Introduction
About a year ago, my "Casio Pro Trek PRG-50" suddenly failed — after only a few years of operation, despite the "Tough Solar" power system.
The Tough Solar Power System
Casio gives the impression that you will never need to worry about replacing batteries (Tough Solar Power), or ever worry about the life of the solar cell and rechargeable battery (Tough Solar FAQ) that "should be able to last as long as the watch". Amazon claims that "[...] Tough Solar power (uses ctl1616 battery you will never need to change)[...]" (Amazon 2007). However, my watch clearly failed to recharge.
The Panasonic CTL1616 battery
Opening the watch, it was easy to spot the problem. The "Casio Pro Trek PRG-50" uses a "Panasonic CTL1616 2.3V" rechargeable battery, and the battery was clearly eroded. It turns out that I'm not the only one that have had this problem (Another Tough Solar with a Panasonic CTL1616 fails.). The front of this old battery says "+, Panasonic, CTL1616, JAPAN", and the back says "27".
I ordered a new CTL1616 battery, $8.50 each, from American Perfit (http://www.ctl1616.com/). Sunday, 29. April 2007 — and received it in Norway, after only 6 days, Friday 04. May 2007. Notice that "JAPAN 2" is printed on the new battery. "The original battery has the letters JAPAN without number 2 engraving." (asuoab 2006).
Opening the watch
The back can be opened after unscrewing 4 irreplaceable screws. Put them somewhere safe, and be carefull not to drop them.
Be very careful when opening the watch — and under no circumstances try to turn the watch around — because 4 tiny irreplaceable springs may disapear (asuoab 2006, Sjors 2006). asuoab (2006) indicates that loosing the springs will cause the watch not to charge the battery - following by all sorts of problems.
Replacing the battery
A clasp holds the battery down in place — use a needle to unlock the clasp (Sjors 2006). A plastic tweezer should be used when handling the battery, avoiding the battery to short circuit.
Charging the Battery
Oh, and of course you should wait for a while before using the watch until the new battery is fully charged!
Conclusion
Does the watch still work? Yes, every function on the watch seems to work OK. As far as I can tell, the watch has run perfectly since Friday 04. May 2007 — and I'm going to tell you right here when it stops working correctly (still no problems, 7. July 2011). The watch was not reset as described by asuoab (2006) and Sjors (2006), but worked anyway. The watch was not cleansed, and no silicone lubricate was used, which may cause the watch to be less watertight. asuoab (2006) and Sjors (2006) describe how to perform these steps.
References
- asuoab (2006): How to Change CTL1616 Rechargeable Battery
- Sjors (2006): How to change a battery on a G-Shock
28 comments:
hello,
I have a serious problem after changing battery, compass and barometer dont work again :(
Do you know a solution to this (Grrrr...) problem ?
Thanks in advance
OK, the reason :
Battery was too low...
Now, its OK.
Hello,
you are talking about 4 springs. I can see 3 of them. Where is the forth? I just changed the battery but this auto-illuminator does not work now and I do not know why :) Do not miss it realy but...
Regards
Andreas
Hello Andreas,
I remember that it was hard to locate all the springs, and I think there was 4 of them.
Even so, the number of springs could be a typo on my part.
However, comments at Outdoors-Magazine.com (http://www.outdoors-magazine.com/spip.php?page=article&id_article=104) also mentions 4 springs.
I don't want to re-open my watch unless I really have to, so, if someone could verify this, it would be great!
just changed my battery for the FIRST Time since 2003, working like a charm now and even my illuminator is working again, hopefully this new battery lasts another 5 years...
Hi. I own the PRG60. The CTL1616 went dead two years back. As the CTL1616 was difficult to purchase from the local store, I changed it with non rechargable CL1616. The watch functioned well until the CL1616 ran out of battery last month. After installing a new battery, the watch doesn't work anymore! It can't even be set. Only just now that I discovered that the CL1616 is 3V whereas the CTL1616 is 2.3V!! What should be done? Please help.
Regards
Wilson
email: zhixingzhi@yahoo.com
the forth spring is above the gasket, at the top of the picture in the shadow ;-)
I'm currently changing the battery on my protrek PRG-50. However I cannot identify the correct position for the shorter brass coloured spring. Does it belong in the location just above the two longer brass ones, where the cover has a oval brass piece on it?. Also the batery cover says to short the AC to (-). How do I do this, and is it crucial that I do this?. Thanks in advance.
to Offroadstevie:
I've just changed the battery to my PRG 50 and I did the short with 2 holes in the watch, I was not sure if they are the correct ones or if they make any difference to the watch fucntionality but what I can say is that my watch is working fine, every single function is working, perhaps if you could take a pictures of the back of your watch I can tell you which holes I used. also just in case you send the picture you can also reach me at wilfredo_segovia@dell.com, regards.
I had to replace the battery of my G-Shock "Tough Solar". It was only two and a half years old and was showing the symptoms of recharging failure (entering RECOV mode as soon as the EL light was used, and finally, after a few weeks and despite numerous solar and intense artificial light recharging, the light did not work any more at all).
I wrote to Casio, and pointed out how their ads and documentation pretended that the battery would last for the full lifetime of the watch, then asking them for a free replacement. They refused, saying that the watch was no more under guarantee.
The price for the repair from Casio would be 30 Euros. 6 times the price of a lithium battery that lasts 3 to 10 years (depending on model) in non-solar G-Shocks !
I therefore bought a new battery from the "Small Battery Company", in UK, and replaced the battery by myself, which cost me half the price Casio was asking for the repair.
My G-Shock is working fine again, but I expect the new battery to fail in 3 years or so. Why ?... Because the CTL1616 is actually a Lithium-Ion accumulator, and this kind of accumulators always fail after 3 years of service (I have seen this happening with numerous notebook computers and cell phones).
So Casio is actually LYING to their customers, since the battery of a "Tough Solar" will last less time than a standard, non-rechargeable battery, and costs 3 to 6 times the price of a standard battery !!!
I'm infuriated and will never buy again any product with the Casio brand !
"You never have to worry about the battery running down because it's a solar battery." (http://www.gshock.com/conten/technology/solar/). As if... ;-)
I still remember my first disappointment with my Casio Pro Trek PRG-50: "What?! A digital watch without a stopwatch function??" Perhaps unbelievable, but seems to be the case, anyhow.
Last time I checked, http://www.ctl1616.com/ sold the CTL1616 for $8.50.
See also: Casio Pro Trek PRG50 Tough Solar watch review
Thanks for the guide.
My PRG-50 is working great again.
regards from The Netherlands
I have a PAW-1200 which shows the "Recover" icon whenever I press any of the ABC or light buttons, so I suspect the battery may be at fault. This guide gives me the confidence to have a go myself - I've done "ordinary" G-Shocks loads of times without any problems.
Thanks a lot.
I have a PRG-50 which I bought about 5-6 years ago and NEVER change the battery.
the watch is working perfectly and had been VERY used but I have no complaints at all!
I also have a PRG70 which I bought in EBAY, but from some reason the compass is not functioning correctly (does not follow the north, although I calibrated it few times - and believe me I KNOW how to calibrate those watches...)
I am staring to think that this is a battery problem but it looks like the watch is holding its charge and other functions (altimeter/barometer/light) are working well...
Do you have any idea before I will go and order a new battery and try to replace it...?
Thanks for the help in advance.
My PRG-50 has finally stopped working after about 5-6 years of normal use, the compass had stopped working about 6 months ago, due to lack of juice in battery. Fortunately, I found this site and acquired all the information I needed to change the battery myself. I am happy to report back that my PRG-50 is functioning again.
Do you need to remove the strap to take the back off when replacing the battery. If so how do you remove the strap?
Hi Casio PRG-60 My watch was traded from a shop that was closing
It had been in a dark place "never" used but not working.
Does any one have pictures of the inside as I only have 2 springs ?
I purchased a new battery and best I have had old or new is 4 hours running
I am sure that it has been opened and springs lost
any help much appreciated
jr
Hi I've just changed the battery on my prg50,all seemed to go well but didnt short out terminals. Watch is showing the time and just waiting for it to charge fully. I too am seriously annoyed with Casio for thier misrepresentation of sales and will endevour to let peolpe know of thier acts and that they're a company not to be trusted. P.S battery fully charged and all functions working.Thanks to all for their efforts for the little man. Cheers
Done, just changed my batteri in my PRG-60 without problems. However the clasp gave me a little struggle, but I made it. Thank you very much and good luck to all others.
Regards from Peter in Denmark.
hi
i have prg 60 t and tried to change the battery but no joy showing < flashing charge all the time> left on sun for 2 days now and still the same please help
did i short the battery or it may need some reset ?? dont know and thanks to everyone.
Hello, PRG-60! Something else than the battery could be wrong with your watch. So, first check your old battery and see if it looks damaged in any way. If your old battery does not look eroded, something else could be the problem. Make sure that your new battery is of the exact same type as the old one. Next, make sure that you got all the springs, they are easily lost. Finally, make sure that all springs are placed at their correct position, since some of the springs connect the solar panel to the battery. Your watch should be fully charged in just a few hours. Good luck!
hi that me prg 60t
again the old battery is all fine just checked. the new one is the same type i can find just 2 springs inside and dont really know if thats correct cheers for respond and waiting for more.
Hello, PRG-60! Above, Jim said that there is only 2 springs on his PRG-60 (unlike the 4 springs on the PRG-50). Wilson said that the PRG-60 uses the CTL1616 battery, just like the PRG-50. Perhaps there is a bad connection somewhere when you assembled the watch? If reassembling the watch does not help, something else could be wrong, and you may need Casio to repair the watch for you.
hi me again prg 60t
after opening the watch several times manage to stop it flashing and its showing full now but the buttons not doing anything after clearing reset. thanks for respond.
Hello, PRG-60! It looks like your battery is charging, since your watch has been running for some time now. Some of the buttons also seem to work, since you were able to reset the watch. The erratic behavior of your watch could be the result of your watch not being reset properly. That is, the software of the watch does not run like it is supposed to do. You could try disconnecting and then connecting the battery until your watch start working correctly – avoid losing the springs, so use a small mirror to see if the watch runs as it should. (I think it is a bit risky, but you could also reset the watch by short cutting the battery as described by Sjors 2006 (http://forums.watchuseek.com/f43/how-change-battery-g-shock-19704.html). I do not know how to do that on Pro Trek watches, and luckily I did not have to...)
hi thats me again
so:
i had it all in bits again cleaned and reseted, lost all 2 springs and replaced them with copper wires :) noticed that illuminator button was stuck in and that will explain why battery went flat . Readjusted the switch and reassembled all like i said with copper wires. everything working perfect now !!!! would like to thanks for all suggestions . very nice forum
Arek from uk
Excellent guide. Battery happily replaced without problems on PRG-50.
The battery (Casio Genuine parts) is marked CTL1616 F.
It took 30 minutes of sun to have (in theory) the full charge.
All OK, except the compass, which is incorrect.
I suggest that the 4 th spring is external to the seal; eye.
Thanks from Italy
Hi. Between this and the Skor site these are some excellent instructions. I had to replace the battery in my PRG-50 about 5 years ago and it's been working great ever since. I made an ANNOTATED UP CLOSE PHOTO of the spring locations which might be helpful to replace them if they should come out. Email me at johncamerlo@gmail.com and I'll send you the photo. Cheers.
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