G-shock Tough solar problem

[UnknownVT]

I just posted this in response to KevinL in his thread:

Anybody played with these Casio watches?

But thought it may be appropriate here -

Tough-Solar.

Although the idea of never having to replace a battery may seem on paper to be appealing - and I've been tempted myself -
the problem is that the "accumulator" of the solar generated electricity is actually a "rechargable battery" - which unfortunately does not last forever and will eventually need replacement.

I'm not sure of the technology used for the storage/rechargable battery - type CTL1616 (I ccouldn't find any info on casio.com) -
but we all know NiCd's are terrible - heaven forbid it's one of those.

Lithium rechargables are supposed to be good - but really meant for high drain applications - I had 2 Li rechargable batteries for my Canon digicam - and after 3 years of cycling usage they both gave up the ghost.....

NiMH seems like a good technology - but again for high drain and I'm not sure how they react on slow trickle drain/charge - but even they only claim 500-1000 cycles of charge/discharge - at 1 cycle/day that's only 1+ to less than 3 years - OK maybe it's not 1 cycle/day - 1 cycle/2days average?
still = less than 3-5.5 years - that's not "forever".

Personally I would prefer a regular lithium powered G-Shock.

But as always YMMV.

 

[voxelman]

I have a Casio GW-300 (Atomic time, tough solar) that I will have had for 2 years in June. I have always carried it looped around my belt rather then on my wrist so it doesn't see a lot of sun in the winter months. Recently the charge indicator started to dip into the low mark and the display would blank. I then started to actively charge it under a q-h lamp. This would bring it back for a few hours but about mid day I was looking at a blank face again. Last night I replaced the CTL1616 with a CR1616 and after going through the set up and waiting over night for the time updates to occur it seems to be working normally. Got the CR1616 at Walmart. I'm not sure that the CR and the CTL ar the exact same battery. They are the about the same thickness and they are the same diameter. The original battery was made by Panasonic but I can't find any mention of it on their sites.

 

[cooper]

My G-shock Tough Solar just went blank and won't charge. Apparently others have had this problem. The battery is not completely dead but the watch is now useless to me so I am using an older G-shock. Unfortunately, the stopwatch on the older one is a 1 hour max version which is not useful to me. I liked the display of my Tough Solar and but that is the last solar powered one for me!

Before the screen went blank, the battery indicator was at the next to the top level so I wasn't too concerned. Besides, solar power in winter is in short supply here (Alaska) so I had usually charged it under a fluorescent lamp. That doesn't seem to do it now.

 

[chevrofreak]

Battery is probably shot. Seems like a common problem with these.

Mark

Yup, that's why I skipped the solar powered atomic G-Shock and went with a Waveceptor instead. It's cheaper, not as thick, uses atomic time but doesn't use the problematic solar power.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4840142

 

[billgr]

mine is still working after 2 yrs....but.... i've heard so many negatives about their solar watches that i wont buy any more after this one dies.

Bill

 

[BladeDogg]

How long have you had it? That shouldn't be happening. I would contact Casio for some help.

As for suggestions. There are TONS of watches out there. What are you looking for...

1. waterproof
2. auto or quartz
3. digital or analogue
4. size?
5. dress or outdoors?
6. price?

Lots of things to consider...GOOD LUCK!

 

[cave dave]

... Last night I replaced the CTL1616 with a CR1616 and after going through the set up and waiting over night for the time updates to occur it seems to be working normally. Got the CR1616 at Walmart. I'm not sure that the CR and the CTL are the exact same battery. They are the about the same thickness and they are the same diameter....

This is an old thread but since someone dug it up I will comment:

The solar models use a lithium Ion battery, LiIon lifespan is sensitive to overcharge and over discharge. I imagine there isn't a very good circuit in the watch to prevent these from happening.

It would take an extra ordinary effort to overcharge one of these watches though, it takes about 12-18 hrs in full direct summer sun to fully charge it. That doesn't mean wearing it outside either, it means leaving it outside pointing at the sun for a couple days in a row. (don't forget to readjust it every couple hours to track the sun) Alternatively you can place it 8" under a 30w florescent for 120hrs!

DO NOT replace the LiIon battery with a regular Li battery. The watch will try to charge it. This will cause the cell to leak or possible burst.

PS Above times were from combination of Casio and Eco Drive manuals.

 

[cooper]

Thanks for the information about recharge times for the Casio Solars and responding to an old thread. The solar models must work pretty well or I assume that there would be more complaints here. However, these watches are essentially useless in Alaska as my now nonfunctional watch demonstrates.

I got it primarily because I liked the display and face color and of course didn't realize then how long the charge times are. I got it less than a year ago and tried to keep the charge up in winter by putting it under a fluorescent light overnight whenever the charge dropped one notch down. Although the power indicator never dropped below the next to the highest charge, the battery is apparently dead or at least will not take a charge under a fluorescent light. (Outdoor charging is not an option in Interior Alaska in winter.) The fee for battery replacement is $30 plus shipping and the watch cost $67 at Walmart.

The only watch less useful in Alaska is the Atomic Solar one. Although Walmart here has them in abundnce, the unaware might buy one of these only to find out that for the purpose of time corrections from Ft. Collins, Alaska may as well be in another galaxy.

Casio has had some bad designs. Some time ago they had one that gave blood pressure readings . It turned out to be completely unreliable and has since disappeared.

 

[cdosrun]

I have one of the GW-600 Solar, G-Shock, Waveceptor watches (admittedly only for a few months) and mine doesn't seem to have any problems with the power levels. I leave it in 'power save' mode so that it turns the display off at night. I spend a lot of time in the house, so it doesn't get to see much sunlight (just a couple of hours on my wrist, in thar car most days) but it hasn't left the highest power level yet, so I am hoping it is getting enough light to keep it there.

Like for others, the main appeal was the lack of maintenance (and having to break the seals) on a regular basis. Hopefully mine will continue to behave!

Andrew

 

[stockae92]

most of the dead tough solar casios were older/earlier productions the recent release/current production should already have the issue addressed.

i think it was caused by detective rechargeable cell provided from supplier

 

[BobVA]

Had the same problem with my Solar Atomic. I replaced the CTL1616 and that solved the problem. The battery is available from Casio, but it was a chore to find and order it. I think I finally wound up ordering it via their accessory phone number. (I also got a new gasket kit while I was at it.)

I think Wingerr is right on the mark - the advantage of the solar charging is that it can support high current functions like an electronic compass, radio receiver, etc without requiring frequent battery changes.

Cheers,
Bob

 

[cooper]

When I checked Amazon to see how people liked their Casios, there were swoons of praise and love for their eternal perpetual solar watches that were also atomically correct.

What they have overlooked in the first two weeks of ownership and bliss is that the battery is a storage battery nevertheless with a limited life span. In fact the life span may well be less than the non rechargable one for many users. For example, I have yet to have an Li cell need replacement and I have used some of the Casios for at least a few years each.


It is amusing also that the atomic versions are sold in places (here in Alaska, for example) far out of contact with the beam. I do like the fact that truly dedicated owners point theirs each evening towards ST ( formerly known as the Supreme Transmitter).

I ordered a replacement battery ffor my Tough Solar(directly from Casio) and plan to use the watch as a toy. For serious and dependable timekeeping, I bought an old style Illuminator G shock. Does (and has done in the past) everything I want and with reliability and convenience far exceeding a Rolex or a Solar Atomic. it is also substantially thinner. Wearing the newer G shocks that have become gargantuan sometimes feels like having a tree stump attached to my wrist.

 

[fludy12]

Well, these G Shocks seem to have problems. And the older Seiko Kinetics had lots of problems as well. But Citizen Eco Drives seem to be rock solid. I've rarely heard of a battery in an Eco Drive going bad and I recall a knowledgable Citizen rep saying that the cells were rated to 30 years...

Mark

I have two Citizen ECO drives with ZERO battery issues. I just wish they'd make one with a backlight!!! However, the rotary knob on my Skyhawk is getting a bit sloppy. The modes selected are often the modes next to it. Especially the date...

 

[fnmag]

Another vote for Citizen Eco-drive

 

[Lobo]

I have had a tough solar g5600 for five years, no problems at all. I have to charge it in the sun for around 12 hours twice a year (the winters are long and dark in Sweden, and my watch seldoms sees the sun otherwise). Going by my experience, I would recommend it. But I'm less enthusiastic now, hearing what you guys been through.

 

[jbMiami]

I have the same watch (G-2800). I've had it for several years (approx. 3) and it has worked great. I live in Florida and it charges fine. All of a sudden, the light stopped working and it stopped reaching the "top" charge level. Everything else still works great but I can't use a watch that I can't see at night so no light is pretty bad.

Like someone said, replacing it with another tough solar totally defeats the purpose since a regular battery can be replaced (much cheaper too) and doesn't add an entire watch to the land fills.

I'm really disappointed with this purchase. I was hoping it would be my last worry about battery changing. It was definitely not a cheap option. I'm going to call Casio on Monday and see if they "offer" any help/suggestions if it's not in warranty. If they don't, it hits the trash.

Meanwhile I'm using an old Timex Iron-man that still works great with a two-year old battery.
:mecry:

p.s. Thanks to the person who said NOT to change battery to non LithIon.... Although it's tempting to make it blow up just for fun.

 

[jbMiami]

By the way, the Casio site says the rechargeable battery will "last for as long as the watch".... and it also says it should recharge while in use as long as under sunlight or fluorescent light.... I've had mine sitting in the Miami sun for a week (not repositioning to solar angle) and still no backlight. Also, it has never had a lower charge indication than 90%.

 

[LowBat]

I have the Casio GW5600J (solar/waveceptor) for two years now. Power bars read 2/3 when I unpacked it. First day in the sun and it's been 3/3 ever since, despite my nocturnal lifestyle. The sleep mode probably accounts for the extra low battery drain. The only issue I have is being so far from Colorado it's not good at receiving the time signal, which requires finding an open outdoor location and letting it sit motionless for the required several minutes. Anything other than a continuous 3/3 reception for those minutes and the watch will read ERR (error).

 

[RA40]

Glad this was posted...I was tempted by the atomic-solar of a 5600 series. Seems that from various reviews on Amazon, this still exists to some extent. Sad...this would be an excellent time piece if not for that chrage capacitor/battery issue. The lithium powered cells still do the job.

 

[Burgess]

Interesting thread here.


I have a related question / problem . . . .


My Casio G-Force wristwatch, GW-M5600 (module 3063) is 16 months old,

and i've just noticed the display will "fog" internally on left side (only)

if held in front of an Air Conditioner duct for a few minutes. :sick2:

This happened during a car ride yesterday.


Does this indicate it has suffered Water Damage ? ? ?

Never been any deeper than washing my hands in the sink,
so i oughta' be safe in THAT regard, right ?


What is the Casio warranty period, for this watch ? (i bought it thru Amazon)

Is this something which can be "repaired" ?

Or does it hafta' be replaced ?


I like everything about this watch, so i'm really not happy
about finding a Replacement.


Thank you, everyone, for any assistance you can provide me here.

:thanks:
_