Sola 1200 won't turn on

[scuba_gb]

I bought a SOLA 500 about 14 months ago. I’ve used it on only two trips. I was quite impressed, especially on night dives but....

I just took it to the Similan Islands in Thailand on a Live aboard to find that it won't power on anymore. I’m gutted that such an expensive bit of kit can stop working after only two trips

I have checked the charger is functioning; tried cleaning the contacts etc. but it appears very dead indeed. Looks very much like the light itself rather than the charger. Green light on the charger. No lights on the unit when charging or trying to turn it on.

Any suggestions?

Unfortunately I bought this in the US and I live in London. I know most of the dealers won’t touch kit that was purchased outside the UK and it’s just out of warranty....

 

[txdano]

Did you try the suggestion above where you plug it/unplug it several times quickly? I sometimes have to do that.

"Plug your charger into the wall. Tap the charger's contacts rapidly against the light's charge contacts for about five seconds, then plug the charger all the way in. This can wake the light back up and start it charging.

Finally, be aware that the Sola can take up to 6 seconds to start charging--if you haven't been leaving it on the charger long enough for the status LEDs to light up, it may just not have gotten started."

 

[scuba_gb]

Did you try the suggestion above where you plug it/unplug it several times quickly? I sometimes have to do that.

"Plug your charger into the wall. Tap the charger's contacts rapidly against the light's charge contacts for about five seconds, then plug the charger all the way in. This can wake the light back up and start it charging.

Finally, be aware that the Sola can take up to 6 seconds to start charging--if you haven't been leaving it on the charger long enough for the status LEDs to light up, it may just not have gotten started."

Thanks but Ive tried that technique to "wake up" the light with no success. Ive tried leaving it plugged into the charger for a few hours as well.... No LEDs light up. No sign of life

 

[DiveMaven]

Mine did the same thing so my dive shop sent it back. I'm hoping the problem is resolved now, but only time will tell.

 

[scuba_gb]

Mine did the same thing so my dive shop sent it back. I'm hoping the problem is resolved now, but only time will tell.

I have a SOLA 500 that has stopped working after only 2 weeks diving and 15 months. It appears to have died while left charging overnight. Wont power on, wont charge, no LEDs. Dead.

It seems the manufacturer has now changed its distributor in the UK to TUSA. Apparently to have TUSA deal with a repair is going to cost £45 ($90) as a booking fee alone. Thats basically to ship it back to teh US. Any parts, labor or batteries will be additional . So that not really that cheap is it?

Also speaking with a reputable authorized repair shop in the UK, parts are not available here as yet following the change of distributor....


So its really looking like I have a $379 paper weight

I'm not sure I can recommend Sola to UK divers...

 

[Phreadd]

Just shelled led out over a thousand dollars for a set of Sola 2000 video lights I. The US, worked great for two dives over the first 2 weeks, the one light died I. The exact same way described above. Tried the "wake up", to no avail. Sounds like it hasn't worked for anyone else either. Still in warranty, but really, for the price, this is really disappointing. And looks like there's been no effort to fix the issue in the last year. I've opened a ticket and guess I'll be shipping this one back, but I certainly would recommend looking for a different brand if you're going to be spending this kind of cash for lights.

I have a SOLA 500 that has stopped working after only 2 weeks diving and 15 months. It appears to have died while left charging overnight. Wont power on, wont charge, no LEDs. Dead.

It seems the manufacturer has now changed its distributor in the UK to TUSA. Apparently to have TUSA deal with a repair is going to cost £45 ($90) as a booking fee alone. Thats basically to ship it back to teh US. Any parts, labor or batteries will be additional . So that not really that cheap is it?

Also speaking with a reputable authorized repair shop in the UK, parts are not available here as yet following the change of distributor....


So its really looking like I have a $379 paper weight

I'm not sure I can recommend Sola to UK divers...

 

[Ryan Y]

FWIW. Mine was doing the same thing. Wouldn't come on yesterday while diving. Looked like it wouldn't charge as well after being on the block for hours. Tried the example by light and motion, tapping the plug. I also was turning it on and off. Mine came back on finally.

 

[Ayisha]

Wow, this is disappointing, since the Sola's are on my short list. Light and Motion, is something being done to prevent these issues in the near future?

 

[VsubT]

Plug your charger into the wall. Tap the charger's contacts rapidly against the light's charge contacts for about five seconds, then plug the charger all the way in. This can wake the light back up and start it charging.

I know this is an old thread, but it was helpful in getting my Sola Video 1200 to come back to life. What finally worked for me was holding the switch forward *while* doing the rapid tapping method described above. Doing it without holding the switch forward wasn't effective.

Love this little light!

Lance

 

[Maldives Complete]

None of these solutions worked for me during my recent dive trip to the Maldives (nor did any other solutions I Googled). Light & Motion were similarly useless on troubleshooting. In the end, they gave me the name of their local UK distributor to take it to for service. When I got home, I contacted them and we spoke on the phone. Immediately, the technician knew the problem and the fix - it needed a hard reset.

Here are the sure-fire instructions...

1. Unscrew blue cover to bulb
2. Remove black rubber “0” ring
3. Gently remove black lid.
4. HOLDING CIRCUIT BOARD FIRMLY IN PLACE,
   detatch battery cable from light.
5. Wait 10 seconds and re-attach.
6. Reassemble very carefully not forcing anything
   (make sure black lid is easily flush…often the
   batter wires can get in the way)

The KEY thing is to be very careful with the circuit board. If you do not hold it in place, some people pull it out hurting it and then the light DOES require servicing (to replace the circuit board). Also, the wires can be a bit fiddly when reassembling everything. But otherwise, it is a very straightforward fix.

Bruce, Maldives Complete
Maldives Complete