Replacement battery for Suunto transmitter

[charlier]

Hi all - In Singapore its hard to purchase replacement batteries for my Suunto transmitter. Typically I purchase VARTA CR1/2 AA Li/3.0V. These batteries are hard to find, but can easily purchase Panasonic batteries with similar specifications. It seems to me that this battery will work fine. Any suggestions...

 

[dmc78]

As long as the battery dimensions and voltage are the same I would think you'd be fine. Suunto uses Saft brand batteries as OEM replacement for the Eon Steel Tank Pod if that's any help.

 

[claymore]

VARTA is a brand name. any CR1/2AA lithium ion 3.0V battery should work They can be hard to find but most of the specialty battery shops should carry them or can get them.

 

[fmerkel]

Does anyone have any experience using the same size but 3.6v battery in that application/version of the transmitter?

The Saft battery appears to be 3.6v (vs 3.0v for the Varta). Apparently the newer transmitters are OK with the higher voltage?

 

[charlier]

I agree that any battery with the same size and specs should work. The battery costs S$8 or less than $6USD, a far cry from sourcing it from Suunto or a dive shop. Now I need to find a o-ring distributor.

 

[fmerkel]

I re-use the O-ring.

 

[charlier]

I even replace my D6i battery with an equivalent battery. Never had a problem with the transmitter or computer. Although everyone tells me never to replace the battery on the computer.

 

[fmerkel]

Yeah, and 'everyone' says to never overhaul your reg either. Sometimes I'm surprised people don't take their kit to the dive shop for post dive rinsing.

1st time I took the Suunto transmitter in to the shop for it's first battery change, they tried to charge me $50 (for a $5 battery and less than 10 minutes of work), AND the battery was NOT Varta, it was junk that lasted 2 months. I was pissed and wrote the owner a complaint letter. He didn't even seem to recognize that they were replacing customer batteries with junk, just gave me the old song and dance about needing a professional to service life support equipment. And they wonder how they alienate customers.

I changed that junk out and put a Varta in myself. Easy, took minutes. Once you get into photography you damn well better be competent with O-rings.

 

[charlier]

Yeah, and 'everyone' says to never overhaul your reg either. Sometimes I'm surprised people don't take their kit to the dive shop for post dive rinsing.

1st time I took the Suunto transmitter in to the shop for it's first battery change, they tried to charge me $50 (for a $5 battery and less than 10 minutes of work), AND the battery was NOT Varta, it was junk that lasted 2 months. I was pissed and wrote the owner a complaint letter. He didn't even seem to recognize that they were replacing customer batteries with junk, just gave me the old song and dance about needing a professional to service life support equipment. And they wonder how they alienate customers.

I changed that junk out and put a Varta in myself. Easy, took minutes. Once you get into photography you damn well better be competent with O-rings.

Do you really think that a Varta battery is better than the equivalent Panasonic or Duracell battery? I suspect that Suunto sources Varta, since it is a EU product.

 

[fmerkel]

I don't know if it's better than other options, but the one the shop put in (FDK) was junk. For a critical item like that I'd prefer not to be having it die or change it several times a year.

Searching for CR1/2AA or CR1425 I cannot find anything for Panasonic or Duracell. I have some Panasonic CR123A (3v) that at a glance seem similar but actually are much larger batteries so would not work.
What I do find on a search is Varta, Sony, FDK (which seem to be a Sony knock-off), and some generic blue things that I'm not sure I'd trust.

The ER1425 are the same size but 3.6v. Those are the ones I wonder if you can safely substitute.