Suunto Vyper Question

[Snowblind]

For my birthday I was given a Suunto Vyper dive computer. I did the research on it and it has the RGBM decompression algorithm and is programeable from 21%-50% O2. If I do a deco dive with air, is there a way to use a EAN mixture for the decompression and if not, is there a way to reprogram it? Just a question as I have not yet done a dive with a stages, so I'm just curious for the future ...
thanks for your input

 

[Tortuga68]

If I do a deco dive with air, is there a way to use a EAN mixture for the decompression

In short, no - they don't support gas switches

They don't support deco dives either; you can switch to bottom timer mode and use a runtime, but you'll "bend" it

Good recreational computer though, if a little conservative

I use a Vyper for rec and a bottom timer for deco

 

[miketsp]

In short, no - they don't support gas switches

They don't support deco dives either; you can switch to bottom timer mode and use a runtime, but you'll "bend" it

Good recreational computer though, if a little conservative

I use a Vyper for rec and a bottom timer for deco

How do you "bend" a computer in gauge mode? That's the whole point of having gauge mode - it serves as an unbendable bottom timer.

So coming back to the OP's question:
If you're doing deco diving, put your Vyper in gauge mode and cut tables or plan your dive as you were taught during deco training.

 

[Tortuga68]

How do you "bend" a computer in gauge mode?

You'll be locked out of computer mode for 24 hours after using gauge mode

So coming back to the OP's question...

The OP's question was:

If I do a deco dive with air, is there a way to use a EAN mixture for the decompression and if not, is there a way to reprogram it?

 

[Ghanguss]

I agree with Tortuga68 although my Vyper recently locked me out of air mode for 48 hours after a 3 minute dive in gauge mode. I was dissapointed as I then logged 3 dives in gauge mode. The up side is the dive profile and most other info is still stored and downloadable. But I digress

The software allows you to plan for gas switching, and the use of trimix. I have Suunto dive manager 3.

 

[Scared Silly]

A couple of clarifications:

You can do a deco dive with a Viper but you can not do gas switching. Often folks will dive on air and then use another gas for deco but do the stops based on air. Just takes longer. Though you can do a deco dive you can not plan it with the Vyper.

BTW the newer Vyper's (2 or 3 or what Suunto is calling them can do gas switching, I think they can even do deep stops).


Almost all computers will lock you out if you go into deco and do not compete the stops.

As for the gauge to air lock out. This lock out is because the algorithm wants to know the past 48 hours of dive history. Guage mode does not store the history for this usage so the air mode makes you wait until you are clear - kinda like flying after diving - except in this case it does not know if you have done a 3 minute dive or a 300 minute dive. I think the same holds for going between Nitrox and Air modes.

 

[Rainer]

I do all of my staged decompression trimix diving on a Vyper. Ditto for my recreational diving. All in gauge mode, though.

 

[Tortuga68]

I think the same holds for going between Nitrox and Air modes

Yes, that's why I just leave mine in Nitrox and set it to 21% for air dives

 

[Snowblind]

The software allows you to plan for gas switching, and the use of trimix. I have Suunto dive manager 3.

How?

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I think the same holds for going between Nitrox and Air modes.

Yes, that's why I just leave mine in Nitrox and set it to 21% for air dives

The reason for this is that Air mode does not track O2 exposure for the purposes of determining O2 toxicity levels. That's why, if you're doing any nitrox diving at all, it's better to leave it in Nitrox mode and just set it to 21% when diving air. One thing to keep in mind is that diving 21% in Nitrox mode eats up some screen real estate. You'll always see the "O2% 21" symbols on the home screen, rather than the current temp or max depth. When I dive locally, I almost always leave it in Air mode because that's the gas that I'm using and I like to see how chilly it is at depth. Not a big deal, though.