rEvo modifications, tweaks and customisations

[Wibble]

“Buddy light”? Why?

 

[211ratsbud]

AK has a 3k minimum order, I'm guessing they would have ordered them totalling 3k or added them to an existing order.

HUD options are limited and that sounds like a problem

 

[mr_v]

“Buddy light”? Why?

"Buddy light" or "buddy HUD" helps when diving overhead with a team. It works like a HUD but it is for the other divers so that they can see team members PPO2. The construction is not complex - add another LED to an existing HUD setup in a place visible to other team members, e.g., back of the unit.

rEvo case has excellent gadget attachment capabilities, so stick it somewhere there, under the weight tray, to the side of the unit, or even on the battery box.

Finally, a HUD is cheaper than a NERD 2. Having dove with two, I much prefer a simple, single LED hud like found on older Megs. For comparison: NERD2 is $2,200. Fathom HUD with a 4-PIN cable is $650.

 

[mr_v]

AK has a 3k minimum order, I'm guessing they would have ordered them totalling 3k or added them to an existing order.

HUD options are limited and that sounds like a problem

I am going to reach out to Fathom and see if they can make a HUD that custom fits rEvo cable lengths. As rEvo does not have t-pieces, it'd be better if the HUD's battery/circuits sat in the back of the unit. Also, I'd need a HUD holder for the DSV.

 

[211ratsbud]

I am going to reach out to Fathom and see if they can make a HUD that custom fits rEvo cable lengths. As rEvo does not have t-pieces, it'd be better if the HUD's battery/circuits sat in the back of the unit. Also, I'd need a HUD holder for the DSV.

They do custom make the cable lengths

 

[211ratsbud]

You should be able to use a meg dsv shearwater HUD holder.

 

[Wibble]

"Buddy light" or "buddy HUD" helps when diving overhead with a team. It works like a HUD but it is for the other divers so that they can see team members PPO2.

Sorry to sound a bit thick, but why? Are you diving with CCR novices?

Anyone diving a CCR must be monitoring their PPO2, plus the Revo has an O2 solenoid that can’t be turned off (Shearwater won’t allow a PPO2 below 0.5). If running out of oxygen is an issue, then need to see their gas pressures too.

Maybe that team needs to agree a periodic tete-a-tete to go through pressures, O2 PPO2, validating bailouts, counting spools, etc.

 

[mr_v]

Sorry to sound a bit thick, but why? Are you diving with CCR novices?

Anyone diving a CCR must be monitoring their PPO2, plus the Revo has an O2 solenoid that can’t be turned off (Shearwater won’t allow a PPO2 below 0.5). If running out of oxygen is an issue, then need to see their gas pressures too.

Maybe that team needs to agree a periodic tete-a-tete to go through pressures, O2 PPO2, validating bailouts, counting spools, etc.

Skill level has nothing to do with it and diving with novices is good - it allows you get more dive buddies in the future. Continuous team monitoring and communication is a thing. You already have everything required to make a buddy HUD, all it takes is a few extra wires.

 

[stuartv]

@mehfridge - FYI

Folks, it has been a pleasure working with rEvo on the project that allows rEvo divers who do not have RMS to take the O2 sensor tray out of the unit. The cable set replaces R581 4-pin-to-3-Molex with two cables. It also allows you to quickly replace or repair the Molex "piggy tail," as you won't have to remove the entire assembly through the bulkhead.

This cable it NOT only for rEvo units that do not have rMS. It is for rMS units, too.

The cable is 4-pin. It won't connect to a solenoid board or O2 sensor board, regardless of if you have rMS or not. Those boards are 5-pin (digital) connections (unless possibly it is a really old unit, from pre-rMS).

On a rEvo, the monitor (whether it's a Dream or a NERD or a Petrel EXT) is an ANALOG 4-pin connection. At one end of the cable is your device (Dream, NERD, etc.). At the other end are 2 or 3 Molex connectors (rEvo has both options) that connect directly to your O2 sensors.

In a standard factory configuration, the cable for the monitor has a 4-pin wetmate connection outside the case, and the Molex connectors inside the case and there is no additional wetmate connection in that cable inside the case. Thus, you cannot easily fully remove the sensor tray from the unit*.

This new cable replaces the standard 4-pin cable that comes from the factory, so that you will now have a 4-pin wetmate connection inside the case as well as outside the case. In the sensor tray, you also have your O2 board, which has a 5-pin wetmate connection on a short cable. So, with that and this new cable and a new short 4-pin wetmate cable that has the Molex connectors on it, you will be able to unplug both cables from inside the unit to easily remove the sensor tray.

As well, once the wires for the Molex connectors start to get corrosion inside the wire insulation starting where they connect to the pins in the Molex connectors, you will be able to replace that short cable with the Molex connectors without having to undo the waterproof gland and removing the whole cable from the unit (which is a pain in the butt and carries a risk of leaking around that gland after you install the new cable).

All of that is unrelated to having rMS.

I asked rEvo about getting a cable exactly like this a couple of years ago. They said it would be too expensive and shut me down. Props and thanks to Vitaliy for working it a lot harder than I did and finally convincing rEvo to make these!

Lastly, personally, I will not and do not recommend installing two of these in a rEvo. Having the second one as a "spare", so you can hook up a second monitor if your controller dies just adds another chance for your unit to leak, and all for the very slight chance that your controller will die.

When I go on trips where I don't want to risk being benched due to a controller failure, I carry a spare controller. It may seem like that is more expensive, but is it REALLY? Is it THAT much more expensive? You're going to spend:

$175 for this cable.

If you're going to add it to your unit as a "spare cable", then you will need the end caps to have on both ends, to protect the pins and sockets from corrosion. And just wait until you see how much those cost! LOL! You'd think they are made of pure platinum!

And then there's the cost of your spare HUD monitor. You're going to spend $650(?) on that? Plus the cost of a HUD folder for it?

All that to save you from buying a spare controller? That costs how much? I posted my spare controller for sale (a Predator, rMS controller that was recently serviced and works perfectly) a little while back (last year?) for something like $1000 (maybe I was asking $1200) and didn't even get a single bite. And I would *much* rather have a spare controller for $1000 than do all that other stuff just to have a HUD monitor to replace my dead controller.

I bought this cable so I can take my sensor tray out easily, and so I can swap the cable end easily when the molex connector wiring starts to go. And that is it.


* You CAN remove the sensor tray from the unit without removing the cable from the unit. But, you have to undo the screws that hold the cables (and O2 board) in place on the tray - OR leave the monitor cable loose and outside the clamp that holds the controller cable to the sensor tray. AND, then unplug the molex connectors from the O2 sensors.

All of which is NOT recommended to do on any kind of regular basis. Plugging and unplugging the Molex connectors from the sensors is one of the bigger weak points in the rEvo. Wires/pins pull out of the Molex connectors somewhat easily, and pins pull out of the sensors (or get pushed in) somewhat easily. I try to avoid disconnecting and reconnecting any more than I have to.

 

[mr_v]

Thank you for clarification, @stuartv. I received some responses regarding RMS; hence the disclaimer in my post. If RMS units can utilize the cable there is a lot more value to it.

About adding extra monitor. You make valid points, and I will still argue that a HUD from Fathom, Narked at 90, or other manufacturers is a good value proposition compared to either an expensive Shearwater controller or NERD2.

The Predator controller you've sold recently is no longer supported and any major issue will render the controller useless. A controller under warranty is a much better choice which usually comes with extra cost. HUDs are simple, readily available, and cheaper. The third cable in the bulkhead should not be a major issue - you already have a plug there, so how is having a cable instead of the plug different?

Of course, you don't have to go with HUD. You can go with another monitor. Shearwater Petrel 3 will do and so will DiveSoft (with a special cable).