design to protect this, at least for the transmitter, it isn't. If someone has a computer with a dead pressure transducer, it would be an "interesting" experiment

 

[cool_hardware52]

The Suunto pressure transmitter is notorious for releasing that special white smoke if the battery is put in backwards. Yes it is simple to design to protect this, at least for the transmitter, it isn't. If someone has a computer with a dead pressure transducer, it would be an "interesting" experiment

Er, ah OK. Can you perhaps explain *how* reverse polarity would effect only the pressure / temp transducer and not the rest of the electronics?

Tobin

 

[KeithG]

Some further explanation may help people understand why a battery issue can not affect the pressure sensor...the pressure sensor is not connected directly to the battery. Too much continual battery drain.

Your dive computer is a low power device (mine runs over 3 years on a single battery). Once a battery is installed in the dive computer the internal processor is always powered on. There is no ON / OFF switch. There is merely a "look alive" switch (just like a modern TV). This means that the battery is always being drained. To reduce the battery drain there is a whole host of power saving mechanisms that are used. Putting the processor into a "low power sleep mode" allows the dive computer to use very little power while it sits on the shelf. The display is also turned off in this mode.

How does this affect the pressure sensor? It consumes power. so in low power applications it is only powered up when needed. How often does your computer take a depth reading underwater? Every second? every 2 seconds? Maybe even less often? When the next pressure reading is required the processor will turn on power to the pressure transducer, take a reading and then power it off. How often will it take a "depth reading" when above water? Much less often...

The power for the pressure sensor comes from the processor, not directly from the battery. The processor must be operating properly before power will be applied to the pressure sensor.