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

[Belzelbub]

Dive computers are examples of just how good electronics can be made in my opinion. I've never had one go belly up.

I’ve had one go belly up. Flooded. Most likely my fault. Back then, I wasn’t quite as diligent about o-ring maintenance and replacement. Even then, it lasted around 4 or 5 years.

Replacement is still working. Backlight stopped, so not ideal for lowlight, but everything else works fine. Daughter is using it now.

Electronics can be made very well these days even though tech advances don’t favor longevity. Electronics stop working when an electrical path exists that shouldn’t, or doesn’t exist when it should. A little more complicated than that, but more or less, that’s what happens.

Tech advances shrink the components. So you can get more functions in the same space. This means that the components are tiny, and spacing between non-common conductors is smaller as well. Manufacturing processes have advanced as well, so for the most part, this doesn’t pose a problem to modern equipment.

Cleaning and protection from the elements becomes critical, as it only takes a small solderball or other contaminant in the wrong spot to cause problems.

Dive computers need to work in extreme environments, so all of the above puts additional stress on the device. So, overall, I think the majority of DCs out there are quite reliable.

 

[lairdb]

My Oceanic DataTrans Plus has been going strong since June 2003, so that's 17+ years. It doesn't understand dates past 2010, so I set the date 20 years behind, but it works.

I keep waiting for it to die so I can justify a Shearwater; jealous of my wife's Perdix.

 

[davehicks]

Dive computers are examples of just how good electronics can be made in my opinion. I've never had one go belly up. I've always sold my older ones to buy new ones. Age has been 5-8 years old when sold. None of them ever died or even had issues before I sold them. So far I've owned and then sold an Aeris Atmos 2, Dive Rite Nitek Duo and 2 Shearwater Petrel 1s.

Granted dive computers are not cheap but compared to how they are used I think they are quite impressive!

My history of computer failures:

1) Suunto Cobra - Random resets of computer to 1970 and cleared tissues
2) Cochran 20HE #1 - Temperature sensor died resulting in locking out the computer
3) Cochran 20HE #2 - LCD screen died. Tried to canabilize #1 to save but it died on the table
4) Shearwater Predator - Pressure pad buttons died after 5-6 years, repaired by service dept
5) Shearwater Teric - Battery was defective, repaired by warranty service

There are only a few more computers in my lifetime inventory. There was a Uwatech Air2 that was abandoned as obsolete and a couple of Petrels still in use. If you use them long enough they will all die.

 

[Ojai Diver]

U.S. Diver's Monitor 1 purchased in 1992. Got the battery changed a few years back, and it is still going strong.

 

[jwcfbd]

I've got an Oceanic Datamax Pro Plus that I bought back in 2001. It's only got 29 dives on it but works great. The thing that sucks is I can no longer download my dives because it's outdated and no longer supported. So unless I can find something running windows 98 or maybe XP I'm done.

Does anyone else run this computer and know a way to download my dives? I'm looking at upgrading using their trade in program but would like to retrieve my dives.

 

[tep]

I've got an Oceanic Datamax Pro Plus that I bought back in 2001. It's only got 29 dives on it but works great. The thing that sucks is I can no longer download my dives because it's outdated and no longer supported. So unless I can find something running windows 98 or maybe XP I'm done.

Does anyone else run this computer and know a way to download my dives? I'm looking at upgrading using their trade in program but would like to retrieve my dives.

OK, here's the lashup I use for a "vintage" (hah!, it's from around 2003 or earlier, look at the downloaded dives in the screenshot- so vintage!) - Citizen Hyper Aqualand.

Physically, it's a 25 pin serial to 9-pin, then a serial to USB adapter.
Software, it's MacOS, Vmware Fusion (there are "free" versions), then Windows 10, running the "Aqualand Graph Nx" Windows 98 program in compatibility mode.

I do the same thing for various Ham radio programmers, a very old "programmable" telescope, and I used to do this before I switched to MacDive for my Aeris Atmos2.

 

[greeniguana]

28 years

 

[ATJ]

OK, here's the lashup I use for a "vintage" (hah!, it's from around 2003 or earlier, look at the downloaded dives in the screenshot- so vintage!) - Citizen Hyper Aqualand.

I have one from 2000. My first dive with it was 31/12/2000. It has done over 1,700 dives.

I can't get batteries or O rings for it anymore so when the current battery goes I will have to retire it.

 

[ATJ]

My Oceanic Atom 3.0 died a few weeks ago. I'd had it nearly 7 years. Oceanic can't repair it.

 

[lairdb]

I have one from 2000. My first dive with it was 31/12/2000. It has done over 1,700 dives.

I can't get batteries or O rings for it anymore so when the current battery goes I will have to retire it.

Battery is the very common CR2025. Citizen on for the case back gasket is 393-00216 but iirc it’s a common o ring size, not a funky gasket.