Shearwater NERD 2 "for OC Divers"
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CuzzA
Wetwork for Hire
I was going to point out the near universal acceptance of WAI since they announced the Perdix AI. Should we revive those old AI threads for fun.
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that's because shearwater said it, we have it documented on here lol. Who knows, can't blame them for trying though.
@CuzzA no real use for cave diving btw because of gas switches so having it mounted to a second stage would be really subpar, think stage and deco bottles. Unless as mentioned sarcastically by Eric you are using the Z-manifold, but even then if you have to donate your gas, you lose your computer. FFM use would be my only logical assumption for who would use this
I'm a HUGE Shearwater fan, and I love my NERD. But I gotta say that I don't get this at all. Maybe I need to see one in person.
For CCR divers, I don’t see what is so great about putting the entire computer (including power source) on the loop, instead of having the battery case clipped off on the harness or hose, where it is completely undetectable, leaving just the small, light display on the loop itself. The new design makes the thing clipped to the loop hold everything (battery, computer and display), so it seems to be bulkier in front of your face (maybe I’m wrong, but it has to be heavier if it’s also holding the battery). Was the battery box a big problem? You still need a cable anyway.
For OC divers, I really don’t get it. What OC diver needs an expensive, bulky, heads-up display in the first place? On CCR, we need to constantly monitor our PO2. But on OC, you glance at your SPG every 5-10 minutes, less often once you are comfortable knowing your consumption rate. NDL? You would have to have pretty poor situational awareness to need to constantly watch this. If you are that close to your NDL and aren’t trained to do deco, maybe stop taking photos and ascend. Same for depth and time. Then NERD fills a niche for photographers on CCR, where you don’t want to be constantly looking at your controller. I love it. But I don’t see why an OC diver would want one.
Also, maybe a bulky computer clamped to an OC regulator hose wouldn’t completely unbalance it or torque it in your mouth. Shearwater is a great company, so perhaps they figured this out. But unlike a CCR loop where the mouthpiece is supported on both sides, an OC reg just has one point of support. I would also think that it might be hard to keep it precisely aligned with your line of vision, since there would be a lot more play in a reg hose than with a loop.
For technical OC divers, what do you do when you switch gases? Or go to your backup reg (less common). I suspect that this isn’t the target market.
Finally, the rechargeable battery is a major downgrade IMHO. One of the best things about Shearwater computers is that you can just throw in a AA battery. They are cheap, available worldwide, and you can carry any spares you need. You can even use rechargeables if you like. Rechargeable batteries often discharge unpredictably. What are you going to do when your NERD2 battery dies on a dive boat? Maybe you can buy an extra one and keep that charged as well? I can’t tell if that’s an option, since it looks like there is a charging clip (i.e. the battery is charged while in the NERD), so maybe not swappable?
For CCR divers, I don’t see what is so great about putting the entire computer (including power source) on the loop, instead of having the battery case clipped off on the harness or hose, where it is completely undetectable, leaving just the small, light display on the loop itself. The new design makes the thing clipped to the loop hold everything (battery, computer and display), so it seems to be bulkier in front of your face (maybe I’m wrong, but it has to be heavier if it’s also holding the battery). Was the battery box a big problem? You still need a cable anyway.
For OC divers, I really don’t get it. What OC diver needs an expensive, bulky, heads-up display in the first place? On CCR, we need to constantly monitor our PO2. But on OC, you glance at your SPG every 5-10 minutes, less often once you are comfortable knowing your consumption rate. NDL? You would have to have pretty poor situational awareness to need to constantly watch this. If you are that close to your NDL and aren’t trained to do deco, maybe stop taking photos and ascend. Same for depth and time. Then NERD fills a niche for photographers on CCR, where you don’t want to be constantly looking at your controller. I love it. But I don’t see why an OC diver would want one.
Also, maybe a bulky computer clamped to an OC regulator hose wouldn’t completely unbalance it or torque it in your mouth. Shearwater is a great company, so perhaps they figured this out. But unlike a CCR loop where the mouthpiece is supported on both sides, an OC reg just has one point of support. I would also think that it might be hard to keep it precisely aligned with your line of vision, since there would be a lot more play in a reg hose than with a loop.
For technical OC divers, what do you do when you switch gases? Or go to your backup reg (less common). I suspect that this isn’t the target market.
Finally, the rechargeable battery is a major downgrade IMHO. One of the best things about Shearwater computers is that you can just throw in a AA battery. They are cheap, available worldwide, and you can carry any spares you need. You can even use rechargeables if you like. Rechargeable batteries often discharge unpredictably. What are you going to do when your NERD2 battery dies on a dive boat? Maybe you can buy an extra one and keep that charged as well? I can’t tell if that’s an option, since it looks like there is a charging clip (i.e. the battery is charged while in the NERD), so maybe not swappable?
how about extended range (mixed mount sidemount) utilizing a DH configured the "Luis" style....
I guess the NERD2 is not that much bigger than the original, maybe it's just the way it looks on the web page drawing. It's about twice the weight as the original, with the cable.
Yeah, I heard this from another friend (CCR instructor). I'm not sure i understand. The box fits on the loop above the T-pieces easily, you would never know it was there.
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@doctormike think smccr's. No t-pieces, no place to put it so it ends up a bit of a mess. I personally don't see the rechargeable battery as an issue and I think it's getting a bit overblown. Lots of bad history from nicad and early nimh days that are unfortunately carrying over into lipo
With daily use and charging, cell phone batteries last 2-3 years. They also have quite accurate battery gauges in them and allow a much smaller form factor than using alkalines. Sure the user replaceable is really nice in the petrel, but to get it smaller, it has to get integrated with a cellphone style battery, no real way around it.
With daily use and charging, cell phone batteries last 2-3 years. They also have quite accurate battery gauges in them and allow a much smaller form factor than using alkalines. Sure the user replaceable is really nice in the petrel, but to get it smaller, it has to get integrated with a cellphone style battery, no real way around it.
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