Blacktip DPV/scooter - usage

[Wibble]

My Blacktip was messing around yesterday. Pulled it forwards ready to be towed, nothing in the way or in the prop, double-tap and hold the trigger and it started but very slowly. Not the tick-tick-tick where it thinks there's something in the prop (which you release the trigger and manually rotate the prop, then try again and it works), but this time it was running extremely slow (like on the surface). Releasing and trying again did the same. Double-tapping, nothing different (although a single dot showed in the display). It only seemed to get moving after a couple of mins of trying and then leaving it for a min.

Once it ran, it was fine, starting on 3 and would pull faster (I find 3's enough on wrecks). Once I released the trigger after a few mins, it wouldn't start again. Seemed to work after leaving the trigger off for 30 seconds, then trying again.

Later in the dive it was behaving normally.

Any ideas?

 

[_Ralph]

Safe start..... worst safety "feature" ever .... unless not using a DPV is more safe than using a DPV..

_R

 

[Jack Hammer]

It somewhat sounds like a dirty or loose electrical connection. You get full volts but not enough amperage flow. Or something with the motor internally

 

[Wibble]

I'll give the terminals a twiddle and give it another go.

 

[Pkishino]

Which firmware are you using? Try disabling safe start

 

[Wibble]

Terminals twiddled; blue connector needed to be re-seated.

Diving in a couple of hours, hopefully won’t mess around this time

 

[Jack Hammer]

Terminals twiddled; blue connector needed to be re-seated.

Diving in a couple of hours, hopefully won’t mess around this time

That sounds like it would cause what you described. I've seen it happen on lots of electric motors. Check the terminals in the connectors on both sides to make sure they didnt have any arcing that ate away material or left any burn marks. If so a light cleaning will help prevent more issues.

I don't think the people posting about the the safe start read or understood your description very well. i.e. safe start lasts a few seconds not minutes and isn't intermittent (it still sucks).

Post an update and let us know how it worked out.

 

[Wibble]

What a dive! Middle of the English Channel on a tiny wreck but I’ve never seen so many fish and crustaceans before. Visibility like warm water diving, maybe 15m/50'. At 50m/180' hardly needed a torch. I digress…

The Blacktip was better than yesterday but still took a while to spin up to power. I’ll change the settings to turn off the soft start. Will also take a closer look at the contacts.

Alas, due to 'external' non-diving circumstances, I’m now not able to dive nor leave home for two weeks and have cancelled several dives

 

[Jona Silverstein]

What a dive! Middle of the English Channel on a tiny wreck but I’ve never seen so many fish and crustaceans before. Visibility like warm water diving, maybe 15m/50'. At 50m/180' hardly needed a torch. I digress…

The Blacktip was better than yesterday but still took a while to spin up to power. I’ll change the settings to turn off the soft start. Will also take a closer look at the contacts.

Alas, due to 'external' non-diving circumstances, I’m now not able to dive nor leave home for two weeks and have cancelled several dives

Turn off safe start, turn off battery voltage imbalance. if you have new batteries that have only ever been used for the dpv, you shouldn't need it.

 

[Wibble]

Long time since update…

Never did turn off the safe start as it didn’t mess around…. until last week's deeper dives, circa 70m/230ft. Bloody thing refused to run normally at depth, staying in the broken safe start speed. Fine at deco or on the surface but sod all use on the wrecks.

Will definitely be configuring the safe start off. Pity I’ve no easy way of testing it before a much looked forward to deep dive trip that needs the scooter — unless I fancy an 800 mile (1300km) round trip to a deep lake.