Sena 20S Issues - not waterproof!
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- I've recently had issues with my Sena 20S bluetooth headset. There are a number of design flaws, mainly that Sena themselves consider this item as just water resistant and not waterproof. Less than a year old and I've got corrosion on the contacts and in the USB plug. The headphone and microphone wires are also way too flimsy.
Here's my round up of the issues but also a huge thumbs up to amazon.co.uk who replaced my unit for a brand new one with no questions asked. Well done Amazon! Top class customer service.
Filmed a little while ago back in February 2017 when it was still wintery here in England!
Great video. I have the exact same problem with the same pin that you have shown. SENA customer service will not acknowledge any responsibility because they say it is water resistant. How bloody stupid. I'll never by another SENA product and tell everyone else not to buy their units.
Sorry to hear you've had similar problems and I've now given up on the 20S. I would buy Sena again as when it worked it was great, but I'd want it in writing that it was waterproof and I'd look more closely at the design. Thanks for watching.
Hi There! You can fix the contacts easily by a silver conducting paint.
Yeah, its a shame. Great design and touch points but the manual specifically says to keep it away from water, so I would not consider it to be water resistant.
Yes all true, just think it's pretty bad design that it's not waterproof when it's supposed to be exposed to the elements on the outside of a helmet!
Non of the sena range are water proof. Tbh if you read the back of the box sleeve they all state for use in inclement weather with exception of the 50r that says nothing about any weather/water protection. All cardo units are ip67.
I have the 30K and it leaks just the same. Doesn’t work in the 🌧
I am getting mine replaced just now. It also died in the rain. Its going absolutly nuts. Ill just decopple it next time i use it in the rain.
Its just fail designe. It is easy to make it complete waterresistent or proof
I have the 10s if you use the bell qualifier helmet with the built in clip holder and attachment, it is very much hidden from weather. I rode in a thunderstorm and was listening to music the whole time.
I think the 10S has a "better" water rating than the 20S. Heard lots of similar stories on the internet of people fine in rain with the 10S and other Sena models but not with the 20S. Thanks for watching
ahhh ok. cant wait to get my rain suit!
SENA have a two year warranty on their products so that's why you got a replacement easy enough. On that vein, I bought a 10U from sportsbikeshop in August 2016, while abroad in July last year one of the speakers stopped working, phoned sportsbikeshop from abroad, no problem they said, send it back when you return, which they gave me a free return label, got a new unit within a fortnight, on the 29th October this year, the one they sent me last year developed the exact same fault, phoned again, chap said, no problem, still under warranty, sent it back then then emailed me a couple weeks later to say that the 10U is discontinued and either refund or credit me with a full refund, bearing in mind, I originally bought this in August 2016 and it's now November 2018, so today I bought a 20s Evo with a black Friday discount and paid the grand sum of £18 for my 20s, now that's customer service for you.
A helmet bluetooth that is not waterproof. How stupid is Sena!!!
I know, it seems so daft. Thanks for watching.
Need Cardo Packtalk.. fully water proof
There's a legal difference in the definitions "resistant" and "proof." From memory, resistant is much easier to achieve and means water should stay out for 30 minutes at 1m depth..."proof" is like no water ingress at 100m depth ever (think diver's watch) Resistant should be ample for being out in the rain, so it's definitely a design issue. My 20S Evo failed on me after a few hours of heavy rain, and wouldn't even turn off until the battery ran out and it dried out. It's a shame, my SMH10 worked in all conditions, and the 30 supposedly has the same design problem as the 20.
If Sena addressed the water ingress problem it would be a top quality product as the functionality and use is brilliant.
Re: water resistant vs. waterproof. Easy explanation: take the coward's way out and don't claim it's waterproof. I've ridden with my 20S in pouring rain on a motorway (interstate here) at motorway speeds for several hours. The 20S remained trouble-free before, during, and after. Find the video on replacing the 20S battery. It shows the seal for the body and for the jog dial shaft. "Seal" is the operative word here. The jacks on the base, AFAIK, are closed off at the end of the opening - no worries on my unit at least. The flap over the charger connector and ambient sound mic has never blown open for me, even at above motorway speeds. Give the flap a good push to seal the opening (BTW, close the flap and the mic for ambient sound is blocked off - no sounds heard - no surprise!). The contacts... there is an attempt at a seal around the contacts in the base. IMHO not much good. But... clean the main body contacts - be gentle with contact cleaner and cotton swabs. Leave the base contacts alone - it's too easy to break a pin and kill the base. Apply a healthy dose of dielectric grease to the base pins and to the body contacts. This will seal the pins and contacts, with grease, against 'most anything. Fit the contacts to the pins and the grease is pushed away, making a sealed contact! End result: protected pins and contacts. Renew the contact coating periodically as removing and mounting eventually wear much of the coating away. Agreed the "strain relief" is pretty much useless. Painting the cable with liquid electrical tape will at least protect the wire if the insulation begins to fail. Summary: don't worry about the jacks, don't worry about the body seals, do close the charging flap with a definite push. Coat the contacts and pins with lots of dielectric grease. DO NOT USE PETROLEUM-BASED GREASE!! IT'S SECOND ONLY TO LEAVING THE 20S IN FUEL!! IT WILL DISSOLVE ALL SEALS TO THE POINT OF FAILURE!!
Thanks for your comprehensive tips and advice. I did some of that with my second unit - especially the dielectric grease on the contacts and they still failed. I have totally given up on the 20S now.
While I get what you're saying I really don't think anyone should have to go the the levels you say to keep it in working order when it's use is clearly going to be on the outside of a helmet fully exposed to the elements, if it cost £100 maybe but not at the price it is!
Thanks for watching.
Clean the pins......quit complaining.....move on with your life.....!
It's not the case of cleaning the pins - the thing has been fried by the weather. My second 20S has just given up the ghost in exactly the same way and after roughly the same time. Unless you have more money than sense I think you'd be a little cheesed off if you'd shelled out £180 for something that clearly isn't fit for purpose!
I rather enjoyed your critique of this product. Though, it looks like your 20S has lived a lovely lifetime up alongside your noggin. While you are identifying "design flaws", as an engineer myself, I recognize some of these are design "compromises" in order to make the product do the job for most riders but not cost $500+. Everything you're demanding of this product, is pretty much "MIL-Spec"....so go find a MIL-Spec Bluetooth helmet headset (if one exists). Looking at several of the areas that your headset has failed (microphone strain relief, etc), it looks like you're throwing that helmet around like an old boot....its banged up, scuffed, and clearly been "rode hard and put away wet". I've experienced weather-related issues myself including some different than yours, I use mine in the snow as well; wait till you learn the wonders of water expansion when it freezes! There are several more "design compromised" areas you haven't even mentioned here. That said, I recognize the shortfalls of this product are manageable.... I try to keep it as dry as possible, and when I'm caught in the rain, I leave my Sena in my tankbag and dry the mount thoroughly when I get home. There are electrical contact lubricants which prevent the "crackle & pop" as well as extending the life of the electrical contacts and adding some water shedding properties (I spray this on all the contacts on the mount + the ports). But if you're insistent on using the Sena while its raining, there's a product on the market called Impervious which can apply a nano-coating to electronic gadgets to make them submersible (similar to the Samsung phones of recent years). I haven't tried it yet, but its the kind of thing needed to alleviate water-ingress worries. Don't keep your Sena out of the water....teach it to swim!! :)
Thanks for your thoughts and also useful info. Yes it has had a "fully used" life rather than hard life with commuting every day. I've not been overly reckless with looking after it but I've not treated it like glass either. In my view I think these sort of products at the price they sell, should be able to stand up to regular everyday use. Also after getting home form any wet ride I always removed the headset from the cradle and wiped it. So I've not ignored it, but I've not been OCD on my care and cleaning. What I would call basic care.
I've now switched to a proper IP rated headset (Cardo Scala Packtalk) that so far has stood up to the rain ok and is designed a bit better in my view. There are other issues with this one in terms of connectivity mind!
The new Cardo PACKTALK is an excellent example of the leapfrogging that occurs in a competitive environment. Taking all the best features of the existing market products, solving some of the nagging problems, and producing the "next best thing." That said, i notice the new Scala is a bit more expensive unit too which goes back to my point of building a device to a price point. More $$$ = better specs. I may look into the new Scala as well with its enhanced specs. But I'm hesitant on the tactile design, Sena's adoption of the big round dial and simple button layout makes it usable with all snow/motorcycle gloves with no confusion. I'd need to sample a Scala for comparison.....or convince someone to do a video comparison of them.. (nudge nudge, wink wink)
Thanks. Funny you should mention a comparison as I've recently bought a Packtalk to replace the Sena! It's a much better piece of kit in many ways, although it has some issues itself. Might well do something on it soon.....