Backplate & Single Tank Adapter

[FishDiver]

I spoke with the owner of a LDS the other day regarding BP/W. I tried on a Halcyon unit setup for a single tank. I noticed it had a STA and asked the owner if this was necessary.

I was considering buying a BP, basic harness and two cam bands threaded through the rear slots as a travel BC. I do not want the expense and weight of extra hardware such as the STA. The shop owner insisted that without the STA the harness and plate would be unstable and flex excessively.

I tend not to believe this but wanted to ask for feedback before I make any decisions.

 

[UFScubaDiver]

You will find that the STA, no STA subject is a matter of personal preferance like most things on this board. I personally like the STA because I feel like it gives me a little more stability, not to say STAless designs are not stable, I just prefer an STA. I also think the STA makes it easier when taking your rig apart and cleaning everything. With that said im gonna go make some popcorn and watch how this thread explodes! -Tom

 

[undrwater]

You don't necessarily need to add weight with a STA. KidSpot has a plan for a DIY STA that is not super negative.

 

[Izu]

I dove my BP without an STA for about 6 months but sometimes felt that no matter how hard I cinched down the cambands, the tank was rocking a bit on top of the two sex bolts holding the wing to the plate. I dove it for the first time last Saturday with my new Oxy STA and noticed no real difference. Seemed a bit more solid and of course heavy.

 

[ShoalDiverSA]

I have an "STA-less" wing with built in rods. Although this does the job well, I am in the process of having an STA made for similar reasons to those given by that UFScubaDiver. I am also intending to break down the rig for transport to protect the wing from the stainless steel hardware and backplate.

If you do not want an STA, then I strongly recommend that you buy a wing that has rods or a "wobble-stopper" built in. The "sex bolts" heads will make the BP/tank connection unstable.

If you are going to be using the setup exclusively for single tank diving, have a look at the DeepSeaSupply single tank rig. It has built-in wobble-stoppers and many happy customers on SB. I don't have one, so I can't give a personal recommendation. The design just makes a lot of sense.

Edit - I noticed you mentioned that you want to have this unit as a travel BC. Check out the DeepSeaSupply Kydex plate review here.

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[cool_hardware52]

I spoke with the owner of a LDS the other day regarding BP/W. I tried on a Halcyon unit setup for a single tank. I noticed it had a STA and asked the owner if this was necessary.

I was considering buying a BP, basic harness and two cam bands threaded through the rear slots as a travel BC. I do not want the expense and weight of extra hardware such as the STA. The shop owner insisted that without the STA the harness and plate would be unstable and flex excessively.

I tend not to believe this but wanted to ask for feedback before I make any decisions.

With some plates and wings not using a STA might result in a less stable set up. I seriously doubt the cause would be the plate flexing however.

The DeepSeaSupply BackPlate and Wing is designed to be used without a STA. The unique features of the DSS single rigs also make teardown for cleanup or transport quick and easy.

Let me describe the three approaches in use today:

The first is the Wing, Plate and STA. This is what you saw at your LDS. The cambands pass round the tank and through the STA, but do not pass through the wing or plate. The bolts on the STA penetrate through the wing and the plate. Tearing the rig down involves unbolting the STA, i.e. wing nuts and washers as loose parts.

The second is the direct mount which uses slots in the backplate and 4 small slots in the center panel of the wing. The cambands lace through both the plate and the wing. Often the wing is also bolted to the backplate. This approach saves the cost of a STA, but has several potential problems. The bolts used to secure the wing to the plate can cause tank rock as they are "high points" the tank makes first contact with. In addition tearing down the rig, removing the wing etc. requires unlacing the cambuckles, and unlacing the cambands from the plate and wing.

The DSS system uses a third unique approach. We use no bolts to secure the wing to the plate. That avoids and rock inducing high points. Instead of 4 small slots in the center panel of the wing, we have two large windows. These windows are large enough to allow the cambands and cambuckles to pass through. That means the wing can be removed from our plates in seconds without any unlacing of the cambuckles or cambands. Teardown requires no tools, generates no loose parts, and can be done in seconds. The cambands simply remain on the back plate, laced up.

See here http://www.deepseasupply.com/dssinstall.mov
and here
http://www.deepseasupply.com/dssremoval.mov

Proponents of STA will be quick to point out that using a STA allows one to convert from Single Tanks to doubles easily as the cambands travel with the STA, and do not need to be unlaced from the plate. This is true. However most users do not routinely switch between single and doubles in the course of one dive trip. Many users who might routinely dive both singles and doubles have more than one backplate.

Others will argue long and hard that only a STA offers sufficient "Stability" This might be true with some backplates, but Stability is not compromised with a DSS direct mount.

Look here http://www.deepseasupply.com/dssremoval.mov

If your goal is to have simple, lightweight, BackPlate and Wing there are choices that meet your criteria.

Tobin

 

[FishDiver]

Why does the wing need to be bolted to the BP?

If the wing has two slots to accommodate the cam bands, won't the pressure of the tank against the BP hold the wing in place?

 

[FishDiver]

With some plates and wings not using a STA might result in a less stable set up. I seriously doubt the cause would be the plate flexing however.

The DeepSeaSupply BackPlate and Wing is designed to be used without a STA. The unique features of the DSS single rigs also make teardown for cleanup or transport quick and easy.

Let me describe the three approaches in use today:

The first is the Wing, Plate and STA. This is what you saw at your LDS. The cambands pass round the tank and through the STA, but do not pass through the wing or plate. The bolts on the STA penetrate through the wing and the plate. Tearing the rig down involves unbolting the STA, i.e. wing nuts and washers as loose parts.

The second is the direct mount which uses slots in the backplate and 4 small slots in the center panel of the wing. The cambands lace through both the plate and the wing. Often the wing is also bolted to the backplate. This approach saves the cost of a STA, but has several potential problems. The bolts used to secure the wing to the plate can cause tank rock as they are "high points" the tank makes first contact with. In addition tearing down the rig, removing the wing etc. requires unlacing the cambuckles, and unlacing the cambands from the plate and wing.

The DSS system uses a third unique approach. We use no bolts to secure the wing to the plate. That avoids and rock inducing high points. Instead of 4 small slots in the center panel of the wing, we have two large windows. These windows are large enough to allow the cambands and cambuckles to pass through. That means the wing can be removed from our plates in seconds without any unlacing of the cambuckles or cambands. Teardown requires no tools, generates no loose parts, and can be done in seconds. The cambands simply remain on the back plate, laced up.

See here http://www.deepseasupply.com/dssinstall.mov
and here
http://www.deepseasupply.com/dssremoval.mov

Proponents of STA will be quick to point out that using a STA allows one to convert from Single Tanks to doubles easily as the cambands travel with the STA, and do not need to be unlaced from the plate. This is true. However most users do not routinely switch between single and doubles in the course of one dive trip. Many users who might routinely dive both singles and doubles have more than one backplate.

Others will argue long and hard that only a STA offers sufficient "Stability" This might be true with some backplates, but Stability is not compromised with a DSS direct mount.

Look here http://www.deepseasupply.com/dssremoval.mov

If your goal is to have simple, lightweight, BackPlate and Wing there are choices that meet your criteria.

Tobin

You beat me to it. You answered my question while I was composing it. I knew I had seen "the third approach" somewhere. I have not tried any of these systems yet, but I like the idea of not dealing with nuts and washers. Your design appears simple and rugged.

 

[ShoalDiverSA]

Why does the wing need to be bolted to the BP?

If the wing has two slots to accommodate the cam bands, won't the pressure of the tank against the BP hold the wing in place?

Yes, the cam bands will hold the rig together - when fully rigged up. However, when you remove the cylinder, the wing will flop around. It will really be a pain to work with. I know that I would not like to work with that type of setup. Imagine what rigging it up before the dive will be like. You'd have to align the tank, BP and wing independently before tightening the cam bands. No thanks. I have read around here that some people have done this, but I'd rather not.

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[RICHinNC]

Interesting. I use a DR TransPlate and no STA and have never experienced any wobble of any kind.