Galileo Trimix?

[HamataBound]

Ok, I know I am way late to this thread. I bought the Sol with the hopes of it one day day being able to support Trimix diving. After a recent trip to the Red Sea I saw what the Trimix Sol could do and it was amazing!!

We all know the real reason why the update is not being released and that is because of the lawyers in the US. I don't want to get into a legal discussion or how the US has become a overly litigious, blame someone else for my own stupidity society.

What I do want to mention is this, I am a VERY active instructor with over 300 dives (not including pool dives) on my Sol this year alone, I have dived the Oriskany twice and did several Tech dives in the Red Sea with the unit and every time it performed flawlessly, but that is not why I love my Sol.

I love my Sol because after being used and abused for over one year now, turned on for nearly 500 hours, I just now lost the first bar on my battery indicator. All you guys with your OLED screen try saying that. My diving takes me to some very remote places in the world and it is my feeling that any tech gear that is rechargeable is not for me. I have been on dives with people who forgot to charge their OLED screens on a daily basis and lost their computers mid dive.

When Tech diving I go by the rule that my brain is my primary computer and my Sol gets me home in the unlikely event of an emergency. That means when I need it to work it needs to work or else!! That being said I would absolutely love to have a computer with an OLED display but until they can make one with an easy to find, no special tools required, user replaceable battery that will last more then a couple of dives, I will stick with my Sol and bring a flashlight for that one in a million time that the backlight on my Sol is not sufficient.

Would I love to have the Trimix update yes, but I am happy using tables until the day that the update finally comes out, maybe once the lawyers are done filling their pockets we can all have the update and do some great diving together!!!

Just my .02

 

[Texas Torpedo]

What are the profiles of the "tech dives" you are doing? According to your profile, you have no technical training, so I'm wondering how smart it would be to rely on your "brain" or a computer at this point.

That being said, you are incorrect about all OLED screens not lasting "more than a couple of dives". Depending on my settings my Liquivision X1's have gone 7+ days of heavy diving, 2-4 rec dives a day.. My Liquivision Xeo is rated for between 20-46 hours depending on how you setup the colors, brightness, etc. I don't have that many hours on it yet but it's still full after about 10 hours and not using battery friendly color settings. I keep a couple extra batteries on hand and a dime to open it should I need to on any trip. It takes only a minute or two to change the Xen / Xeo battery. The X1's come with an assortment of world outlet adapters and I've yet to go on a trip and have a problem with running low on power. I don't own a Predator but they are claiming 150 dive hours per battery for their color OLED computer. If that translates to "a couple of dives", you may want to look into a surface supplied air source.

I'm glad you like your SOL.. I beat the crap out of mine in caves, wrecks and on a few cattle boats -also putting hundreds of dives on it a year - however until they have a solid, supported & tested mix algo running in it, it's nothing more than an expensive bottom timer on any He dive. (Unless you are one of the beta testers) And for the same price or less than SOL's are selling in stores, you can have a Predator, Liquivision, etc.. Not to mention MUCH BETTER support and warranty from either Liquivision or Shearwater.

As for the screen, you must only dive in well lit / bright environments.. The back light on the SOL is it's worst feature, IMO. I loved this computer for recreational diving but I hated the back light on it in anything but ideal viz.
Dive a SOL in low viz = bring a dive light or get used to putting it right up on your mask to read it. Of course, if you have excellent viz and good eyesight, no worries!

Ok, I know I am way late to this thread. I bought the Sol with the hopes of it one day day being able to support Trimix diving. After a recent trip to the Red Sea I saw what the Trimix Sol could do and it was amazing!!

We all know the real reason why the update is not being released and that is because of the lawyers in the US. I don't want to get into a legal discussion or how the US has become a overly litigious, blame someone else for my own stupidity society.

What I do want to mention is this, I am a VERY active instructor with over 300 dives (not including pool dives) on my Sol this year alone, I have dived the Oriskany twice and did several Tech dives in the Red Sea with the unit and every time it performed flawlessly, but that is not why I love my Sol.

I love my Sol because after being used and abused for over one year now, turned on for nearly 500 hours, I just now lost the first bar on my battery indicator. All you guys with your OLED screen try saying that. My diving takes me to some very remote places in the world and it is my feeling that any tech gear that is rechargeable is not for me. I have been on dives with people who forgot to charge their OLED screens on a daily basis and lost their computers mid dive.

When Tech diving I go by the rule that my brain is my primary computer and my Sol gets me home in the unlikely event of an emergency. That means when I need it to work it needs to work or else!! That being said I would absolutely love to have a computer with an OLED display but until they can make one with an easy to find, no special tools required, user replaceable battery that will last more then a couple of dives, I will stick with my Sol and bring a flashlight for that one in a million time that the backlight on my Sol is not sufficient.

Would I love to have the Trimix update yes, but I am happy using tables until the day that the update finally comes out, maybe once the lawyers are done filling their pockets we can all have the update and do some great diving together!!!

Just my .02

 

[HamataBound]

Have not updated my profile as of yet, took my tech class in your neck of the woods actually. I could see my Sol just fine at the bottom of lake Travis in absolute zero vis with the lights on (meaning the vis was zero with the lights on, not that I needed my lights to see the Sol). I can't personally comment on the X1, had a guy in my Tech class go dead on him twice during class, maybe he just got a bum one. Did not know that the batteries were user changeable so I stand corrected. Still love my Sol though!! There is no denying that the OLED display is far more superior then the backlit sol but by my math I will get about 2500 hours on one battery and never have to worry about a charge. Not say one is better then the other, I just love my Sol!!!

 

[CPH]

As for the screen, you must only dive in well lit / bright environments.. The back light on the SOL is it's worst feature, IMO. I loved this computer for recreational diving but I hated the back light on it in anything but ideal viz.
Dive a SOL in low viz = bring a dive light or get used to putting it right up on your mask to read it. Of course, if you have excellent viz and good eyesight, no worries

Can I suggest some mask demist.
The SOL, I think actually gets better/easier to read the darker it is.

 

[Jan1960]

At Hamatabound, i agree totally with you. The problem is that uwatec dont want to be involved with "blame someone else for my own stupidity society".

In fact is any computer just an expensive bottomtimer, with or without oled.
A trained trimix diver doenst need ANY divecomputer, for those who needs them....read back your books, even the argument as backup sounds like a buy argument to impress the housewife
Those things are just like expensive weddingsrings....hey look mine!

yes i like the new liquivision but the price is also outstanding for a bottomtimer.

 

[Hatul]

Can I suggest some mask demist.
The SOL, I think actually gets better/easier to read the darker it is.

I found the same, in a true night dive with the back light set to push on/off the display was not bad. Also I removed the plastic shield and replaced with the Zagg screen protector which improves readability. If you still have trouble reading the display at night you can set to "light" display which gives large numbers.

Adam

 

[Jan1960]

I use my sol in low visibility, our water over here has an avarege visibility of 2 meter, most times it is less due to the algea....so it is also green.
Beyond 20 meter we dont have any daylight, and then i like my sol because i can switch the light OFF ( or it does this self after 10 seconds)until i need it.

 

[jar546]

What are the profiles of the "tech dives" you are doing? According to your profile, you have no technical training, so I'm wondering how smart it would be to rely on your "brain" or a computer at this point.

Tech Police?

 

[Texas Torpedo]

Tech Police?

Peanut Gallery?

 

[Texas Torpedo]

Can I suggest some mask demist.
The SOL, I think actually gets better/easier to read the darker it is.

You can suggest it, but my masks don't require it.

You do understand the difference in visibility and darkness, correct? If you are diving in gin clear water viewing a Galileo screen is a non-issue..
If however you are diving with visibility that is less stellar (muck, particulates, algae bloom, etc) it is much less so.
Just to put this debate to rest, I'll borrow a friend's Galileo (since I offloaded mine) and go out to our local lake that has viz from 10' to inches and shoot some video of just how well the screen performs.. With and without the backlight.. As well as with using a dive light. I'll take a number of other computers out there as well..