Suunto transmitter battery: Varta vs Saft

[dumpsterpurrs]

Are they any different? I can buy either, Varta costs 3x as much, but both are very affordable either way. My transmitter arrived with a Varta battery that was DOA.

 

[Zef]

Are they any different? I can buy either, Varta costs 3x as much, but both are very affordable either way. My transmitter arrived with a Varta battery that was DOA.

The Suunto transmitter needs a 3v 1/2AA battery. To my knowledge the Saft 1/2AA battery only comes as 3.6v....distilling the information that I have read over the years is that folks have killed their Suunto transmitters by installing a Saft 3.6v 1/2AA battery. This has led me to religiously use the Varta 1/2AA which is marked 3v.

Be sure to purchase from a reliable source otherwise you might be purchasing old stock that has been on the shelf for a considerable amount of time...this is one case that I would definitely recommend not purchasing the existing stock from your local dive shop.

Check your transmitter cover for a small white "o" screened/etched into one side. If it does not have this, then you might be able to send it to Suunto as part of a voluntary recall they issued a few years ago...they will test your transmitter and if it passes, they will send it back to you with a new cover and new battery installed:

If your transmitter has the "o", and you replace the battery yourself, then be careful removing and re-inserting the screws, so as not to cross-thread the holes. Suunto's official stance, post recall, is that you void any warranty if you change the battery yourself.

If your transmitter has sat around long enough before you purchased it that it arrived with a dead battery, then it is probably also a good idea to change the o-ring that seals the cover. The proper size is 2mmX25mm.

-Z

 

[JohnN]

And a cautionary note. Be sure you don't put the battery in backward. Doing so will release all the magic white smoke in your transmitter

 

[tursiops]

1/2 AA Battery vs. 14250 Battery

1/2 AA and 14250 batteries are very popular small, cylindrical batteries commonly used in electronic meters, security systems, medical equipment, baby...

www.batteryequivalents.com

 

[Zef]

One other thing to note when deciding which battery to use, is that the 1/2AA needed for the Suunto transmitter has the nub that is normally associated with the positive end of the battery instead on the negative end of it....I am in no way pushing the Varta battery but do want to point out that the Varta is the correct configuration for the transmitter. If you look at some of the batteries depicted in the link above, you will see the nub on some of them is at the positive end as one would normally expect...I don't recall if it is possible to put one of those in the transmitter in the correct orientation, but it might cause one to install the battery backwards which as another poster indicated can lead to a less than desirable outcome.

-Z

 

[dumpsterpurrs]

Thanks so much, @Zef ! All incredibly useful! I've ordered two Varta's and a new o-ring. How did you know mine came DOA

And a cautionary note. Be sure you don't put the battery in backward. Doing so will release all the magic white smoke in your transmitter

Thanks for the reminder! I happen to do that a lot more often than I care to admit... My torch knows!

 

[Zef]

Thanks so much, @Zef ! All incredibly useful! I've ordered two Varta's and a new o-ring. How did you know mine came DOA

Ummm.....because I am clairvoyant:

Are they any different? I can buy either, Varta costs 3x as much, but both are very affordable either way. My transmitter arrived with a Varta battery that was DOA.

-Z

 

[dumpsterpurrs]

Ummm.....because I am clairvoyant:





-Z

I'm a total doofus, I completely forgot I've mentioned it =))))

Let's try not to forget to triple check the pos and neg ends AGAIN when I install the new batt!