$100 for a download usb cable?......

[Barefootdog]

Just bought a new to me Sherwood Wisdom 3.
Will work perfectly for how I currently dive.

--Rant mode on--

Looking around for download usb cable SDK400.
$95 to $100 delivered...Really?....Why?

Not picking on just Sherwood...They're all the same.
Just blowing off steam. Tired of the predatory pricing.

If anyone has a better pricing option feel free to PM me.

--Rant mode off--

Other than that life is good. Getting some new kit together for an upcoming trip.

 

[Snoweman]

That's another reason I am happy with my Shearwater Perdix AI. It uses bluetooth to sync with the desktop and the cloud app.

 

[idocsteve]

I just purchased a usb download cable for an out of production Oceanic VT Pro computer so I can upload my dives to a digital logbook. Cost was also $100 bucks. For a cable that probably costs $3.00 to produce and isn't really all that much different than any other USB cable you can buy for under $5.

But because it's a 'custom' product that you can't just buy anywhere, and these companies need to pay their CEOs a few million bucks per year and top dollar to all their department heads, and health insurance for all their employees, and 401k benefits and vacation time and all of that, plus throw in funds needed to finance the R&D departments and HR departments, well you get the idea. The money has to come from somewhere.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

That's another reason I am happy with my Shearwater Perdix AI. It uses bluetooth to sync with the desktop and the cloud app.

Especially if when a knucklehead like myself lost the dongle and they sent me one for free.

For a cable that probably costs $3.00 to produce

Much less than a dollar if I'm not mistaken. USB cables are very, very cheap to manufacture for example.

 

[Marie13]

Same thing for a current Geo 2.0 cable.

 

[runsongas]

the dive computer cables are usually a bit more complicated than a run of the mill USB. this is because the dive computers are old enough a lot still run off ttl serial/rs232. the newer cables are USB to UART with a FTDI chip. the older ones used to also have a PIC controller inside.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

the dive computer cables are usually a bit more complicated than a run of the mill USB. this is because the dive computers are old enough a lot still run off ttl serial/rs232. the newer cables are USB to UART with a FTDI chip. the older ones used to also have a PIC controller inside.

Back in the late 90's, Cypress Semiconductor was selling low speed controllers for under a dollar. There was no manufacturing cost difference between low speed and full speed USB silicon. I'm not sure how much Fred Dart sells his parts for, but $100 for a cable with a little bit of electronics in it is obscenely overpriced.

 

[Streydog]

How often do you really use the cables? It seems like some kind of sharing could be done. I have three different cables I would not mind sharing locally or at a dive location if it wasn't too much trouble with the logistics.

 

[runsongas]

Back in the late 90's, Cypress Semiconductor was selling low speed controllers for under a dollar. There was no manufacturing cost difference between low speed and full speed USB silicon. I'm not sure how much Fred Dart sells his parts for, but $100 for a cable with a little bit of electronics in it is obscenely overpriced.

last time i checked, it was about 15 to 20 for a USB to UART cable with everything assembled. you could probably get the individual parts for less than 10 and solder it all together yourself. you would have to make a 3 pin connector for the computer end. there are enough OSS dive logs and drivers that you could dump the data with some futzing. 100 bucks is a hell of a markup for sure still, but its not like it is a usb cable from the dollar store either. not sure where you would find the PIC for the old oceanic computers at this point.

 

[Stoo]

....Why?

As always, because it can be...

That's the thing when you buy a piece of esoteric gear... common perhaps in the dive world, but not the world at large. Companies design crap like that so that they make a ton of money on stupid doodads and thingamabobs. Look at Apple... Great computers, but their branded accessories are stupid expensive...

But then why does a bottle of JD cost so much... It's water, corn and patience. Or a block of cheese... Beat some spoiled milk, dry it out and wait 10 years...

Someone above mentioned Shearwater. When I read that the battery compartment o-ring is (or at least was) a standard DIN o-ring, I figured that (a) these guys are thinking about stuff and (b) they aren't trying to screw us over.