does anyone carry avocet? Need Avocet 50 replacement

I heard that avocet computers had a reliability problem with the
battery contacts or something (maybe a corrosion problem) or just
plain flakiness:

http://www.avocet.com/cyclopages/cyclo.html
http://roadbikereview.com/cat/training/computers/avocet/PRD_19049_1624crx.aspx

Anyway, almost nobody sells these computers any more. You can get a
really nice computer on sale from performance, sometimes, for $9 or
$11.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

Quoted message said:

I went out and rode my bike for the first time this year. Yes, I
suck. Anyway, my Avocet 50 isn't working again. The plastic cell
holders won't stay in.

Call Avocet customer service (see link below). They can repair or replace
your unit for a nominal charge.
http://www.avocet.com/customer_service.html

Art Harris

(Donald Gillies) said:

I heard that avocet computers had a reliability problem with the
battery contacts or something (maybe a corrosion problem) or just
plain flakiness:

http://www.avocet.com/cyclopages/cyclo.html
http://roadbikereview.com/cat/training/computers/avocet/PRD_19049_1624crx.aspx

Anyway, almost nobody sells these computers any more. You can get a
really nice computer on sale from performance, sometimes, for $9 or
$11.

Thanks for taking the time for the links. I slowly got the message
that avocet must have some huge qa problems if nashbar,
coloradocyclist, excel sports, and performance bike don't carry their
stuff.

Thanks for taking time to respond.

Wes
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Arthur Harris said:

Quoted message said:

I went out and rode my bike for the first time this year. Yes, I
suck. Anyway, my Avocet 50 isn't working again. The plastic cell
holders won't stay in.

Call Avocet customer service (see link below). They can repair or replace
your unit for a nominal charge.
http://www.avocet.com/customer_service.html

Art Harris

I see that they still sell the battery holders + batteries. My battery
holders have had to be replaced every 4 or 5 years since they don't
want to stay in after a while.

I put replacements on order but I got to find a real replacement for
this unit that I can use on two bikes that has all the features + any
other ones that are a bonus.

Wes
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Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Call Avocet customer service (see link below). They can repair or replace
your unit for a nominal charge.
http://www.avocet.com/customer_service.html

Art Harris

I see that they still sell the battery holders + batteries. My battery
holders have had to be replaced every 4 or 5 years since they don't
want to stay in after a while.

I put replacements on order but I got to find a real replacement for
this unit that I can use on two bikes that has all the features + any
other ones that are a bonus.

The original batteries were mercury type which are no longer sold (for
environmental reasons I think). But you can buy suitable zinc-air hearing
aid batteries at any drug store or Radio Shack. Just make sure they're the
right size and voltage. My ancient Avocet 40 is still going strong, and uses
"675" zinc-air hearing aid batteries. You can get a pack of 6 or 8 for a
couple of bucks. They don't last as long as the mercury cells, but mine go
for about six months on average.

I think Avocet has more of a marketing problem than a QA problem. Even their
tires (which are excellent) are hard to find. It's best to deal directly
with Avocet. BTW, there have been many good reports here about Avocet's
Customer Service department.

Art Harris

Arthur Harris said:

Quoted message said:

I put replacements on order but I got to find a real replacement for
this unit that I can use on two bikes that has all the features + any
other ones that are a bonus.

The original batteries were mercury type which are no longer sold (for
environmental reasons I think). But you can buy suitable zinc-air hearing
aid batteries at any drug store or Radio Shack. Just make sure they're the
right size and voltage. My ancient Avocet 40 is still going strong, and uses
"675" zinc-air hearing aid batteries. You can get a pack of 6 or 8 for a
couple of bucks. They don't last as long as the mercury cells, but mine go
for about six months on average.

In my 50, I've been sticking 386's for many years. The discontinuance
of mercury batteries stink. I have a few 35mm cameras that used
mercury batteries and don't have voltage regulators. Messes with the
metering. A bit of governmental excess. My employer accepts all my
dead batteries to be properly disposed.

Avocet still had the manual for mine and yours online. I guess you
did find a workable battery for yours.

Quoted message said:

I think Avocet has more of a marketing problem than a QA problem. Even their
tires (which are excellent) are hard to find. It's best to deal directly
with Avocet. BTW, there have been many good reports here about Avocet's
Customer Service department.

Well, I've had their tires and didn't have any complaints. My 50 has
been a bit fragile and water sensitive but I keep it going. The 50
always was a bit touchy with water. I just wonder why Avocet hasn't
updated their cyclecomputer products in years.

If new battery holders doesn't fix it, I'll try sending one in. My
brother had one and I had two, one for each bike, and the parts from
his (crashed) have kept me going for a long time.

Thanks again for the help,

Wes
--
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Quoted message said:

I went out and rode my bike for the first time this year. Yes, I
suck. Anyway, my Avocet 50 isn't working again. The plastic cell
holders won't stay in.

No problem, I'll buy a 45TT or something that will fit on my MTB and
road bike mounts. Nashbar doesn't have avocet and the same for
Performance Bike.

See some new stuff but wanted something that would fit as I once again
get battery holders from avocet.

Did the bike parts sellers get tired of avocet? What is the closest
current offering that would make me happy? I really like that
altitude function since it lets me know that when I'm feeling strong,
I am likely going down hill 🙁

If you're looking for something with a decent altimeter, check out the
Ciclomaster 434 & 436. They're one of the very few that give very accurate
climbing figures; many others will give you an acceptable current altitude
reading, but most tend to greatly over-estimate the amount of climbing in
your ride. The Avocet 50 & Ciclomasters are the best-in-class in that
regard.

But, as someone else pointed out, Avocet still sells batteries for the 50,
and includes a new pair of caps with them. I believe they're up to about
$9/set now, but that's still a whole lot less-expensive than a new computer.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Quoted message said:

In my 50, I've been sticking 386's for many years. The discontinuance
of mercury batteries stink. I have a few 35mm cameras that used
mercury batteries and don't have voltage regulators. Messes with the
metering. A bit of governmental excess. My employer accepts all my
dead batteries to be properly disposed.

I think you are dead, dead, DEAD wrong about the discontinuance of
mercury batteries. In case you didn't know, mercury is a neurotoxin
and it's not uncommon, when there is a landfill shortage problem
(which happens weekly all over america), to temporarily incinerate
trash, thus putting a neurotoxin into our air.

Instead of griping about government excess, why not take advantage of
a government-sponsored university near you - GOT EDUCATION ?? Then
let's hear your revised opinion about whether mercury batteries should
have been discontinued...

Maybe you could learn to solder and fix your cameras yourself? I fix
or modify my SONY walkmans all the time this way.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

Donald Gillies said:

I think you are dead, dead, DEAD wrong about the discontinuance of
mercury batteries. In case you didn't know, mercury is a neurotoxin
and it's not uncommon, when there is a landfill shortage problem
(which happens weekly all over america), to temporarily incinerate
trash, thus putting a neurotoxin into our air.

Instead of griping about government excess, why not take advantage of
a government-sponsored university near you - GOT EDUCATION ?? Then
let's hear your revised opinion about whether mercury batteries should
have been discontinued...

Hmmm. From what I read it would make more sense to outlaw coal burning
power plants than to outlaw mercury button batteries!

What percentage of the mercury in our environment comes from discarded
button batteries? What percentage comes from coal-based power plants?

Is there a chance you're focusing on a miniscule problem (button
battery pollution) just because it's vaguely related to another bigger,
more complicated problem?

- Frank Krygowski

(Donald Gillies) said:

Quoted message said:

In my 50, I've been sticking 386's for many years. The discontinuance
of mercury batteries stink. I have a few 35mm cameras that used
mercury batteries and don't have voltage regulators. Messes with the
metering. A bit of governmental excess. My employer accepts all my
dead batteries to be properly disposed.

I think you are dead, dead, DEAD wrong about the discontinuance of
mercury batteries. In case you didn't know, mercury is a neurotoxin
and it's not uncommon, when there is a landfill shortage problem
(which happens weekly all over america), to temporarily incinerate
trash, thus putting a neurotoxin into our air.

No, I'm quite alive. The mercury battery problem, assuming it is a
problem, since the current state of land fill technology makes for
something a bit more sophisticated than a hole in the ground.
Membranes, piping to collect gasses and off flows, a requirement to
fund for the continuing operation of environmental systems after a
land fill is shut down, ect.

Quoted message said:

Instead of griping about government excess, why not take advantage of
a government-sponsored university near you - GOT EDUCATION ?? Then
let's hear your revised opinion about whether mercury batteries should
have been discontinued...

Why does my education need to be government sponsored? I have had a
bit of that stuff and a bit of privately paid for. Most of my family
have attended privately funded schools of education.

Car batteries have been dealt with by core charges and most people
bring the darn things back to a) get rid of them, b) get their money
back.

Something similar to that would have worked just fine. I guarantee,
most people would bring back a mercury battery for 3 - 5 bucks each.

Quoted message said:

Maybe you could learn to solder and fix your cameras yourself? I fix
or modify my SONY walkmans all the time this way.

Wow, you are an electrical genius. Let me guess, you did the shockley
diode trick that you learned about on the web to drop the voltage of
what ever battery that fits now. Did I guess right?

None of my Sony walkmans have ever failed so I haven't had to fix
them. I did get my Palm TE to recover from a fall last night that
stuck it in to permanent on until the battery cut out.

Btw, I have about 2 or 3 lbs of liquid mercury on hand. It is great
stuff. You use it to take a gun barrel with LEADING and it just sucks
the stuff up. Where did I get it? By vacuuming the remains of blown
mercury contactors over the years. Back when we were not hysterical
about the stuff.

Coal fired power plants are the big issue. I live in the Great Lakes
Region, fishing isn't the same now. So, pick your targets, batteries
were handled poorly. Camera buffs would have paid a deposit for the
return of the batteries they needed. Most other non durable stuff
would have just changed to accommodate a more environmentally friendly
battery chemistry.

Quoted message said:

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

San Diego, I've spent a bit of time there, the Marines hold a position
down there in enemy territory.

Wes S

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Quoted message said:

Hmmm. From what I read it would make more sense to outlaw coal burning
power plants than to outlaw mercury button batteries!

What percentage of the mercury in our environment comes from discarded
button batteries? What percentage comes from coal-based power plants?

Batteries are NO LONGER one of the major sources of mercury
pollution- because of that infernal "government regulation". You
would be surprised at how much they used to be responsible for: see
e.g.
http://www.mass.gov/dep/files/mercury/hgexsum.htm
for a window into 1995 levels. Now that my son's administration is in
charge of the EPA, forget trying to get any legitimate national figures
from them.

A deposit system would not have been an adequate solution, for several
reasons. One of them is that mercury recyling itself results in mercury
emissions into the air. Another is that while "most" people might have
not thrown them in the trash, enough would have for it to have remained
a serious problem.

Since there are many workable replacements, the loss of mercury
batteries is nothing, especially compared with what we have gained from
that, and anyone who [censored] about it is a whiner and a [censored]. By
comparison, banning cadmium from photographic papers was a real loss,
and though I suffer from it, even I recognize it as a real necessity.

Radium made for damn good watch dials, asbestos for great brake pads
and all sorts of other useful products, and beryllium is a wonder metal
too. And don't forget lead plumbing and lead cutlery! Nothing can
compare. Don't you miss them all. Now let us whine, amen.

41 said:

Quoted message said:

Hmmm. From what I read it would make more sense to outlaw coal burning
power plants than to outlaw mercury button batteries!

What percentage of the mercury in our environment comes from discarded
button batteries? What percentage comes from coal-based power plants?

Batteries are NO LONGER one of the major sources of mercury
pollution- because of that infernal "government regulation". You
would be surprised at how much they used to be responsible for: see
e.g.
http://www.mass.gov/dep/files/mercury/hgexsum.htm
for a window into 1995 levels.

Hmm. I am surprised. I had no idea so many button batteries were
being thrown away per year, let alone burned in incinerators.

- Frank Krygowski

41 said:

A deposit system would not have been an adequate solution, for several
reasons. One of them is that mercury recyling itself results in mercury
emissions into the air. Another is that while "most" people might have
not thrown them in the trash, enough would have for it to have remained
a serious problem.

You got numbers on how bad emissions from recycling would be vs what
is currently being turned loose?

Quoted message said:

Since there are many workable replacements, the loss of mercury
batteries is nothing, especially compared with what we have gained from
that, and anyone who [censored] about it is a whiner and a [censored]. By
comparison, banning cadmium from photographic papers was a real loss,
and though I suffer from it, even I recognize it as a real necessity.

Yes, I really love buying air/zinc batteries that are guaranteed to be
dead when I want to use them in my F1. For the majority of devices an
alkaline replacement was just fine. I wish there had been an option
left open for getting mercuric batteries, with a deposit of course,
for the devices that didn't convert gracefully. Or the government can
send me a newer F1 that doesn't have the problem 🙂

The total ban mentality, no matter how it inconviences people, is a
sign of arrogance and leads to a lack of support for changes that
might actually have merrit.

And in retrospect, camera use would have falled off anyway since most
people are going digital.

Quoted message said:

Radium made for damn good watch dials, asbestos for great brake pads
and all sorts of other useful products, and beryllium is a wonder metal
too.

Beryllium is great stuff. Once had some berylium-copper tools. You
just can't work on a klystron or magnetron w/o some tools made out of
the stuff. Just don't breath the dust if machining it.

You'll just have to pardon me if I get a bit irritated at times with
the no matter what the cost save the planet attitude. We have gone
from worries of global cooling to global warning in my life time.

We have groups that want the USA to conserve its way out of energy
dependance while supporting illegal immigration which is only going to
add to the number of people that live in a country with very high
energy usage per capita. Energy use = polution for the most part.

I once worked for a corporation that was trying to get a npdes permit
to discharge non-contact cooling water into a river. They couldn't
get a permit because the water they were discharging was too dirty for
the EPA. Then some bright guy tested the incoming water that the plant
recieved from the city that got the water from the same river. The
incomming water didn't meet EPA specs. The plant was trying to
discharge water that was actually cleaner than what was in the river
and was denied.

BTW, the casters on my toolbox are known to cause cancer in the State
of California. Lucky me, I live in Michigan.

Make a great day,

Wes S

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Quoted message said:

41 said:

A deposit system would not have been an adequate solution, for several
reasons. One of them is that mercury recyling itself results in mercury
emissions into the air. Another is that while "most" people might have
not thrown them in the trash, enough would have for it to have remained
a serious problem.

You got numbers on how bad emissions from recycling would be vs what
is currently being turned loose?

Quoted message said:

Since there are many workable replacements, the loss of mercury
batteries is nothing, especially compared with what we have gained from
that, and anyone who [censored] about it is a whiner and a [censored]. By
comparison, banning cadmium from photographic papers was a real loss,
and though I suffer from it, even I recognize it as a real necessity.

Yes, I really love buying air/zinc batteries that are guaranteed to be
dead when I want to use them in my F1. For the majority of devices an
alkaline replacement was just fine. I wish there had been an option
left open for getting mercuric batteries, with a deposit of course,
for the devices that didn't convert gracefully. Or the government can
send me a newer F1 that doesn't have the problem 🙂

The total ban mentality, no matter how it inconviences people, is a
sign of arrogance and leads to a lack of support for changes that
might actually have merrit.

And in retrospect, camera use would have falled off anyway since most
people are going digital.

Quoted message said:

Radium made for damn good watch dials, asbestos for great brake pads
and all sorts of other useful products, and beryllium is a wonder metal
too.

Beryllium is great stuff. Once had some berylium-copper tools. You
just can't work on a klystron or magnetron w/o some tools made out of
the stuff. Just don't breath the dust if machining it.

You'll just have to pardon me if I get a bit irritated at times with
the no matter what the cost save the planet attitude. We have gone
from worries of global cooling to global warning in my life time.

We have groups that want the USA to conserve its way out of energy
dependance while supporting illegal immigration which is only going to
add to the number of people that live in a country with very high
energy usage per capita. Energy use = polution for the most part.

I once worked for a corporation that was trying to get a npdes permit
to discharge non-contact cooling water into a river. They couldn't
get a permit because the water they were discharging was too dirty for
the EPA. Then some bright guy tested the incoming water that the plant
recieved from the city that got the water from the same river. The
incomming water didn't meet EPA specs. The plant was trying to
discharge water that was actually cleaner than what was in the river
and was denied.

BTW, the casters on my toolbox are known to cause cancer in the State
of California. Lucky me, I live in Michigan.

Well, one of the deals with mercury is that it doesn't degrade once
released, so even if you cut way back on emmisions, the amount in the
environment is going to steadily increase as long as some is being
produced. It isn't like you can just reduce emissions to reach a
nice, agreeded upon steady state. The ban on mercury makes sense, and
if it inconveniences a few photographers, well, too bad.

Now, I do think some of the objections to nuclear power, for example,
are overstated, and don't get me started on those folks who were
protesting the Cassini space probe launch...

Oh, by the way, your permit story sounds like an urban legend. I
don't believe it.

Jim Smith said:

Oh, by the way, your permit story sounds like an urban legend. I
don't believe it.

Good. Being a bit skeptical is a good trait.

I heard the story from the corporate enviromental people where I used
to work. They were mostly lawyers, I'm not going to vouch for them.

Wes

Jim Smith said:

Oh, by the way, your permit story sounds like an urban legend. I
don't believe it.

I believe it. There's a former medical manufacturing plant here in town
(CR Bard), and they used Ethelene Oxide (EtO) (1) to sterilize their
products. It's a hazardous substance (well, it has to kill microbes!)
and they were endlessly harrassed by the Department of Environmental
Management because of *mathematical* emissions - the emissions at the
end of the 6" diameter vent stack were not measurable. It had to be
_calculated_.

All the while it's a not-so-well-kept secret that the Hospitals 'round
these parts emit hundreds if not thousands of pounds of the stuff. (2)

So what happened? CR Bard moved everything to NJ.

*Wave to "Turbo" wherever you are*

--
BMO

1. CR Bard recycled the "waste" gas by turning it into antifreeze
(Ethelene Glycol) and selling it. Gas up the stack was money up the stack.

2. Rhode Island is a quirky state, where politics is incestuous and is
the biggest spectator sport.