The great Suunto data cable thread (incl DIY)

[SA-Diver]

Wow, you really let me have it there !!
Seems like you have a lot of spare time on hand after all, or you would not be able to spend so much time trying to defend your price.
I sell the interfaces in South-Africa for less than R100.00, as I im covering my costs and time and am not trying to get rich quickly - I am attempting to help my fellow divers.
The photo of the Stinger interface was an example. I make handsfree interfaces for Stinger, Mosquito and Cobra as well as Mares Surveyor at the moment.
As far as costs are conserned, the R50.00 covers all my costs to manufacture.
Sure it takes a while to make the first interface but thereafter it is only production.

- According to you people are not concerned about having a handsfree unit, yet it is the question I have seen on this thread more often than not lately.
- You are quite right, it is now $6.xx, as I see the $ is getting weaker all the time.

I will not comment any further on this, as all I intended to do was to inform other divers that they are being ripped off. Compared to the price Suunto charges for the interfaces your price might seem cheap, but compared to the REAL costs it is a rippoff!

Discussion closed as far as I am concerned!

 

[O-ring]

Before this gets nuts...I remember jamiei doing a little market research before he started selling these things and asking what people would pay for that type of device. Now, granted, costs are an issue and they may be different in SA...but, I don't do much of anything without it either being 1) fun or 2) profitable. I bought a kit and assembled it...it wasn't that fun...but I saved about $100 bucks (that's kinda like being profitable). That being said, I think jamiei just figured out what the market would bear (around $30 for a kit) and started charging just that.

FWIW, they both look like good interfaces and we, as divers and non-interface makers, are lucky to have you both out there making these things so Suunto can't charge us $120 for them..

 

[jamiei]

if you can sell them for $12, I'll be glad to stop making them. My prices are very reasonable and if you will make them for $12-$13, i fully endorse you. do you sell them online? I'd like to see the site. What kind of warranty do you offer? Sell them on ebay... And, just to make it clear, i'm by no means getting rich doing this. I make $25/hr with my business and it doesn't make sense for me to make these in my spare time and not make $25/hr. If you only charge $6 to make these, what are you gonna do when you have 20 orders come in one week? I'm an open book, everyone should know exactly where their money is going when they buy an interface from me. No one is forced to buy anything from me and most people really appreciate what I offer. If you say you'll make them for $12 for someone, then you're obligated to that price no matter if its 1 unit or 25. My time is worth more than $6. A case the size of yours will run $4 in the U.S. I'm not defending myself or my prices, i'm laying out the facts, that all. I saw a picture with a cheap price from you, thats it. I would also like to see your hands free cobra interface and what you charge. Heck, I'll buy one from you for $12. I also have paypal and ebay fees, my time shipping them, and not to mention taxes i have to pay. No business person can survive w/o getting $20-$25/hr. There is no discussion, i agree. I'll continue to offer my help to anyone that wants it. Everyone knows they can go out and make these themselves, I just offer an overall cheaper, easier solution. You can also simply use a rubber band if you want hands free with my interfaces. A rubber band shouldn't increase the value that much.

Don't get me wrong anyone, i'm not trying to defend myself nor am I mad, but I just like for everyone to get all the facts and if you read my posts and see my site you'll know I really care about helping people. I offer a product for 1/2 the price of anything out there that is widely available. I ship them anywhere and to anyone that wants them and I stand behind them 100%.

 

[Plongee]

I was searching the web for a reasonably priced alternative to Suunto's cable when I saw all the buzz about Jamie's kit. I ordered one with the spring-loaded pins and it works great!

Believe me -- if I can assemble this kit, you can too. Only one little thing to watch for. A couple of the circuits on my printed board were making a connection where the copper or whatever makes the circuit paths had flowed a little too far. I just scraped the board between the paths with a dental pick to break the connection. Check your board with an ohm meter and you'll be fine.

The only things I had to buy in addition to the kit were 2-part epoxy and some 12-inch wire leads with alligator clips on each end to test the cable before hooking it up.

This is really a great product and saved me a lot of $$!

 

[SMKChef]

O-ring once bubbled...
Before this gets nuts...I remember jamiei doing a little market research before he started selling these things and asking what people would pay for that type of device. Now, granted, costs are an issue and they may be different in SA...but, I don't do much of anything without it either being 1) fun or 2) profitable. I bought a kit and assembled it...it wasn't that fun...but I saved about $100 bucks (that's kinda like being profitable). That being said, I think jamiei just figured out what the market would bear (around $30 for a kit) and started charging just that.

FWIW, they both look like good interfaces and we, as divers and non-interface makers, are lucky to have you both out there making these things so Suunto can't charge us $120 for them..

I second everything O-Ring said. Jamie's interfaces are well made and a great deal. And no, it wasn't that much fun putting together, but I learned something from the experience.

 

[O-ring]

SMKChef once bubbled...


I second everything O-Ring said. Jamie's interfaces are well made and a great deal. And no, it wasn't that much fun putting together, but I learned something from the experience.

I learned what my "webbing hole maker" and my "wetsuit hood hole burner" were really supposed to be used for...soldering..

 

[emp]

could anyone plz let me know if it is possible to get a data cable for my vyper with a USB connection all their seems to be is the serial version, i have tried to use a patch cable (serial 2 USB) but for what ever reason it can not find the com port, even after trying to transfere info from the vyper.

if theirs none, is it possible to build 1 and if so could some one point me in the right dirrection for the spec's

i'm in koh Tao at the moment finishing of my instructors course, and have added some 300 dives since i came here, so it would be nice if i could put all this info on to my lap top, which only has USB connections.

any help is welcome, and if its useful i may send a beer to U

 

[MonkSeal]

The answer is no. The only thing you can do is the one you've already tried - serial to USB conversion with appropriate software.

 

[jamiei]

I don't think it will recognize the com port regardless of what you use, but I am told that it will still transfer data without recognizing the com port. Monkseal is correct, you have to have the software for the serial/usb adapter for it to work.

 

[Uncle Pug]

You might be able to find a driver for your serial>USB adapter on the web.

I purchased a tripplite adapter for my laptop but the included software didn't do the job so I went to Tripplite's website and download a driver that did work.

However this was not for my Suunto Stinger... it was for my GPS/Autopilot input/output on my boat... but the principle should be the same.