Changing battery for Suunto Octopus II?

[Scubaroo]

Has anyone here changed a battery for a Suunto Octopus II air computer? There's 4 screws on the back cover, 2 are covered by some red "gunk" that I haven't tried to clean off yet, presumably to deter unauthorised opening. The prices quoted to change the battery by a dealer are close to the second hand value of the computer(!), and I want to change the battery before selling it to a friend (we've agreed that if it leaks or dies after only a couple of dives, he gets his money back).

Any idea what the red stuff is, and best way to remove it? I'm thinking I should just pick it out with a pin.

 

[diver_paula]

The red stuff is paint that is used by authorized dealers. Suunto dealers all have paint of the exact same color.

Have you tried to price a replacement battery? It sounds odd to me that a dealer would charge anything for the actual replacement. I've always paid for the battery and they change them out for free. (I have a Suunto Solution and a Companion, both of which have batteries that are to be changed by authorized service people only.)

 

[Scubaroo]

Well if it's just paint, that's easy to fix

It seems odd that a dealer wouldn't charge to change the battery - only factory authorised trained Suunto technicians are capable of THAT (or so they would have you believe).

 

[Ian Binnie]

I have an old Suunto Solution computer, long out of warranty. Last time, I just changed the battery myself, after having found some instructions on the net with a Google search. The process is extremely simple, although I did have to re-use the o-ring on the battery compartment. The electronics are all sealed in goo, so a reassembly screw-up probably won't kill the computer anyway. The battery was a special "half AA" size that I purchased at local retailer. I could have gotten it much cheaper from an on-line retailer, had I known better.

 

[Jai Bar]

Has anyone here changed a battery for a Suunto Octopus II air computer? There's 4 screws on the back cover, 2 are covered by some red "gunk" that I haven't tried to clean off yet, presumably to deter unauthorised opening. The prices quoted to change the battery by a dealer are close to the second hand value of the computer(!), and I want to change the battery before selling it to a friend (we've agreed that if it leaks or dies after only a couple of dives, he gets his money back).

Any idea what the red stuff is, and best way to remove it? I'm thinking I should just pick it out with a pin.

It is quite easy to replace the battery: you need to prepare the following:
-"1/2 AA" Lithium battery (3.0V or 3.6V). This is the most difficult part...
-Screwdriver
-10 minutes of your time in order to read the instructions and actually replace the battery: http://www.dcordes.freeuk.com/suuntobattery.htm

Good luck!

 

[Lemonade]

http://www.thebatterybarn.com/Batteries/Lithium/Lithium.html

SAFT equivalent of this cell can be found foe even less.

 

[jimmyboy]

I changed my battery in my Octopus II had no problems.