Cracking Radion G5

[DHill6]

I kinda think the point is that this light is ridiculously expensive, wasn’t packaged well, and has a design flaw that smacks of laziness. For $840, consumers should not be asked to perform maintenance before even turning it on! Never mind the dumpster fire that Ecotech calls an app...
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[DHill6]

Hello Tim@ETM ... new G5Pro, box had holes in it, light was floating freely inside of box. I had to check it out to make sure it wasn’t a used one. What happened to the nice packing from previous products? If it develops a problem I’ll be calling...
Deb

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

That is unfortunate -be sure to contact ETM CS or your distributor, they will take care of you.

The background to this has parts - one is that they are trying as quickly as possible to become part of the sustainable initiative to remove single use plastics. Which means a move away from the plastic tray inserts which are both easier to package and stronger, but are a waste of non-renewable resources.

The second is they have an ongoing initiative to produce and source locally, which eliminates waste and encourages local business. Their new box designer and printer is located in PA and is still getting familiar with the requirements of their products. Previously they designed the boxes in-house so they were more cognizant of their packaging needs, they didn't do this on these boxes. They have learnt yet another lesson and will of course correct the consequences, box redesigns are already in the works and outgoing shipments have temporarily been re-enforced.

This never should have happened- but some step forwards sometimes take a moment to balance.

 

[DHill6]

That is unfortunate -be sure to contact ETM CS or your distributor, they will take care of you.

The background to this has parts - one is that they are trying as quickly as possible to become part of the sustainable initiative to remove single use plastics. Which means a move away from the plastic tray inserts which are both easier to package and stronger, but are a waste of non-renewable resources.

The second is they have an ongoing initiative to produce and source locally, which eliminates waste and encourages local business. Their new box designer and printer is located in PA and is still getting familiar with the requirements of their products. Previously they designed the boxes in-house so they were more cognizant of their packaging needs, they didn't do this on these boxes. They have learnt yet another lesson and will of course correct the consequences, box redesigns are already in the works and outgoing shipments have temporarily been re-enforced.

This never should have happened- but some step forwards sometimes take a moment to balance.

It’s too bad they sent them out like this, bouncing around can’t be good. At this point I’m using the light

 

[AcanthurusRex]

Cracked casing are whatever to me, but this ****** me off to no end. I’ll be selling all 4 once the new covers come in, a different brand of lights on the way. Somebody else can be a beta tester for their trash product.

My Kessil AP700s are WiFi and they are about this bad. I have a special insecure network setup just for these lights. I gave up slaving them ages ago. They do not keep time and you must log in occasionally to update dime a day. At Day Light Savings I never know if I would be able to talk to them again. The colors don't sync, they change intensity/color at different times even though they were just updated. I have not had one turn on in the middle of the night.
Hopefully, ETM will fix their app issues. These little companies have no clue how much work is needed to support a phone app; iPhone and Android updates (Android will probably just as bad as iOS if the security updates are applied regularly). Bluetooth at the lower levels is much more complicated that one might expect for something this ubiquitous. I don't understand their logic for choosing BLE over WiFi, it seems like a stretch that more people have BLE than WiFi in some markets especially considering who will be buying these lights.
One quick solution would be Apex support via wxm. It may not be as shiny as their fancy little app; it seems to work with the MP40s.
I just want equipment to do what it is told, not making random decisions on their own.

 

[TheHarold]

That is unfortunate -be sure to contact ETM CS or your distributor, they will take care of you.

The background to this has parts - one is that they are trying as quickly as possible to become part of the sustainable initiative to remove single use plastics. Which means a move away from the plastic tray inserts which are both easier to package and stronger, but are a waste of non-renewable resources.

The second is they have an ongoing initiative to produce and source locally, which eliminates waste and encourages local business. Their new box designer and printer is located in PA and is still getting familiar with the requirements of their products. Previously they designed the boxes in-house so they were more cognizant of their packaging needs, they didn't do this on these boxes. They have learnt yet another lesson and will of course correct the consequences, box redesigns are already in the works and outgoing shipments have temporarily been re-enforced.

This never should have happened- but some step forwards sometimes take a moment to balance.

I’m curious- where are you getting the information from regarding their internal company initiatives, packaging changes including the location, etc? Are you an Ecotech representative on this forum equivalent to @Tim at EcoTech or their official spokesperson?

(I would like to know whether the information you are continually providing is reputable, or just a random die hard fan trying to defend an issue- I am unsure given your posts on this thread. And by the way, “Ecotech experts” does not count lol).

 

[Lunardogz]

Even if ETM sourced them out locally, ETM have the finally say in reviewing the samples before it ever gone out into production. All ETM can do is learn from the mistakes and improve on it.

 

[Lithoman]

Really! Apple did not offer to change or fix my old iPhone4. They told me to hold it in my right hand not my left! The Map problems took about 2 years to fix and by then Apple Maps was no longer even a player in the map market. Like you I have also bought a crap load of iphones although I don't have seven iPads, I cannot see why anyone would need seven! Anyway I don't know what you mean by ETM is not learning. They have been making better lights with each generation. Problems like this are something that occasionally happens to many companies and is not as foreseeable as you might think. I will say that ETM using Bluetooth for communications is a huge mistake and in the end that is the problem that I think will continue to haunt them a lot longer than cracking problem.

dang glad I'm an android user!

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

I’m curious- where are you getting the information from regarding their internal company initiatives, packaging changes including the location, etc? Are you an Ecotech representative on this forum equivalent to @Tim at EcoTech or their official spokesperson?

(I would like to know whether the information you are continually providing is reputable, or just a random die hard fan trying to defend an issue- I am unsure given your posts on this thread. And by the way, “Ecotech experts” does not count lol).

I put my ear to the ground, listen for hoof beats, check for foot prints, and look for broken twigs...lol

 

[TheHarold]

I put my ear to the ground, listen for hoof beats, check for foot prints, and look for broken twigs...lol

Ahh, so the latter option. Thanks lol- was scratching my head for a minute.

 

[Kyl]

Bluetooth LE issues aren't limited to ETM products. As a whole it's somewhat flawed, especially with how most of the phones handle turning it "off".

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Ahh, so the latter option. Thanks lol- was scratching my head for a minute.

Truth of the matter is, Tim's father and my father are both members of the Saucon Valley Country Club, we occasionally see each other at events that our fathers drag us to.

Over the years we've developed a friendship, it only solidified when I sent him a text asking him about their "SECRET grease" and from time to time we chat. It's fair to say that I occasionally defend ecotech, but for their superior product not because of our friendship.

 

[revhtree]

Guys this thread has become a major horse beating. ETM has told you what to do and addressed the situation. Reach out to them via PM or their website. This thread has reached a conclusion.

Here is a new post by @Tim at EcoTech explaining their solution:

We identified an issue that may cause the lower cover on G5 Radions to crack around its retaining screws. Some background information: the countersunk holes are being over-stressed when assembled due to a molding issue affecting the overall size of the lower cover. We have remedied this by installing captive washers behind the countersink holes to eliminate deflection on the cover during assembly and reduce the stress that the housing experiences. This resolution was put into production once the issue was identified and new units have been shipping with the fix in place.

If you happened to receive a G5 Radion with a cracked lower cover, we are extremely sorry and would like to send you a replacement lower cover under warranty. The replacement covers come with four screws with the captive washers pre-installed, as well as the tool needed to perform the replacement operation. To receive a replacement lower cover kit, please email your G5 serial number(s) to our customer service department.

This problem does not affect the performance or reliability of your light and your warranty will not be affected in any way by replacing this cover yourself. There is no danger or risk to your light by waiting to replace the cover.

We have also created an instructional video located here:

Radion G5: Cracked Lower Cover

Overview We identified an issue that may cause the lower cover on G5 Radions to crack around its retaining screws. Some background information: the countersunk holes are being over-stressed when ...

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