Field Service Bulletins
Field Service Bulletins
This page contains links to alerts on product problems that may cause injury to people, damage to equipment, or loss of data.
| Field Service Bulletin Number & Date | Product | Brief Description |
| #26 -- July 2013 | SBE 49 | SBE 49s manufactured before May 2013 have a 2.5 mK noise signal when not averaging samples (16 Hz sampling); temperature probe redesign. |
| #25 -- April 2012 | SBE 56 | SBE 56 temperature sensor battery endurance may be sensitive to orientation. |
| #24 -- January 2012 | SBE 43, 43I, and 43F | SBE 43, 43I, and 43F sensors manufactured or serviced in 2011 may fail as a result of a seal failure. |
| #23 -- November 2011 | SBE 37-SMP and IMP, and SBE 44 | SBE 37-SMP and IMP with firmware < 4.0, and SBE 44 that is supplying power to the RS-232 sensor, may have significantly shorter deployment durations than previously predicted by example calculations in the product manuals and in the Deployment Endurance Calculator software. |
| #22 -- June 2011 | SBE 3 | SBE 3s integrated with SBE 25s or a non-Sea-Bird system that provides less than 11.5 V of power to the SBE 3 and are used in very cold water (< 2 °C) may see an output frequency shift. |
| #21 -- October 2010 | SBE 39-IM | SBE 39-IMs shipped through June 2010 may allow the batteries to be dislodged in rough conditions, resulting in the loss of data (data collected before the batteries are dislodged will not be affected). Sea-Bird can supply a kit to use with the retrofit instructions in this field service bulletin. |
| #20 -- April 2010 | SBE 55 ECO Water Sampler | SBE 55 frames shipped through March 2010 may have a dimension out of tolerance, resulting in the potential for cracks in the latch assembly. Sea-Bird is supplying a shim package to use with the retrofit instructions in this field service bulletin. |
| #19 -- April 2010 | SeaCAT -- SBE 16plus V2 | SBE 16plus V2s with firmware version 2.0 through 2.1 require firmware updates to eliminate a bug related to the use of the delayed logging feature (StartDateTime= and StartLater). |
| #18 -- April 2009 | PN 90402 SBE 45 Power, Navigation, & Remote Temperature Interface Box | A wiring error prevents some Interface Boxes from functioning if providing DC input power. The error is easily fixed by the customer, or the Box can be returned to Sea-Bird for repair if desired. |
| #17 -- September 2008 | SBE 37-SI and 37-SIP with RS-232 Interface | A firmware bug causes the MicroCAT to not store data in FLASH memory. Sea-Bird has updated the firmware to eliminate the problem. |
| #16 -- August 2008 (revised March 2009) |
SBE 11plus, 33, and 36 Deck Units; PN 90488, 90545, 90158, and 90204 Interface Boxes |
Some newer NMEA navigation devices output latitude and longitude minutes to 7 or more digits to the right of the decimal place (i.e., xxx.xxxxxxx). These Sea-Bird Deck Units and Interface Boxes do not correctly decode latitude and longitude data with more than 6 digits to the right of the decimal place, resulting in NMEA data with incorrect and unpredictable fractional minutes for latitude and longitude. Sea-Bird has updated the firmware to eliminate the problem. |
| #15 -- revised August 2008 | SBE 37-SM, 37-SMP, 37-IM, 37-IMP, 37-SI, 37-SIP, and 49 with Plastic Housing | MicroCATs and FastCATs with plastic housings require more care and caution in handling than those with titanium housings. A few MicroCATs with plastic housings have been returned to Sea-Bird with cracks around battery end cap screw holes. Sea-Bird plans to modify the existing end cap screw holes and screws in all plastic MicroCAT and FastCAT housings, to reduce the potential for cracks caused by over-torqueing. |
| #14 -- March 2008 | SBE 39 and 39-IM | SBE 39s with firmware version 3.0 or 3.0a and SBE 39-IMs with digital firmware version 1.02, 1.03, or 1.04 require firmware updates to eliminate a bug related to the leap year. |
| #13 -- December 2007 | SBE 9plus, 16 (not plus), 17plus, 17plus V2, 19 not plus), 21, 25, 26, 26plus, 32 (all versions), 52-MP, 53, and 54, and AFM | Jackscrew in jackscrew kit used for removing end cap to access electronics may be slightly over-sized, and may seize in end cap. |
| #12 -- May 2007 | SBE 39 | SBE 39s with firmware version 2.0 through 2.2 require modification to eliminate the potential for a short between battery + and - power, causing premature battery failure. We are aware of only one battery failure caused by this problem. |
| #11 -- December 2006 | SBE 37-IMP, 37-SMP, 37-SIP | When deployed in very turbid waters, pumped MicroCATs oriented with the intake/exhaust plumbing in an upright U-shape can become clogged with sediment; this results in poor flushing, causing poor quality data. Sea-Bird now recommends that the MicroCAT be oriented with its intake / exhaust in an inverted U-shape. A minor design modification allows trapped air to escape; a retrofit kit allows the customer to easily implement the change. |
| #10 -- December 2006 | SBE 39 | Retrofit kit provides better battery support (strong repetitive motions can cause the battery to vibrate; battery movement can crack PCB). Very few customers have had problems with battery vibration causing damage. |
| #9 -- November 2006 | SeaCAT -- SBE 16plus, 16plus-IM, 19plus, and 21 | SeaCATs store data incorrectly after a Flash Initialize command is sent, if logging is started before sending the Initialize Logging command. It is anticipated that very few customers will have a problem with this bug. |
| #8 -- December 2005 | SBE 26plus | SBE 26plus with firmware version 5.2, 6.0, and 6.0a require firmware upgrade to use a wave sample duration other than 0.25 seconds/sample. |
| #7 -- September 2005 | SBE 39 | SBE 39s with firmware version 2.0 and 2.0a require firmware upgrade to take full advantage of 4 MB memory. |
| #6 -- August 2004 | SBE 9plus | Modification required to prevent 9plus damage if 9plus used with alkaline-powered SBE 17plus Searam |
| #5 -- November 2003 | SBE 41 / 41CP CTD Sensors for ARGO floats | Handling precautions to prevent Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) damage |
| #4 -- August 2003 |
SBE 19plus (with optional cage, shipped before August 1, 2003) |
Retrofit kit strengthens the connection of the SBE 19plus to the cage (connection failure could lead to loss of the instrument) |
| #3 -- April 2001 |
SBE 37 (-IM, -SM, and -SI with Paine pressure sensor, full scale pressure < 1500 psi, and serial number < 1789) |
Retrofit kit prevents intrusion of salt water into the pressure sensor cavity (which could lead to corrosion) |
| #2 -- March 1997 | SBE 25 (shipped before March 1997) | Modification at Sea-Bird required to prevent potential for sensor damage from transient over-voltage condition |
| #1 -- August 1997 |
Opto-Isolated Junction Boxes (with external fuse holder, shipped before August 1997) |
Product Recall -- A potentially dangerous condition may exist |
For bugs that may prevent the equipment and/or software from functioning as expected (but that cannot cause injury or damage), go to the Known Bugs page.
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Sea-Bird Home Phone: (+1) 425-643-9866 E-mail: seabird@seabird.com