ideas and suggestions on the design of the "perfect" dive computer

[Wookie]

Yeah, if this could all work I might have to give up my Luddite stance that a phone is a phone and I don't want it to do anything else.

Oh, crap, you too? I have to search long and hard to find a phone that is just a phone. I use the Motorola Tundra. A nice big case and iPad app would really be hitting it big. I don't really want the phone ringing on the 10 foot stop, and it's easier to play angry birds on the iPad.

 

[Rediculous2]

The iPhone compass is electromagnetic thus far but I admit a flux gate would be nice despite the large size. The OE compass will be more than adequate for the amount of navigation a diver will usually do. The Flux gate is usally used in applications like auotpilot where 2 degrees can mean 50 miles off course.

Bluetooth can not be used underwater. The frequency is much to high and will cause many problems if the signal were to be powerful enough.

I described to our ying yang friend how the accelerometers will take feedback from a tap on each side and the face which means we have 5 buttons with on screen labels

There is no moisture alarm for two reasons: We stand behind our craftsmanship with every ounce of pride we posess. Also by the time you get the alarm and surface the damage is usually done.

The change in housing pressure will be a variable but in the case of cold water you would need to come out of an 80 degree cabin with the capsule and jump right into sub freezing water to even think about a concern for contraction, and for expansion; 3 degrees changes pressure 1 psi so we're talking at least a 100 degree change to spark any concern. our housing is at its thinnest point 4mm of solid billet auminum or tempered glass.

Our 1.2 application offers 3 selectable algorithms as of now
-RGBM
-Buhlmann ZHL-16
-VPM

Our programmers are working on a revolutionary 256 compartment tissue loading model that should be available by mid 2012. The reason we can calculate so many compartments is due to the speed of the smartphone processor

Sadly the small market for wireless transmitters is very hush hush so we think our transmitters will be similar in frequency but we need to do more testing to be sure. Like the market leading wireless transmitters we will use the same short range magnetic frequency for all, so multiple sensors will work if you have multiple tanks or want to get close to your buddy. The sensors transmit upon commanded wake up or pressure change so if you have one on each stage bottle it will show on-screen when being used.


Love the quote Thalassamania

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Bluetooth can not be used underwater. The frequency is much to high and will cause many problems if the signal were to be powerful enough.

From your web site: •Wireless and / or high pressure hose port air integration. Scuba Capsule works with either high pressure hose connected to the tank, or with the wireless transmitter via Bluetooth.

These two statements would seem to be contradictory. Can you elaborate?

As a long time iPhone user (while I respect Thal, I do not share his luddite leanings), I'm quite interested in this product.

When using the camera, how is the unit removed from the wrist, and what provisions are there to prevent it from removing itself?
Will the controls allow use of both the still and video modes?
What dive log applications will be supported, and what provisions for importing old logs from other software (for example, I use the Suunto Dive Manager, and would certainly want to import my existing logs)?
When is the unit expected to be available?
What is the battery life of the iPhone when used in this manner?

 

[CuNanoTube]

Well, the idea seems alright, but my only concern is that A. Phones run out of battery very quickly compared to a dedicated dive computer and B. Every phone I have owned, and every Iphone user I know (I hate apple products) has crashed their phone on multiple occasions.

That aside, I notice you call your virtual dive training application "Scuba Geek". There is a dive shop that runs an online business across canada that uses that name, so it might be something to look into.

 

[DiveNav]

Question-1: what is your "core competency"? Mechanical design (the water-proof case)? or App/Algorithms development?

Question-2: how different is this from the Intova Dive PDA announced at DEMA 2009?

Alberto (aka eDiver)

 

[Wookie]

I guess I won't be playing Angry Birds on deco anytime soon......

 

[The Chairman]

Will it fit my 'Droid Tablet PC?

 

[Wookie]

I see you are using the Buhlman ZHL-16 algorithm. The Buhlman ZLH-16 Algorithm allows gradient factors to be used. The Nitek Q uses it with a pre-set GF of 30/75. 30-75 fits well with my diving style. That's only slightly different than what you are planning.

 

[fjpatrum]

fjpatrum.......Rediculous is a reference to the actual FISHING industry, which I am a part of as well. Lets be nice on here and not presume anything we dont know about. The Red snapper ban has made a big impact on my life so if you'd like to talk further about that I welcome you.
As far as OUR products are concerned, the 12 or so of us working on them are and have been busy for less than a year. If you've ever stared a company you know things dont happen overnight and developing revolutionary products is a labor of love and patience.
As far as cameras go, our prototype is based on the iPhone 4 which takes pictures in 780p, not a 10,000 dollar underwater production machine but with optional lenses and lights will compete with any point and shoot in said category. I persoanally own a $700 point and shoot which is ok but not great. The Scuba Capsule REC is 100 dollars cheaper and has 4 other extremely desirable functions.
The fuctions are carried out by a tap to select function which allows for 5 "buttons" so to speak, the phones accelerometer reacts to taps on all 4 sides and the front.
As for sensors, I mentioned the housing under the actual smartphone which encases all of our necessary pressure (2) and temp sensors as well as our custom microprocessor. Including a "wet" chamber so we can get those "data" readings you spoke of

Thank you for a thoughtful response to my, perhaps overly snide, comment. As I said, I wish you luck. If the response here is anything to indicate, you may actually have found a decent niche within the niche.

 

[smellzlikefish]

I like the idea but there's something about the idea of using an Iphone for life support that bothers me. For example, like Hashime noted, I have a big concern with the battery life. If your phone runs out of battery while playing Angry Birds, it may seem like a disaster until your phone/dive cpu/camera runs out of battery at 150 feet. I'm pretty terrible at keeping my phone charged and, as much as I'd like to think this app would inspire inner change, I am a realist. Maybe the case could come with reserve batteries or partition the Iphone's power to account for a reserve.

Also, I was a little turned off by the website at first because it is a little cheesy/techno geek-ish/sterile. And then I read what it had to say and was intrigued. Before this goes into production, you may want to look into a website makeover.

Otherwise, it looks like an awesome idea!