Uk Sl4

[SubMariner]

I got my SL4 back in February; it worked fine for a while but now it just doesn't work anymore. It's fine above water and when I submerge it at home it's fine but when I go diving with it, it gets weaker and weaker as I go down until it just fades altogether. Must be something to do with pressure? It's not leaking; dry as a bone and working fine again afterwards.

Question: you say you "got it back". Did you send it in for repairs? If it hasn't worked properly since then, why not send it back?

Sounds like it is not maintaing proper contact with the batteries. Check to make sure nothing is bent inside. Also, you might try cleaning the contacts with a pencil eraser. Yes, it DOES work!

~SubMariner~

 

[MikeFerrara]

I have had numerous sl4's stop working beyond 100 ft. They later functioned fine at shallower depths. Using the same light on other deep dives they have worked fine. I have some ideas of what might cause this but haven't checked them out. Yesterday I used one at 110 with no trouble. This is the same light that has failed at depth before.

 

[anni]

I meant way back in February - didn't have it in for repairs or anything. Anyway I mailed the dive shop and the guys seems to think that maybe some brands of batteries are slightly shorter than others and that might be causing it . . . ..but then surely water pressure wouldn't be affecting it. I'll try the pencil eraser thing. It's very annoying to have your torch fade on each dive - it never works at all now and it's always going to be very unreliable. The irony is that I found one on the bottom one day and gave it to my uncle . . that one is still working fine.

 

[SubMariner]

Anyway I mailed the dive shop and the guys seems to think that maybe some brands of batteries are slightly shorter than others and that might be causing it . . . .

I think that's news to the battery industry. Otherwise they'd have a BIG problem if Brand X's C battery was a different size than Brand Y's.

Hmm.. I think I'm beginning to smell an LDS shuffle here... blaming the BATTERIES?

Danger, danger Will Robinson!!!

~SubMariner~

 

[MikeFerrara]

No two things can be manufactured the exact same size no matter how hard you try. There be length differences from battery to battery and differences in the average length from lot to lot in the same brand and differences between brands. I think the shapr of the sl4 may allow it to elongate slightly under presure so battery length may effect it. Even if you don't loose contact with the battery (there is a spring there) you will have less contact presure. Now corrosion comes into play also. Like I say I haven't looked at it real hard but...

Even with my scout which is a screw down switch, the light can be off at the surface and turn itself on at depth. Then you screw it out a little more. It does seem that the presure changes the dimensions of the light slightly. When that happens a number of things will combine to determin the on/off state of the light. Battery length could be one. Don't be to quick to blame th shop. Hell, I own a shop and crazy things have happened with my lights. The first time my sl4 shut off at 100 ft I was ready to kill. However, I couldn't see anything wrong and a change of batteries and all was well. I have since seen this at depth with every sl4 that I have. I really believe (without having experimented under controlled conditions) that the design is sensitive to battery length. I can swap out lights for people till the cows come home but if they do enough deep dives the will most may see this happen eventually with all of them. Of course there will also be dimensional differences from light to light so maybe not.
anni's light certainly seems to be an extreme case.

 

[wetman]

This actually sparked a recent experience of mine: my light cannon doesnt like energizer c cells. Only like duracell. Anyone else experienced this?

steve

 

[greyface]

Seems I remember the SL4's book called for Duracell batteries...Thanks for the replies/insight.

 

[anni]

Some people are saying to me now that I'm using the wrong batteries and should try other ones. I guess I'll have to. I'm using Nickel cad rechargeables; anyone else heard of this theory that rechargeables aren't for underwater use? They did work fine for weeks.

 

[anni]

Just to update, I tried the torch with brand new alkalines and it still faded - so it's definitely not the fault of the rechargeable batteries. I've emailed the dive shop in Perth where I bought it.