Uwatec prime computer

[cellmer@cox.net]

I purchased a new UWATEC Prime dive computer 2 months ago. I also am newly certified OW diver and learned a lesson this weekend. I checked all of my gear before the dive. Did a buddy check as always and everything checked out great. The battery level on my dive computer was 80%-85%. While decending i looked at the computer and everything was good, at 50 feet the computer stopped working in dive mode. Low battery icon flashing and I did not have a back-up timer. No watch, No depth guage. I was diving with 2 other people and i let them know of the problem. My question is, has anyone experienced this problem with a UWATEC Prime dive computer. I took the computer back to the dealer yesterday and they are going to look into the problem for me. I know now to always have back-up systems, I quess i was depending on my dive computer for everthing i needed. By the way I was a Lake Rawlings and tried out a dry suit also.

 

[leadweight]

I had a Uwatec Tec computer which is similar to the Prime. After about a year it went nuts. I sent it in and Uwatec replaced it. That was about 400 dives ago and the new one still works. Sometimes computers go bad without any explanation.

 

[PiranhaChris]

I'd chalk it up as S*!t happens. But UWATEC does have good customer service, and a pretty good turn around. I'm sure if if you call them up they'll tell you to send it in, and if there's a problem they'll either replace all the guts or flat out send you a new replacement. Good luck and I hope it all gets straightened out.

PS. When you get more into diving I'd suggest getting a wrist mount back up computer.

 

[b1gcountry]

I have an Aladdin Pro. After about five years and four hundred dives, it crapped out this summer. The battery said 71% on the surface before the dive. It gave the low battery error while I was on the bottom. It was a recreational dive in 40° water. I had to send it back to Uwatec to get the battery changed, which cost me $95. I wasn't happy about that. The Primes have user replaceable batteries, which is nice.

I know cold water can affect batteries, what kind of water were you in when yours died?

Tom

 

[SeaLevelScuba]

From the standpoint of the computer being taken care, Scubapro/Uwatec will certainly make it right, in most cases regarding the prime or the tec, it has just been replaced. Depending on the age of the computer, you may have gotten one with a high amp draw off the ir, which would cause the battery to drain real quick. We had one come back 4 years after the sale, battery dead, we replaced the battery and water tested it to 150 feet, by the next morning the battery was dead again. Sent into Scubapro and it was replaced at no charge to the customer. Outside of time and shipping, you should have a resolve in short order.

 

[b1gcountry]

The battery on a prime is very easy to replace. I think I paid about $8 for the battery at the local Drug Store.

Tom

 

[kerei]

Aladin Prime and Aladin Tec 2G have 2 small stainless button between the two gray big plastic button. My Suggestion is before you keep your Dive computer after your dive make sure it is OFF mode otherwise battery will drain easily, if after the dive it is still in DIVE mode, clean the two stainless button with fresh water. After awhile it will show the current time, then in Off mode..

 

[cellmer@cox.net]

Thanks for all of the responses. The dealer did replace the battery in the computer for free. I also had them remove the computer from the console and install it in a wrist band for me. They installed a depth guage in the console. The dealer told me if it happens again that they will just give me a new computer. The dealer has been fantastic and i could not have asked for better service.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

The battery level on my dive computer was 80%-85%. While decending i looked at the computer and everything was good, at 50 feet the computer stopped working in dive mode...

...Low battery icon flashing and I did not have a back-up timer...

...I was a Lake Rawlings and tried out a dry suit also.

I am not sure of the temps at Rawlings this fall (warmer than Millbrook, but still probably cold water). It is not uncommon for a computer to read normal voltage on the surface in warm weather (or shortly after being taken out of a warm car or warm dive bag) and then to fail at depth a few minutes later in cold water due to a low battery condition.

Batteries put out lower voltage at colder temps and once the computer cold soaks, the voltage available may not be enough to keep the computer happy. It is a mixed bag and a bit of a compromise. The set point should be high enough to prevent that, but then the 90% of divers who use it in warm water only will complain about short battery life. At the other extreme, if you lower the set point too far you run the risk of having the computer die completely at depth - although in this case there appears to have been no functional difference.

And that is the only thing that strikes me as odd. That is normally what happens with a low battery indication on the surface - it won't enter dive mode to prevent you from diving and risking a total failure of the computer during the dive. If the set point is reached in dive mode, the computer will flash the low battery indicator but will soldier on until you surface or until it dies and goes completely blank. That makes me suspect or at least ask if the computer defaulted to that condition after you got in the water but before you got deep enough to trigger the dive mode. Did you notice the computer working between the surface and 50' or did you just notice it in it's unhappy state at 50'? If the latter is the case, the computer is functioning normally. If the former is the case, the computer was acting a bit strange.

In any case, if you dive cold water, you will want/need to change the batteries more frequently. A "new" computer may have sat for months/years in a warehouse or in the dive shop and the battery may have discharged due to the demands of the computer functions that are always on, or through frequent activation and display / demo use in the shop. I own a Tec 2G and it seems to have no problem surviving a seaon of heavy diving in mostly cold water on a single battery. That is true I think for most hocky puck style computers, but it is prudent to change the battery at the start of every diving season.

 

[cellmer@cox.net]

The computer showed about 85% on the battery scale before the dive. The water temp at Lake Rawlings was 61. The computer worked great at first. I checked at 20 feet, 40 feet and somewhere around 50-53 feet is when the trouble started. Up until that point everything was working good. I took the computer back to the dealer. They replaced the battery and checked it out. They told me if it happens again that they will just replace the computer. I also had them remove the computer from the console and replace it with a UWATEC depth guage and installed the computer into a wrist band. I thnk i will like the computer better in the wrist band anyway, and at least if the computer fails again i have a depth guage now.