Teric Battery Drain - When OFF

[Robbyg]

?

Shearwater replied:
That's right. The computer is always ready to go diving no matter what and keeps everything running.

The numbers mentioned are approximate numbers but they are right. It basically means the battery consumption is roughly 35% higher with AI and compass on than with both of these off.

I actually don't understand the logic behind it. I hear what your saying about going diving and forgetting to turn on the AI but since the Teric has a Watch Mode and a Dive Mode why do they keep the AI running when your in watch mode? Seems simple enough to me to just keep the Menu Option as is but if I set it to AI "On" it means I only want it on when I am in Dive Mode. It's not like I can even read the Gas pressure in Watch mode!

Having it the way it is now makes it more likely that your going to run into the same issues you expressed. Now that I have been told how it works I am going in and turning off my AI and Compass as I don't see a need to run the batteries 35% harder when I am not going on a dive. The downside is that I will now have to remember to turn them back on before my next dive. This could be avoided if they were just always off when in watch mode.

I fully admit that Shearwater has some great geniuses on staff when it comes to ergonomics, so I am ready to be told I am wrong. I would just like to know why!

 

[scubadada]

I am fully with you, I would have AI and compass turned off in watch mode, and turned on in dive mode. That's the way I thought it worked. I would do it that way. Perhaps we're all missing something, I don't know?

 

[Dan]

I actually don't understand the logic behind it. I hear what your saying about going diving and forgetting to turn on the AI but since the Teric has a Watch Mode and a Dive Mode why do they keep the AI running when your in watch mode? Seems simple enough to me to just keep the Menu Option as is but if I set it to AI "On" it means I only want it on when I am in Dive Mode. It's not like I can even read the Gas pressure in Watch mode!

Having it the way it is now makes it more likely that your going to run into the same issues you expressed. Now that I have been told how it works I am going in and turning off my AI and Compass as I don't see a need to run the batteries 35% harder when I am not going on a dive. The downside is that I will now have to remember to turn them back on before my next dive. This could be avoided if they were just always off when in watch mode.

I fully admit that Shearwater has some great geniuses on staff when it comes to ergonomics, so I am ready to be told I am wrong. I would just like to know why!

To me it’s no big deal. If you turn off the Compass and having the Compass in FUNC shortcut (Compass pop up enabled), when you put your Teric to Dive mode and press FUNC button, it’ll popup a reminder to turn on your compass as shown, below.

Also, you will need to check how much pressure you have in the tank through AI, so you’ll turn on your AI too.

 

[Robbyg]

To me it’s no big deal. If you turn off the Compass and having the Compass in FUNC shortcut (Compass pop up enabled), when you put your Teric to Dive mode and press FUNC button, it’ll popup a reminder to turn on your compass as shown, below.

View attachment 640327

Also, you will need to check how much pressure you have in the tank through AI, so you’ll turn on your AI too.

Yes but it really does not solve the problem because once you finish the dive it is highly unlikely that you will remember to turn them back off. Assuming there is no technical reason why they leave it on while in Watch mode it countradicts one of Shearwater's three main motto's which is "Simple".

 

[Dan]

Yes but it really does not solve the problem because once you finish the dive it is highly unlikely that you will remember to turn them back off. Assuming there is no technical reason why they leave it on while in Watch mode it countradicts one of Shearwater's three main motto's which is "Simple".

If the AI is automatically turned off once you are back on the surface, at the end of a dive, when the Dive mode turns to Watch mode and then 2 hours later you are get yourself ready for your next dive then you jump back to the water with your Teric is still on Watch mode and expecting to turn automatically to Dive mode when it gets to 3' depth, you may end up not having an AI signal as mentioned by @scubadada in earlier post since AI cannot be turned on underwater. In liveaboard with 4 dives / day, that's a lot of AI on/off switching.

 

[Dan]

I can see turning the AI and Compass on once at the beginning of a dive trip and turn them off once at the end of the dive trip when you are ready to store it until the next dive trip.

 

[lexvil]

My AI and compass are alway on.

 

[Robbyg]

If the AI is automatically turned off once you are back on the surface, at the end of a dive, when the Dive mode turns to Watch mode and then 2 hours later you are get yourself ready for your next dive then you jump back to the water with your Teric is still on Watch mode and expecting to turn automatically to Dive mode when it gets to 3' depth, you may end up not having an AI signal as mentioned by @scubadada in earlier post since AI cannot be turned on underwater. In liveaboard with 4 dives / day, that's a lot of AI on/off switching.

That's a bad practice anyway. I just cannot see myself diving into the water without checking the gas pressure first even if i have looked at the SPG. Secondly, are you sure about that? You said "may not".

 

[Robbyg]

My AI and compass are alway on.

It's not written in stone but re page 72.

Set AI Mode to OFF when AI not in use
Leaving AI enabled when not in use will negatively
impact battery life. When a paired transmitter is not
communicating, the Teric goes into a higher power
scan state. This increases power consumption to about
25% higher than with AI off. Once communications are
established, power drops to about 10% higher than with
AI off.

 

[lexvil]

It's not written in stone but re page 72.

Set AI Mode to OFF when AI not in use
Leaving AI enabled when not in use will negatively
impact battery life. When a paired transmitter is not
communicating, the Teric goes into a higher power
scan state. This increases power consumption to about
25% higher than with AI off. Once communications are
established, power drops to about 10% higher than with
AI off.

What that is saying is don’t dive with AI on if you don’t have a transmitter.