WatchUSeek Watch Forums banner

How do I re-charge my Frogman?

10K views 29 replies 18 participants last post by  MRG-1000 
#1 ·
I guess I am alittle slow on the uptake, but I had my TC Frogman in the drawer for a long period of time. Now it does not display the time, it flashes a small message "recharge".

I left it out on the counter under a bright light for 3 hours, but nothing yet.

Do I need sunlight?

Thanks,

Tim
 
#3 ·
Direct sunlight works best.
 
#5 ·
you don't need necesarrily bright sunlight, even if its cloudy the light is still plenty bright, but of course it will longer to charge the watch. this is particulary the case with a frogman or any other model that uses the ML2016 battery.
but once fully charged you don't have to worry about a few rainy days, weeks, month even.

regards, holger
 
#10 ·
my recharging system consist of a 1W/3W LED flashlight (rechargeable NiMH AA for guilt-free lumen), a piece of thick white paper and a rubber band

(1) fold a paper cone and use the rubber band secure it on the business (LED) end of the flashlight
(2) place the open end of the paper code close to the dial of the tough solar G-Shock/Casio
(3) power up the flashlight and adjust the distant and diameter of the "device" so that most light are directed on the solar panel of the G-Shock/Casio
(4) go watch TV or place video games for the rest of the night

recharge and repeat as necessary :)

or simply wear the watch out in the sun for a day and have some fun ;-)
 
#11 ·
my recharging system consist of a 1W/3W LED flashlight (rechargeable NiMH AA for guilt-free lumen), a piece of thick white paper and a rubber band

(1) fold a paper cone and use the rubber band secure it on the business (LED) end of the flashlight
(2) place the open end of the paper code close to the dial of the tough solar G-Shock/Casio
(3) power up the flashlight and adjust the distant and diameter of the "device" so that most light are directed on the solar panel of the G-Shock/Casio
(4) go watch TV or place video games for the rest of the night

recharge and repeat as necessary :)

or simply wear the watch out in the sun for a day and have some fun ;-)
hmmm... i tried to charge a g-shock previously using my led light (those 5 mm led type). didn't work after half an hour and i had to resort to my table lamp..o|

maybe the 5 mm led is too puny? :think: ;-)
 
#13 ·
I know this sounds stupid, but is it possible to send my solar Frogman to Casio Center and request them to do a conversion to normal battery usage? I think the solar panel can be "deactivated" as not to fry the normal battery. I'm really getting tired of putting out my froggie for a suntan.:roll:
 
#14 ·
I know this sounds stupid, but is it possible to send my solar Frogman to Casio Center and request them to do a conversion to normal battery usage?
I don't see why not, but I guess it depends on how helpful they want to be. Keep us posted if you decide to go down this route.
 
#16 ·
I've got to ressurect this thread, as I prefer to do so instead of starting a new one :).

I've got two "Black Helios" frogmen now (Yay! :)).

One is functional, the other just has an empty battery icon and is flashing "Charge." As I understand it, this particular one is on Charge Level 4. Does anybody have any experience with how long (approx) it takes to get it up to CL2 or CL3, without using sunlight? The reason for no sunlight: I'm in Northeast Ohio, and the weather is cloudy this time of season. So far, I've had it under a trio of lights running simultaneiously: a 35W fluorescent, a 75W incandescent, and a 100W halogen. It was under this combination for about 2 hours last night. Today, I brought it to work, and it's been under a 45-50W halogen for about 1 hr. Still...no change in the charging status.

So at what point do you either try a new battery, or send in to Casio?
 
#18 ·
Hi Topher,

I use a similar lamp as emergency charger too. It can take days before the battery is charged. An hour is nothing, specially if the battery was totally dead. Leave it under the lamp in a seperate room for about 24h (not too close to the lamp of course).

Cheers,

Sjors
 
#20 ·
Sjors, thanks for the advice. After reading that it could take 20 days or more of overcast sunlight, I think I'll just leave it in a window sill for a couple of weeks. Luckily, the 1st one has enough battery to function.

After all the reading about Frogmen, I took the plunge on the pair. I must say that once I put one on, it is quite comfortable. They wear much smaller for me than I expected.

One concern I do have: the EL on the one I wear is not very bright at all. Have you notice this on any of your solar Frogmen Sjors? Could it just be part of the battery needing a full charge?

Thanks guys for the help!
 
#22 ·
In Vancouver there's little to no sun besides summer, and the appartment faces north so there's no direct sunlight ever! I went to London Drugs (a local pharmacy/grocery store) and got a phillips 150W dura-max clear bulb. Put it in a desk lamp and let the the frog sit for a couple hours, now it's fully juiced. I think the trick is getting it as close to the light as possible, and choosing a bulb that produces a large amount of lumens.
 
#29 ·
got a phillips 150W dura-max clear bulb. Put it in a desk lamp and let the the frog sit for a couple hours, now it's fully juiced. I think the trick is getting it as close to the light as possible, and choosing a bulb that produces a large amount of lumens.
So far, I've had it under a trio of lights running simultaneiously: a 35W fluorescent, a 75W incandescent, and a 100W halogen. It was under this combination for about 2 hours last night.
Yeah, but is this ethical?
 
#23 ·
Hi Topher,

The EL backlight on Solar models are less bright then most cnventional battery models. You need to take in mind you use the EL when there is not enough light to look on you watch. You will find the EL backlight more than sufficient for the use.

Our eye is a very good instrument, that can adapt in a lot of light conditions. Therefore it can look like the EL backlight is insufficient. Under daylight it even can look like the EL is not working. I would not worry too much about it. If you really want to use your watch as a torch, buy yourself a DW-6600 or DW-6900.

Cheers,

Sjors
 
#24 ·
Hi Topher,

The EL backlight on Solar models are less bright then most cnventional battery models. You need to take in mind you use the EL when there is not enough light to look on you watch. You will find the EL backlight more than sufficient for the use.

Our eye is a very good instrument, that can adapt in a lot of light conditions. Therefore it can look like the EL backlight is insufficient. Under daylight it even can look like the EL is not working. I would not worry too much about it. If you really want to use your watch as a torch, buy yourself a DW-6600 or DW-6900.

Cheers,

Sjors
Torches...yep, got boths of those. I have noticed that those two in particular are extremely bright for an EL. Just compared to my other solar G's, this Frogman seems a little weak. It's probably just something I'll need to get used to.

Thanks for the help!
 
#25 ·
Well...not so good news. After replacing the ML2016 battery, the Frogman in question remains at 2 out of 3 bars being charged.

I had received a 3rd Frogman (a Blue TC version) and when it arrived it showed 1/3 bars charged. So I used the TC Frogman as a control, and charged it alongside the BH Frogman.

The TC Frogman now reads as fully charged (3 out of 3 bars). The BH Frogman is still showing 2 out of 3 bars charged. I think this one will be going in for service.

Now the big question: I've heard of the service department "losing" a watch, and sending a replacement that is not worth nearly what was sent. How do I properly account for what I'm sending? I've also thought about taking the bezel/band off and just sending the module. At least that way it's less attractive to "lose".
 
#26 ·
Honestly, it doesn't sound like there is anything wrong with your Frogman. If it is charging, even if the charging is slow, you should be fine. Just be patient. A brand new battery will hold a larger charge than an older one, so the new battery should take longer to charge.

I would never never ever send my Frogman, or even a portion of my Frogman, to Casio USA for support. I hope that the noticed the never never ever.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Buzzbait: Thanks for the morale booster. I was just getting kinda down about it's status. I'm going to just listen to you (and my inner voice) and keep charging the dang thing :-!.

I did notice the "never never ever" in your advice...and I'll follow it. I've heard many comment on how rock-solid the Frogman is, so I'll just "wait it out".

I was just thinking about it, and I guess it must be charging to some degree. If it wasn't charging, I would have to assume that it would go into sleep mode, as if it thought it was in the dark for 8-9 days. It has not gone into the sleep state at all...so there must be some kind of charge going in :think:.

Patience...is not always my strongsuit :).
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top