The New Atomic TFX
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I've finalized the 3pin spanner and the spring pad tool.... Rob ok'd the final prototype (with a little fine tuning). First three sets are going in the mail tomorrow.
In light of the fact that it seems AA shipped a new reg without the proper tools available yet, I figure there's a fair to middling chance of people buggering up the spring cap... so once I get some measurements I'll model that up and get a printed copy to Rob for testing. If that works out I'll post the STL to Thingiverse, and print on request.
And from early in the discussion in this thread I've now modelled the D400 diaphragm retainer... and modded it to take the TFX diaphragm. Any more details about that will wait for Rob's Reg Geeks discussion!
Respectfully,
James
In light of the fact that it seems AA shipped a new reg without the proper tools available yet, I figure there's a fair to middling chance of people buggering up the spring cap... so once I get some measurements I'll model that up and get a printed copy to Rob for testing. If that works out I'll post the STL to Thingiverse, and print on request.
And from early in the discussion in this thread I've now modelled the D400 diaphragm retainer... and modded it to take the TFX diaphragm. Any more details about that will wait for Rob's Reg Geeks discussion!
Respectfully,
James
I got 4 proper dives on the TFX this weekend. I was helping with OW checkout dives, so the dives were not deep. But, I got 150 minutes, total, on the TFX.
Random thoughts:
When I got in for the very first dive, I dropped down 2 or 3 feet doing a weight check on a student. When I cam back up, the TFX was freeflowing. Not a full-on rager, but more than just a tiny hiss. I could not get it to stop via any of the normal means. Block the opening. Blow out through the reg. Put it in the water mouthpiece down. Nothing. Then I hit the purge for just a moment, and it quit!
I don't know what was going on there. It did not do it again. The water was pretty trashy. All I could think was maybe I somehow had the fantastic luck to get a piece of trash in there the very first time I went underwater, and that was somehow making it freeflow. I don't know. Just really glad it quit and didn't do it again!
It really wants to freeflow in the water, all the time. Pretty much any time I took it out of my mouth in the water, if I didn't keep the mouthpiece pointing down it would freeflow. Fortunately, it seems to like to float mouthpiece down. So, when I would take it out while floating on the surface, I could have the mouthpice pointing down and let it go and it would stay like that and not freeflow. The venturi adjustment did not seem to make any difference to its propensity for freeflowing.
That all has me really curious what the cracking pressure is. I may check that at the shop if/when I have time and remember...
The thing I noticed that really got my attention more than anything else was that it felt like the very back of the roof my mouth (the soft palate area?) got more dry during the dives than it does with other regs. I think the way the valve directs the air into my mouth when I inhale is more of a direct jet of air rushing straight in than I get with more conventional styles of regs. It feels like it is blowing directly on the back of my throat. I found myself swallowing because of mouth/throat dryness a lot, later in my dives. My longest dives were around 50 minutes.
I did a lot of turning my head down to look back between my legs to make sure students were right behind me. When my head was down like that, I again noticed it breathing just a little wet.
I really like how little "reg" I can see in my lower peripheral vision. Maybe it's just in my head and I'm just seeing what I think I should see. But, it seemed like there was less reg in my field of view. I didn't think to swap to my octo and actually compare while I was in the water...
I didn't do any real A/B comparing of stuff on these dives. Believe it or not, I was pretty much just focused on keeping up with my students. LOL
Random thoughts:
When I got in for the very first dive, I dropped down 2 or 3 feet doing a weight check on a student. When I cam back up, the TFX was freeflowing. Not a full-on rager, but more than just a tiny hiss. I could not get it to stop via any of the normal means. Block the opening. Blow out through the reg. Put it in the water mouthpiece down. Nothing. Then I hit the purge for just a moment, and it quit!
I don't know what was going on there. It did not do it again. The water was pretty trashy. All I could think was maybe I somehow had the fantastic luck to get a piece of trash in there the very first time I went underwater, and that was somehow making it freeflow. I don't know. Just really glad it quit and didn't do it again!
It really wants to freeflow in the water, all the time. Pretty much any time I took it out of my mouth in the water, if I didn't keep the mouthpiece pointing down it would freeflow. Fortunately, it seems to like to float mouthpiece down. So, when I would take it out while floating on the surface, I could have the mouthpice pointing down and let it go and it would stay like that and not freeflow. The venturi adjustment did not seem to make any difference to its propensity for freeflowing.
That all has me really curious what the cracking pressure is. I may check that at the shop if/when I have time and remember...
The thing I noticed that really got my attention more than anything else was that it felt like the very back of the roof my mouth (the soft palate area?) got more dry during the dives than it does with other regs. I think the way the valve directs the air into my mouth when I inhale is more of a direct jet of air rushing straight in than I get with more conventional styles of regs. It feels like it is blowing directly on the back of my throat. I found myself swallowing because of mouth/throat dryness a lot, later in my dives. My longest dives were around 50 minutes.
I did a lot of turning my head down to look back between my legs to make sure students were right behind me. When my head was down like that, I again noticed it breathing just a little wet.
I really like how little "reg" I can see in my lower peripheral vision. Maybe it's just in my head and I'm just seeing what I think I should see. But, it seemed like there was less reg in my field of view. I didn't think to swap to my octo and actually compare while I was in the water...
I didn't do any real A/B comparing of stuff on these dives. Believe it or not, I was pretty much just focused on keeping up with my students. LOL
OP
Geo7
Contributor
OP
Like any good reg, it freeflows A LOT when it's "mouthpiece up". And yes, it shuts right off when inverted.
We'll talk tonight in Reg Geeks 4 about the way to flood the reg if it's carried as your octo, or when switching regs for example. The low diaphragm requires a slightly modified technique.
Regulator Geeks 4: The Atomic TFX
This will announce the next in our little series of evening discussions about regulator minutia. Tuesday, October 3, 2023 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm Pacific Daylight Time (9:30 to 11:30pm Eastern). https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87484585294?pwd=MER1L0RhTlFVNno1UmIrZUpwOWJFQT09 Or open up Zoom and enter...
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