OrcaTorch D550 malfunctioning, need advice

[Scuba-74]

If you have a cheap hardware store voltage meter, test the battery and see how much charge its holding. If it only starts on low power chances are the batteries would need replaced but you need a meter and trust me the meter is great for finding out what is going on with electrical equipment.

I do have a meter somewhere, but it's not a battery issue, because of this part:

What makes it more strange, at least to me, is that both times after coming home from dives and making sure it still just turns on and off, I unscrewed the head and removed the buttery to make sure there are no signs of water. When I screwed it back on, the light began to function properly both times."

So it starts working properly with the same battery, on land, after unscrewing and screwing back on the head.

It's almost as something gets messed up under water pressure.

 

[OrcaTorch]

I bought an OrcaTorch D550 roughly 4 years ago, was using it pretty infrequently, and up until a liveaboard trip last December was very happy with it.

This summer, I brought it on two dives, and both times it malfunctioned underwater, specifically it would not toggle between high-power and low-power modes. Pressing the button would just turn it on and off, on the low-power mode. It would continue to behave like that on land hours after dive.

What makes it more strange, at least to me, is that both times after coming home from dives and making sure it still just turns on and off, I unscrewed the head and removed the buttery to make sure there are no signs of water. When I screwed it back on, the light began to function properly both times.

Looking for an advice, as I can't have it keep happening when I dive, I rely on this light.

Hello ~
Thank you for sharing your experience with the D550 and we’re sorry to hear about the issue you encountered. We completely understand how important it is to have reliable gear on every dive.

From your description, it sounds like the light may need a thorough check of the tail switch / contact points. Sometimes, after extended use, small amounts of oxidation or a slightly loosened connection can cause the mode-switching function to act irregularly. Unscrewing and reassembling the head, as you did, can temporarily restore proper contact, which explains why it worked again afterwards.

To help ensure reliability, we suggest:

Carefully cleaning the threads and contact points with a dry cloth or soft brush.

Confirming the battery condition (as lower voltage can sometimes affect performance).

If the issue persists, please feel free to reach out to us directly at service@orcatorch.com
or via our website support page, so our technical team can assist you further or arrange a service/repair if necessary.

We appreciate you being part of the OrcaTorch family for so many years, and we want to make sure your D550 continues to serve you reliably on every dive.

 

[Jake 10]