Thoughts on how many years we should expect our dive computers to function properly.

[broncobowsher]

My last TV was working perfect, dispite the fact I wanted to upgrade. After close to 15 years of service I finally gave it away (tough job for a cruved screen CRT) and replaced with a flat panel. It was still working when I gave it away. Home stereo is 25 years and still doing good, the slightly older garage radio is still going.

As for my cell phone, the other year I killed my current phone but still had the original Droid a decade old in a drawer. Charged it up, dropped in a SIM card, had a working phone for a couple weeks until I got a new one.

My garage door opening is 14 years old and I did have to replace the batteries in the remotes once a couple years back.

This stuff lasts a long time generally.

 

[flyboy08]

I still listen daily to my 1975 vintage Marantz 4430 quadraphonic stereo with it Philips 212 Tiptronic touch turntable. Mountain never sounded so good .....as many run to the Google machine looking up Mountain.....

Some TV’s over 10, some new as my phones for newest techno stuffo.

oh, dive computer..mines 11 years strong...

 

[NothingClever]

Mississippi Queen...one of the greatest cowbell songs of the 70s.

And, yeah, I remember when owning a Marantz turntable meant you were a true audiophile.

Drifting back on topic...I think four to five years is good life expectancy. (EDIT: On second thought, six to seven years is more like it.). That’s not a limitation on use, just my thought on a reasonable life expectancy.

 

[ThatDogDontHunt]

Easy to read? Our old school Uwatec Aladin's has a big **s screen with big numbers with everything I need to see on the main screen. These DCs are a great model for old eye sight impaired divers?

Lifetime:
Low end new stuff would be 2 years minimum.

High end stuff would be more than 10 years but may require $$ upgrades.

 

[lexvil]

I expect a lot more from my dive computer than I do from my phone, lap top or tv. At 10 I start thinking of replacing my DC buy what I think will fill the role for the next 10 and don’t pay a lot of attention to the latest and greatest darling of the day. Fortunately the Teric came out as I was in the replacement search for my SOL.

 

[broncobowsher]

Easy to read? Our old school Uwatec Aladin's has a big **s screen with big numbers with everything I need to see on the main screen. These DCs are a great model for old eye sight impaired divers?

Lifetime:
Low end new stuff would be 2 years minimum.

High end stuff would be more than 10 years but may require $$ upgrades.

Shearwater has free upgrades, no extra money needed. There are still plenty of the old Predators (the old one with just an LCD display) still working to this day.

 

[MargaritaMike]

I agree with @scubadafo once

That should have been "@scubadada for once". I didn't proofread before posting. Sorry. Now pull out your BFK and cut my air hose.

Cheers,

 

[elmo]

I've got my great-great grandfather's pocket watch from the 1880s. Still keeps good time if you remember to wind it.

My older dive computer is a 7 year old Hollis DC03. It works fine, despite me flooding the battery compartment a few years ago after I didn't align the o-ring correctly after changing the battery. Thankfully it was only flooded in freshwater, and recovered after drying out thoroughly.

 

[davehicks]

Shearwater has free upgrades, no extra money needed. There are still plenty of the old Predators (the old one with just an LCD display) still working to this day.

It was the Pursuit that had a monochrome LCD. The Predator was the same computer but with a color OLED screen. I think the later computers from Petrel on up are all Color LCD.

I sold my Predator EXT for about 60% of what I paid for it after 7 years of use. I think it received it's final Firmware update around 2018. Awesome computer.

 

[rhwestfall]

My '93 Cochran Commander Air bricked when the battery was removed for long term storage, or it likely would have been running still if I hadn't done that. That was a problem with them back in the day.

I have an Oceanic Veo 180nx, Mares Puck, Cochran EMC20, SW Petrel1, and a SW PedrixAI. The LCD screen on my TUSA bottom timer failed again in storage...

Some of these are getting long in the tooth...

Seems they do better with use rather than storage...