Having just replaced my scooter's bottom timer with a Xen, I have found that making the change to a Xen was one of the best new additions I've made to my scooter in a long time.
I'm usually the Nav Leader, so having a depth reference out there next to the compass is very handy. And as soon as I used it once, the stopwatch function of the Xen became my new best friend. It is amazing how easy it is to reset the stopwatch and time navigation segments. Yum.
Pulling off our Gekkos, and replacing them with the Xen, though, was a puzzle. There was a lot of head-scratching about just how to do it, since there is no aftermarket boot for the Xen (and if I was Tobin, honestly, I wouldn't bother - the Xen already has bungee attachment points!).
With a couple of weeks worth of trial-and-error, here's what we've done. I hope it helps someone.
Getting Started
To begin with, you'll need some real bungee. The stuff that comes with the Xen is skinny and lacks beef. I used 1/8" nylon bungee; since I am a parachute rigger I dug some stuff out that is mil-spec and used for parachute repair, but you can get the same stuff on line for a whopping $0.23 per foot.
The 1/8" bungee is a perfect, snug fit in the holes of the Xen. However, when you hot-knife the bungee to cut it, you will also need to briefly place the cut end into an open flame. Then, twirl the end in your fingers. This will smooth the cut ends so it will actually fit into the Xen's bungee holes.
Cut a piece of bungee to length, 10", and smooth the ends.
Then, tie an overhand knot just a little offset from the middle of the bungee.
This gives you a better view of how far to offset the knot. It's not much.
Threading the Xen
Laying your Xen face-down, thread the bungee into the bottom holes. The shorter side goes out the left (IR port side).
This is where you find out how well you did smoothing the cut end of the bungee. It should take some stuffing with a fingernail, but if you have to resort to screwdrivers or power tools, try smoothing the end again.
Next, take the end of the bungee, and push it through the top hole.
I used a very high-tech tool here, a paper clip. Open up the paper clip, and use this to "pop" the end of the bungee up and over the inside lug.
Then, pull the bungee tight. It should not be guitar-string tight, but, it should have some "twang" when you pluck it with a fingertip. Tie an overhand knot.
Threading the other side
OK, now get your scooter console ready, placing it upright. Then place the Xen approximately where it should be when finished.
Thread the bungee through the hole that is closest to the compass:
Here is another view:
Next, take the end of the bungee up through the hole farthest from the compass:
After snugging the bungee up (twang) place it through the hole in the top of the Xen....
...and tie a knot.
Finishing
That's it for knots and macramé! Go ahead and flip the other side of the bungee over the mount, too, so both sides of the Xen are held to the mount.
To give everything the final tension that holds the Xen snug, I use a small zip tie. This pulls the two bungee lengths together in the middle and anchors the Xen to the metal plate.
I know what you're thinking - why only thread the bungee through one side of holes on the metal plate, and not both sides?
Eventually, you'll want to update your Xen, or download the dive log, and it will be a PITA to get access to the IR port. This way, all you do is cut off the zip tie, flip the bungee off one side, and voila, ready for download:
If I was doing this often, I would replace the zip tie with a bit of velcro.
That's it, done. I hope this helps someone - I know our first efforts had more than a hint of bird's nest characteristics.
All the best, James
I'm usually the Nav Leader, so having a depth reference out there next to the compass is very handy. And as soon as I used it once, the stopwatch function of the Xen became my new best friend. It is amazing how easy it is to reset the stopwatch and time navigation segments. Yum.
Pulling off our Gekkos, and replacing them with the Xen, though, was a puzzle. There was a lot of head-scratching about just how to do it, since there is no aftermarket boot for the Xen (and if I was Tobin, honestly, I wouldn't bother - the Xen already has bungee attachment points!).
With a couple of weeks worth of trial-and-error, here's what we've done. I hope it helps someone.
Getting Started
To begin with, you'll need some real bungee. The stuff that comes with the Xen is skinny and lacks beef. I used 1/8" nylon bungee; since I am a parachute rigger I dug some stuff out that is mil-spec and used for parachute repair, but you can get the same stuff on line for a whopping $0.23 per foot.
The 1/8" bungee is a perfect, snug fit in the holes of the Xen. However, when you hot-knife the bungee to cut it, you will also need to briefly place the cut end into an open flame. Then, twirl the end in your fingers. This will smooth the cut ends so it will actually fit into the Xen's bungee holes.
Cut a piece of bungee to length, 10", and smooth the ends.
Then, tie an overhand knot just a little offset from the middle of the bungee.
This gives you a better view of how far to offset the knot. It's not much.
Threading the Xen
Laying your Xen face-down, thread the bungee into the bottom holes. The shorter side goes out the left (IR port side).
This is where you find out how well you did smoothing the cut end of the bungee. It should take some stuffing with a fingernail, but if you have to resort to screwdrivers or power tools, try smoothing the end again.
Next, take the end of the bungee, and push it through the top hole.
I used a very high-tech tool here, a paper clip. Open up the paper clip, and use this to "pop" the end of the bungee up and over the inside lug.
Then, pull the bungee tight. It should not be guitar-string tight, but, it should have some "twang" when you pluck it with a fingertip. Tie an overhand knot.
Threading the other side
OK, now get your scooter console ready, placing it upright. Then place the Xen approximately where it should be when finished.
Thread the bungee through the hole that is closest to the compass:
Here is another view:
Next, take the end of the bungee up through the hole farthest from the compass:
After snugging the bungee up (twang) place it through the hole in the top of the Xen....
...and tie a knot.
Finishing
That's it for knots and macramé! Go ahead and flip the other side of the bungee over the mount, too, so both sides of the Xen are held to the mount.
To give everything the final tension that holds the Xen snug, I use a small zip tie. This pulls the two bungee lengths together in the middle and anchors the Xen to the metal plate.
I know what you're thinking - why only thread the bungee through one side of holes on the metal plate, and not both sides?
Eventually, you'll want to update your Xen, or download the dive log, and it will be a PITA to get access to the IR port. This way, all you do is cut off the zip tie, flip the bungee off one side, and voila, ready for download:
If I was doing this often, I would replace the zip tie with a bit of velcro.
That's it, done. I hope this helps someone - I know our first efforts had more than a hint of bird's nest characteristics.
All the best, James
