Mares Sirius, another computer running Buhlmann

[scubadada]

The Mares Sirius was recently announced and is on the Mares website, with a user's manual. It does not seem to be available yet in the US but can be ordered from several European countries. It looks like the cost may be 799 euros for the computer and 999 euros for the computer and transmitter. It would appear that the Sirius is similar to the Mares Genius, but in watch form. The Genius and transmitter go for $1575 in the US.

The Sirius runs Buhlmann ZH-L16C with preset and custom GFs (see below). It is a nitrox and trimix computer with up to 5 gases/transmitters, no CCR. It has a MIP color screen, compass, rechargeable battery, and Bluetooth. The transmitter is Mares proprietary with a blinking LED signaling tank pressure. Upon brief perusal of the manual, I see that it has a tissue loading graph and GF now (GF99) and GF at the surface (SurfGF). It allows for entry of tank volume and working pressure for each transmitter for calculation of RMV.

The decompression algorithm has 4 presets in rec mode from 85/85 to 50/60 and 4 presets in tech mode from 30/85 to 25/40. The maximum GF high for custom GFs is 85, but in an advanced setting, you can increase that to 90, by entering a code. There are 5 additional setting categories to decrease the GFs below the baseline setting, all of them can be turned off.

Mainly, I find it very interesting to see an increasing number of dive computers running Buhlmann, especially from brands that are known for computers running proprietary decompression algorithms. I can't help to think that this is in an attempt to remain competitive.

 

[Belzelbub]

Mainly, I find it very interesting to see an increasing number of dive computers running Buhlmann, especially from brands that are known for computers running proprietary decompression algorithms. I can't help to think that this is in an attempt to remain competitive.

Yep. This looks to be a good move for many reasons. Much better chance of two divers matching NDLs if they are running the same algorithm.

I also like that this now increases the brands offering SurfGF. By my count, we are now at 4.
Shearwater
Garmin
Deep6 (New Firmware)
Mares

Overall, it's good to have options. More competition is generally good for the divers.

 

[quietlife4me]

Unfortunately…I bought a lightly used Genius and transmitter from my LDS 2 months ago on deep discount before this was announced.

They came out with a new transmitter too for the Sirius that isn’t backward compatible and the Genius transmitter is not forward compatible.

Us Genius AI owners just got boxed out of the future. Doh!

 

[Belzelbub]

They came out with a new transmitter too for the Sirius that isn’t backward compatible and the Genius transmitter is not forward compatible.

Us Genius AI owners just got boxed out of the future. Doh!

That truly stinks. Unless there was a fundamental problem with the Genius transmitter, I can't understand why they'd go with another proprietary transmitter. Other than to sell more transmitters.

Even if they added a feature such as the blinking LED signaling tank pressure, as an example (Though that's not even new in this case). They could still do that and maintain compatibility. They don't have a ton of info on the website for the Tank Module 2.0, but I don't see a ton of functional changes. It uses a different battery and the LED portion looks different. Battery life is still effectively the same.

 

[hammet]

But what units does it display RMV in?

 

[Cheizz]

But what units does it display RMV in?

Tank size per minute, obviously.

 

[scubadada]

But what units does it display RMV in?

Ha, imperial or metric, cu ft/min or l/min

 

[hammet]

 

[dmaziuk]

Mainly, I find it very interesting to see an increasing number of dive computers running Buhlmann, especially from brands that are known for computers running proprietary decompression algorithms. I can't help to think that this is in an attempt to remain competitive.

If you look closely I think you'll find that all those brands' algorithms were developed in collaboration with the late Dr. Wienke. I am guessing the "late" part there makes it difficult for them to update the models to the newer thinking, and quite possibly: even to update the code to the newer hardware.

There is an alternative that happens to be everybody's darling du jour, is royalty-free, and is pretty straightforward to implement. What's a vendor to do?

 

[scubadada]

I don't think the Wienke RGBM algorithms had generally been updated in quite a while, I think they have simply fallen our of favor.