Mares Icon HD Black Net Ready.....uh oh

[Chip Elliott]

Dear Mares rep, if there is still one monitoring this sub-forum:

Last week I purchased a brand spanking new in the box Mares Icon HD Black Net Ready. It was about 50% charged when I got it so I hooked it up the the USB port on my PC and all was great.

Took it off of charge. Two days later: it is dead. Just a faint, red led glowing in the bottom right side of the screen. Hooked it up to the PC, nothing. Hooked it up to AC power with the included AC adapter, nothing. It has been on AC charge for over 23 hours now, and nothing. It hasn't even been in the water yet!!!!!!!

1. Is this the dreaded "bad battery" syndrome I have been reading about so much on the web (and this board?)
2. It would be nice if I could just replace the battery, but it seems that if I do I will void the warranty?
3. I will be taking it back to my LDS where I bought it tomorrow. That leads me to question 4:
4. Can you give me a good reason to keep this computer since it has failed after having it less than a week and it has had no use and no water exposure, something that it was built to do????

Thank you.

 

[CuzzA]

Chip,

It's a good computer and there's likely no way Mares can tell how long it sat on the shelf and the battery went bad.

Mares customer service has always been good for me. Send them an email and they'll likely respond within 24 hours. I don't believe they actively monitor this forum.

Being that your LDS sold you the computer, it really is on them to replace the battery. And I assume they are a Mares distributor/service center and will replace the battery at no cost.

Look at it as a positive. You'll know you got a fresh new battery rather than one that sat for a year or so.

Edit: BTW, be sure to upgrade to the latest firmware. They recently just released an upgrade and there's another upgrade coming in the near future.

 

[Chip Elliott]

Cuzza, I did like it when it worked. Easy to set up, etc. Connected to my Windows 10 PC no problem. It's just that it's brand new, hand delivered to my LDS by the Mares rep himself. Oh well, we'll see what tomorrow brings.

 

[Kharon]

Mares has always been great about standing behind the Icon for me (not that I've had a lot of issues - only one biggie that was resolved most generously). They are top notch in getting back to you and keeping at it until there is a resolution - even about small things, like a minor error in the Dive Organizer software. I wouldn't wait on this forum. If your dealer doesn't resolve the battery issue post haste I'd submit a problem ticket on their web site.

 

[Chip Elliott]

Thank you Kharon. I did research the wrist, color computers for quite a while before purchasing it. I got a great deal, and it was significantly less expensive than the VTX, with bigger display for these old tired eyes. I am strongly inclined to keep it, but it depends on the outcome of the issue.

 

[Chip Elliott]

Great news. I am going to give credit where credit is due. Took my Icon HD back to my LDS today where I bought it. He asked me what I felt comfortable in doing. He said he would give me a full refund AND a discount towards any other computer I may want. I talked with him at length about the Liquivision, Suunto, Oceanic and the Mares. Even brought up some non-wrist models as well. All in all it comes down to my first choice, and he is contacting his sales rep and getting me a brand new Icon HD. I am very pleased and satisfied.

 

[Kharon]

Glad it worked out for you and your LDS. I'm sure that Mares is taking care of the LDS allowing them to take care of you.

 

[Chip Elliott]

Yes, I met the Rep when I purchased the unit, and he is a really great guy. He was on his way to Truk for a week of diving. He was showing my his rebreather and other equipment. My LDS is a really great place as well. Very honest. open, and will always look for the best for you. I hope they stay in business for a long, long time. Really good people.

 

[zoranb]

Hi guys. I've been using the icon since it came out.

There is a small quirk to charging it. As you need to position all 4 prongs of the clip on the coresponding anchor points on the icon itself, sometimes it's just not enough, and just giving the top of the clip a little push to the top/bottom of the device is all it takes for the icon to start charging. If you have some power in it, you will se the charging icon as soon as you do this.

I remember this happened to me once when my battery was completely drained, and it was trial and error as it takes a literal minute or two for the voltage to rise enough for the device to start and the charging to start showing. So give it a litle push, and let it sit a minute or two and if didn't work, push it a bit in the other direction. I think you can even see one of the LED blink once, but really faintly when it starts charging for real.

Also, keep in mind that in used devices, the deposit on the anchor points (salt, sand, etc...) can prevent the contact, so it's a good idea to clean the anchor points before attching the clip.

I'm very happy with the icon itself.

Zoran

 

[Chip Elliott]

Thank you Zoran. I took it into the shop and there is something wrong with it. I did notice that you need to be extra careful about the usb/charging cradle. That is a design that could use some work.