Scubapro Mk-5 and 109 service kits.

[redacted]

The o-rings aren't/won't be too tough to source. It looks like awap's verified that the Triden 1st stage seat is a viable option. It's the 2nd stage poppets that will take some effort.

Maybe Brian could work with an SP shop to source the 2 poppets as a part of the kits.

I suspect the answer on the poppets will have to be individual divers find them where ever they can. If some USA shop made a large buy on poppets and they showed up in aftermarket kits, Scubapro would be all over some poor shop's A$$. Even sourcing them in any volume in Europe would likely cause similar problems. Somehow, Scubapro successfully shut down the online European sellers of repair kits quite a few years ago. Then again, if Leisurepro can bust that nut, I'm sure others could also find a way - But then he might as well just sell the Scubapro kits.

Poppets still show up on ebay somewhat regularly and cooperative LDSs should be able to get away with selling small quantities if they choose. Worse come to worse, a DIYer may have to have one more service provided by a shop to get the upgraded poppets and other parts that he can then maintain himself.

 

[Zung]

Just to be clear, I have been using one of those seats for over a year now with no problem...

This is great news, if you're still alive. I think superstar uses them too.
Are you well? Both of you?

 

[Luis H]

I suspect the answer on the poppets will have to be individual divers find them where ever they can. If some USA shop made a large buy on poppets and they showed up in aftermarket kits, Scubapro would be all over some poor shop's A$$. Even sourcing them in any volume in Europe would likely cause similar problems. Somehow, Scubapro successfully shut down the online European sellers of repair kits quite a few years ago. Then again, if Leisurepro can bust that nut, I'm sure others could also find a way - But then he might as well just sell the Scubapro kits.

Poppets still show up on ebay somewhat regularly and cooperative LDSs should be able to get away with selling small quantities if they choose. Worse come to worse, a DIYer may have to have one more service provided by a shop to get the upgraded poppets and other parts that he can then maintain himself.

Thanks awap

I agree, that is probably how it may work out.

 

[Luis H]

Can anyone confirm what sizes are the 109 clamp screws? I know the old ones used 4-40, but some of the later ones have a finer pitch thread. I thought they were 4-48, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Are they metric M3x0.5? The diameter measures a bit less than the M3, but the pitch does seem very close. The 0.5mm per thread works out to be close to 50 threads per inch.

 

[HenrikBP]

Can anyone confirm what sizes are the 109 clamp screws

I bought some a long while ago, and don't recall the size. I won't be home until Sunday, but will try to remember to look when I get home.

Henrik

 

[Zung]

The ones that I've got from the US are not metric. A M3 screw doesn't fit in the clamp, and the original screws are very loose in a M3 nut.

I've got a NOS clamp I bought here in Switzerland that takes the US screws, so there's a chance the European versions are the same.

 

[Zung]

Using the methodology awap reported here (a 5-40 nyloc nut as a spacer in the concave end of the seat), I measured the HP seats I have:

• Trident A242: 10.4 mm
• SP "-II": 10.3 mm
• SP "-I": 10.0 mm
• SP "+": 9.6 mm

So it means the Trident seat gives the lowest IP, at least in theory, give or take because the concave part is a bit different.

Has anybody done some real life measurements on IP?

 

[aquaregia]

I'm excited about this possibility. Just an hour ago I was talking with a guy about buying new HOG regs purely because of service kit availability.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

The thread is getting a little uncomfortable in terms of all of the suggested parts, options etc that start to get pretty far away from some standard practices.

It's one thing to accept the risk of putting your own kits together and doing your own service on your own regs at your own risk, but it is something else entirely to provide those parts to someone else.

Getting SP seats would be ideal and with the limited ability to restrict sales by Eurpoean dealers, that is probably a possibility. Using third party seats is probably another, but Trident is pretty up front in terms of stating they are not OEM parts, so the bulk of the liability would probably stilll fall on the person or company assembling the kits.

There is a big difference between what I'll do for my reg versus someone elses, and even then, I won't distribute parts -other than for long out of production NOS double hose reg parts, where the issue is clearly one of using vintage parts and vintage technology with obvious risks that go with that.

So while I kind of admire what Bryan is trying to do, I think he'll need to be very careful in terms of moving away from parts/materials Scubapro currently uses - as the current availability of those aprts from dealers clearly creates a current standard - and I think he'd need to be very careful in terms of waivers etc signed by the end user.

And there are some dangers and pitfalls involved that the end user may not be aware of. For example most SP techs won't keep a non stepped Mk 5 piston in service due to the risk of the piston cutting into the seat and blocking the air flow completely. Using that example, you have a risk posed by the seat material, and you have a very hard to control issue of the average DIY'r not knowing what is still safe or unsafe to use.

 

[Luis H]

The Scubapro service kits are now available.

Single Hose Parts : Vintage Double Hose!, Your online source for all things related to vintage diving


Notice that VDH also has Conshelf kits and individual HP Conshelf seats, HP diaphragm, (etc.) are available under the two stage double hose parts section.