Reviewers/testers needed for talking dive computer

[mikemill]

I was diving warm water in the Bahamas without a hood. I would definitely have to turn it up with a hood. It has been tested with a 3mm beany, but nothing heavy for a hood yet.

Look forward to hearing the results with a thick hood.

Given that Majel Barrett died last year, I doubt we can hire her for the voice. With applogies to McCoy, "I'm a programmer, not a miracle worker, dammit".

Depends on how many voice samples there are Given enough you could synthesize it

You should totally offer different voices including a "naughty" voice

 

[Couv]

if nothing else, mike, i wish you success because you have a sense of humor!

Ditto…plus he may be on to a good idea. I think something like this would work for me if there were (or is it was?) a button I could push and I would hear customized info given to me such as:

Depth: 105 ft
Bottom time: 5 min
Gas pressure: 3000psi

Cheers,
Couv

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

The talking is through a speaker into the water, but you can customize the volume. When I dived it a couple of weeks ago, I had the volume very low and could still hear it fine, but my dive buddy couldn't hear anything right next to me.

Unless you have an alert that you need to know about, there isn't much talking. Here is a section of the manual that talks about the talking experience:

Call me skeptical, but I think anyone who's insecure enough in their skills to want a talking computer is going to want it as loud as it'll go ... just to make sure they (and everyone around them) can hear it.

One of the reasons I go diving is to get away from the constant "chatter" in our lives. Underwater noisemakers, in general, set my teeth on edge.

To each their own ... it's a big ocean ... but if I encountered someone wearing a talking dive computer, I think I'd change my dive plan so as to avoid being around them.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[vladimir]

To each their own ... it's a big ocean ... but if I encountered someone wearing a talking dive computer, I think I'd change my dive plan so as to avoid being around them.

Yes, that'd be my dive plan too.

 

[Mike_Mayfield]

... but if I encountered someone wearing a talking dive computer, I think I'd change my dive plan so as to avoid being around them.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)

This is probably the biggest question area we still have. If people pump the volume up to the point of being distracting to other divers, we have a problem. It's going to be interesting to see how this goes in the testing once we get the new updated prototypes in the water.

 

[Diver0001]

Well the solution to that problem is simple.

Underwater head phones. Put an MP3 player on your computer with headphones that can either be bought separately or integrated into a hood.

They can listen to music while they dive and have the computer voice over that like the traffic announcements on the radio.

If it works with something like bluetooth (does this have enough range under water?) then you won't even need a wire.

R..

 

[RJP]

Two reasons:

1) 40% is generally accepted as the limit for recreational Nitrox use and the initial version of the computer is targeted mainly at recreational users, although it does support deco stops.

2) We wanted to limit the number of choices in the menu for setting the nitrox level. This may be reconsidered, based on feedback we get from our testers.

There is no technical reason for the limitation. The algorithms used support any level of oxygen from hypoxic to 100% in their decompression requirements calculations, the instantaneous CNS PO2 limit, and the cumulative PO2 clock.

Not useful for tec/deco dives then.