Is a super computer needed for gas switching?

[waterpirate]

and i'll respectfully disagree with you!

off topic of the original question, and what you like is wonderful for you if it works - but *i* want to do the button pushing to switch gasses. my dive buddy used to have a computer that switched for him (a cochran). it would switch swimming over the gap at olsen since that's shallow and not let him put it back to backgas once we were over and back on the line and at 60ft. so it thought he was dead from oxtox after about 40min into the dive. that kind of rigidity is not what i want. *however*, for strictly 'open water' deco (ocean or what have you), i agree it would not be that unhelpful and i can see why someone might like the idea. i just don't.

I agree, I should have prefaced that with the only black dark hole I am going in has china or a lobster with claws in it! lol You cavers keep sending that video out and I will never have to go.
Eric

 

[rongoodman]

I was looking through the manual for the Liquivision Xeo and I see that it has an option for automatic gas switching--best of both worlds.

(FWIW, as a new trimix diver, I've been doing the initial planning with V-Planner and running the dives with Ratio Deco.)

 

[DiveNav]

Q: is a Supercomputer needed for gas switching?
A: No. An 8051 or an ARM7 should be enough

Alberto (aka eDiver)

 

[waterpirate]

I was looking through the manual for the Liquivision Xeo and I see that it has an option for automatic gas switching--best of both worlds.

(FWIW, as a new trimix diver, I've been doing the initial planning with V-Planner and running the dives with Ratio Deco.)

I am newly minted myself and using v planner for bail out and flying my cochran on auto switch.
Eric

 

[beaverdivers]

No, you don't need a super computer. The Tec 2G will work.

However, I like the Scubapro Galileo Sol because it is air integrated you know that you are breathing

the correct gas due to the pressure change. Yes, you can use it for both rec. & tek.

I would stongly recommend getting nitrox cert. before your trip. Due to the fact no dives are required, it is an excellent course to take during the winter.

 

[kundalinichi]

Interesting! Do you use a computer to calculate the decompression stops you're going to need? The only non-computer planning I'm familiar with is the RDP, which I don't imagine would be useful for decompression stop diving.

There are many options for calculating profiles, one of the most popular programs being V-Planner, which utilizes the "VPM" algorithm, but you can also use ProPlanner, MV-Plan, another is Ratio deco, which from what I have gathered, "Deco for divers" covers, so maybe you just aren't at that part yet. The list goes on depending on what algorithm you want to calculate with. If you don't want to invest the 85$ into the full PC\Mac\Linux version of V-planner just to toy with profiles, you can buy the 45$ iPhone\iPad\Android version, which will give you the same profile and customization options as the full version, but in a smartphone style interface.

The nice thing about VPM, apart from its creator (rossh) and his great support with his software products, is that he wrote firmware that utilizes the VPM algorithm on the Liquivision X1(or HW DR5) computer - which means that you can "plan your dive" with V-planner on the surface, and if you dive the plan as calculated, it will give you the exact same stops during your dive. But, if you defer with bottom time\depth, the computer calculates a new profile on-the-fly with the VPM algorithm.
One big thing to look at when upgrading your computer, when the time comes, is what algorithm it utilizes, wether you are going to be actively doing decompression diving, or not.

 

[FPDocMatt]

I like the Scubapro Galileo Sol because it is air integrated you know that you are breathing the correct gas due to the pressure change.

Interesting. I was wondering how air integration worked for gas changes.

I would stongly recommend getting nitrox cert. before your trip. Due to the fact no dives are required, it is an excellent course to take during the winter.

Great, I'll do that!

 

[FPDocMatt]

One big thing to look at when upgrading your computer, when the time comes, is what algorithm it utilizes, wether you are going to be actively doing decompression diving, or not.

So they don't all use the same algorithm, eh?

Now that I'm reading about deep stops and bubble theory, I'm guessing my Mares Puck has a pretty up-to-date algorithm. It has deep stops.

I'm not sure whether it's deep stops are denoted differently from shallower decompression stops.

On the other hand, presumably I'll never need to do either, since I won't be doing decompression diving (in the near future).

 

[Ben_ca]

Is a super computer needed for gas switching?

No

Bottom timer + Tables in your head + simple math (+GUE Tech 1)

 

[BluewaterSail]

When I bought my computer, I wanted to "Begin with the End in Mind", and buy equipment that I would still want to use if and when I progressed to more complex diving. I followed the advice of a friend and made sure that I bought a computer with a gauge mode. So I bought an Aladin 2G.

As many of the experienced posters in this thread have said, alot of people prefer not to use computers for deco dives. I have also heard that some people are not happy with the current computer algorithms any time that helium is involved. So they don't upgrade to supercomputers, they move to more simplicity, and take back control from the electronics.