Polar S725, lap button is "frozen"

Chris M said:

Polar S725, lap button is "frozen" and hard to activate. It also
gets stuck as if held down. This prevent most functions until the
button moves enough. I have had to pry it lightly with a fingernail or
a sharp object (gently).

I want to know if the watch has a seal covering the button on the
inside? I would like to try to fix it myself if possible. I have had
these and other Polar watches opened in the past but it has been
several years since I have been inside one and I never had any problems
with the lap button.

Any ideas? Has anyone opened up an S710, S720 or S725?

I had to open my s720i to replace the battery a few months ago. from
what I recall there is a rubber seal around all the button pins going
into the body of the hrm. you most likely have a build up around your
lap button and the only way you can fix it is by opening it, taking out
the button and wiping the build up off with something. I would recomend
you do the job yourself as a friend took his into a watch repair to
change the battery and when he got it back the seal was damaged and it
died shortly thereafter- the shop owner admitted no responsibility for
the now worthless watch.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Chris M said:

Polar S725, lap button is "frozen" and hard to activate. It also
gets stuck as if held down. This prevent most functions until the
button moves enough. I have had to pry it lightly with a fingernail or
a sharp object (gently).

I want to know if the watch has a seal covering the button on the
inside? I would like to try to fix it myself if possible. I have had
these and other Polar watches opened in the past but it has been
several years since I have been inside one and I never had any problems
with the lap button.

Any ideas? Has anyone opened up an S710, S720 or S725?

I had to open my s720i to replace the battery a few months ago. from
what I recall there is a rubber seal around all the button pins going
into the body of the hrm. you most likely have a build up around your
lap button and the only way you can fix it is by opening it, taking out
the button and wiping the build up off with something. I would recomend
you do the job yourself as a friend took his into a watch repair to
change the battery and when he got it back the seal was damaged and it
died shortly thereafter- the shop owner admitted no responsibility for
the now worthless watch.

Polar is very fast at service, they normally send it back out almost
the same day they receive for standard repairs and battery replacements.

They are also getting a few authorized repair agents, you might be
lucky and have one local.

It sounds like you have a small amount of dirt in between the lap button and
the case. That happened to me. I fixed it by gently washing with a soft
brush and running water in the grove while working the button slightly.

Chris M said:

Polar S725, lap button is "frozen" and hard to activate. It also
gets stuck as if held down. This prevent most functions until the
button moves enough. I have had to pry it lightly with a fingernail or
a sharp object (gently).

I want to know if the watch has a seal covering the button on the
inside? I would like to try to fix it myself if possible. I have had
these and other Polar watches opened in the past but it has been
several years since I have been inside one and I never had any problems
with the lap button.

Any ideas? Has anyone opened up an S710, S720 or S725?

IMO the big red button is a pain in the a**s. Everybody I have spoken with
complains about it. When my 710 was new, it worked very well, but the more
I used it the more problems I got with it. It was very difficult to stop an
exercise and go into the recovery mode (the monitor just added a lap and
continued).

When I had to change batteries I asked Polar service to fix this. I got it
back and it worked ok for a few weeks...

I call this bad design, since my much older Accurex still got a perfectly
working button.

--
Jørn Dahl-Stamnes
http://www.dahl-stamnes.net/dahls/

Chris M said:

Polar S725, lap button is "frozen" and hard to activate. It also
gets stuck as if held down. > I want to know if the watch has a seal covering the button on the
inside? I would like to try to fix it myself if possible. I have had
these and other >
Any ideas? Has anyone opened up an S710, S720 or S725?

The red button on Polar 710s and similarf HRMs is a very poor design.
The slightest bit of dirt gets in there and jams the button, especially
when riding in the rain on unsealed/gravel roads.

Now that you have the watch, you needn't despair. Prevention is better
than cure. When going out on a dirty ride, cover the watch in cling
film from your kitchen. It isn't nice to read the watch through that,
especially in the wet, but at least it stops the jamming.

Once it is jammed, it's time to take out your set of jeweller
screwdrivers. Open it up and take it apart. It isn't difficult and
everything inside is self-evident. There are no parts that go shooting
into your carpet pile. Nevertheless, work in good light on a nice clean
surface. Once the guts are out, push the button back from the inside.
You'll see a little pin at the back end of the button - that's the one
to push back. Now see if it moves freely - work over a sheet of white
paper so you can see if something falls out.

Replace everything carefully and make sure the seal is seated properly.
It can only go in one way. Torque the four screws evenly and go ride.

It is a bad design, but live with it. The watch' other features make up
for it.

Johan Bornman