Future advances in regulator design?

[reefrat]

I have seen a bit of discussion here lately about Open Circuit regulator development and innovation, the general consensus of which seems to be that it is quite mature technology and only incremental advances will occur in future. Maybe this is true- or maybe there could be some quantum leaps in reg design ahead!

So, what specific advances would you like to see happen?
(I am going to assume that certain valued characteristics of most current regs will continue- ie. good work of breathing, reliability and inherent safe design)

I'll open with my own fantasy:
Stealth- reduction of the cacophony that occurs every time I inhale or exhale underwater on open circuit. The noise on inhalation could maybe be reduced with a redesign of the demand valve like, perhaps using a lower intermediate pressure with a larger bore hose and a larger LP seat?
The exhalation valve could maybe reduce bubble formation noise and also reduce the size of the bubbles?
(BTW- DH/Kraken advocates, I have used a Kraken many times and it it is better but still noisy IMO, and rebreathers are obviously very quiet but we are talking OC here)

 

[Bryan@Vintage Double Hose]

Stealth- reduction of the cacophony that occurs every time I inhale or exhale underwater on open circuit. The noise on inhalation could maybe be reduced with a redesign of the demand valve like, perhaps using a lower intermediate pressure with a larger bore hose and a larger LP seat?
The exhalation valve could maybe reduce bubble formation noise and also reduce the size of the bubbles?
(BTW- DH/Kraken advocates, I have used a Kraken many times and it it is better but still noisy IMO, and rebreathers are obviously very quiet but we are talking OC here)

Luis and I have been working on this intermittently for a long time with no real success. In the book La plongee autonome, le temps des pionniers...Illustrated history of divers in the French Navy shows a few of the ideas they had but met with no success either.

 

[oldschoolto]

The fact that everything is a comprise is seen in regulators today..

Jim..

 

[lexvil]

I have found the noise with a double hose to be almost nonexistent on video compared to a single hose reg. The critters seem to notice too, an exception may be SeaLions who seem to enjoy getting in your face and blowing bubbles when diving a face exhaust reg.

Reefrat;
The newest word from the Hollis boys is that the new owners will be fully supporting and even expanding RB production which is better news than what I had heard when I bought your Kraken

 

[The Chairman]

Stealth- reduction of the cacophony that occurs every time I inhale or exhale underwater on open circuit.

That's my big issue with OC and the main reason why I dive a CCR. There are too many angles and the pressures are too high. Increasing the LP hose to an inch and rethinki8ng how we put our regs in out tank might result in a far quieter reg. Then again, it might not.

 

[reefrat]

Hi Lexvil
Glad the Kraken is working out for you, they certainly are the pinnacle of DH regs and you are right that the fish seem to be disturbed a lot less than a single hose.
Good news about Hollis too! Thanks for that.
I think that the only way the noise reduction I am talking about would be achieved is by a "thinking outside the box" approach and a scientific/engineering team approach rather than a re-design of current regs, not likely to happen but who knows in future!
Anyone got any other reg design characteristics they would like to see?

 

[lexvil]

I think there is a pretty good chance the something along the lines of your explorer is the quiet rec revolution, it has a lot going for it for the average diver from what I can see. I'm to old to make the switch but I may get a few dives in with one one of these days.

Hi Lexvil
Glad the Kraken is working out for you, they certainly are the pinnacle of DH regs and you are right that the fish seem to be disturbed a lot less than a single hose.
Good news about Hollis too! Thanks for that.
I think that the only way the noise reduction I am talking about would be achieved is by a "thinking outside the box" approach and a scientific/engineering team approach rather than a re-design of current regs, not likely to happen but who knows in future!
Anyone got any other reg design characteristics they would like to see?

 

[BoltSnap]

I want a "hoseless" regulator!! That will be something, yeah, that's the ticket!!

I also want a regulator that deliver moist air. Regulator with a "dial-in" air flavor (you can buy different flavors from a vending machine).

It will most awesome if it can do all of the above at the same time.

I hope that I am not too greedy or asking for too much.

 

[halocline]

I wouldn't mind seeing more work with center balanced poppets and coaxial exhaust set ups like the converted pilot, Air1, and D series. Those are certainly the most refined 2nd stages I've ever used. The converted pilot is really quite something. The original pilot was an engineering feat, but the same reg case converted to the center balanced poppet provides almost identical performance with real simplicity and is way less finicky.

It's a little ironic that most of the truly impactful-on-diving innovations in recent years have come from the doublehose world...regs that have been cast off as obsolete by the mainstream diver gear companies. The advantages are real: big reduction in noise, weightless hoses and mouthpiece, and warm moist breathing air.

They just don't fit neatly into the way OW divers are trained, or with standard jacket BCs, or with the test numbers game used for sales purposes.

 

[ams511]

It's a little ironic that most of the truly impactful-on-diving innovations in recent years have come from the doublehose world...regs that have been cast off as obsolete by the mainstream diver gear companies. The advantages are real: big reduction in noise, weightless hoses and mouthpiece, and warm moist breathing air.

They just don't fit neatly into the way OW divers are trained, or with standard jacket BCs, or with the test numbers game used for sales purposes.

In all fairness to the dive manufacturers, I think double-hose regulators were probably at the limits of available technology at the time. Given that and popularity of single-hose regulators, the dive companies seeing the writing on the wall, made a business decision to abandon the product. Aqualung did bring back the double-hose 10-15 years ago but they did not sell well. I remember seeing them on special for $200 once they were discontinued. I am sure if they sold well, Aqua Lung would have kept them in production.

Herman and Bryan do a great job with double hoses, but they are a niche product and I get the impression it is more a "labor of love" than a way to get rich.