Connecting shark shield to FF battery...

In one of your earlier posts you commented: “ I cut the wires that go to the charge circuit and soldered them to the power leads--you can sort of see it in the picture in post #26 in this thread”.

With my newer Sharkshield it will not turn on while being charged. If yours is similar you may need to un-solder the charging leads, and cap them. Then the only change from the stock unit would be a bigger battery, and it should function normally.

I don't think that's the issue. The wires that go from the charge port to the charging circuitry were cut, so nothing is attached to the charging circuit. That should be just the same as if the charger was not plugged in in the original configuration. And, just like yours, it won't turn on if it's charging. Mine does turn on, but it flashes green, which is what it does when it is out of (salt)water, that is, the circuit is not complete.

So, I tried it again OTW yesterday. As I recall, the way the SS is supposed to work is that when I turn it on, the green light should flash a few times, followed by a beep, and then a steady green light. What happens instead is that it just endlessly flashes green. It does provide a not-so-pleasant tingly shock, however, so it seems like it's working.

But, I'm baffled by the non-standard light/beep situation. Any ideas why that might be happening, or what I could do to test it to be sure it's working properly?

If somebody with a SS has a voltmeter, could you set your voltmeter on the 20v DC setting, and touch the leads across the SS as shown in the video above? Let me known what you see, both in terms of voltage, and the timing between pulses. When I do that (and get the leads positioned just right), I see a definite pulse that fluctuates around 15v...

My two SS (version B and C) behave exactly as you've described. Now I'm confused. I can't remember whether they used to get a solid green while in salt water. I just checked by dunking them in the bath tub with fresh water only changes their blinking pattern slightly. (They still blink but with a different frequency and duration.) I am hoping they will get a solid green when dunk in salt water. Will test out next time. Anyhow, I do see the fluctuation in of voltage when I put a multimeter on the whip. The version "B" has a higher fluctuation like yours. The "C" fluctuates in a much smaller range and the shock feels weaker in the bath tub. I definitely need to bring both to the ocean and test.

My two SS (version B and C) behave exactly as you've described. Now I'm confused. I can't remember whether they used to get a solid green while in salt water. I just checked by dunking them in the bath tub with fresh water only changes their blinking pattern slightly. (They still blink but with a different frequency and duration.) I am hoping they will get a solid green when dunk in salt water. Will test out next time. Anyhow, I do see the fluctuation in of voltage when I put a multimeter on the whip. The version "B" has a higher fluctuation like yours. The "C" fluctuates in a much smaller range and the shock feels weaker in the bath tub. I definitely need to bring both to the ocean and test.

Thanks for the feedback. I wouldn't put too much stock in anything that happens in fresh water, as the saltwater is necessary.

As I recall off the top of my head, SS recommends putting your hand/arm about 12" away from the whip under (salt) water. You should feel you muscles start twitching, but no painful shock.

I tried putting my version "C" SS in the bath tub one more time. This time I could feel a similar jolt from the version "C" as in version "B". I think the orientation of the whip plays a role. Anyhow, I'll bring them to the salt next time and test out the LED's.

I had opened the version "C" SS and studied it a little. I hope you don't mind. I'd like to provide more info about the SS, and basically conclude on some findings.
The version "C" uses 2x 18650 cells to put out 7.4v (nominal voltage). It does have a small BMS on the battery pack that probably provide some basic protection. The batteries are Panasonic NCR18650BD. The specs sheet says they're rated at 3200mah. So in terms of total energy capacity, it is about 23.7 watt/hr. In comparison to version "A" and "B" that use 3x 2000mah LiPo cells, those only have 22.2 watt/hr. So the version "C" has about 1.5 watt/hr more.

I tried to measure the current draw, but my equipment doesn't allow me to get an accurate reading due to the SS is not drawing a constant current.

I also tried to fit 2x 21700 cells in enclosure. It would not fit them without some butchering of the plastic case. I think it's a 50/50 chance of fitting. I would replace them with 2x 18650 3600mah cells if I ever want to replace the batteries. That's still a ~10% gain.

I've heard a number of people complaining about their batteries not holding a charge. In my opinion, there could be two main reasons for that to happen.
1) Version "A" and "B" use soft cover LiPo cells like this... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TS8LTH5/?coliid=I1EG2M9WI837S8&colid=ISF7XCSER9DP&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
This type of cells has a shorter lifespan, and in general they deteriorate quicker than 18650 cells. The smaller the LiPo, the quicker they deteriorate. Name brand cells last longer than no-name cells because there is hardly any quality control on the no-name cells.

2) I think some people do not properly take care of their battery in the SS. Like all lithium cells, they do not like to be stored at low voltage. They are at their happiest when stored at their nominal voltage, which is at 3.7v per cell, which is roughly 60-80% of the capacity of the cell. For example, if you had gone fishing for an 8 hr day with your SS, the battery in your SS is pretty much used up. If you left it at the depleted state and not charge it back up until your next fishing trip a month later, you had damaged your battery by some amount. It would hold less charge than before. And if you keep doing that, you battery pack may need to be replaced after 12 months or so. You cannot undo the damaged done to a battery. Please put some charge in your SS after every trip.

Some pix I took of my version "C" SS...
The single 18650 cell is not part of the SS. I just put it there for reference.

Not sure why the pix came out stretched. The originals are 480x640. They look right on my phone and on my computer. Somehow they became 640x480 after posting.

It loads fine when u click it...

I was fishing today, and I think I figured out where the problem is--although I'm still not sure exactly why it's a problem...

When I start up my SS on the water, it beeps, turns solid green for a few seconds, and then starts flashing green. At that point, the SS is not functioning correctly, as I could grab the whip without getting shocked.

I started fiddling with it, and I noticed that I did get shocked when I touched certain spots near where I'd plugged in the battery. So, it seems the problem is in trying to use the charging port to connect the power to the unit. I'm not sure why that causes a problem, but I'm 99% certain that that's the source of the failure.

I plan to drill a hole in the case and create a new port to connect the battery using the "Chet" connector that is mentioned earlier in this thread. Hopefully, that'll fix the problem. In any case, I'll post once I get it modified and have a chance to test it. That might not happen too soon, as I've got a few pressing things I need to do first.

In that case, you may want to revive the battery pack, in case the external battery setup doesn't work.

I assume you made sure both the electrodes (upper and lower part of the whip) were submerged?
I don't understand, do you currently connect the red/black wires from the charging leads directly to the board where the battery used to connect to? Like in this picture?
http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=96475.msg1082407#msg1082407

I don't see how would using a different plug be any different from your current way of connecting to the board? Originally, the charging leads used to connect to a different part of the board. I assumed you rerouted them to now directly connect the charging leads to the spots where the battery pack used to connect to. And you made sure the charging leads no longer connected to the original charging circuit. If that doesn't work, maybe the board is more finicky about battery voltage. I would make sure your power source is between 12.6v and 11.1v (the max and nominal voltage of the original pack) while testing the unit.

I would not drill the hole for an external plug until you had figured out the issue.

... If that doesn't work, maybe the board is more finicky about battery voltage. I would make sure your power source is between 12.6v and 11.1v (the max and nominal voltage of the original pack) while testing the unit.

Yes, if this doesn't work, then the next thing will be to consider the voltage...

Maybe you're just not getting a good connection through the charging posts. On mine I often have to jiggle it to get it to charge. To improve the connection I cleaned off the posts with some very fine sandpaper and covered them with dielectric grease. You might try that before drilling.

I think I discovered the problem. It seems the wires that go from the case to the whip are damaged—not sure how clear it is in the picture,  it it’s obvious in-person. I think I’ll move the SS circuitry into my battery box, and add connectors for the whip near the scupper hole.

 

Great thread for the possible use in the future. Haven't felt the need to use my SS as of late. I do charge it when not in use for a long period of time.  Seems like its that time of year again.

Alex

… Seems like its that time of year again.

Yes it is. That’s why I’d like to get it working….

Would be nice if someone could figure out how to how connect the charging post to an external battery. Sucks being limited to 4 hrs