DIY Dive Computer

[geodaro]

I'll give my .02 if and when I can find a dictionary with any of those words in it. In the meantime, I'm going diving with my 20 year old gear and shooting some fish for dinner tonight.

P.S. I'm glad to see that there are so many intelligent people (myself excluded) out there trying to invent new and specialized equipment that will ultimately make diving safer and more enjoyable for people like me and my family! Keep up the good work!

 

[ShoalDiverSA]

...On the sensors, check out Intersema (www.intersema.com). They have a 12 bar sensor that goes for about $30.00 USD. ...

Thanks for the link - very useful. I have been looking for a low-cost pressure sensor for underwater use for quite a while, with limited success. The great thing about this company is that they supply sample quantities... So I won't need to buy 1000.

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[watermonkey]

Examples at
http://www.entran.com/epn.htm
So, why not try something more exotic and something you most probably would not, or could not buy, like an inertial navigation system that would give your 3D position relative to your entry point? With modern electronics this could be made pretty small (size of a canister light), diving is a specific application which does not require long term drift control - something like 1m error per hour would be more than enough accuracy. This would have a whole host of applications eg. wreck mapping, cave mapping.
If you need more precision you just define a reference point and take a reading at that point occasionally to obtain a drift curve for subsequent compensation of the results.

Who knows, you may even come up with a commercial product.

Take some acceleration sensors/piezo gyros and fabricate an inertial nav system. Would need a pretty high sampling rate, beyond what you would do with most hobby processors. Combine that with a low-rate accoustic modem to provide a DM with real-time tracking data on the location of all the divers in a group. Or include a small shock system if the nav system detects that buddies are more than a certain distance apart. Invisible fence for divers

 

[MaxAlegraD]

undefinedundefinedA computer with VPM-B algorithm would be the nuts. Standard Buhlmann really doesn't give a very clean deco. On the sensors, check out Intersema (www.intersema.com). They have a 12 bar sensor that goes for about $30.00 USD. It was specifically designed for dive computers/watches so it's tiny. I'm incorporating one in a RB controller. I'd love to add VPM deco to it............but I'm not up to where I need to be to pull that part off..................yet

This is exactly what I needed to start the project. I will be back in couple of weeks with more news.

 

[CBulla]

I suspect the list of volunteer guinea pigs will be extremely short, if not non-existant.

Mike D

That being said, I'm putting my name out as a tester if needed. I will go to great lenths to support entreprenurial thinkers who are willing to try something. I'd donate money to a cause like this before I'd buy tickets to any sporting event. This is the sort of free thinking that spawns development that ultimately result in the next break through.

Next time you get your gear out, look at it.. someone had an idea at some point and your wearing the result of it.

 

[miketsp]

The great thing about this company is that they supply sample quantities... So I won't need to buy 1000.

Cheers,

Andrew

With many companies, if you tell them you're building a prototype for evaluation for mass production, they'll give you a sample..
If you ask to buy just one then they know you're not serious.
Think big!

 

[ShoalDiverSA]

With many companies, if you tell them you're building a prototype for evaluation for mass production, they'll give you a sample..
If you ask to buy just one then they know you're not serious.
Think big!

Good point,

Though when you are corresponding from Africa, some companies don't take you too seriously...

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[Kim]

Good point,

Though when you are corresponding from Africa, some companies don't take you too seriously...

Cheers,

Andrew

Just tell them that your Dad owns a diamond mine - but you want to try something different!

 

[MaxAlegraD]

Just to keep posted, with the sensors from Intersema and VPM algorithm open source code ( http://www.decompression.org/maiken/VPM/Bubble_Model_Program_Info.htm ) I will develop a first prototype with a BASIC-X ( http://www.basicx.com) and try to accomodate everthing inside a transparent Otterbox with a LCD serial display and some buttons and switches.

The software of the dive computer will of course be open source as well as the schematics of the PCB.

Power will be provided by a 9V battery or rechargeable pack.

The Otterbox seems to be waterproof for 100 feet or (30m) thats enough for testing purposes.

Since BX24 chip has 32k of memory it will easly handle logging of all types of information for debbuging and testing.

 

[ShoalDiverSA]

Just to keep posted, ...

Great to hear the update - please keep us posted. And good luck.

If you need any help, just drop a line.

Cheers,

Andrew