Dive Rite Lighting Systems, MR16, MR11, H1 Short, MLS2 Owner's Manual

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Lighting Systems

Owners Manual

Read this manual, in its entirety, before using your light. Failure to follow the instructions it gives, or to heed the warnings it provides, can lead to serious personal injury or death.

117 West Washington Street • Lake City, FL 32055 • USA

Phone (386) 752-1087 • Fax (386) 755-0613

www.diverite.com

Light System Owner’s Manual Page 2

Dive Rite Lighting System Limited Warranty

➤ Dive Rite will — at its sole discretion — repair or replace dive light components proved to

be damaged by faulty manufacture or material, at no cost, for a period of up to one year (365 days) from the date of purchase.

➤ Canister bodies and the metal portions of light heads are warranted for the life of the product.

➤ Batteries are warranted against defects in manufacture or material for 90 days from date of

purchase. This warranty does not cover loss of battery “burn time”—a condition that results almost exclusively from mis-use or abuse. Users must read and study the rated “burn time” information appearing in this manual. Failure to do so can easily result in expensive damage not

covered under warranty.

➤ Attempting the charge damaged batteries can further result in damage to chargers. This is

not covered under warranty — nor is damage to chargers caused by nonstandard alternating current voltages or cycle rates. Chargers returned under warranty must be accompanied by the battery(s) they were being used to charge. If the battery(s) are determined to be the cause of charger damage, no warranty coverage will be provided.

➤ The warranty also speciﬁ cally excludes bulbs, lenses, fuses, O-rings or other conditions resulting

from misuse, negligence, failure to properly lubricate O-rings, alteration, accident or unauthorized repair.

➤ This warranty applies only to the original retail purchaser. It does not cover commercial or

rental use, nor does it extend to units purchased from other than an authorized Dive Rite dealer or Tekreational Dive Center.

➤ To make a claim under this warranty, the owner must have either completed and returned

the warranty registration card at the time of purchase, or registered his/her warranty using Dive Rite’s website (www.diverite.com). He or she must then return the damaged items to Dive Rite, along with a copy of the original purchase invoice or receipt. No warranty service will be

performed for other than registered owners.

➤ This warranty becomes void if dive light components are damaged by anything other than

normal recreational diving use, of if they have been serviced or repaired by other than authorized Dive Rite dealers.

➤ Repairs made under this warranty will not extend the warranty period.

➤ All further claims, especially for damage after diving accidents, are excluded from coverage

under this warranty.

➤ Lamartek, Inc., dba Dive Rite, has no obligation to honor any extension of this warranty.

All Dive Rite light systems are pressure tested at the factory prior to delivery. When light systems are returned to Dive Rite for warranty service, the ﬁ rst thing we do is assemble the light precisely as outlined in this manual, including proper lubrication and installation of O-rings. We then pressure test the light, just as we did when new. If the light passes this second pressure test, we have to assume that any reported ﬂ ooding must have resulted from failure to properly assemble and/or maintain the light as outlined in this manual — in which case no warranty coverage is

provided.

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Table of Contents

Light Systems Overview............................................................4

High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Light Heads..........................................................5

Quartz-Halogen Light Heads ...................................................................................7

Battery Canisters ......................................................................................................9

Batteries .................................................................................................................15

Switch Mechanisms................................................................................................17

Light System Packages............................................................................................18

Light System Accessories ........................................................................................19

Using Your Light System..........................................................21

Transporting Your Light System .............................................................................22

Charging Your Light System...................................................................................23

Assembling Your Light System ...............................................................................25

Testing Light Operation.........................................................................................31

Mounting Your Light System .................................................................................32

Maintaining Your Light System................................................36

Post-Dive Maintenance and Care ...........................................................................37

Changing Actuators................................................................................................37

Changing or Replacing Bulbs.................................................................................38

Making Batteries Last.............................................................................................44

Dealing with Flooding or Other Damage...............................................................46

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Before You Start…

This information has been developed for your safety. Please read and understand this

manual completely before using your Dive Rite light system.

This manual contains important safety and maintenance infor-

mation. Read this manual thoroughly and become familiar with all of your scuba equipment before diving.

Important information regarding the use or maintenance of your dive light is designated, throughout this manual, by the Important symbol appearing above. This manual also uses several signal words to designate hazards with various levels of seriousness. These are:

Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in damage to or loss of equipment, serious personal injury or death.

Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result in minor or moderate injury, or equipment damage. It may also be used to alert against unsafe practices.

Light Systems Overview

Dive Rite light system components enable users to choose from:

➤ Three different High-Intensity Discharge (HID) light heads and four different

quartz-halogen light heads.

➤ Five different battery canister conﬁ gurations.

➤ Two different switching mechanisms.

➤ A variety of accessories and bulbs in several different wattages.

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High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Light Heads

Dive Rite’s HID light heads enable divers to carry with them a compact, selfcontained underwater light system that is capable of providing a level of illumination previously available only from lights using surface-supplied power. Among their key features:

➤ To the eye, a 10-watt HID bulb’s outputs is comparable to that of a 50-watt

quartz-halogen bulb. How can this be? Due, in part, to a substantial difference in color temperature, the perceived output and penetrating power of an HID light is noticeably greater. Also, just as a ﬂ uorescent bulb consumes only a fraction of the wattage that a comparable incandescent bulb does, the HID bulb consumes but a tiny fraction of the power a comparable quartz-halogen bulb demands.

➤ Because it requires just a fraction of the wattage a comparable quartz-halogen bulb

would, HID light system burn times are substantially longer. With a new, singlesection MLS battery pack, the recommended maximum burn time for a Compact HID light is 300 minutes — roughly four times greater than it would be for a

50-watt quartz-halogen bulb.

➤ An HID’s light output has a color temperature of 6,000–6,500 degrees Kelvin.

This is substantially higher (and whiter) than the typical quartz-halogen light’s

color temperature of 3,000 degrees Kelvin. In fact, it is essentially the same color temperature as the sun. As a result, an HID light is a much better choice for underwater video — and nearly any other underwater activity.

➤ Quartz halogen bulbs normally yellow in color and/or decrease in brightness as

battery voltage drops. In contrast, an HID Light’s system circuitry helps keep light output constant. In fact, an HID light is capable of drawing battery packs down past recommended voltage levels, without any noticeable decrease in output.

For this reason, it is important users keep light use well within recommended

“burn” times.

Available Models Dive Rite HID light heads are available in three different models.

➤ 10-Watt Compact HID The compact HIS light head looks like a slightly thicker

(but signiﬁ cantly shorter) version of our standard MR11, quartz-halogen light

head. The head contains not only the bulb, but the ultra-small ballast assembly as well (there is no external “ballast box,” as is necessary on the 17- and 18-watt models). So small and so light is this head that we do not even use a standard or “Ergo” hand mount with it. Instead, a simple elastic band that slides over two ﬁ ngers enables the head to rest comfortably on the back of your hand.

➤ 18-Watt H1 HID This version uses the same test-tube style lens as the regular H1,

and accepts special versions of the compact H1 reﬂ ector or the larger Lumedyne

video reﬂ ector (item number 6270HID). The standard hand mount for the H1-

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style HID light head is Dive Rite’s 6126E “Ergo” mount, which attaches directly to the reﬂ ector collar. (A standard hand mount can also be attached to the H1 HID light head’s ballast box, either by special order, or as an after-market item.)

Figure 1 Compact, H1- and MR11-style HID light heads.

➤ 17-Watt MR11 HID The front half of this light head is almost indistinguishable

from its quartz-halogen cousin. The hand mount for the MR11 HID light head is

Dive Rite’s 6126 standard hand mount; this attaches directly to the ballast box.

What Make HID Bulbs Different Among the things that distinguish HID bulbs

from incandescent models is that they have no ﬁ lament. Like a ﬂ uorescent bulb, the HID creates illumination by creating an arc between poles. The result is an extremely bright and powerful beam.

The HID is designed for underwater use only. Water not only

provides the necessary cooling medium, it acts as a natural ultraviolet (UV) ﬁ lter. Still, users should avoid looking directly at the bulb, even though it is under water.

Expected bulb life is 1,100 hours — provided you don’t drop it. The HID bulb is somewhat more impact resistant than most quartz-halogen bulbs, in that there is no ﬁ lament to break. It is not bulletproof, however. You should not, for example, repeatedly turn the light on and off.

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Once activated, you should give the bulb at least four minutes to warm up to operating temperature before turning it off. Failure to do so will damage the bulb and is not covered under warranty. Tr eat the bulb with care, always keeping in mind that it is among the most expensive components in the system and ﬁ nancially painful to replace.

Ballast Incorporated into each HID light head is a self-contained ballast assembly.

The HID ballast fulﬁ lls two important functions. At start-up, the it converts the

battery pack’s normal 12-volt output to the substantially higher voltage (6,000 volts!) needed to create an arc in the HID bulb.

Following start-up, the ballast continues to function as a converter, providing the somewhat higher voltage necessary to maintain the arc. In so doing, it maximizes battery output, resulting in the light’s unusually long burn times.

The HID ballast box contains no user-serviceable parts. Opening

the ballast box voids all warranty coverage.

Quartz-Halogen Light Heads

Although quartz-halogen lights are not as energy efﬁ cient as HID lights (and do not offer the HID lights’ exceptional burn times), they do have the advantage of costing substantially less. This makes them a good choice when initial purchase price is a consideration.

Four different quartz-halogen light heads are available for Dive Rite light systems. These light heads all have a military speciﬁ cation (mil-spec) coating that enables them to stand up to the rigors of saltwater diving. Here is a description of each light head.

MR16 The MR16 is among the most versatile of Dive Rite light heads. MR16

bulbs provide a combination of moderately wide ﬂ ood pattern coverage, with slightly more intense spot coverage in the center of the beam. Wide-angle coverage bulbs are available that provide a softer, more even coverage required for video lighting.

The aluminum casing that houses the MR16 bulb is particularly rugged. It resists damage from crushing (although the MR16 bulb ﬁ lament can be broken by the impact that results from accidentally dropping the head on a hard surface). This casing makes the MR16 head the best choice for operating in environments that are especially hard on equipment.

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Figure 2 Quartz-Halogen light head options.

MR11 The MR11 is a compact version of the MR16. Although its beam pattern

is not as wide or as even as that of the MR16, the MR11 has the advantage of being much more streamlined. This makes the MR11 an excellent choice for helmetmounted light heads, or light heads that will be used in high-ﬂ ow situations.

H1 The H1 light head is designed primarily for cave diving. A compact, adjustable,

2.75-inch/70 mm reﬂ ector allows the beam pattern to be focused from a moderately wide ﬂ ood to a highly penetrating pinpoint spot light that is highly suitable for

exploration. Also available is a special video reﬂ ector (item number 6270) that provides the widest and softest beam possible for underwater cinematography and

video.

H1 “Short” The H1 “Short” light head is an ultra-light, ultra-compact version of the

regular H1 light head, that is less than half as long as its actuator-style brother. It

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comes with its own built-in “ergo” hand mount and is a favorite among some of the

world’s most experienced cave divers. The H1 “Shorty” is available in a toggle-switch

conﬁ guration only.

Figure 3: Dive Rite light system battery canisters.

Battery Canisters

Battery canisters house the power supply for each Dive Rite light system. Dive Rite battery canisters fall into one of two types:

➤ MLS Canisters These house the power supplies for Dive Rite’s top-of-the line MLS1

and MLS2 light systems. No other Dive Rite lights offer as wide a choice of light heads, or provide as many mounting options.

➤ PVC Canisters Dive Rite PVC canisters help meet special needs. For example, the

Wreck and Wreck2 lights provide a cost-effective alternative to bulky, hand-held

lights. The Classic Light satisﬁ es the needs of divers seeking a more traditional exploration light.

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Figure 4 MLS2 (left) and MLS1 battery canisters.

MLS Battery Canisters MLS battery canister and pack combinations include:

➤ MLS2 These canisters use a battery pack containing two 12-volt/7-amp batteries,

wired in parallel to provide 12-volts at 14 amperes. In this conﬁ guration, they can

power quartz-halogen bulbs ranging from 20 to 100 watts, for from 420 to 60 minutes, depending on bulb size.

➤ MLS1 With its compact size and diminutive proﬁ le, the MLS1 is well-suited to

applications in which battery size and weight is a consideration. Its single 12-volt/7amp battery pack can power Compact, H1- or MR11-style HID light heads, providing up to 300 minutes of rated “burn” time. A 50-watt bulb is standard on quartz-halogen MLS1 lights; however, a 35-watt bulb is recommended if users desire more than an hour of “burn” time.

On MLS2 and MLS1 lights, 50-watt bulbs are standard; however, 35-watt bulbs are recommended if users desire more “burn” time. MLS lights are also available

with H1- or MR11-style HID light heads, providing up to 180 minutes of rated

“burn” time.

Here is a guide to the MLS canister features shown in the accompanying

illustration.

1. Canister Section MLS canisters are made from a high-strength, injection-molded,

synthetic material. It is extremely durable. Each MLS light is pressure tested at

the factory; canisters are depth rated to 500 feet/150 meters. As you have already

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seen, canister sections can be daisy-chained together, using the same O-ring seal as is used by the lids (end caps). The design of the canister creates built-in air spaces between the battery pack and housing. These air spaces displace water and

create lift to help offset the weight of the batteries. Without these air spaces, the battery canisters would be up to 15.0 pounds/6.8 kg negative under water. Because of the air spaces, the canisters are much closer to being neutrally buoy-

ant. For example, each MLS canister section, with its battery, is approximately

1.5 pounds/0.7 kg negative in fresh water — substantially less than the 8.0 pounds/3.6 kg it weighs out of water.

Figure 5 MLS canister features.

2. Canister Lid (Female) This lid (end cap) goes on the end of the canister opposite

the power cord. As with all canister sections and lids, it seals with a large Buna-N

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(Nitrile) O-ring. You make this seal simply by tightening the lid one quarter turn, by hand or with the special MLS Canister Wrench described shortly.

3. Canister Lid (Male) This lid contains the sealing gland, power cord and, possibly,

the toggle switch (more on these items shortly).

4. Belt Slot The canister’s built-in belt slot accommodates standard 2.0-inch/50 mm

webbing. This allows the canister to be mounted, if desired, to weight belts, harness waist straps, tank cam straps and similar items.

5. Dovetail Ridges The dovetail ridges on either side of the belt slot are where one

can mount the supplied attachment clamps, described below.

6. Sealing Gland and Power Cord This is what connects the battery canister to the

light head. The power cord is made from a special, heavy-duty material, designed to stand up to the rigors of underwater use. Unlike conventional power cord material, it is not hollow, making it difﬁ cult for any water that might enter a light head or canister to travel through the power cord to other components. There

are sealing glands at both ends of the power cord. These glands help form a watertight seal where the cord enters the canister and light head.

7. Toggle Switch The toggle switch option allows lights to be turned on and off at the

canister. You can read more about MLS switching options on page 17.

8. MLS Canister Wrench After just a few dives, divers will likely ﬁ nd that you

can easily tighten or remove their MLS canister lids by hand. However, should they need a little assistance removing a lid, the canister wrench (which comes

standard with every MLS1 and MLS2) provides the leverage needed to made the job even easier.

9. Attachment Clamps A wide variety of hardware and methods are available to

attach MLS battery canisters to tanks, BCs, harnesses and other equipment. If you are not using the built-in belt slot to attach your MLS canister to your other

equipment, you will most likely use a method that employs the MLS attachment

clamps that appear in the accompanying illustration. These clamps can be used in conjunction with D-rings, quick links, snaps and a variety of other hardware. They are a standard item on all MLS systems.

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Figure 6 Additional MLS battery canister features

10. Tr av el Cap As discussed later in this manual, it is important you do not transport

your MLS1 or MLS2 with the battery connected. Doing so can result in

accidental activation of the light, which in turn can cause ﬁ re or damage to

expensive equipment, due to the high temperatures at which the light’s quartz halogen bulbs burn.

Additionally, you should not transport an MLS canister with the battery

inside and both canister lid O-rings in place. Doing so could allow a potentially

dangerous build-up of hydrogen gas over time.

It might seem you could avoid these problems simply by transporting MLS batteries separate from their canisters. Unfortunately, doing so would leave a battery pack’s connector strips exposed, and subject them to accidental shorting.

The better way to avoid these problems is to use the MLS Travel caps, shown in the accompanying illustration. These are included with each MLS1 or MLS2. The MLS Travel Caps consist of plain, gray male and female MLS canister lids. (These are designed solely for surface use and cannot be taken under water.) During transit, use the plain male lid (minus O-ring) to keep the battery pack

safely inside the canister body. At the same time, mate the plain female lid

to the male lid with the light cord, thus better protecting its contact points.

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Additionally, divers can use the small container created by joining a male and female canister lid to store O-rings, silicone lubricant, bulbs and other spare parts.

PVC Canisters The three available PVC canister models (Wreck, Wreck2 and

Classic) are formed from a single piece of extruded poly-vinyl chloride pipe. This is the same material used to construct custom-made diver propulsion vehicles for deep exploration dives. It makes an excellent pressure vessel — one that does not ﬂ ex at depth (and thus require battery pack bulkheads to keep the mounting hardware from coming loose). PVC canisters are rated for depths of up to 400 feet/120 meters. Among PVC canister features:

➤ PVC canister lights share many features in common with the MLS1 and MLS2

canisters. These features include: the use of special, solid-core power cords; and, the use of special non-corroding sealing glands designed speciﬁ cally for underwater use.

Figure 7 Wreck, Wreck2 and Classic lights.

➤ PVC canisters seal using conventional quick-release latches (no special tools

required) and thick, highly-compressible O-rings. These make especially easy to achieve an effective, water-tight seal.

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Here is additional information on each of the three PVC canister models:

➤ Wreck Light The Dive Rite Wreck Light is designed to provide a cost-effective

alternative to bulky, hand-held rechargeable lights. It gives divers the power of a belt-, harness- or tank-mounted battery canister, combined with the freedom of a light head that, while ultra-compact in size, provides illumination that equals or exceeds that of nearly all top-of-the-line hand-held dive lights. Wreck lights come

with an mounting loop for 2.0-inch/50mm webbing.

Equipped with a 10-watt Compact HID light head, the Wreck Light canister can provide up to a maximum of two hours of “burn” time. The standard quartzhalogen light head for this canister contains a 20-watt MR-11 bulb, providing up to 60 minutes of rated “burn” time from the light’s 12-volt/2.9-amp battery pack (this is the maximum recommended wattage for this light). Sixty minutes of “burn” time is also available when using the H1-style or MR11-style HID heads.

➤ Wreck2 Light This two-battery version of the Wreck Light is ideally suited for divers

for whom canister length is not as much of a concern as overall canister bulk (diameter). A special mounting strap facilitates waist, tank or harness mounting. The Wreck2 Light is available with H1, MR11 or MR16 quartz-halogen light

heads, of with H1- or MR11-style HID light heads. The standard 35-watt quartz-

halogen bulb provides up to 90 minutes of rated “burn” time from the 12-volt/5.8-

amp battery pack; 120 minutes of “burn” time is available with the HID light

heads.

➤ Classic Light The Classic Light is designed to meet the needs of divers seeking a

more traditional exploration light. It is available with H1, MR11 or MR16 quartz-

halogen light heads. The Classic Light’s standard 50-watt bulb will provide up

to 150-180 minutes of rated “burn” time from the light’s 12-volt/14-amp battery

pack. The standard mounting loop facilitate attachment to waist straps or other

2.0-inch/50mm webbing.

Batteries

Battery Type All Dive Rite light systems use sealed, lead-acid batteries (also known

as gel cells). In comparison to NiCad batteries, sealed lead-acid batteries are largely maintenance free. After each dive, you simply connect them to their charger, plug the charger into a wall socket, and allow them to fully recharge. It does not matter how much or how little you used a lead-acid battery during a dive. It will not develop a memory of a particular dive time. In fact, the only way you can seriously harm a gel cell battery is to do the very thing you must do to maintain a NiCad battery; that is, fully or nearly fully discharge it (a condition known as deep discharge). If you ever see

your bulb take on a yellowish appearance, turn it off immediately. Failure to do so can

severely damage the battery and charger, and substantially shorten their life.

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Dive Rite Lighting Systems, MR16, MR11, H1 Short, MLS2 Owner's Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual