Tips? Tricks?

[mwhities]

I just bought the Salvo 10w adjustable HID light. As you all know, I've never owned a working canister light. I'm looking for little tricks and tips that you all might have on how to keep it running and maintained properly to last me for quite awhile.

I'm sure it will come with proper cleaning and caring instructions (right?) but, the real world experiences is what I am looking for. So please bombard me we anything that you have that may help me take better care of my new light,

Thanks all,

Michael

[SparticleBrane]

Whenever I use my lights, I have a few things I do:

• Make sure I never travel anywhere with the battery connected, or with the lighthead attached to the canister (my 18w has E/O cords). That way nothing burns/melts, and my 18w lighthead is nice and safe.
• Run a finger around the sealing surface on the canister to make sure there's no grit/sand.
• Take the o-ring off the lid to make sure there's no grit/sand, and also make sure the sealing surface on the lid is clean as well.
• Absolutely, always, every time I use my lights -- make sure the latches are completely latched in place before hopping in the water.
• Don't drop your light/bang it especially hard against something. Not as important for Salvo lights, but...why treat something this expensive like crap? I would baby my lights even if they were Salvo...
• Make sure you charge it before your day of diving.

Take care of your gear, and your gear will take care of you.


Hope this helps. I'm sure some other people will chime in with other suggestions.

[rjack]

Don't kink the cord (ever) it will break, maybe not today but someday soon.

[LCF]

Be careful when you are connecting the light head to the battery, and disconnecting it. We've had several wires break right at the Anderson connector, we've had wires come out of the crimp, and we've had them come off the batteries. It's the primary way we've had a light fail.

Other than that, the Salvo's are very sturdy lights. I clean my o-ring when I think of it, which is infrequently. Latches get rinsed after every dive, since I had one rust out.

[Jason B.]

Be careful when you are connecting the light head to the battery, and disconnecting it. We've had several wires break right at the Anderson connector, we've had wires come out of the crimp, and we've had them come off the batteries. It's the primary way we've had a light fail.

Lynne, are you pulling on the wires to unplug or using the connector bodies?

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I do pretty much as Spart describes above but I'll a add few.

I have a special foam lined case I transport mine in.

When assembling gear for a day of diving, always clip the light head off to the chest D-ring 1st thing - then you can put the canister on the harness waist belt. This ensures the light head does not get knocked to the ground.

If the switch/switch guard are the raised type (most of the newer lights have the dry lids with the recessed switch) always mount canister on harness with the switch closest to your body and the cord outward.

Anytime it's not in use, clip it off.

And of course, enjoy!

[LCF]

NO, I don't pull on the wires!!!! I don't twist the wires, I don't bend the wires, and I'm meticulous about how the wires go into the canister when I put the lid on. I can't explain why the things break, but they do it for me and for Peter, and my dive buddy Kirk has had one break at the connector, too.

Maybe it's the Seattle climate. I don't know. But the only thing that has ever tempted me to change light brands is the Halcyon solid connect lid!

[CompuDude]

I used to occasionally pull the battery up out of the canister by the wire.

Since I had a wire separate from the battery at the beginning of a 2-day liveaboard dive trip I don't do that anymore. I got through the trip, barely, by sticking in a ball of duct tape to pressure the wire down to contact. Whew!

I resoldered the wire back at home, after a few emails to Salvo that it was ok, and all is well again. Lesson learned, though... be careful with those battery wires!

I keep my light in a Pelican case, generally. On trip where space is tight (like Catalina weekends), I carefully wrap the light head in a fluffy towel and pack it in a hard case (action packer) with the rest of my gear ... so far no problems.

After every dive day, the light gets a quick fresh water rinse asap (mostly at the latches), and then gets a 10-15 minute soak in the sink at home, followed by another rinse in the faucet. Let it dry, pack it up, and wait for the next chance to dive it!

I top off the battery charge the night before any dive... let it charge overnight, unplug it to cool in the morning, and it's generally the last thing to get packed up.

[Mo2vation]

1. Put a glove on your Right Hand, and slip on the goodman handle. You want it snug, but not tight. A philips-head screwdriver will be needed to adjust. DO NOT MASH THE SCREW TOO TIGHT. The screw is steel, the handle is aluminum and you know what will happen.
2. Get a paint pen and put your mark (Mine is MO2, your's is whatever) on the bottom of the canister. This is, of course optional, but it makes it easier to ID you from the side. NOTE: hold the canister up to your belt, and make sure you write your name so its easy to read when you're in proper trim(!)
3. Get a labeler, or whatever, and put your name on the inside of the canister, on the inside of the lid, on the battery, on the charger, on the AC adapter, etc. You'll be bringing this stuff on a boat, and lots of us dive the same stuff!
4. Size up and print out the attached label, and get it on your battery. I use clear packing tape. I've traveled all over the place and never had a problem with my battery, and I'm confident this label has helped.
5. Tie on the loops for the double ender. I greatly prefer tying on a small 1/2" loop to the back of the light head (Salvo provided a groove for this - the ONLY light manufacturer who has...) and another small 1/2" look on the RIGHT side of the goodman handle (so the light points away from you when clipped off.) Some people prefer, instead of a double ender and two loops, to permanently affix a small bolt snap to the light head. This is the link that provides the correct way to tie a bolt snap. http://diveriteexpress.com/library/boltsnap.shtml
   
6. You may want to drop (better: lower) the canister - this means loosening up the pipe clamps and sliding them UP towards the lid. I have mine as low as I can get it - makes it easier to turn on and off my myself underwater. Get your Backplate and determine the best level for your canister.
   
7. Get yourself a tri-glide (preferably black plastic) and a black plastic buckle. Put the tri-glide on your right waist band about an inch or two from your BP (obviously, move it as needed for comfort), slide on the canister and then slide on the buckle BACKWARDS so it snugs close to the canister. This is so when you un-do your waistband at the end of a dive your canister doesn't go crashing onto the parking lot. Also - grab that paint pen and put your mark onto the buckle (we all have the same black plastic buckles.... )
8. Remember - when you put the lid on the light canister, the switch faces out, the cord close to your body.
   
9. Take that paint pen and put a DOT on the side of the switch that is "on" - this way when you hook up the battery your light won't suddenly strike and blind you or your buddy. Always double check to be sure the switch is away from the dot when you hook up the batt. It also gives your buddy a visual reference underwater when you have them check why your light isn't on...
10. If it doesn't come with one, go find a cool beer can koozy that will fit over the light head. Get the Koozy and pull it over the light head when you toss it into your shore diving bin or dive bag. Get that paint pen and put your mark on the Koozy. If you're sensing a pattern here, that's good.
    
11. Don't waste your money on an expensive case for the light. I've done many hundreds of dives with my current light and probably a thousand combined with all my can lights, and I never take them off the rig. I put on the koozie, unclip the light head and put it inside my hood and toss it in the bin, in the bag, in the suitcase - into whatever. I see people buy a light then spend another $150 on a case for it. The light is probably the toughest thing you have in your gear. You'll break your mask long before you break your light, but you don't have a $150 case for it...
    

That's my starting checklist I send to most new light owners.

Some is redundant - but I didn't feel like clipping and pasting.

Sue me.



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Ken

[Jetfixer]

Good info.

We seem to have two opposing points. I'd like to derail for a moment to ask the reason behind switch towards body or cord towards body.

[Sounder]

Other than the care and feeding listed here, the only thing I suggest is not turning it on outside the water. They heat up fast and it'll melt an o-ring. It will work fine until the first time you hit about 20fsw... then the water comes in and everything dies.

This is another reason not to travel with the battery attached... attach it when you arrive.

I have a beer, uh I mean soda pop, coozie that I slip over the light head when I'm not diving it as a wee bit of padding. I don't know whether it makes a real difference or not, but it make me feel good about it... and if you ever need a post-dive beer, damnit I mean soda pop, coozie you've got one!!

[CompuDude]

Good tip on the Airspeed Press labels, Ken.

I printed mine onto standard 2x4 Avery mailing labels. Carefully, with scissors, trimmed down to fit the printed data perfectly. Looks like a manufacturer's label... far less likely to be ignored/disbelieved than something that looks homemade.


No problems with TSA so far, although I'm still always careful to call attention to the "lighting batteries" I have in my carryon BEFORE it goes through the X-Ray, so there are no OMG surprise moments.

[Mo2vation]

Jet:

I have the cord towards the body and the switch out, simply because its easier for me to turn on and off that way.

As a photographer, I will often turn my light off - especially when shooting an octopus. I toss it over my neck (leaving it on) for Nudis and stuff, but Octo's just don't like the swinging light, so I turn it off.

Then I'll need to turn it back on later... so I need to reach it, and its just easier to reach with the switch out.

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Ken

[Jetfixer]

I also go switch out as it did seem naturally easier to me to turn on and off. I'm always curious about different opinions on gear config. Sometimes the smallest tweak can make a huge difference. Although I realize DIR/GUE configurations leave little to be tweaked.

Oh, and I like the move the canister down trick. Gonna try that one.

[rjack]

Jet:

I have the cord towards the body and the switch out, simply because its easier for me to turn on and off that way.

As a photographer, I will often turn my light off - especially when shooting an octopus. I toss it over my neck (leaving it on) for Nudis and stuff, but Octo's just don't like the swinging light, so I turn it off.

Then I'll need to turn it back on later... so I need to reach it, and its just easier to reach with the switch out.

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Ken

Cave divers generally want it the other way around switch in, cord out. 1) So a backup light catching on the switch will turn it "on" not off. 2) to minimize the kink in the cord in the armpit (I'm not sure this is all that significant).

[Mo2vation]

Cave divers generally want it the other way around switch in, cord out. 1) So a backup light catching on the switch will turn it "on" not off. 2) to minimize the kink in the cord in the armpit (I'm not sure this is all that significant).

Lot of caves up there, are there?

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Same here.

I moved to a 2C back up and solved #1. #2 is not an issue.

Cavers...


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Ken