Leak Sentinel V5 Odd Switch Behavior?

I have just acquired a Leak Sentinel V5 and am having a bit of an issue with it.... it seems that once the housing pressure has been drawn down to the point that the sensor LED begins to flash green (indicating an appropriate pressure differential) the on/off switch fails to re-extend after being pushed... meaning that I can turn the sensor off, with a very light push , but not turn it back on until a let the housing equalize, by manipulating the relief valve. Im curious if anyone else mightve experienced similar and, if so, if they mightve resolved the situation? Any input would be greatly appreciated! TIA

Curious. I've had the V3 and V4 versions and not had a problem - but the V5 is quite a different design.

Have you contacted Miso at Vivid? He's The Man (well certainly for v3 and v4) and really helpful.

Ive not yet... I just picked it up this afternoon and am now fiddling about with it in the middle of the night (here in CA). The obvious difference between the V3/4 and V5 is that the switch is now a push button micro switch, located below the rubber button/valve. It seems that the vacuum is pulling the button down onto the switch, once just a bit of pressure is applied. Im thinking that I might go back to the store and see if they have a V4... though, Ill reach out to Miso first.

Thanks for the input!

No worries. Good luck with it. If my experience of Vivid is anything to go by, they'll sort you out.

i have just ordered V5 and will get shipment as of next week...but have already the user manual from which I quote the usage instructions. maybe something you didn't follow entirely?

4. Pre-Dive Procedures and Operation

1. Remove the protective cap by unscrewing the cap in a counter-clockwise motion, being sure to hold the Leak Sentinel body to avoid loosening the Leak Sentinel from the camera housing.

2. Press the translucent button on the rubber valve in a downward motion, until the switch clicks, which can be felt by the finger.

3. The red LED will give one long blink, then will start blinking steadily, indicating the circuit is active. At this time, ambient pressure is measured and memorized by the unit.

4. Detach the tubing from the pump cap. Screw the pump cap into the valve body. Attach the tubing back to the pump cap.

5. Start pumping by pulling in and out on the pump handle, or by simply pressing the button in case you are using the electric pump.

6. The LED should start alternating with a red and green LED light. The red and green alternating LED is indicating that a pressure change is detected and the circuit is active.

7. After the number of strokes needed to achieve the proper vacuum, which depends on the housing volume, the green LED will perform one long blink, then keep blinking steadily. Stop pumping after two consecutive green blinks after the long green blink.

8. Detach the tubing from the pump cap and remove the pump cap.

9. Replace and tighten the protective cap. Be sure the protective cap o-ring is lubricated with a small amount of o-ring grease.

Now, observe the LED. If the green LED still blinks after 15-20 minutes then no leakage is present and the housing is ready for immersion in water. If the green LED stops blinking and the alternating red-green or red LED starts blinking, there is a leak, so it is not safe for any type of immersion in water. If there is a leak, then a procedure for locating and eliminating the cause of the leak should be followed. Be sure and test the camera housing again with the Leak Sentinel after any repairs are made to the camera housing and/or its o-rings.

10. During the dive, be sure to occasionally observe the LED. If the green LED stops blinking and an alternate red/green or red LED starts blinking, this indicates the rise of internal housing pressure and a possible leak. If there is a possible leak, it is advisable to immediately ascend to minimize the risk of flooding. Be sure to follow all dive safety procedures when ascending! It is advisable to point the housing port downwards to cause any water in the housing to flow into the port and away from the camera and housing electronics.

Post Dive Procedures

1. After every dive, rinse and dry the valve body along with the camera housing. There is no need to remove the Leak Sentinel from the camera housing to rinse the housing and/or Leak Sentinel. To remove the Leak Sentinel from the housing during rinsing procedures could cause the housing to flood.

2. Remove the protective cap.

3. Switch the circuit off, pressing the rubber valve button.

4. Gently move the rubber button sideways to equalize the pressure. You will hear the air hissing into the housing as the pressure within the camera housing equalizes with the outside air pressure. When the air pressure starts to equalize with outside pressure the red LED will start blinking. Be careful not to pull the bottom rubber disc from the other side of the lid; if this happens, remove the upper lid and pull the lower disc through the hole, then reinstall the upper cover.

5. Replace the protective cap, being sure the o-ring is greased and clean of debris.

5. Special functions

 Temperature compensation

The Leak Sentinel V5 has temperature compensation. Temperature compensation means that the circuit constantly monitors temperature changes and compensates for the pressure changes accordingly. This feature eliminates the possibility of false alarms in situations where the housing is set up in a cold environment and used in a warmer environment. No user action for this feature is required; this feature is always on when the circuit is active.

 Overnight function

The Leak Sentinel V5 offers the possibility of setting up the housing in advance. For instance one might want to set the housing up the night before the dive. To do so, just switch the Leak Sentinel off by pressing the rubber

valve on/off button without equalizing the pressure. When the circuit is switched on again, by again pressing the rubber valve on/off button the Leak Sentinel will automatically detect the vacuum, taking the present pressure as a reference, and keep monitoring by blinking green after a brief red blink.

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Maybe that helps.you can get the entire user manual from Miso directly.

Hopefully I did not violate any copyrights etc. by posting this abstract here.

Stitution resolved, thanks to Miso! There is a small, transparent plastic disc on the bottom of the valve that he recommended removing. Without it, the switch works perfectly. It does take nominally more effort to turn the sensor on/off when the housing isnt drawn down, but it certainly doesnr make that difficult.

Now to figure where to dive this weekend....