ISC Remora or APECS controller wanted/needed
- Thread starter usmcav8or
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Just out of curiosity, what's involved in the conversion and is this being done by ISC or Divetronix?
Geo7
Contributor
It's being done by ISC, and for the Pathfinder it involves making a completely new electronics box. Due to the limited size in the head (compared to the classic Meg, Meg15 and Tiburon), there is only one box in the Pathfinder. Conversion price is the same btw. It still houses the batteries for the primary and secondary Canbus network in the same housing, like a JJ (the Tiburon offers more redundancy via separate battery boxes, besides scrubber specs and modularity).
But the electronics board in the original Pathfinder used to be hard potted in resin and not repairable (I think like a JJ), wheareas now it will be in a separate compartment and soft potted so it will be repairable. The original electronics box in the Pathfinder was already an elaborately milled piece of Delrin, and now it probably is a bit more sophisticated to have two sealed compartments.
And of course it'll have the Petrel-3 and Shearwater HUD on Subcon wet connectors. I can report back in a few weeks when I have it my hands.
But the electronics board in the original Pathfinder used to be hard potted in resin and not repairable (I think like a JJ), wheareas now it will be in a separate compartment and soft potted so it will be repairable. The original electronics box in the Pathfinder was already an elaborately milled piece of Delrin, and now it probably is a bit more sophisticated to have two sealed compartments.
And of course it'll have the Petrel-3 and Shearwater HUD on Subcon wet connectors. I can report back in a few weeks when I have it my hands.
mr_v
Contributor
I'll call ISC and ask about Meg 15. Will they still maintain 2 separate networks? Meg 15 idea wasn't bad at all, but it needed more time.
Geo7
Contributor
I am convinced that they all must have two independent canbus networks. ISC (and Cis Lunar) were the first to have truly independent primary and secondary electronic boards as far as I know (we all remember the destruction challenge). Canbus made it a standard. The upgrade makes the classic Meg, Meg 15 or Pathfinder into a Tiburon, electronics wise. And the Tiburon runs the secondary network off a SAFT battery. The upgraded classic Meg, upgraded Meg15 and Tiburon even have separate boxes for the batteries powering the two networks.
On the classic Meg HUD and controller were both on the primary board, so it made a lot of sense to run a Shearwater secondary handset on the secondary board. Canbus changed that. Actually on the Meg 15 the manual says you could calibrate the HUD with the handset on the secondary network, and then return the handset to the primary network. The original Pathfinder lacked the second port on the secondary Canbus network to do that, so it still benefitted from a secondary handset like the classic Meg.
Now, with two independent Canbus networks (SOLO and OBOE), we can have the Petrel on the primary network and the HUD on the secondary (and they calibrate independently). The original Meg15 could connect four devices though. That luxury is gone with the upgrade.
Screenshot from the JJ-DiveCan manual:
mr_v
Contributor
Geo7
Contributor
Good question, I don't have any specs yet. It's a very new development as I understand. I wanted to send in my new to me Pathfinder for an overhaul and check and they replied, btw, we can convert it, and I almost begged them to take my money... 
I basically posted all I know (and sorry if I was too elaborate, I know you guys are pros and know all about the comparisons I posted). So we'll have to wait. I feel ISC is good at providing thorough specs based on testing.
Specifically, I am curious about the battery life after the upgrade so I can update the checklist. The ISC Meg-15 manual is very precise, listing the hours for each network and device, basically in MilSpec fashion. The JJ manual does not even bother and just says 6-12 months... ISC also tested the scrubber for four different temperature/depth/workload combinations.
Either way, my main concern is to find a trustworthy source of genuinely new SAFT batteries. I have bought online before for the Perdix and they died as quick as a 1.5V Lithium. Shearwater says there are online sellers that sell genuine SAFT batteries in bulk, but these already served two years in a smoke detector and are resold as new.
I basically posted all I know (and sorry if I was too elaborate, I know you guys are pros and know all about the comparisons I posted). So we'll have to wait. I feel ISC is good at providing thorough specs based on testing.
Specifically, I am curious about the battery life after the upgrade so I can update the checklist. The ISC Meg-15 manual is very precise, listing the hours for each network and device, basically in MilSpec fashion. The JJ manual does not even bother and just says 6-12 months... ISC also tested the scrubber for four different temperature/depth/workload combinations.
Either way, my main concern is to find a trustworthy source of genuinely new SAFT batteries. I have bought online before for the Perdix and they died as quick as a 1.5V Lithium. Shearwater says there are online sellers that sell genuine SAFT batteries in bulk, but these already served two years in a smoke detector and are resold as new.
211ratsbud
Contributor
It's ironic because for $5,000 you're essentially only getting solenoid control. A $5 splitter board and two analog devices provides equal monitoring redundancy. (There's discrepancy in that cost probably such as the cost of the OEM handsets and HUD)
The Meg 2.7 I converted to use a divecan board does so only to use the OEM HUD. The handset is monitoring only using analog. This lacks solenoid control.
However, there is an option for solenoid control in this hardware, I'm just not into it as I prefer the simplicity of the needle/cmv.
Anyways i was interested to see if the 15 handset would actually function on the dive can set up since according to Aren they should be compatible, or share a lot of the same architecture.
The Meg 2.7 I converted to use a divecan board does so only to use the OEM HUD. The handset is monitoring only using analog. This lacks solenoid control.
However, there is an option for solenoid control in this hardware, I'm just not into it as I prefer the simplicity of the needle/cmv.
Anyways i was interested to see if the 15 handset would actually function on the dive can set up since according to Aren they should be compatible, or share a lot of the same architecture.
Geo7
Contributor
211ratsbud
Contributor
That would make the most sense I don't see them custom cabling a petrol controller for this setup when they have already a formula or some already made with the ak-5 pin on them. I do wonder if you get the original plate back or if they just remount stub cables where the bulkhead connectors were previously. Scratch that song. You sent in a Pathfinder I would have to assume they would have to reuse the head assembly that you sent in in order to make it.
Technically each network has two connections on a 15 the way I recall. I sold mine maybe I should have held on to it.
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