Fix Neo video lights, any flooding issues? as sealed as a sola?

I'm looking for a video light, and really like the completely sealed Solas... but I rented a fix neo, and really like the display of run time remaining and the ability to change output by smaller increments when needed.

Has anyone had any flooding issues with them?

If I never, ever opened it, would it be as "factory sealed" as a sola? would there be any salt water trapped in the mating surfaces that would build corrosion or mineral deposits and cause trouble down the road?

thanks.

I have a Fix Neos 2500 DX and i am happy with it.

Small, powerful, external charging (like my Hartenberger torch), 1-100% dimmable, accurate runtime on display

Unfortunately there was a problem with overheating and the contacts melted leading first to flickering light and then sudden death.

Reef Photo and Video was as always quick in checking the problem and sending me a new one.

If you wash it well after diving there should be no problem with salt build up and you may open it once a year to control/maintenance/change the o-ring

I never had issues with my sealed Hartenberger so i guess that there won't be a problem with the FIX.

Reef just received the new Neos 3000 DX!

Chris

The fact that the contact "melted" suggests to me at least that the design is significantly NOT robust.

Bill

bvanant,

there are unknown reason what happened, i guess a electronics failure.

As the plastic surroundings of the contact pins from the battery pack to the light heat "melted" so that the pins got stuck and could not make contact.

For this reason i guess that there was a too high current flowing leading to overheated pin's melting the plastic around the pins.

one thing is clear that i did not used it on land and as the specs say the lamp has a overheat protection (what clearly did not worked)

 

Surface Use:
The Neo can be used on the surface. It has an automatic power reduction mode when the light gets hot so you do not have to worry about damaging the light while preparing for a night dive, or after getting out of the water.

Reef said mine was the only one with this defect and i could fine no other negative comments regarding overheating or melting contacts.

I really like this lamp for it's power and light spread, the size and the useful display and i am looking forward to use the new one successful back in Sardinia.

Chris

I am continually surprised by how often something like this happened. We have a L&M underwater housing that uses 4AA batteries to drive the video back. ON a dive, the batteries shorted and melted the plastic battery carrier. We were able to salvage the dive trip with some wires taken from an old lamp at Maluku divers so everything worked at least. We took the carrier to L&M at DEMA and they said they had seen this before. I suggested a $0.05 fuse would have stopped this problem; apparently that was not an option of them. Now we travel with several battery carriers home made from radio shack.

Electronic failures that lead to shorting are not a sign of reasonable design; no single point failure should do anything other than turn off the light.

Bill

I also had a flood, and melted contact issue with this light... But it was taken care of (even out of warranty); so you can't really complain too much!

I guess the non-robust design got me too. On the last day (better than the 1st) of a 5 week Indo trip, mine too (2500) had melted contacts and am waiting for a replacement. Haven't these designers ever heard of fuses?

Bill