Suunto Mosquito: changing the battery??

[Venus]

A few years ago I bought my sister a Mosquito, she used it twice then never set foot in the water again

I want to use it for freediving as a depth guage

I have bought a new battery
I tried removing the current battery cover with a coin, but it only moves a very short distance and the cover does not fall out
Even tried pulling it with some blu-tack

I tried forcing it a little and the coin just dug into the soft plastic of the cover

Does anyone know how far the cover should be twisted before it can be removed
or, is there some little trick that I don't know

I'm hoping to use it on Saturday during my course

Thanks

Venus

 

[MichaelBaranows]

The cover will only twist maybe a 1/10 or 1/8 of a turn. The cover will not fall out. You sometimes have to pry it out. Just becareful not to damage the cover or o-ring. I always keep a few extra cover/o-rings encase I feel I might have damaged one in removal.

Your shop will be able to help you. And most good shops will do it far you if you have the battery or buy one from them.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

My experience with the Mosquito battery replacement has been very similar. I'd recommend buying a couple of the battery replacement kits just to have them on hand for future use. The batteries might go bad, but the extra battery cover is a valuable piece to have.

The first battery change I did was a learning experience. I turned the cover counterclockwise about 1/8 of a turn, and the darn thing wouldn't release. I cussed a little. Then I tried turning the cover a little farther. The coin ate right into the plastic cover. I cussed a little more. Oh, well, at least I had a replacement cover on hand. Then I contemplated my next move over a beer. (In retrospect, this was an essential step for success.) Took out some sharp forceps and pried up very gently on the exposed rim of the battery cover that is adjacent to the download contacts. That's all that was needed! The battery cover released and I was able to complete the battery change without issue. Replaced the old battery for a new one, greased/installed the new o-ring, pushed new cover down while turning clockwise. I checked for water-tightness first in a glass of fresh water first. Then I took it on a 60 fsw dive for a real-life test.

I've become skilled enough with this procedure that I can reuse the battery cover + o-ring for one or two battery replacements. YMMV.

If you do a warm, fresh water soak (5 min) following each salt water dive AND always use a plastic face guard, the dive watch should last for many years. I've had mine for about 6 years now. Continues to work great. I don't mind changing the battery every year or so (~50 dives).

Good luck.