Scubapro 2nd Stage Balanced Poppet

[LeadTurn_SD]

aqua got me a bit worried, so I re-checked my 109 BA after 10 days in my closet: no free flow.

Lucky you checked!!

Who knows what mischief those regulators get into when we don't watch them.... I swear they go diving without me if I've "neglected" them for awhile.

I think I'll just keep mine on the kitchen table from now on so I can watch them.... I wonder if my wife will mind

Best wishes.

 

[redacted]

Lucky you checked!!

Who knows what mischief those regulators get into when we don't watch them.... I swear they go diving without me if I've "neglected" them for awhile.

I think I'll just keep mine on the kitchen table from now on so I can watch them.... I wonder if my wife will mind

Best wishes.

I keep mine spread out on my office floor. Not all of them. Just the ones from the last and next trip. The cleaning woman tends to get a little pissed but that's OK. It is my home office.

 

[Zung]

Well you guys really get your household discipline together!

Me, if I don't hide my gear, the ladies would misplace them. And if I hide them, they would misbehave. :depressed:

 

[Couv]

Lucky you checked!!

Who knows what mischief those regulators get into when we don't watch them.... I swear they go diving without me if I've "neglected" them for awhile.

I think I'll just keep mine on the kitchen table from now on so I can watch them.... I wonder if my wife will mind

Best wishes.

I just drape them over the vice I have chucked up on the end of the dinning room table.....keeps them out of the way.

c

 

[Texfrazer]

I keep mine spread out on my office floor. Not all of them. Just the ones from the last and next trip. The cleaning woman tends to get a little pissed but that's OK. It is my home office.

Yeah, my cleaning lady has refused to clean my "work" area since I started leaving the regs I am hoping to work on in the near future out on the floor. Of course, it seems like the only time I have to work on them is when both the 3 and 1 year old are down for a nap at the same time....

 

[Zung]

...I have an older style Scubapro poppet for the 109BA/156/G250, the top one in the attached pic. It has a single o-ring and it doesn't have the cutaway at the bottom.

Is it worth salvaging? Has anyone compared it to the current one (bottom one in the pic)?... (Quoting myself... )

Just found in the Engineering Bulltin #261, verbatim:

• The edges of each valve carrier surface are shaped like an airfoil to reduce friction and provide greater airflow.
• The area surrounding the seat compartment is smaller than the earlier configuration, providing more room for air to flow (the actual soft seat, however, is the same size).
• The "tail" of the poppet is smaller than the earlier configuration.
• There are two o'rings (P/N 01.050.399) on the poppet stem. The first grove (see illustration below) is deeper to reduce o'ring friction while assisting with stem alignment. The second o'ring groove assists in sealing and keeps debris out of the balance chamber. The space between the o'rings provides a trap for lubricant that helps prevent the o'rings from drying out with use.

The first 3 bullet points pretty much tell the same story: aerodynamics. To what extend this has a practical effect is open to debate.

 

[Couv]

Brother Zung,

It's about time for you to return from you Maldives trip and update this thread.

 

[Zung]

Gents, here's my trip report, at least the part that's relevant here.

I set up a test rig with:

• MK20, IP = 9.0bar / 131PSI, instant lockup
• G250, cracking effort = 20mm / .80", Venturi at mid-range
• 109 BA, cracking effort = 20mm / .80", the one under discussion here

Both seconds are fitted with standard hoses (76 cm / 30"), and I breathed alternatively with one and the other. Not unexpectedly, there's nothing to report that we don't already know from this discussion between DA Aquamaster and Oxyhacker:

• The 109 gives a linear sort of air delivery: suck lightly: get some air; suck harder: get more air
• The G250 is more forceful: suck lightly; get lots of air; suck harder: get even more air

I did this for 3 dives, decided I prefer the Venturi assistance and reverted to my standard MK20/G250 rig.

If anybody has an ANSTI diagram of the 109, I'd like to take a look at it.

Regarding my standard rig, it's 10 years overdue for service and still breathes wonderful. The only little glitch I found: at one time, I was hanging on to some rocks in a horrendous current to watch the dance of the sharks, and there were a few bubbles coming out of the second when I was not breathing. They go away after I gave a fraction of a turn to the knob, but I guess it's time for a new seat.

 

[redacted]

Regarding my standard rig, it's 10 years overdue for service and still breathes wonderful. The only little glitch I found: at one time, I was hanging on to some rocks in a horrendous current to watch the dance of the sharks, and there were a few bubbles coming out of the second when I was not breathing. They go away after I gave a fraction of a turn to the knob, but I guess it's time for a new seat.

Or a very small adjustment of the orifice. Why waste a perfectly good seat?

 

[Zung]

Thanks, that's the advise I needed, considering that it's extremely unlikely anyone would/could dive against that sort of current, 5-10 knots at least.

Now the real question: should I take both 1st & 2nd apart for cleaning & oil (lube) change?