Here is a suggestion for Snap On, how about a battery level indicator for the Solus? Also it would be nice if it had built in rechargeable batteries, so you could just charge it up. I know that the internal battery on the Solus is just for ID the car but it should show the level and if you have power from DLC or cord. this would be also good if you have no power at the DLC. I like the setup on the Vantage Pro that shows the power level. Just a little input, thanks, Bob
Solus battery meter
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I second this suggestion. I absolutely hate it when I grab the solus and find the batties dead in it. It would be nice to be able to either plug it in while not in use or at least have a monitor so I know when I need to swap out batteries (prior to them dying).Is it Friday yet? -
Solus auxilery power
You can power a Solus at your toolbox with a Modis power adapter. The part number is 2-35466A. I use this in the office all the time to power the Modis, Solus and Vantage Pro. Its a real handy power supply. If you are Modis owner, you probably have one already.
This allows you to Vin up the car at your box (with the repair order) and get the DLC location, even if the batteries are dead. Solus and Modis would retain the last vehicle Vinned up so you would not have to put in the Vin when you got to the car.
My personal favorite trick, to keep my batteries fresh and save time, is to boot the Modis or Solus once in the morning and leave it plugged in at my toolbox. The only time I use the internal battery is walking to the car. Makes the batteries last a long time.
This would also suffice in a pinch.
With this handy adapter, you could Vin-up the car inside the car and get the DLC location. I have never tried this one, but I am confident it would do the job too.
Battery's die. Thats a fact. But these little tricks help keep the frustration out of my life, and allow me to be frustrated about other things. Like when will the 49ers go to the super bowl again.
Hope this helps.
PS: A battery meter on the Solus would be a good feature.
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Snap-on Diagnostics
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I buy my AA batteries 36 at a time in one package from one of the large Home places.They are the bunny brand.What I have found on numerous occasions is that only one battery out of the six will be low(as in below one volt).I found this kinda by accident the first time.I had just replaced the batteries in my Solus for the first time.After only a couple of uses(and I only use battery power to ID the vehicle.I have the AC adaptor) the batteries were low enough where when it was powering up it would shut itself off.Huh?I had read on iATN about short battery life complaints but this was ridiculous.I removed the batteries and when I measured them only one was low(.787v).All the others were at 1.5v give or take a few hundredths of a volt.Put in one battery and voila back in business!This has happened to me around four times now.It seems that one battery will be down to 1/2 to 3/4 of a volt.When I was speaking to tech support on another matter I told them about this so maybe they could pass it on to customers who call and mention this complaint of short battery life.I also have posted this on iATN more than once in response to people's complaints of short battery life.If you think about how these AA batteries are produced by the millions I wonder what percentage of defective ones get through QC.If there is any QC??Do they test one out of a hundred?One out of a thousand?
So before you chuck all six batteries in the trash or become dumbfounded like I was with a surprisingly short battery life and blame the tool check the voltages of all six batteries and you will probably find only onee or two of the six low.It sure does cut down on battery costs;-)Comment
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I just ordered the rechargeable battery set that Snap On recommends, the LENMAR 8 BATTERY CHARGING STATION part # PMIPRO8812. I was going to give them a try and see how they last. I have not had any problems with battery life, but I have only owned it for 3 weeks.Comment
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We've used 2 sets of batterys in a year with the Solus. But we don't run the unit on the batteries too often. Treat it like a MT2500. :-)
The only problem I don't like is, unlike the MT2500, I'll power up although there isn't any power in the DLC.
Another handy feature I liked about the MT2500 is when I cranked, if the scanner shut off, I knew my cranking voltage was too low.
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