LouYoung 0 #1 September 29, 2004 Anyone ever mysteriously lose all your log entries in your Neptune? I just went to look at my latest log entries to fill in my paper logbook before transfering the entries into Paralog and the Neptune popped up a screen saying, "There are no logs available. Log Book is EMPTY." Everything else on the Neptune looks great, time and date are still correct, just missing the logs from the 70 jumps I've put on the thing. That's kind of disappointing. How about it? Anyone seen this before? Lou Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerry81 10 #2 September 29, 2004 Something similar happened to me after my unit was left in the cold for too long. Version 1.something. When it warmed up, the logs reappeared. I also had some weird logbook problems with some older upgrades (messed up dates and altitudes), but a fresh battery and a new upgrade fixed most of them (except for one jump that I apparently made on the 34th of 13th month). So chances are your logs may still be there. Try contacting Alti-2 about your problems- the few times that I complained about something they always answered pretty fast. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
atsaubrey 0 #3 September 29, 2004 I had the same thing happen to me. I changed the battery and reloaded all the info. This weekend I found out the battery was dead and hadn't logged everything on paper and was thinking the worst. I changed the battery and nothing was lost this time...thank god. Other than that one issue I love my Neptune."GOT LEAD?" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bclark 0 #4 September 29, 2004 neptune uses a battery that will indicate full until it starts to lose charge then will show a quick and dramatic decrease in battery power. I have had mine for 2 months and am already on the 3rd battery. ( I do alot of jumps. ) But, when the battery begins to show low, your log books and jump #'s / freefall time, etc. go BYE BYE. Other than the short battery life, I have had no other issues with my Neptune. However, they do drink the batteries. I heard from a friend who had his Neptune updated by a Alti-2 rep at Richmond that they chose to use a more readily available, inexpensive battery with shorter life for the Neptune. Rather than the expensive hard to find types of batteries used by other devices, i.e. Pro Track / Dytter. Personally I would rather have a more expensive, harder to find battery that I don't have to replace every 3 weeks! That is my only Neptune bitch. I just updated my software to 2.2.0 A using an IR adapter and the stuff from the website. God that is cool. And even a computer idiot like me could figure out how do do it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
koz2000 1 #5 September 29, 2004 QuoteRather than the expensive hard to find types of batteries used by other devices, i.e. Pro Track / Dytter. Personally I would rather have a more expensive, harder to find battery that I don't have to replace every 3 weeks! Make sure that you backlight is disabled. That will kill the battery really quick. It won;t be on 100% of the time, just when buttons are hit or in freefall. Also make sure it is on econ mode rather than auto. I also do a lot of jumps and my neptune is doing pretty good with the battery (about 375 jumps). Blue one D .______________________________________________ - Does this small canopy make my balls look big? - J. Hayes - Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ypelchat 0 #6 September 29, 2004 Quote I heard from a friend who had his Neptune updated by a Alti-2 rep at Richmond that they chose to use a more readily available, inexpensive battery with shorter life for the Neptune. Rather than the expensive hard to find types of batteries used by other devices, i.e. Pro Track / Dytter. Personally I would rather have a more expensive, harder to find battery that I don't have to replace every 3 weeks! That is my only Neptune bitch. I just updated my software to 2.2.0 A using an IR adapter and the stuff from the website. God that is cool. And even a computer idiot like me could figure out how do do it. In fact, the Neptune's battery (DL2450 or CR2450) is a more powerful battery, than the battery (CR2330) used in Pro-Track/Pro-Dytter. Yes, the DL2450 is cheaper to buy, and is easier to find than the CR2330, but this has nothing to do with the quality of the battery itself. The DL2450 battery is being used in a lot more electronic equipment than the CR2330 is. More batteries manufactured/sold = a lower price. Simple economics here... Also, don't forget that the Pro-Track/Pro-Dytter uses TWO batteries VS only one for the Neptune. Yves. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
headoverheels 291 #7 September 29, 2004 From my observations, the Neptune has multiple levels of low-battery detect. At the higher one, the low-battery icon appears, but the unit continues to operate correctly. As the battery drops more, the voltage is too low to reliably write the non-volatile memory, and memory functions (read and write) are disabled. I've always found the logged jumps to still be there (i.e., not really empty) when I replaced the battery. Any jumps made while the battery was too low were not logged, though. Just my educated guess, as I don't know the actual operation of the circuitry. I bought 22 batteries from Digikey, so I'm set for at least a few years. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlueEyedMonster 0 #8 September 30, 2004 Quotejust missing the logs from the 70 jumps I've put on the thing. How about it? Anyone seen this before?Lou Yes I have seen it... 2 reasons. 1.) Logging of jumps is an option. Is it disabled? 2.) OLD software. If you do not have the most recent version, you will want to get the software updates. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #9 October 1, 2004 How many jumps you getting out of each battery? Using it as an audible or visual? I'm still on my first battery after 4 months/130 jumps...almost all as an audible and a couple night jumps with backlight. Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pwln 0 #10 October 1, 2004 I travel a lot. (Mostly Driving) I can replace my battery, do a few jumps and the next weekend the battery would be dead or low. I've tried everything and now I just accept that it will always eat batteries. no backlight, no alarms, no buttons getting pressed in my gear bag..... I am going to get a hard case to store it in and then see how it does... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LouDiamond 1 #11 October 2, 2004 Alti-2 recommends you remove the battery on flights. The same should also apply when driving distances that may vary in altitude as the Neptune will sense the change as well."It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required" Some people dream about flying, I live my dream SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
headoverheels 291 #12 October 2, 2004 QuoteAlti-2 recommends you remove the battery on flights. The same should also apply when driving distances that may vary in altitude as the Neptune will sense the change as well. That's an unacceptable work-around that they need to fix. It is an easy software fix, and I don't know why they don't just do it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pwln 0 #13 October 3, 2004 You are right, Not a good answer. I mostly Drive.. Get to the DZ, get ready to jump, Oh, wait, where did I put my screwdriver... I pretty much just try not to think about the money I've spent on it. Maybe they will put in a "off button" at some point. They told me that they would think about it if they got requests for it. For now, I'll just keep a few extra batteries around and a screwdriver... (My protrack works fine, I can even turn it off... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites BlueEyedMonster 0 #14 October 3, 2004 QuoteQuoteAlti-2 recommends you remove the battery on flights. The same should also apply when driving distances that may vary in altitude as the Neptune will sense the change as well. That's an unacceptable work-around that they need to fix. It is an easy software fix, and I don't know why they don't just do it.Unacceptable in your opinion. Awesome in mine. I love the fact that you can't shut it off. That means that its always on when I need it. I drive 60 miles back and forth to the DZ every weekend. I've never had it log a jump while driving on my trips. I am capable of operating a screwdriver if I need to get the battery out. So taking one out for a flight, along with all my other gear prep will not be a problem. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites headoverheels 291 #15 October 3, 2004 QuoteUnacceptable in your opinion. Awesome in mine. I love the fact that you can't shut it off. That means that its always on when I need it. I drive 60 miles back and forth to the DZ every weekend. I've never had it log a jump while driving on my trips. I am capable of operating a screwdriver if I need to get the battery out. So taking one out for a flight, along with all my other gear prep will not be a problem. You live in a flat area, and drive to the DZ. I usually fly to the DZ, which gives me an extra hop and pop logged each way. I don't care about that. What I care about is that, when I drive home (from DZ or from my local airport), I drive up the hill 700 feet to my house, which causes the Neptune to think I've taken off. One time, I turned on (pushed a button) the Neptune a day later, and it gave me the "Very slow climb rate" message, which means that the unit was already in the mode where it does rapid readings, consuming the most power. I don't get an extra jump logged from this, just the unacceptable battery life. Removing the screws/battery is unacceptable. Do it 100 times, and you will likely strip out the screws, damage the o-ring, etc. The batteries are also somewhat difficult to remove. This part of the Neptune operation is just poorly thought out. The great thing about the Cypres, when it came to market, was that you could just turn it on at the beginning of the day, it will do its job, then turn itself off (if you don't) after 14 hours. Previous units had to be dicked with for each jump. Dicking with the Neptune battery every day of jumping is just a PITA. Like I said, my workaround for the poor design was just to buy 22 batteries, which will last me about 3 to 4 years (at maybe 180 jumps per year), based on performance to date. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites ianmdrennan 2 #16 October 3, 2004 Steps: 1) Ensure you have the new software 2) Replace the battery. If it still goes flat in under 300 jumps, contact Lara at Alti-2 immediately. There were some older units that had a weird memory chip issue that caused rapid draining of the battery. She'll replace the unit for free if you have no luck. Blues, IanPerformance Designs Factory Team Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites cvfd1399 0 #17 October 4, 2004 REPLACE THE BATTERY!!!! I never use audible or backlight, butt.... I had a "full battery"indicator on a jump yesterday. Turned on the backlight as the sunset load got off the ground late. Under canopy the thing kept turning on and shutting off. NO ALT TO LAND WITH. Had to use my primary alt.(eyes). neptune is only months old. they need to come up with another way to show battery voltage. Also after taking metal plate off the back as per website around all 4 screw holes have spider cracks around them. So much for the water proof thing now. ALso why did they release a update that you cannot use. The web site said do not use this version to adjust alarms, a future update will be out soon.. err something to that effect. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites pwln 0 #18 October 4, 2004 That is what I did. went and got a few (10) batteries. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites reddevil1 0 #19 October 4, 2004 my one said ,writer data error,did not log any think the day earler ,i hit some one when tracking out of a fs jump i just sent it back ,try not to drop your neptune they go weird. The point of no return what a rush. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites BlueEyedMonster 0 #20 October 5, 2004 Quotei hit some one when tracking out of a fs jump i just sent it back ,try not to drop your neptune they go weird. That's what armor is for. If your Neptune is on your wrist, get it. Its cheap and its extra cushion that is removable in case you want to use it as an audible again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites BlueEyedMonster 0 #21 October 5, 2004 QuoteREPLACE THE BATTERY!!!! .... I never use audible or backlight, butt.... I had a "full battery"indicator on a jump yesterday. Turned on the backlight as the sunset load got off the ground late. Under canopy the thing kept turning on and shutting off. NO ALT TO LAND WITH..... they need to come up with another way to show battery voltage... It isn't going to happen. Lithium batteries maintain maximum voltage to the very end. So until Altimeters(and modern hardware) can accurately predict the future, there is no way to read when the battery is going to die based on its output. The battery indicator in your altimeter is the same as on a cypress... nothing more than a voltage meter. It showed full battery because your battery was running at full power on the ground QuoteAlso after taking metal plate off the back as per website around all 4 screw holes have spider cracks around them. Let me guess, you never contacted Alti-2 or a Field Service Rep about the cracks? QuoteALso why did they release a update that you cannot use.They didn't. You misread the website. QuoteThe web site said do not use this version to adjust alarms, a future update will be out soon.. err something to that effect. The site said "Do not use the current release Neptune Control Panel" The Neptune Control Panel is utility that is only available to Field Support Reps. The Updater software available to the public is fully functional. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites cvfd1399 0 #22 October 5, 2004 Yea I showed the field rep the unit saturday. Yea Laura told me about the website and the warning. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0 Go To Topic Listing
BlueEyedMonster 0 #14 October 3, 2004 QuoteQuoteAlti-2 recommends you remove the battery on flights. The same should also apply when driving distances that may vary in altitude as the Neptune will sense the change as well. That's an unacceptable work-around that they need to fix. It is an easy software fix, and I don't know why they don't just do it.Unacceptable in your opinion. Awesome in mine. I love the fact that you can't shut it off. That means that its always on when I need it. I drive 60 miles back and forth to the DZ every weekend. I've never had it log a jump while driving on my trips. I am capable of operating a screwdriver if I need to get the battery out. So taking one out for a flight, along with all my other gear prep will not be a problem. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
headoverheels 291 #15 October 3, 2004 QuoteUnacceptable in your opinion. Awesome in mine. I love the fact that you can't shut it off. That means that its always on when I need it. I drive 60 miles back and forth to the DZ every weekend. I've never had it log a jump while driving on my trips. I am capable of operating a screwdriver if I need to get the battery out. So taking one out for a flight, along with all my other gear prep will not be a problem. You live in a flat area, and drive to the DZ. I usually fly to the DZ, which gives me an extra hop and pop logged each way. I don't care about that. What I care about is that, when I drive home (from DZ or from my local airport), I drive up the hill 700 feet to my house, which causes the Neptune to think I've taken off. One time, I turned on (pushed a button) the Neptune a day later, and it gave me the "Very slow climb rate" message, which means that the unit was already in the mode where it does rapid readings, consuming the most power. I don't get an extra jump logged from this, just the unacceptable battery life. Removing the screws/battery is unacceptable. Do it 100 times, and you will likely strip out the screws, damage the o-ring, etc. The batteries are also somewhat difficult to remove. This part of the Neptune operation is just poorly thought out. The great thing about the Cypres, when it came to market, was that you could just turn it on at the beginning of the day, it will do its job, then turn itself off (if you don't) after 14 hours. Previous units had to be dicked with for each jump. Dicking with the Neptune battery every day of jumping is just a PITA. Like I said, my workaround for the poor design was just to buy 22 batteries, which will last me about 3 to 4 years (at maybe 180 jumps per year), based on performance to date. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ianmdrennan 2 #16 October 3, 2004 Steps: 1) Ensure you have the new software 2) Replace the battery. If it still goes flat in under 300 jumps, contact Lara at Alti-2 immediately. There were some older units that had a weird memory chip issue that caused rapid draining of the battery. She'll replace the unit for free if you have no luck. Blues, IanPerformance Designs Factory Team Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cvfd1399 0 #17 October 4, 2004 REPLACE THE BATTERY!!!! I never use audible or backlight, butt.... I had a "full battery"indicator on a jump yesterday. Turned on the backlight as the sunset load got off the ground late. Under canopy the thing kept turning on and shutting off. NO ALT TO LAND WITH. Had to use my primary alt.(eyes). neptune is only months old. they need to come up with another way to show battery voltage. Also after taking metal plate off the back as per website around all 4 screw holes have spider cracks around them. So much for the water proof thing now. ALso why did they release a update that you cannot use. The web site said do not use this version to adjust alarms, a future update will be out soon.. err something to that effect. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pwln 0 #18 October 4, 2004 That is what I did. went and got a few (10) batteries. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites reddevil1 0 #19 October 4, 2004 my one said ,writer data error,did not log any think the day earler ,i hit some one when tracking out of a fs jump i just sent it back ,try not to drop your neptune they go weird. The point of no return what a rush. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites BlueEyedMonster 0 #20 October 5, 2004 Quotei hit some one when tracking out of a fs jump i just sent it back ,try not to drop your neptune they go weird. That's what armor is for. If your Neptune is on your wrist, get it. Its cheap and its extra cushion that is removable in case you want to use it as an audible again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites BlueEyedMonster 0 #21 October 5, 2004 QuoteREPLACE THE BATTERY!!!! .... I never use audible or backlight, butt.... I had a "full battery"indicator on a jump yesterday. Turned on the backlight as the sunset load got off the ground late. Under canopy the thing kept turning on and shutting off. NO ALT TO LAND WITH..... they need to come up with another way to show battery voltage... It isn't going to happen. Lithium batteries maintain maximum voltage to the very end. So until Altimeters(and modern hardware) can accurately predict the future, there is no way to read when the battery is going to die based on its output. The battery indicator in your altimeter is the same as on a cypress... nothing more than a voltage meter. It showed full battery because your battery was running at full power on the ground QuoteAlso after taking metal plate off the back as per website around all 4 screw holes have spider cracks around them. Let me guess, you never contacted Alti-2 or a Field Service Rep about the cracks? QuoteALso why did they release a update that you cannot use.They didn't. You misread the website. QuoteThe web site said do not use this version to adjust alarms, a future update will be out soon.. err something to that effect. The site said "Do not use the current release Neptune Control Panel" The Neptune Control Panel is utility that is only available to Field Support Reps. The Updater software available to the public is fully functional. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites cvfd1399 0 #22 October 5, 2004 Yea I showed the field rep the unit saturday. Yea Laura told me about the website and the warning. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
reddevil1 0 #19 October 4, 2004 my one said ,writer data error,did not log any think the day earler ,i hit some one when tracking out of a fs jump i just sent it back ,try not to drop your neptune they go weird. The point of no return what a rush. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlueEyedMonster 0 #20 October 5, 2004 Quotei hit some one when tracking out of a fs jump i just sent it back ,try not to drop your neptune they go weird. That's what armor is for. If your Neptune is on your wrist, get it. Its cheap and its extra cushion that is removable in case you want to use it as an audible again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlueEyedMonster 0 #21 October 5, 2004 QuoteREPLACE THE BATTERY!!!! .... I never use audible or backlight, butt.... I had a "full battery"indicator on a jump yesterday. Turned on the backlight as the sunset load got off the ground late. Under canopy the thing kept turning on and shutting off. NO ALT TO LAND WITH..... they need to come up with another way to show battery voltage... It isn't going to happen. Lithium batteries maintain maximum voltage to the very end. So until Altimeters(and modern hardware) can accurately predict the future, there is no way to read when the battery is going to die based on its output. The battery indicator in your altimeter is the same as on a cypress... nothing more than a voltage meter. It showed full battery because your battery was running at full power on the ground QuoteAlso after taking metal plate off the back as per website around all 4 screw holes have spider cracks around them. Let me guess, you never contacted Alti-2 or a Field Service Rep about the cracks? QuoteALso why did they release a update that you cannot use.They didn't. You misread the website. QuoteThe web site said do not use this version to adjust alarms, a future update will be out soon.. err something to that effect. The site said "Do not use the current release Neptune Control Panel" The Neptune Control Panel is utility that is only available to Field Support Reps. The Updater software available to the public is fully functional. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cvfd1399 0 #22 October 5, 2004 Yea I showed the field rep the unit saturday. Yea Laura told me about the website and the warning. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
