N2ition Software

[dmainou]

Hi Gibby and Scott,

TNT, myself and others have been working on the driver. It looks quite promising. The Mac and Linux versions are already working. However, Windows has proven to be the challenging one. It will be very helpful if TNT got access to that N2ition3 that you promised.

Also, TNT's speciality is the back end. Someone else needs to develop the front end. I have contacted Sven, the developer of DivingLog (Diving Log 5.0 - Scuba Log, Scuba Logbook, Dive Log, Divelog - Logbook software for scuba diving - Logbuch Software zum Tauchen).

He has confirmed that his software already uses TNT's code to download data from a number of diving computers and that incorporating the N2ition3 will be very easy once TNT's code is fully developed. i.e. once TNT has direct access to test the N2ition. However, there is a small caveat. He also needs a testing unit.

Would you please be so kind to send a dive pc and cable to him as well?

Alternatively, my computer has a bunch of weird dives that trigger alarms and in different conditions . Things such as 80% O2 at 40m and endless changes of gas, etc. (It was necessary for the testing).

If required, I am happy to send mine and, if you authorise it, I'll get a replacement one from my local dealer. (therefore your post charges are minimised)

Please let me know how you wish to proceed but we really need to keep this train moving

Thanks

D

 

[dmainou]

Today I successfully tested the windows driver and was able to revert back to the original driver. i.e. the seiko software was undamaged.

The linux driver has been ready for some time, I believe that the mac driver is ready as well.

Guys we are so close.

 

[dmainou]

Volunteer's required!

Guys,

The driver is tested on XP. Now we need to test it all other versions of windoze (those where the normal driver won't work)

The task is relatively simple and it will take less than 30 minutes of your time.

If you are interested in testing the driver for your version of windows please send a PM to TNT.

Best regards,

D

 

[TnT]

Detailed instructions (with screenshots for each step) to install the modified prolific driver, and restore the original driver again afterwards are available here:

http://www.divesoftware.org/libdc/seiko.html

The instructions to run the n2ition3 test application are here:

http://www.divesoftware.org/libdc/contribute.html#memory

 

[quasi.serious]

Morning all,

I was under the impression that both computers were produced by Seiko, recived this response from them today.

from: SEIKO Australia Pty. Ltd. <seikoaustralia@seiko.com.au>
to: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
date: 13 September 2010 08:38
subject: Fw: Contact Us Enquiry 11/09/2010 5:56AM
mailed-by: seiko.com.au

Dear David,

I believe that the model you mentioned is actually made by Suunto, not SEIKO Watch Corporation.

I suggest contacting them for support.

Kind Regards,
Customer Service.

SEIKO Australia Pty. LTD.
89 Epping Road,
NORTH RYDE, NSW, 2113.
Phone - (02) 9805 4777.
Fax - (02) 9887 3577.
info@seiko.com.au

MAIL
PO BOX 314,
NORTH RYDE DC, NSW, 1670

From: Info SEIKO
Sent: Saturday, September 11, 2010 5:56 AM
To: nfo@seiko.com.au
Subject: Contact Us Enquiry 11/09/2010 5:56AM

Contact Us Enquiry
First Name: David
Surname: XXXXXXXX
Email: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Phone: XXXXXXXXXXX
Alternate Phone:
Street:
City:
Postcode:
Comments: Hi, I'm looking at buying a Dive Rite NiTek Trio / Zeagle N2ition 3 dive computer which are built by Seiko. I have new machines (Macs and x64 versions of Windows 7), and have been warned that the Seiko drivers for these computers will not work, and are not supported by Seiko. Is this correct?

If Suunto made the n2ition 3 / NiTek Trio, I would have thought their drivers would support x64 systems,

 

[dmainou]

Morning all,

I was under the impression that both computers were produced by Seiko, recived this response from them today.



If Suunto made the n2ition 3 / NiTek Trio, I would have thought their drivers would support x64 systems,

Hi Dave,

The computers are definitely built by Seiko.

Seiko is a very being organisation. The computers are not built by Seiko Watch but (I believe) by other "medical" division. If you read Japanese it will be clearer to you than to the rest of us. That is the reason why Seiko Watch Australia knows nothing about the computer.

I don't know why Seiko wouldn’t develop a driver that works in all versions of windoze. However, I suspect that it has something to do with the huge fees charged by Microsoft to certify a driver. Seiko would need to sell millions of computers before breaking even.

The computer itself works and works quite well. Downloading the data from the computer to the pc is a bit of a bummer though. Running a virtual machine with xp installed on it is the easiest way. It works and works quite well.

Now, as you can read from the posts above, we are in the process of building our own driver.

Using custom made drivers is quite common once you've had more than one computer. The various softwares don't speak to each other. Therefore, using a third party software to amalgamate your dive logs is the only way to go unless you wish to keep several pieces of software in your machine. This brings us back to square one as old software won't run in Windows 7 (or Linux in my case). The alternative would be to print them and keep a hard copy like in the old days. I personally prefer to amalgamate them, keep a copy of the log in something like dropbox and an upload to an online dive log. (My N2ition 3 is my 4th computer. I've had a pelagic and two suuntos before)

All dive computer manufacturers have their strong and weak points. The download software is Seiko's weak point. However, in my personal opinion the algorithm and gas capability of the computer is quite a strong one. In my view it is a good middle of the way between the aggressiveness of the Pelagic algorithm and the overtly conservative m-value fudging implementation of rgbm by suunto. Suunto also has a number of different algorithms implemented in their computers so figure out which one you need before going for a deep deco dive vs. a ndl dive. (Remember I've had two different models and being on the same wrist they do not give you the same ndl/deco).

The N3 is great for NDL or decompression with air and nitrox or even 100% O2. If you choose to buy it will be your perfect companion until you choose to go down the trimix path.

Best regards,

D

 

[quasi.serious]

Cheers D,

I came to much the same conclusion about the computer, sent payment to DiveTub for one this morning after confirming I could get everything running on a virtual machine

Dave

 

[jbrians]

OK...time to check in and let everyone know what's finally worked.

After a few frustrating experiments, I finally have the original software running on a 32bit WIN7 platform.

I plugged in the cable, went to Computer,> System and uninstalled the USB driver indicated by the (yellow!) . After that, I clicked on install driver and went to the internet to find what I needed. The RED MICROSOFT warning came up but I installed anyways and the USB driver for Seiko-EPSON was installed correctly. After that, the VISTA log program installed and it works.
Still the same issues with not calculating SAC rates, etc but at least now, I am somewhere with this.


I MAY be able to change my profile setting to I log dives now.

 

[ny5169]

Anyone know if the Macdive program is going to be updated when this driver is finalized?

 

[TnT]

Anyone know if the Macdive program is going to be updated when this driver is finalized?

I'm sure macdive will be updated, but we are not there yet. We still have to improve a few things in the libdivecomputer project, and only once that's done, it can be integrated in macdive (and other third party applications).