Uwatec Aladin sport dive computer questions

[FaithC]

A friend of my mother's is moving and she is selling her gear, this computer being one item.

I am a newly certified diver and in the process of researching, saving, buying my own. What can you tell me about this computer, what questions should I ask before making an offer and what would a reasonable offer be?

Thank you for you help!
-Faith

 

[Fishpie]

Good computer but difficult battery change.
If the battery is dead it probably isn't worth much.

 

[FaithC]

I was thinking about getting a suunto Zoop for my computer. Sounds like that might still be my best option. Less hassle. I read a few threads with posters trying to replace the battery and it seemed to be more trouble than it was worth.

 

[diversteve]

I have a Sport Ultra - one version newer than the Sport. I bought it around 2002 so that gives you some idea of how old that one is. The battery failed at just under 50% a few years later and it would've been $150 to change it. They're sealed, the electronics are immersed in oil and the battery is welded (not soldered) in place. I don't even know if ScubaPro/Uwatec still services them.

I'd buy a Zoop, I replaced mine with a Gecko (previous model) and have been a lot happier. It's easy to use, easy to read and water activated. Also the Zoop is downloadable.

One other thing about the older Uwatec's is that the manual is pages long and not the easiest to read (tiny print in a 4x5 format). I always carried it with me on dive trips in case I needed to know how to do anything but the basics. The 3 contacts is a pita when moving thru menus also.

I don't even know where my Gecko manual is. I can pick it up after a few months of non-use and figure out what I need to do just by pushing the buttons. 10 years of interface design improvements hasn't been wasted by Suunto.

 

[Imbodie]

A friend of my mother's is moving and she is selling her gear, this computer being one item.

I am a newly certified diver and in the process of researching, saving, buying my own. What can you tell me about this computer, what questions should I ask before making an offer and what would a reasonable offer be?

Thank you for you help!
-Faith

Ignore the stuff about hard to change.... a friend just got an Aladin 3 button for free... the battery cost $9, do have to solder it back in place but that really is not very hard... I'm thinking the battery will last a VERY long time because there are so few functions of this computer... it is the BASIC of basic dive computers...

Tim

 

[KeithG]

A friend of my mother's is moving and she is selling her gear, this computer being one item.

I am a newly certified diver and in the process of researching, saving, buying my own. What can you tell me about this computer, what questions should I ask before making an offer and what would a reasonable offer be?

Thank you for you help!
-Faith

Questions to ask
1) is the battery still alive?
2) what shape is the strap in?
if the battery is dead, then it is generally worth about $75 based upon recent eBay auctions. Good battery means $150 plus on eBay.

While not trivial, battery replacement is not that hard if you have adequate training and tools. But there are a few tricky steps - the computer is oil filled which makes the process a little messy.

You can google and find several battery replacement services. I believe they are around $50. Replacement batteries can be obtained relatively cheaply (I got 5 for $20 on eBay with free shipping). You can also find some excellent YouTube videos depicting the battery replacement procedure. That may help you decide if you are capable of DIY battery replacement.

Straps are also expensive ($30+) so I have $2 worth of bungee cord on one of mine.

You should also be aware this is an air only computer.

So you may be best to buy something more modern and have this one posted on eBay. I would buy it!

 

[Centrals]

Ignore the stuff about hard to change.... a friend just got an Aladin 3 button for free... the battery cost $9, do have to solder it back in place but that really is not very hard... I'm thinking the battery will last a VERY long time because there are so few functions of this computer... it is the BASIC of basic dive computers...

Depend which Uwatec Aladin you are talking about.
Some of them are quite messy to deal with because the chamber is filled with paraffin oil. And I believe The Sport is one of them, same appearance as Pro Nitrox(blue) but black in colour.

Faith:
Forget about it unless it is FREE. It should be fun to change the battery yourself.
Cressi Leonardo, Mares Puck(+) and Sunnot Zoop. User replaceable battery.

 

[diversteve]

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ge...st-your-last-gear-purchase-5.html#post6829573

Suunto Zoop

 

[clownfishsydney]

The very first Aladin Pros do not have oil inside and the battery can be replaced easily. This is the one with smaller screen and no holes in the silver pins. They older larger screen one can also be changed, but it is a bit more complex. There are a lot of YouTube videos on how to do it.

 

[Ed Fandangle]

I have the Aladin Sport (with the holes in the silver pins). I just had a quote from the local dive shop to replace the battery for $200. They send it off to Uwatec & it gets shipped back & forth, so a bit of extra cost. Given that the device is at least 10 years old and that an up-to-date model is going for around $350, I think I'll take the risk & try doing it myself.

I've seen a few videos out there that walk through the process, so I'll post the outcome (and the method I used) once I work up the courage to take a crack at it.

(my model is shown in the attached image)