Scotty HP Digital Counters...They Keep Dying....

[Captain PartyMarty]

I had a small miracle on my boat this summer! A Scotty counter made it though two months of straight fishing! I think I should send it back to Scotty to put up on there wall of fame! Or at least they reverse engineer it and finally fix the problem

 

[Ringo]

I had a small miracle on my boat this summer! A Scotty counter made it though two months of straight fishing! I think I should send it back to Scotty to put up on there wall of fame! Or at least they reverse engineer it and finally fix the problem

That’s because it barely rained this summer??

 

[Rain City]

That’s because it barely rained this summer??

As soon as I started putting covers on my riggers religiously, the problem mostly went away.

 

[Alex_c]

The single AAA is supposed to be the “improved” version but it’s simply the same crap. Attach the pic and the SN to an email to Scotty and they’ll ship a new one to you. This is a real shame for a company that has such good product footprint.

I don’t get why potting the pcb, and properly sealing the LCD housing is that difficult? Seems like a problem that’s been solved a hundred times before

 

[Aquaholic]

I don’t get why potting the pcb, and properly sealing the LCD housing is that difficult? Seems like a problem that’s been solved a hundred times before

Would it be a combination of the temperature changes when something is outside like that expanding and contacting along all of those joint and sealant lines?

 

[Alex_c]

Would it be a combination of the temperature changes when something is outside like that expanding and contacting along all of those joint and sealant lines?

Sure, if it’s a cheap part that’s poorly engineered. Potting the PCB and thermally fusing the housing instead of gluing would be a good start. You could encase the entire thing in clear epoxy and it would probably last forever if it weren’t for the UV degradation of the epoxy. Like I said, sealing electronics is not complex or novel. There’s an entire standard for it (IP rating).

 

[SpringVelocity]

Sure, if it’s a cheap part that’s poorly engineered. Potting the PCB and thermally fusing the housing instead of gluing would be a good start. You could encase the entire thing i clear epoxy and it would probably last forever if it weren’t for the UV degradation of the epoxy. Like I said, sealing electronics is not complex or novel. There’s an entire standard for it (IP rating).

Totally agree.

I looked at few that failed and there usually a lot of moisture in there. The counters are likely an offshore part and not designed in house.

The electronics we used at Carmanah when I worked there we used conformal coating the PCBA board. Sometimes we potted them depending on application.

The mechanical enclosures plastic or metal we always we would design in a goretex vent to properly vent in case it got moisture or hydrogen inside from batteries etc. I don't see any vent on those counters. Those new battery design I hope they are vented....

Ip67 is a pretty simple test. We usually would do few parking lots test submersion certain time and depth. Then we would test it to failure. Not sure these were done that way. IP67 does need to be certified by a 3rd party to get certification.

Not my design but adding a small gore vent in the plastic enclosure and conformal coating board would help a bit. And of course beating up on contract manufacturer that makes it.

 

[Ringo]

As soon as I started putting covers on my riggers religiously, the problem mostly went away.

I’ve noticed that even a few hours of trolling in rainy weather can screw them up. We were fishing in last week of August when there was a heavy downpour and all of a sudden the reset/pwr button stopped working. It literally took an hour for the pos to go from fully functional to a static half-dead counter. Had to remove the battery to turn it off for the day.
I usually put the covers on when mooring at the dock and then leave the riggers inside the cuddy when not planning to use the boat for long time. Still go through 2-3 units every year and I spend an average of 20-30 days/year on the water.

 

[Alex_c]

Totally agree. I looked at few that fail and there usually a lot of moisture in there. The counters are likely an offshore part and not designed in house.

The electronics we used at Carmanah when I worked there we used conformal coating the PCBA board.

The mechanical enclosures plastic or metal we always we would design in a goretex vent to properly vent in case it got moisture or hydrogen inside from batteries etc. I don't see any vent on those counters. Those new battery design I hope they are vented....

Ip67 is a pretty simple test. We usually would do few parking lots test submersion certain time and depth. Then we would test it to failure. Not sure these were done that way.

Not my design but adding a small gore vent in the plastic enclosure and conformal coating board would help a bit. And of course beating up on contract manufacturer that makes it

The simple explanation is that those counters probably cost Scotty under $5 each and it’s cheaper for them to warranty than design and pay to manufacture something that would last.

 

[Ringo]

The simple explanation is that those counters probably cost Scotty under $5 each and it’s cheaper for them to warranty than design and pay to manufacture something that would last.

I agree but then most people are already aware of the defective design and opt for 1106s. That approach will eventually hit their bottom line in the long run and make the fantastic HP riggers a less desirable choice in the market.

 

[Alex_c]

I agree but then most people are already aware of the defective design and opt for 1106s. That approach will eventually hit their bottom line in the long run and make the fantastic HP riggers a less desirable choice in the market.

If the 1106s were as fast I would agree, but people want the “best”, most expensive, and fastest, regardless of reliability. If that weren’t the case, Land Rover, Maserati, Jaguar, and Audi wouldn’t be in business.

 

[Ringo]

If the 1106s were as fast I would agree, but people want the “best”, most expensive, and fastest, regardless of reliability. If that weren’t the case, Land Rover, Maserati, Jaguar, and Audi wouldn’t be in business.

Yeah. That’s exactly why I “upgraded” to HPs. It’s a great product but unfortunately, it’s suffering from a faulty counter design. I for one could live with the “slowness” of 1106 as I rarely fish deeper than 150’ but then the Maserati bug hit me really bad.

 

[sly_karma]

FFS put covers on your riggers at the end of the day and you're set. My boat lives in a carport and only goes to the coast for a few weeks a year. I've had the 2106s for a decade, now on my second set of counters. Be a bit proactive and keep the worst of the water off them and they last for years.

 

[Ringo]

FFS put covers on your riggers at the end of the day and you're set. My boat lives in a carport and only goes to the coast for a few weeks a year. I've had the 2106s for a decade, now on my second set of counters. Be a bit proactive and keep the worst of the water off them and they last for years.

You put the covers on when trolling in the rain? Wait - I forgot that it doesn’t rain as much in the Okanagan

 

[Tomfoolery]

I keep my 2106's inside my boat when I am not fishing but the counters still suck. I just picked up another two and replaced one side for the third time. I would run manual counters if I could, but won't run the riggers with the covers off so am stuck with digital.

 

[Ringo]

I keep my 2106's inside my boat when I am not fishing but the counters still suck. I just picked up another two and replaced one side for the third time. I would run manual counters if I could, but won't run the riggers with the covers off so am stuck with digital.

@Derby had a cool design for a hybrid counter. I may actually do the same thing this winter.

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

Why would they fix the problem, there charging 60 buck and no longer warranty counters. Sounds like there making bucket loads of cash

 

[Ringo]

Why would they fix the problem, there charging 60 buck and no longer warranty counters. Sounds like there making bucket loads of cash

The warranty program is still there. They just processed one for me a couple weeks ago.

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

I was told last year when I brought my 4 failed counters that they were no longer covered by warranty. I guess some get better service than others

 

[Tomfoolery]

Yeah, Steve at Harbour Chandler said they have a two year warranty on the counters so I have an email in to Scotty. Will see what happens.