Narrow A-clamp - Dacor Pacer

[dmd]

I took my trusty Dacor Pacer regs on my dive trip to Maldives last year. It was my first diving for about 10 years and I discovered that technology had moved on a bit and there was now something called DIN tanks. The ones at the dive centre were all DIN insert tanks and as a result the yoke of the tank was a lot fatter than the ones I had used in the past. The A-clamp of my regs would not physically fit over the yoke, so I wasn't able to use my regs. By comparison, the regs they had at the dive centre were a different shape on the A-clamp, much rounder than mine.

Now I'm planning my next trip. Does anyone have any suggestions for a solution to this problem? Is it possible to replace the A-clamp and keep the rest of the first stage? Or should I be looking to replace my aging set of regs that I have always found excellent? My baggage allowance on the airlines could certainly benefit from having a more modern and lighter set of travel regs. If I buy new ones should I be looking for DIN fittings?

Dave (first post here - hello by the way).

 

[Zung]

Hello and welcome dmd!

Dacor was bought by Mares and most if not all Dacor regs are discontinued. They do have a trade-up program here, but I don't know if it's really cost effective.

Reg technology has not changed much over the last 10-20 years; it's only bling that does divers in. Nevertheless, you may want to look into brands such as Aqua Lung or Scubapro for long term parts availability.

A lot of folks carry-on their regs, so the weight is not really a problem when travelling.

 

[Marek K]

Hi, and welcome!

The DIN standard for scuba fittings has been around for decades -- almost universal in most of Europe, and used elsewhere for high-pressure applications (3000 BAR).

We're Americans, but lived in Europe 1989-1992, and then again 1998-2008.

The first time, we had our yoke regulators. I seem to remember that there were certain European DIN valves, with the "donut" inserts, that were so wide that our yokes physically wouldn't fit over them. Sounds similar to your problem.

Using the donut inserts led to other problems too. They take a lot of abuse, and would often leak.

After a break of 13 years (raising kids), we started diving again in 2004. This time, being in Europe again, we retrofitted all our regs with DIN fittings. End of problems.

Back in the States now, we've switched back to the yoke fittings we'd removed in Europe.

A DIN fitting goes for about $55-$65 these days on this side of The Pond. It replaces the yoke fitting on your reg, and makes the reg identical to a DIN model you'd buy in Europe.

They look like this: Mares 300 Bar Din Conversion Kit for MR12, V12 and R2 Regulators

However, Zung is correct... Dacor has gone out of business as such. I have no idea whether a Mares DIN fitting would work with a Dacor reg. A dive shop would be able to tell you, unless they were trying to sell you a new reg...

Hey, what are you doing using yoke fittings in the UK?

 

[herman]

Odds are you will not find the parts you need, if they ever existed. Your best bet (other than buying a new reg) is to check with every older dive shop you can find, maybe one of them still has the old parts in stock. It's a long shot but worth the trouble if you still like the old regs.

 

[herman]

In my last post I was thinking of DIN, it may be possible to exchange the yoke for a different one from another Dacor or other brand, many of them are interchangable......finding a dive shop that is willing to search for one may be more difficult than finding the parts.

 

[dmd]

Hey, what are you doing using yoke fittings in the UK?

I'm not, diving in the UK is not my thing. I like warm water and tropical fish. I did the bulk of my diving in Australia in 1991/2 and since then I've just dived on holidays in various places. I am keen on the Maldives.

Thanks for all the replies. Looks like I have three potential options:

1. Retrofit my regs with a DIN fitting. I didn't know this was possible. Looks like I would need to find the fitting from another brand of reg.
2. Find an A-clamp from another brand of reg to fit mine.
3. Replace the regs. Might be tempted with something from ScubaPro - they seem to have some fairly lightweight gear that performs well.

 

[keyshunter]

dmd.
I dived a Pacer for a little while back in the '80's. It was ok, but nothing special. Today, you could probably throw a stone into any dive shop and hit a reg that breathes at least as well. Since parts have become very difficult and expensive to get (none have been manufactured since Mares took over) I don't think I would sink any money into an old Pacer.

 

[vladimir]

I owned a couple of Dacor Pacers; the second one was retired in the early 1990s. The first thing you'll notice with a new regulator is the weight difference. Those Pacers were bricks--not that it matters much from a diving perspective, but as a traveler you'll appreciate the difference.

 

[Fishpie]

Replace it.

You should look at the Apeks line.....first class kit and made in GB.

 

[Texfrazer]

Out of curiosity, what model is your Pacer first stage? (I'm guessing a 260 )