Question Uwatec Aladin Pro Battery Conundrum

[chaajiro]

I am trying to change the battery in an old Aladin Pro. I have found and followed, to the best of my ability, the steps outlined in various videos etc.

1. I was able to remove the old battery and solder in a new one and connect the red wire to it.
2. Upon performing the battery reset the screen flashed with all display items on for a few seconds, as I believe it was supposed to do.
3. But then, the screen went dead. No display, I was unable to use the contacts to turn the computer on and a subsequent attempt to reset it got no reaction.
4. About 20 minutes later it suddenly beeped and activated to its in-dive screen.
5. This "dive" continued for some time, the highest minute count I saw was 200 or so. Pretty long dive However at some point when I looked it was back at 16 minutes, whether the timer ran out and started over or this was a new dive, I do not know.
6. The next day the screen had gone blank again. I have not been able to reset the battery or get any reaction out of it.
7. I left it for 24 hours, and have now disconnected the battery. But I have no "ERR" screen or anything, it's just blank.

If anyone has any ideas on whether the situation is salvageable, or what else I might try, I'd much appreciate it.

 

[lizardland]

Send it to a museum and treat yourself to a new computer!

Regards from Northland.

Nah, send it to a museum and treat yourself to a 1st gen Aladin. They were so much better than the ones pickled in oil.

 

[SubseaSports]

I am trying to change the battery in an old Aladin Pro. I have found and followed, to the best of my ability, the steps outlined in various videos etc.

1. I was able to remove the old battery and solder in a new one and connect the red wire to it.
2. Upon performing the battery reset the screen flashed with all display items on for a few seconds, as I believe it was supposed to do.
3. But then, the screen went dead. No display, I was unable to use the contacts to turn the computer on and a subsequent attempt to reset it got no reaction.
4. About 20 minutes later it suddenly beeped and activated to its in-dive screen.
5. This "dive" continued for some time, the highest minute count I saw was 200 or so. Pretty long dive However at some point when I looked it was back at 16 minutes, whether the timer ran out and started over or this was a new dive, I do not know.
6. The next day the screen had gone blank again. I have not been able to reset the battery or get any reaction out of it.
7. I left it for 24 hours, and have now disconnected the battery. But I have no "ERR" screen or anything, it's just blank.

If anyone has any ideas on whether the situation is salvageable, or what else I might try, I'd much appreciate it.

I am assuming you are using a separate battery power source for this?
I have revived a few oil filled ones. The memory is not volatile.

And if anyone reading this has an old DOS cable for these lmk.

 

[lizardland]

And if anyone reading this has an old DOS cable for these lmk.

I had a 2nd gen Aladin at one point and I made my own cable from instructions I found on the internet at the time (probably late 90's/early 2000's). I vaguely remember using a couple of brass drawing pins as the connectors that you plug into the little holes on the wet contacts.

I thought there is no way the instructions will still be available after all these years but amazingly it was actually pretty easy to find a couple of places.

Aladin-Interface

Aladin interfaces

Do-it-yourself data interfaces for the Uwatec/Scubapro Aladin dive computer

damien.douxchamps.net

 

[SubseaSports]

Thanks for the info...that guy's page has been referred to many times..but I never actually saw it. There is a guy in Spain who repeated the info among others. I made the one that receives data..but need the one that transmits too..just don't want to invest more time at the moment.
Apparently the oe DOS cable did this per the manual.

 

[Centrals]

Send it to a museum and treat yourself to a new computer!

Regards from Northland.

I bought a Aladin Pro Nitrox in 1997 and is still working fine and is still my primary dc. I have two more from other brands as back up.
Why would a new computer perform any better?

 

[Centrals]

After trying disconnecting and reconnecting a few times to have no luck I decided to put it back together and put it aside for another day. Once I clicked the board back in place and tried the contacts, the damn thing turned on. Quite stoked, but whether it'll actually work on a dive, who knows.

It looks like the next challenge is getting the oil in without bubbles on the screen. That'll have to wait for a couple of days.

I usually filled it up with oil, remove the air and then kick start the computer.
Remove the trapped air is the most tedious part.
My personal record is 30mins.

 

[MB NZ]

Why would a new computer perform any better?

Because it would work.

 

[Centrals]

Because it would work.

So is my 28yrs old Aladin Pro Nitrox which is still working faultlessly.

 

[MB NZ]

So is my 28yrs old Aladin Pro Nitrox which is still working faultlessly.

His isn't.

 

[chaajiro]

His isn't.

No, it's not.
Haven't given up just yet, but it is looking like I will be "forced" to treat myself to a new one