New iPhone App - iScubaPlan - [pics] + [video]

[brockbr]

iPod Touch Users:

There was a mistake made on the Apple AppStore that could have stopped 1st gen iPod touch owners from installing iScuba Plan.

This has been resolved.

 

[H20lover]

Brock... You rock! Thanks for iDeco and iScubaPlan. I'm a big fan of iDeco. The iScubaPlan looks beautiful.

 

[Peter Guy]

Brock, it is such a good ap -- and with a "you'll use this much gas at this depth and time" feature it would be SO MUCH BETTER!

 

[Nimon]

Cannot wait to download iScuba onto my Ipod touch when I am home. Thank you for your efforts !

 

[beasleym]

Just downloaded and played with this new app. All I can say is wonderful app and very well written.

That said - a couple of comments:
1) I love the way you've turned the headings red when there's a violation. But if I calculate correctly, you can create a dive that goes beyond the contingency limits for oxygen toxicity and there's no indication, or program features to calculate max percentage of O2. Am I correct or am I missing something?
2) I used one of the class questions and come up with a different result using PADI nitrox tables and iScubaPlan. Specifically, EANx36 to 86' for 32 min, 120 min surface interval, EANx32 to 70' which gives 49 min NDL and 11 RNT by tables. The program gives 44 min and 11 RNT. Is there a problem here?
3) Would be real helpful if the support site listed on iTunes pointed to location where questions could be asked and not just the informational site you have. I only found out that you were soliciting info. by googling on the app.

Thanks in advance!

 

[brockbr]

Just downloaded and played with this new app. All I can say is wonderful app and very well written.

That said - a couple of comments:
1) I love the way you've turned the headings red when there's a violation. But if I calculate correctly, you can create a dive that goes beyond the contingency limits for oxygen toxicity and there's no indication, or program features to calculate max percentage of O2. Am I correct or am I missing something?
2) I used one of the class questions and come up with a different result using PADI nitrox tables and iScubaPlan. Specifically, EANx36 to 86' for 32 min, 120 min surface interval, EANx32 to 70' which gives 49 min NDL and 11 RNT by tables. The program gives 44 min and 11 RNT. Is there a problem here?
3) Would be real helpful if the support site listed on iTunes pointed to location where questions could be asked and not just the informational site you have. I only found out that you were soliciting info. by googling on the app.

Thanks in advance!

beasleym,

1) This is true that iScubaPlan doesn't indicate going over on your CNS clock. I did this to keep things simple since:

(a) Recreational divers using Nitrox maxed at a po2 of 1.4 will have 180 minutes of bottom time. Since most agencies etc deal with CNS clocks differently (for example, some allow for CNS clock credits during SI, while others do NOT and force CNS to be cumulative for the day), I didn't want to assume how the Nitrox diver would be using it. I did this mainly because if I implemented it different than how the diver would be using it, it would invalidate their plan and turn it red.

(b) The Nitrox implementation is based solely on EAD and the Air tables. This is standard practice across all agencies.

2) EAN36 at 86' gives an EAD of 63'. This forces the usage of 70' depths (rounding up as per table rules). 70' for 32min is a P diver. A surface interval of 120min makes them a B diver.

The repetitive dive on EAN32 to 70' gives us an EAD of 56'. This would force a depth of 60' to calculate the second dive. A "B" diver doing a repeat dive to 60' would have 11min RNT and 44min ABT.

3) Yes - I agree. I really need to get a forum going to iScubaPlan. I have one for iDeco, and might use it for iScubaPlan as well.

Thanks for taking the time to outline the detail to your question. I'm not sure why you're seeing a disparity - The only thing I can think of is that you are using the EAN36 and EAN32 tables in which PADI may have rounded depths/times differently.

 

[beasleym]

Thanks for the response.

I discovered iScubaPlan afterwards and it's well done too as is the board.

As to the CNS - a suggestion would be to make the clock a selective item in settings. My fear is that too many people in my Nitrox class didn't really understand the cumulative calculations well. While the liability to the diver is minimal it's still there. And if someone should ever do repetitive dives and get into trouble I'm not sure if that puts you at risk legally. In any case I would simply love to see what the total p02 total is!

Thanks again!

 

[scuba_dog]

Hi,
Great little app - really like it but I have one question. I'm using METRIC tables, just to be clear and using AIR for all. I get the following readings for the following depths.

10m - iscuba NDL = 205, RDP NDL = 219
12m - iscuba NDL = 140, RDP NDL = 147
14m - iscuba NDL = 80, RDP NDL = 98
16m - iscuba NDL = 55, RDP NDL = 72
18m - iscuba NDL = 56, RDP NDL = 56
20m - iscuba NDL = 40, RDP NDL = 45
22m - iscuba NDL = 30, RDP NDL = 37

Am I misreading something or is that the metric conversion to imperial throwing it out?
Thanks
Scuba_dog.

 

[brockbr]

Hi,
Great little app - really like it but I have one question. I'm using METRIC tables, just to be clear and using AIR for all. I get the following readings for the following depths.

10m - iscuba NDL = 205, RDP NDL = 219
12m - iscuba NDL = 140, RDP NDL = 147
14m - iscuba NDL = 80, RDP NDL = 98
16m - iscuba NDL = 55, RDP NDL = 72
18m - iscuba NDL = 56, RDP NDL = 56
20m - iscuba NDL = 40, RDP NDL = 45
22m - iscuba NDL = 30, RDP NDL = 37

Am I misreading something or is that the metric conversion to imperial throwing it out?
Thanks
Scuba_dog.

Scuba_dog,
The difference is coming from ScubaPlan using Imperial brackets for depths - 40-140. Even when using Metric, the depths are converted to Imperial, and the subsequent depth bracket is used.

This is a double edged sword from a development standpoint: With the way it works now, 2 mixed divers (1 imperial and 1 metric) can dive the same plan with the same results. The second approach would be using the actual Metric depth brackets. Of course, that has the tendency to produce different NDL's for what might appear the same dive (as you found out) because of table use rules (rounding up).

After getting feedback from a bunch of people prior to ScubaPlan's release, I opted for approach #1 since the vast majority of people responding didn't even know a Metric RDP existed (go figure 'eh? "What? Everyone doesn't use Imperial???" )

I am considering putting in an option that let's you use the actual Metric brackets, or to do the conversion as is. But to be very honest, even as high ranked as ScubaPlan is in the AppStore right now, I haven't even recouped the original development cost yet (I'm somewhere around 1/40th ) - That doesn't even count going back in and making changes.

b.

 

[scuba_dog]

(go figure 'eh? "What? Everyone doesn't use Imperial???" )
b.

LOL! You know I didn't realise there was an IMPERIAL RDP until a few months ago?!!!!
Welcome to Europe! Seriously, thanks for your reply - its really not a huge deal as all the readings are on the safe side in any event but I was just intrigued. Fully understand the dev costs and I hope you do get into profit - the app is certainly worth the money!

Thanks again
Scuba_dog