Santi BZ 400 extreme

[coldwaterdufus]

Jack Hammer, Thanks for the confirmation about the ballast. We'll see where all this ultimately ends. No idea when I'll be able to dive again anyway. All our dive sites are closed, who knows for how long ?

 

[BFRedrocks]

Keep in mind for the battery that, at least for the US, you cannot take a battery more than 160 wH on a plane. So if you're like me and fly to get to where I plan to dive cold enough to use a heated suit (I use the BZ400 heated and the gloves with the Tall UWLD canister and heat controller), then 160 wH is the biggest battery I can use. This roughly equates to 13.3ah (to compare to a lot of battery manufacturers that use amp-hours [ah]) assuming a 12v output.

 

[coldwaterdufus]

Keep in mind for the battery that, at least for the US, you cannot take a battery more than 160 wH on a plane. So if you're like me and fly to get to where I plan to dive cold enough to use a heated suit (I use the BZ400 heated and the gloves with the Tall UWLD canister and heat controller), then 160 wH is the biggest battery I can use. This roughly equates to 13.3ah (to compare to a lot of battery manufacturers that use amp-hours [ah]) assuming a 12v output.

Thanks for the comment BF. I have to say that, when I'm on a plane diving somewhere else, I'm leaving half my gear behind, no drysuit / no heater / no battery needed for the warmer waters. It's ice diving here now, my buddy went recently, 34-35 F. Not for me until I get heated, I do have my limits.

 

[coldwaterdufus]

BTW BF, how long does the 160 WH UWLD battery last for you. What are the approx water temps ? Thanks again

 

[BFRedrocks]

BTW BF, how long does the 160 WH UWLD battery last for you. What are the approx water temps ? Thanks again

I recently dove in Antarctica (I still owe SB a trip report) where the temps were between 31 and 35 degrees F. I used my BZ400 heated suit and the Santi gloves (146 watts total) and always had the UWLD battery on full power. I was perfectly comfortable on all my dives with full heat on, and never once did I overheat in the water. Although I never ran the battery all the way down (others caused my dives to be shorter than they needed to be), I estimated that I could get about an hour on the battery at full power. My dives never lasted more than 30 minutes, but I did do 2 dives on a single battery charge. Bottom line is the math works and is relatively predictable. Hopefully that helps.

 

[grantctobin]

BTW BF, how long does the 160 WH UWLD battery last for you. What are the approx water temps ? Thanks again

Take watts of each component that you’re using and add 10%. A 50W vest and a 22W pair of gloves pull roughly 80W w a swag factor, which is 2Hr on a 160Wh battery

 

[coldwaterdufus]

Take watts of each component that you’re using and add 10%. A 50W vest and a 22W pair of gloves pull roughly 80W w a swag factor, which is 2Hr on a 160Wh battery

Thanks Grant. I've have learned the math recently. I did notice that UWLD adds the 10 %. I was wondering more in terms of the colder water times and how the cold would influence the life of the battery. I have a Go Pro and the cold water here sure cuts down useable battery.

 

[BFRedrocks]

Thanks Grant. I've have learned the math recently. I did notice that UWLD adds the 10 %. I was wondering more in terms of the colder water times and how the cold would influence the life of the battery. I have a Go Pro and the cold water here sure cuts down useable battery.

For me in water at 31-35 deg F, the math was still pretty accurate (with the 10%), so I didn't notice any difference with the UWLD battery in the colder water. YMMV.

 

[coldwaterdufus]

I recently dove in Antarctica (I still owe SB a trip report) where the temps were between 31 and 35 degrees F. I used my BZ400 heated suit and the Santi gloves (146 watts total) and always had the UWLD battery on full power. I was perfectly comfortable on all my dives with full heat on, and never once did I overheat in the water. Although I never ran the battery all the way down (others caused my dives to be shorter than they needed to be), I estimated that I could get about an hour on the battery at full power. My dives never lasted more than 30 minutes, but I did do 2 dives on a single battery charge. Bottom line is the math works and is relatively predictable. Hopefully that helps.

BF, thanks for your response. The math for an hour at full power with a Tall UWLD comes close to your estimate. That's great to know.

 

[paohloh]

I know this is an old thread, but I recently used the Santi BZ400 in the arctic and we could have half-cooked an egg in there.

What did you end up doing?