Predator Voltage swings during dive

[Agility]

Is it normal for the voltage to rise and fall during a dive when no buttons are pressed?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1pmoad24jd1vy8i/Predator_Voltage.JPG
or is this a sign the battery is fading away?

 

[asha]

Great question. I've had pretty dramatic voltage swings too, even on a fresh battery. Curious to hear about others' experiences.

 

[lynnpartridge]

The most likely reason for this problem is intermittent battery contact in the battery holder. We have a battery cap kit which has been effective in solving this problem. Please contact the factory at info at shearwaterresearch dot com with your mailing address and request the Predator battery cap kit and Christina will send it out to you asap.

regards
Lynn Partridge

 

[clownfishsydney]

Despite what the manufacturer says, I disagree.

Easily explained. You have it set on auto brightness, as you go shallower, the ambient light increases, the computer makes the screen brighter so you can see it. This uses more power, therefore there is less voltage. My wife's does it every dive. Notice how the voltage graph is almost the opposite of the depth graph.

 

[nidankempo]

Mine had the same problem. Lynn and team sent me the replacement cap very quickly. I think the whole operation of doing the fix took 5 minutes tops.

 

[gekodivebali]

Had the same problem. It is now fixed with the kit.

 

[Mike Newman]

I had this problem too. A friend suggested ensuring that the battery contact surfaces were vigorously cleaned. They can apparently suffer light oxidation, affecting readings. No need for a cap upgrade - and absolutely consistent readings since I put this simple action into effect.

 

[tstormdiver]

I am currently having the same proplem with the Predator on my Prism2. It is a newer predator with the "connection fix" already a part of the computer. I had the battery alarm come up during some dives on the Prism2,... only 2 days after changing the battery. The batteries came from a reliable source (Radio Shack). The water was very cold (45- 52 degrees), so that may have played a large part in the alarm.

 

[Agility]

Thank you Shearwater!
I received my replacement cap and replaced the battery and the cap.
The swing is now practically gone. The minor changes in the milivolt range can be explained by automatic adjustment of the display brigtness.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1yeq595e7t9is34/Predator_Voltage_fixed.JPG
I will clean the contacts thoroughly when the need to replace this fresh battery arises (not opening anything that goes under water with mei if it is m
not absolutely necessary :cool2: )

 

[Mike Newman]

Thank you Shearwater!
I received my replacement cap and replaced the battery and the cap.
The swing is now practically gone. The minor changes in the milivolt range can be explained by automatic adjustment of the display brigtness.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1yeq595e7t9is34/Predator_Voltage_fixed.JPG
I will clean the contacts thoroughly when the need to replace this fresh battery arises (not opening anything that goes under water with mei if it is m
not absolutely necessary :cool2: )

Further to this issue, I took my Predator off Auto Brightness. It's absolutely unnecessary to be able to see it clearly at the surface, and underwater medium settings always guarantee visibility - and prolonged battery life.