Is a Computer essential kit?

[Centrals]

Is a Dive Computer necessary?

Sometimes finding out you are wrong hurts. Making glib responses and veiled insults does nothing to support your incorrect theories. Wow. This response has a somewhat arrogant taste to it. Craig66 is offering an opinion. Unless you are the holder of all truths in the universe and the knower of...

scubaboard.com

Similar question raised few yrs ago.

 

[rongoodman]

Don't DIR divers hate computers?
Everything is tables or ratio deco?

That famous Baker's Dozen article by Jablonski was written nearly twenty years ago. Modern PDCs like the Shearwaters weren't even dreamed of.

 

[Gareth J]

That famous Baker's Dozen article by Jablonski was written nearly twenty years ago. Modern PDCs weren't even thought of.

I hope modern PDC's where thought of 30 years ago, I was using one!

We even had mixed gas computers like the VR3, awful user interface. But it did have the advantage of removing a kilo from your weight belt!

Your point about when the article was written is fair though - although I thought it was back in the 90's.

 

[rongoodman]

I hope modern PDC's where thought of 30 years ago, I was using one!

I'm pretty sure there were none capable of running Buhlmann GF, VPM, or the full iterative RGBM. As far as I recall, the first was the Liquivision X-1, introduced around 2008.

 

[mcohen1021]

I'm pretty sure there were none capable of running Buhlmann GF, VPM, or the full iterative RGBM. As far as I recall, the first was the Liquivision X-1, introduced around 2008.

Really reaching back in my memory on this. I had a USD M1 in 1990 ($400!) and I want to say it was on the Haldane Algorithm? I could be mistaken though

 

[Gareth J]

I'm pretty sure there were none capable of running Buhlmann GF, VPM, or the full iterative RGBM. As far as I recall, the first was the Liquivision X-1, introduced around 2008.

I think Suunto introduced RGBM in the late 90's, I'm sure the Vyper I had around that time had RGBM as the decompression model. Prior to that I had an EON a Solution, and an Aladin (Uwatec).

The early computers

Aladin = Swiss ZH-L6 (6 tissue compartments)
Aladin Pro (Monitor 2) = Swiss ZH-L6, 2.1 (6 tissue compartments version 2.1)
Edge = Haldanin (12 tissue compartments)
Datamaster = Modified US Navy (Haldanian) (6 tissue compartments)
Datamaster Sport = Modified Haldanian (6 tissue compartments)
Datamax Sport = Modified Haldanian (12 tissue compartments)
Delphi = Modified Haldanian (12 tissue compartments)
Micro Brain = Modified ZH-L16
Micro Brain For Plus = Modified ZH-L16
Suunto SME = Haldanian (9 tissue compartments

After that you had the likes of
Suunto Comapnian, Solution, EON,
Uwatec (Aladin), Sport, Pro etc (Monitor II)


The VR3 used the same model as pro planner, which was a DOS based hard table planning package. Which was developed with Bill Hamilton, I could be wrong, but I thought that was based on ZH-L16

VPM was quite late to the party, and you could have VPM on the later VR3's. (If I remember correctly)

There is a reason that the Buhlmann model is used, it is both well established, and open source, there is no copyright. The no copyright was because Buhlmann thought it unethical to copyright any decompression model.
Computers using ZH-L16 models tend to use the C or a derivative. The B was used for hard tables, (I've used it myself). The C is more conservative specifically for 'real time' calculation, where the hard table version has an inherent safety margin because no one does a strict square profile dive.

So in summary, Buhlmann has been in use for a very long time in one guise or another.
Gradient Factor requires computing power, not available on the early computers.

PS - I am no expert on the subject of decompression theory.

 

[broncobowsher]

Wow, that took a fun twist. The history of computers and the algorithms they once ran.
And I was only coming back to watch the cat fight.

 

[greeniguana]

1993 Aladin

 

[PfcAJ]

That famous Baker's Dozen article by Jablonski was written nearly twenty years ago. Modern PDCs like the Shearwaters weren't even dreamed of.

A lot of the points are still true though.

 

[tridacna]

A lot of the points are still true though.

If you thought that this thread was toxic before...

(Are we still in Basic? Never seen Jarrod's name in here previously).