Onyx won't charge

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John Wenger

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Oct 9, 2015, 11:09:14 PM10/9/15
to safecast...@googlegroups.com, John Wenger
Hi,

I just pulled my Onyx S/N #014 out a drawer where it had been unused for a year or two, and it does not seem to want to charge.

I plugged in a working USB charger, and no light came on.  I left it to charge for six plus hours, but the display remained unlit.

I toggled the slide switch, but still no illumination.  I tried holding down the "Circle" icon button for more than ten seconds, but no change.

I wonder if the battery has died.

Does anyone have any suggestions of what to try next?

Thanks in advance.

John


David & Laura

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Oct 9, 2015, 11:30:30 PM10/9/15
to John Wenger, safecast...@googlegroups.com
I had the same problem with my Onyx S/N #090. I had to send it back to IMI for them to replace the battery. I suspect that if the battery is left discharged for too long, the charger circuitry can’t bring it back to life.

Thanks,

David Slik
VE7FIM

Edouard Lafargue

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Oct 10, 2015, 10:49:35 AM10/10/15
to Safecast Device Discussions and Support
Yes, if the Onyx was left discharged for more than a year, the battery probably went dead... Contact Medcom for a replacement.

You should definitely update the Onyx to the latest firmware, check out www.wizkers.io and the 'support/documentation' section for details.... Battery management is vastly improved in the current firmware version.

Ed

Brandyn Webb

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Nov 12, 2015, 4:13:39 PM11/12/15
to Safecast Device Discussions and Support, nets...@gmail.com
One non-obvious thing, and I don't know if this is typical or just a glitch after the battery's been completely dead, but I have found that no matter how long I leave it on the charger it appears dead (won't respond to slide switch, etc), but if (after it's been on a while) I unplug it and plug it back in suddenly it comes to life.

Mine sat unused for quite a while--though not all that long the first time I discovered the batter dead!--and the battery life appears to be about one day now, with the latest firmware and logging turned off.  :(

Honestly, I am flummoxed as to why there is no genuine power switch on the thing!

Left properly OFF at half a charge, the battery should have lasted for many years without issue, but now I have a very expensive effectively DOA device.

Has anybody considered just opening the thing up, hard-wiring the display always On, and re-purposing that slide switch as a proper power switch?  If my battery weren't already mostly useless, I would do this.


Brandyn Webb

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Nov 12, 2015, 4:19:30 PM11/12/15
to Safecast Device Discussions and Support


On Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 7:49:35 AM UTC-7, Edouard Lafargue wrote:
[...] Contact Medcom for a replacement

What does this cost and entail (and remind me how and where?)?
 

Sean Bonner

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Nov 12, 2015, 4:33:08 PM11/12/15
to Brandyn Webb, safecast...@googlegroups.com
Just go to http://medcom.com 

This is the company that manufactured it and there was paperwork included with it when it shipped explaining that it was 1st gen hardware and might have yet undetermined bugs - the battery issue being one of those. In light of this Medcom has been fixing and replacing batteries free of charge as needed. Just contact them for any help needed.

-s



Sean Bonner
Co-Founder, Director of Global Operations
Safecast.org | pgp key

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