Digital Aquatics SL2 Recall

[Malyon18]

This may be handy for some people who have bee getting wonky readings from their salinity probes

http://www.digitalaquatics.com/news/SL2



First and foremost, I want to convey that it's our intention to provide customers with great products that work as advertised! As everyone knows, the SL2 has been an ongoing issue for us here at DA and we've been unable to satisfy our standards when it comes to this product. While it may, from the outside, look as if we aren't working on the issue, I can assure everyone that that is not the case. In fact, it's been a topic of each and every engineering meeting that we've had for the last year and a half.

As a hobbyist, I've personally been unhappy with our ability to produce this module to the level that I would expect for equipment that I would want to use on my own tank. But, as an engineer and DA employee, I've seen the struggles, the tests the successes and the failures of the project from the beginning and I can assure you that our lack of communication has not been because we don't care! We do care. From our testing and learning through this process, we've seen a number of concerning things in "other" products performance, claims, and documentation. We want to provide better hardware than the "others", period!

Today, I'm excited to let everyone know that we have a final hardware design which we have been able to test to the extent that satisfies our standards. Better yet, we have a probe that mates with this new design very well and has also proven itself to be reliable, long term.

Now, the question that everyone is asking: how are we going to resolve this with our customers? The answer is: as simply as possible!

What about warranty issues and the parts that have been sent in and are waiting for service?

We will be exchanging any and all SL2s and salinity probes that have already been sent in to us, so we can get everyone's equipment back to them as soon as possible.

We will also do exchanges for all existing SL2 owners, with or without a receipt. Simply contact us and we will create an RMA. Once you have an RMA number, send in your SL2 and we'll send back the replacements.

We're sure there will be some questions; but here are a couple of things that should help clarify the SL2 upgrade process:

The new SL2v2 will require the new conductivity probe. Without a proper pairing, the unit and your readings will not be reliable or correct. Because this is so critical, we've changed the "jack" that we use on the probe, so that old probes will not work with new SL2s.
If you've already got gear here at our office, please email us at with your RMA number and we will advise you on the status of your exchange. Those parts will get shipped as soon as replacements are available.
If you don't have a probe, but have the old SL2 and are only using pH or the other features, don't worry. You will be able to exchange your SL2 whenever you wish so that you can use the new conductivity probe. Whether you send it in now or in a year, we'll take care of you!
Some customers have asked about cross-shipping because their SL2 is in use with pH or switches. Unfortunately, some customers have ruined our ability to cross-ship without a "deposit". Customers who do not want to take their systems down for the exchange can purchase the new SL2v2 via our website to replace their old unit. Once they get the new module, they will need to request an RMA, so they can send in the old unit (within 30 days) for a full refund of the purchase price and ground shipping.
All exchanges will be managed directly through Digital Aquatics. No dealer or distributor will be able to process an exchange of old hardware for new. We will be working to make this process as painless as we can! However, please understand there is a very large number of SL2 in the field and the only way we can insure that customers get swapped out in a orderly fashion is make sure the process is followed to the letter. We don't want anyone falling through the cracks on this!
Lastly, when will the exchange start? Currently, the new SL2v2 is getting prepped for production. We have a lot of units to build up in order to handle both the exchanges as well as purchases by customers who have been waiting. We are hoping to have a firm date in the next couple weeks. As of right now, it looks like we'll be about 8 weeks out due to longer than expected lead time on a couple of the new parts in the SL2v2. We are working hard to pull in those dates in, but we don't want to over commit!

Shipping: Digital Aquatics will cover shipping via USPS or UPS ground to customers in the US and Canada. Any customers outside North America are eligible for the exchange but must cover shipping in both directions. *This is because we do not support products sold outside of North America. Customers should utilize whatever shipping method they feel most comfortable with to send units to Digital Aquatics once the exchange starts. USPS flat rate boxes are quick and easies, but please note that Digital Aquatics cannot be responsible for shipments that are lost or do not arrive at our offices. Because of the large amount of incoming packages we're expecting, at a minimum, delivery confirmation is suggested for your records.

We'll work to port new information as it's available, as we approach our target dates!

Thank you,

Scott B.
Digital Aquatics