I attended the same course as stiebs. In contrast to him, even-though there was time for me to prepare, I did a poor job and did not gather everything I needed - but much of what I did not need.
For the class, I used a Apeks DS4 + ATX 40. Those two pieces might be the most straight forward pieces of equipment to service ever. No hassle, no special tools needed ... just easy as. Would recommend those for class.
Tools I obtained AND used:
- Vice mounted on a piece of wood
- Vice handle
- Torque wrench
- C-Spanner
- Custom Pin Spanner with variable pin sizes.
- O-Ring Picks Stainless Steel
- IP-Gauge
Tools I would have needed further:
- Brass Picks instead of stainless steel - not available at scubaservicetools, just the SS ones - I dont understand why though.
- Double Hook Pick
- USB Microscope
- 4000 - 12000 micro mesh in steps of 2000, just a few square-cm of each.
Tools I thought I need but didnt:
- Magnehelic
- Fancy specialised vendor-specific crap
All other tools will arrive with the swag bag - no need to put up huge excel-sheets.
In contrast to stiebs, I cannot be considered a great tool-guy. Gimme a screwdriver, even the smallest one, and I will manage to punch a hole into my skin - randomly spread all of the body - Yes, even meh feet.
In the meantime I manage to damage / break absolutely everything I get a hold of. Not this time though, the information provided kept me from doing so - which, imho, must be conceded to robert's extraordinarily good explanations!
I'd recommend to come into class with:
Balanced 1st Stage - Diaphragm & Piston
Balanced and unbalanced 2nd stage
Of each one - that'll do. I cannot recommend to service as many stages during class as somehow possible - that will hold back the group.
You might want to know the tips & tricks of as many stages as possible, but, imho, Rob should disallow that. After the class you'll be able to service pretty much everything anyway and Rob will cover more brands than you could imagine - but you don't have to have one in your hands. Again, that will halt the progress of the whole class. You'll get more out of it with the recommended list I put in above and listening to the problems that appear during class and then proceed with the schedule.
What is covered during class? In my opinion: Analytical thinking, problem solving skills - which will be developed fully only if a broad array of topics can be covered - especially how regs work. Only with that knowledge, analytical thinking can take place.
I'll work on the required tool list at/in (?) the other thread.
For non native speakers: I covered mechanical engineering in english during my studies but f***k me I had troubles following at times. I'd recommend on studying the schematics of random 1st + 2nd stages to get the nuances of the scuba-specific words.
All in all: That was probably one of the best classes I attended ever. 9/10
For the 10/10, I would want the huge mass of information in advance of the class to be condensed. Honestly, I was way too deep into the tools and had troubles gathering just the right things. Rob helped me a lot with that, but this could be condensed into a surprisingly small list. I'll put some time into that and will try to provide Rob with that.
For the class, I used a Apeks DS4 + ATX 40. Those two pieces might be the most straight forward pieces of equipment to service ever. No hassle, no special tools needed ... just easy as. Would recommend those for class.
Tools I obtained AND used:
- Vice mounted on a piece of wood
- Vice handle
- Torque wrench
- C-Spanner
- Custom Pin Spanner with variable pin sizes.
- O-Ring Picks Stainless Steel
- IP-Gauge
Tools I would have needed further:
- Brass Picks instead of stainless steel - not available at scubaservicetools, just the SS ones - I dont understand why though.
- Double Hook Pick
- USB Microscope
- 4000 - 12000 micro mesh in steps of 2000, just a few square-cm of each.
Tools I thought I need but didnt:
- Magnehelic
- Fancy specialised vendor-specific crap
All other tools will arrive with the swag bag - no need to put up huge excel-sheets.
In contrast to stiebs, I cannot be considered a great tool-guy. Gimme a screwdriver, even the smallest one, and I will manage to punch a hole into my skin - randomly spread all of the body - Yes, even meh feet.
In the meantime I manage to damage / break absolutely everything I get a hold of. Not this time though, the information provided kept me from doing so - which, imho, must be conceded to robert's extraordinarily good explanations!
I'd recommend to come into class with:
Balanced 1st Stage - Diaphragm & Piston
Balanced and unbalanced 2nd stage
Of each one - that'll do. I cannot recommend to service as many stages during class as somehow possible - that will hold back the group.
You might want to know the tips & tricks of as many stages as possible, but, imho, Rob should disallow that. After the class you'll be able to service pretty much everything anyway and Rob will cover more brands than you could imagine - but you don't have to have one in your hands. Again, that will halt the progress of the whole class. You'll get more out of it with the recommended list I put in above and listening to the problems that appear during class and then proceed with the schedule.
What is covered during class? In my opinion: Analytical thinking, problem solving skills - which will be developed fully only if a broad array of topics can be covered - especially how regs work. Only with that knowledge, analytical thinking can take place.
I'll work on the required tool list at/in (?) the other thread.
For non native speakers: I covered mechanical engineering in english during my studies but f***k me I had troubles following at times. I'd recommend on studying the schematics of random 1st + 2nd stages to get the nuances of the scuba-specific words.
All in all: That was probably one of the best classes I attended ever. 9/10
For the 10/10, I would want the huge mass of information in advance of the class to be condensed. Honestly, I was way too deep into the tools and had troubles gathering just the right things. Rob helped me a lot with that, but this could be condensed into a surprisingly small list. I'll put some time into that and will try to provide Rob with that.
