Review Updated Write-Up for Regulator Service Technician Training - Unrestricted (December, 2021)

[tmassey]

Yet another patented write-up by @tmassey. Like always, it's LONG... Get comfortable.

This is a write-up of my experience in the latest iteration of @rsingler's Regulator Service Technician Training class: https://www.scubaboard.com/communit...rvice-technician-training-unrestricted.605706. This is designed to primarily highlight and review the things that have changed from the first time: there are still a lot of details from that first review that will not be addressed here. This focuses on the new class structure (it's now spread over three days), as well as the rather noticeable improvements throughout the entire class. Here is a link to my original review of the first class: Review of Class #1 of Regulator Service Technician Training - Unrestricted by RSingler

One thing is clear in preparing for this class: you can only do something for the first time once. So, keep that perspective in mind. Having been through the class once, I have the confidence of knowing what tools I need and don't need; what information I need to understand in advance and what will be covered; and having completed the process of rebuilding my regs means I have a lot more comfort about doing it the second time, with a lot less hand-holding. Therefore, I'm missing much of the fear and anxiety that comes from doing something the first time, with nothing but a glowing piece of glass to assist me. So it's hard to know exactly when the improved smoothness comes from that, and when it comes from the improvements in class material and structure.

But I can say this: the class materials and structure have been *noticeably* improved, and these improvements should noticeably decrease that fear and anxiety. But I don't think anything is going to remove the uneasiness that comes from working on very sensitive and fragile life-support devices -- YOUR life-support devices -- for the first time. Be prepared for the anxiety. But know that you will get through it, and this class will give you the information and experience you will need to repair your own equipment confidently and effectively.

If you're just looking for the tl;dr of how I feel the new class has improved and how to best take advantage of it, skip to the end. Look for TAKEAWAYS.


One Week Out

So far, I've gotten 4 class-wide e-mails leading up to this class. I did not get Seminar Email #1: I'm going to assume it's a "Welcome to the class!" e-mail. E-mail #2 a doozy. It prepares the student for the initial tasks that they will need to be ready for before the class begins. There is a great deal to unpack in this.

The first part is instructions to become familiar with their regs. This includes being prepared to disassemble them -- not to actually do it, but to hopefully be ready to. This means making sure that they have the needed tools, as well as the very basic understanding of how to do it. I second this: make sure you at *least* pore over the service diagram for your devices, and if you have a more expository-style service manual, read it a few times. (And if you have a Scubapro, with their whole 4 pages of "instructions", you may want to find a similar service diagram from a different provider and see if it gives you more detail -- because it sure can't give you less...)

The second part starts to get the student familiar with what tools are needed, so they can start determining what they have and what they might need. This includes a 5-page overview of the most commonly needed tools and a brief description of when they are needed and possible alternatives, and a spreadsheet of all of those parts, where they can productively be gotten from (with part numbers for the tricky ones) and prices for each item. It's *not* a shopping list (unless you are trying to start a comprehensive repair business!), but it gives you a concrete list of virtually everything that could be used to start to narrow down from.

The final part reviews the place that the Regulator Savvy book will have in the class, and why you need to order it now and become at least familiar with it. It also sets up some expectations: you *will* review this material in detail during class, so it isn't essential to study the material in complete detail (and if you do, don't whine when you hear it again ); but if this is the first time you're being exposed to it, the speed with which this material is covered may leave you dazed or even confused -- so make sure this is *not* the first time you're being exposed to it. Sounds like a reasonable compromise to me.

(An addition from after I took the updated class: the coverage of this basic theory is *significantly* streamlined. If you want the nitty-gritty including the math, you're only going to get it from the book. So if you want that level of detail, make sure you put some effort into the book -- it will not be wasted.)

At one point he mentions that this one e-mail is the distillation of 19 different e-mails in a previous class. This is a *substantial* improvement. There's no way around it: this e-mail covers a *LOT* of ground. But at least it does it in one comprehensive chunk. It'll take you some time to grok it all, but at least there's just one place to turn and not 19!

The second e-mail is labelled 2A, and is a quick addendum to #2: a plea to review all of the material in advance, including "the ScubaBoard thread". I would echo this: forewarned is forearmed. If you do not have a good understanding of what's going to be happening, you will very likely *not* be able to keep up without being overwhelmed.

Email #3 is a review of the 'swag bag' materials that are included with the class. This includes a great deal of small but valuable components that can be expensive to buy (because of minimum quantity issues) or annoying to find, but make a big difference in the class. In addition, there is a selection of components that can be added-on for an additional cost: mostly items that are cheaper from non-public distributors (like Trident) or are alternatives to the "right" tool that, with some modifications, can work well for our use. This e-mail came 9 days after the lengthy e-mail above and about 2 weeks before the start of class, so hopefully people have digested the initial information and are ready to pull the trigger on their specific tool needs. At this point, it's time pull this together -- and given shipping delays and supply chain issues, 16 days before class start is none too early... But don't order everything before you review this e-mail: you may wish to use these items insetad.

E-mail #4 is effectively a reminder: a review of the 'swag bag' supplies and the add-on items available (which could conveniently be shipped together!), and a couple of tips on preparing for the class.

For this class, there was an additional e-mail (#5) covering cleaning in great detail, including supplies and process, with all kinds of tips and suggestions. I'm not sure where this will come into the preparation for future classes, but you'll want to make sure you're ready: this will certainly take a *lot* of pressure off of the Friday session (and later that evening as well!), and will give everyone plenty of time to be prepared for a productive Friday.

For me, on the Sunday 5 days before class starts, I've made my final preparations for the class. I've prepared my workspace, I've pulled all my tools and supplies together and I've got all my cleaning supplies ready. At this point, I'll use these last few days to review Regulator Savvy and the service manuals for my regs.


"Comms Check"

Leading up to the first session, there are a few opportunities to connect to the Zoom session and do a quick check to make sure that there won't be any forseeable technical issues. During this, I got my first glance at the new Zoom setup. @rsingler has put a noticeable amount of effort into making the Zoom experience better. In the first class, there were the to-be-expected technical glitches in switching camera views, having a camera feed and the presentation or schmatic visible at the same time and other typical Zoom rough edges.

The improvements here were highly noticeable -- and really valuable. Switching cameras, multiple cameras on-screen simultaneously, even schmatics and presentation material with one or two cameras on-screen at the same time was all smooth and easy. I hadn't thought of my previous experience as being poor -- in fact, I thought it was above average, especially with the use of multiple camera angles and even a microscope. After all, I think we all have come to understand and accept the limitations of Zoom at this point. But this experience was greatly improved, and made for a much more effective and enjoyable experience.


On to Post #2!

 

[tmassey]

Friday Night

This session was added after my original class, so this format was new. The purpose is to allow students to disassemble and clean their regs that evening. Cleaning can take awhile, and there just isn't time for that over the weekend, so by starting Friday evening you can take that time. However, you're much more likely to break things *disassembling* your regs than assembling them. So, this session gives you the basics you need to know to keep your devices safe.

The first hour of the session was spent with describing a basic workbench setup and how-to tips and tricks for dealing with difficult situations: separating parts that are frozen from corrosion or grit; different picks and how to use them; especially important or sensitive areas to be aware of; and other such items. At that point, students were asked where they were in disassembling their regs. I would assume *nowhere*, seeing as they weren't told to start... But hopefully they then started at that point.

However, as in my first class, instruction did *not* end at at that point. There was a bit of a pause, but as students ran into issues and asked questions, there was a *great* deal of information provided at these points. This then led into a great deal of *other* material, all while I imagine students were still disassembling their regs. This included a review of manometers and their usage -- and inexpensive yet effective substitutes.

Remember my warning at the top: I can't speak to how a new student might handle this flow of information while they should be disassembling their regulators. The pace *seemed* a little more relaxed, but the need for real multitasking is still there. Be prepared.

One other note: the Friday session was scheduled for 2 hours, and lasted 2.5 hours. For me, it took 3 hours from the start of disassembly to the end of cleaning -- and I've done these exact model of regs before. (But I'm pretty slow when I'm working on regs.) If you choose to wait until all of the material is complete before you start the process, budget at least that much time after the session to complete the process. The advantage of this is you will be able to focus fully on learning, and then focus fully on disassembly and cleaning. The disadvantage is if you get stuck or have questions, you might just be on your own.


Saturday Morning

Saturday morning starts with the dreaded theory discussion. I say dreaded because @rsingler likes to make a big deal about it -- I suspect in the vein of 'it wasn't nearly as bad as you made it seem!' For this class, the theory seemed noticeably streamlined and reduced. This was a *significant* improvement.

The obvious change: *much* less detailed theoretical discussions. For my first class, it seemed we went blow-by-blow through Regulator Savvy, including the detailed numerical analysis. For this one, the key concepts are well-covered as well as certain crucial details and examples, but much of the detailed mathematics are either briefly mentioned or simply hand-waved. This is *NOT* a detriment: all of the math you ever wanted but were too afraid to ask is all still in the book. I'm *certain* that if you have a question with the math @rsingler will *happily* address the minutiae; but unless you are *truly* a scuba regulator designer, the exact math doesn't actually matter. What *does* matter is a strong understanding of the concepts and an awareness of key details that make a subtle but noticeable difference, and the class covers those well.

In addition, the theory is spaced out with the practical reg work. Instead of covering every aspect of each group of a variety of first and second stage operations, this was broken up: first cover what is vital to know for first stage function, then let's go assemble our first stages!

Assembling the regulators was a bit different this time. There was not an attempt at getting everyone to assemble their regulators at the same time step-by-step; rather, we were expected to start assembling while @rsingler walked through the process offering out a variety of tips and techniques. Once again, this requires more multitasking in order to get this done. However, the pressure of trying to follow along and keep up with each step (and of a reg that isn't even the one you're doing!) is removed. The pace seemed more relaxed, with a bit more space and opportunities to refer to your own service manual.

Or, remember my warning: maybe I'm just a little bit more experienced so things were easier!


Saturday Afternoon

This followed a similar pattern: a bit more theory, then lots of narrated demo. It feels like the afternoon covered more practical ground than the morning. In the morning, the theory covers a lot of basic concepts relevant to first and second stages, then moves into more first-stage-specific material. Because the basics are already covered, the afternoon needs less theory. That means that we covered not only second stage theory, but also some other unrelated practical details such as QR (BCD/Air2) and HP hoses. (Yes, those hoses need to be serviced. No, it's not just the o-ring on the first stage side...)

Only one real issue for me in the afternoon: knowing what I should be doing. I was following along by watching the practical demo, when something was said that made it seem likely that I was supposed to have my second stage assembled. This was *different* from my class: we did second stages on Sunday, and I assumed this class would be similar. So I asked, and the answer was yes: it was expected that my second stage would be assembled before start of tomorrow. So I had to get my skates on and get moving.

This forced me to be in a familiar spot: multitasking. I had to divide my attention between my service manual and what was going on with the class. That meant that I was only half paying attention to the instruction. For me, balanced seconds are my area of least experience; I could tell the difference in my capacity to follow along this time compared to the morning.

As it was, we ended up wrapping up earlier than I expected: 7PM Eastern? I would have had plenty of time to assemble my second after the session ended, instead of having to multitask. (Last time, I don't think we finished before 9:30PM). So, there are some details of Atomic second stages that I know I missed... I will definitely review this post-class to make sure I get those details!

So it was a surprisingly smooth and short day. But when you take this class, don't make the same mistake I did: make sure you understand when you should be working on your own equipment. And ask about timing for the day: things may wrap up early enough that you can keep your focus on the instruction and work on your equipment afterward.


Sunday

Why not "Sunday Morning"? Because we finished by noon PST! The majority of Sunday was devoted to unbalanced second stages and oddities of the regulator world. This day was darn near chill: there's a bit of theory discussion, but there's almost no basic principles that need to be added. The majority of the time is spent on how to get around *missing* features, not new features to understand!

In addition, there isn't much to discuss about changes in the class format or delivery that wasn't already covered above. Because my regs were complete, there was no need for multitasking: just sitting back and absorbing. It was, frankly, how I wish the rest of the class was...

And even though all of the material covered here was covered in my first class, I understood much of the material much better this time, and was able to extrapolate some of the lessons taught into experiences I've had. Of course, having heard this material before means that I was better able to absorb further details; but it's also a *lot* easier to absorb those lessons when you're not absolutely exhausted (and somewhat on tilt) from the previous material.


Of *course* there's a Page 3...

 

[tmassey]

Takeaways

So, now that I'm done with the class, how has my opinion changed?

There is no doubt that this class is greatly improved. You see it in the initial e-mail communication and preparation, the technical video improvements, the reordering of the modules, and the sharpening and streamlining of the material: nearly every aspect of this class is much more effective. The area that has benefited from this reworking the most is obviously the theory portion. Even if you're someone who read and understood the source material in advance, the in-class review did not feel like simply a rehash of that same material. Concepts certainly were reviewed -- as they should be, to make sure everyone is up to speed. But it didn't feel at all like trying to re-teach these concepts from scratch, and they were also expanded on with specific information, examples and illustrations that went beyond the source material.

A special mention for the improved Zoom technology. Having multiple camera views simultaneously was a *real* improvement, and the near-elimination of technical issues really helped to keep things moving. I think this was the first class with these improvements, and I got the idea that @rsingler was still getting used to it; but it was *well* worth the effort.

The practical disassembly and assembly portions were also improved. There was no longer an attempt to walk a dozen students with a dozen different regulators step-by-step through the process simultaneously. This eliminated a noticeable source of confusion for me in the original class. However, there is still a constant stream of valuable information being given throughout the entire time when you might be working on your equipment, so you're going to have to divide your attention -- and you *will* miss things. I don't think it's possible for @rsingler to *not* give you valuable information if he's there, and it's his class, so it's going to happen that way. You are going to have to just make peace with it. At least the confusion and disconnect between what he's doing, what others are doing and what *you're* doing is much less. But there's always the risk that you'll either push ahead before he gives you that key warning about something tricky, or that you won't be paying enough attention to catch it. Be careful.

An aside to keep in mind: if you're going to do anything where you might drag the tip of a pick across anything, but *especially* a piece of brass inside your regulator: STOP. DO NOT do that. That include trying to dislodge *anything* with a pick where the tip might be even remotely pointed toward, well, anything. At least *ask* before you do. There is definitely a technique that will let you avoid doing that. If you keep that in mind, there aren't too many other ways that you're going to permanently damage something. And that should keep the risk of missing something to an inconvenience, not a catastrophe.

But a discussion of the individual elements of this class really overlooks the most enjoyable part of this class: watching a master at work. Not only is @rsingler's skill on display, but so is his passion for the work, and for the opportunity to share his work with an interested audience. From the detail that he puts into each communication, his eagerness to address students' questions and the effort he puts into making sure that each and every student has the tools and supplies they need to service not just their current reg, but a huge variety of different regs -- and without spending a fortune on proprietary tools.

Since I took this class the first time, I had the misfortune of taking a typical SCUBA class taught by a typical "instructor". The person was a talented diver, but near-useless as a teacher. In fact, there was almost *no* instruction: it was merely 'go do that', and if it were done poorly, little more was done other than just making the student do it again. No tips, no techniques, just drill and evaluate.

It reminded me just how rare it is to find a person who is both skilled at a task *and* able to effectively help others to learn that task. That is not the case with this class. The only way you won't learn something is if you keep the audio on mute... And it will be real-world lessons learned from deep experience.

Even with the improvements and streamlining, I think that some of the difficulties of this class are still here. There will be no real time for you to relax and breathe. You will be working on your regulators while the instruction is happening. It's @rsingler's class, and he can structure it how he wants, and I think it's clear that this element will remain. So be it. If you've never opened a regulator before, or even haven't worked with a particular style before, it's going to be overwhelming. You are going to miss things. Make peace with it.

I still bemoan the lack of written materials. I've actually put a fair amount of work into creating my own written materials to encapsulate as much of this information as I can. Not the theory: Regulator Savvy has that down. But the tips and techniques: 'Use a dowel here, not a pick.' 'Don't forget to press down this lever before you move that screw.' 'Make sure this part locks into that part, or you could literally die when they come apart underwater.' It's way too easy to forget those details, and there's nothing to refer back to if they're not written down.

I think this is one area where @rsingler's experience works against his ability to understand this audience. *He* doesn't need these things written down. Not only has he gained many of these tips from hard-knock experience, but he does each task regularly enough that the lessons stay fresh. For us shade-tree technicians, we just don't have the opportunity to do these tasks enough to develop that muscle memory *or* to keep those lessons fresh in our mind. For @rsingler, additional written material would merely get in the way of identifying the few specific technical details he needs. For the rest of us, it's the only resource we will have to help fill in for our lack of experience.

Or maybe I'm just slow and nervous. Or maybe it's all of the above!

After my first class, I thought that the class was incredibly valuable, but a student needed to be well aware of what he was getting into: not everyone was going to be able to benefit from this class. I still think this; but I will say that the number of people for whom this class would be beneficial is now noticeably wider. The extra day gives a bit more space and time. The improved technology makes the flow much smoother and effective. And the streamlined theory is a lot less overwhelming. It's still drinking from a hose, but maybe it's a garden hose instead of a fire hose!

If you were on the fence because of the intensity and pace of the class, hopefully this might put you more at ease. If you were on the fence because you weren't sure if it was worth it, that you wouldn't learn enough, or that seeing as you only need to service one specific reg you don't need all that extra information... Well, you're wrong! There's very little information that doesn't help you as both a technician and a diver. Not only will you understand the nuts and bolts of regulator service, you'll understand the *why* of each element of your reg -- and all the other types of regs. It'll help you to make sure that your regs are working as well as possible, fix them when something goes wrong -- like in the middle of a dive trip -- and might help you to understand why that newest and fanciest reg might not be any different than the one you already have -- or maybe help you to explain to a significant other just why that new and fancy reg will actually make a difference this time.


One last page, with a possibly unpopular alternative suggestion.

 

[tmassey]

Alternative Option?

Here's an unpopular opinion: I think this class should be done twice. Like literally, I think you should plan on going through this class twice. The first time, if you want to physically work on things, great -- but don't make it your *actual* diving regulators. It's usually possible to get an older version of modern regs that are 90% similar to the latest generation yet at a fraction of the cost (especially when they don't have to be in pristine diving condition). Invest an extra $100 or so and get yourself a set of regs from eBay that you don't really care about, and maybe not even get a new service kit for them. Just take them apart and put them back together using the same parts. That way, you won't care as much about the actual results. It's just a dry run.

Then, you can "re-take" the class and do your *actual* regs. For me, that has meant actually re-taking the class, but this time both relaxed enough and aware enough to be able to (mostly) balance the instruction while also working on my regulator, without missing a critical step or tip. However, it seems that @rsingler has changed his thoughts regarding recordings of the class. So in the future, this may mean being able to review a recording! This, to me, is perfect: you can *pause* the instruction while you actually do things! You can listen ahead to make sure you're not getting ahead, and rewind in case you missed something.

The only downside: you aren't going to be able to ask questions if an issue comes up. That's the only reason why I would say it would make sense to have a set of regs to actually work on during the class. But to me, that's a relatively small downside. During the class, there are surprisingly few questions regarding disassembly or assembly -- not the least because just about every tricky spot or gotcha is covered in detail before anyone has to ask, and more than a few of the questions that were asked simply anticipated something that was going to be covered a minute or two later!

However, if you're committed to doing your actual regs during the class, the new class structure makes this more attainable. Even so, you're going to be hard pressed to do so without missing a lot of the instruction. You might be able to minimize this if you compromise a bit: make sure both your first and second stages are disassembled and cleaned Friday night; assemble your first stage during Saturday lunch; and assemble your second stage Saturday night. That would probably give you the best opportunity to absorb all of the material, as well as completing your hands-on portion with an opportunity to get some advice during the class, if not actually while you're doing it.


Thank you very much for your attention through this tome. I hope it encourages you to consider the class and gives you the best opportunity for success.

 

[p_kos]

Wow, nice detailed write up! I will definitely take your lead and sit in on a second class in the future. This class was amazing but I feel like I need a second go at it to absorb it all and pay more attention rather than trying to wrestle with my regs while listening and watching at the same time. I missed a lot of the diaphragm stuff while focusing on a more complex piston reg so I might tackle a diaphragm next time around.

 

[lowwall]

Same here. As another member of class #1, I feel like I would benefit from sitting in on the class again.

Reviewing a recording of the class would probably be an even better option. Not only would it be far easier to fit into my schedule, the ability to hit pause while I work on a step would be a godsend.

 

[whaylonsmithers]

Thanks for the follow up @tmassey . In your first review you had some recommendations for camera gear at the learner end. Have you had any new thoughts on that? To calibrate me, I've never used zoom or used an external camera on a computer, but I figure it can't be that hard.

 

[tmassey]

Thanks for the follow up @tmassey . In your first review you had some recommendations for camera gear at the learner end. Have you had any new thoughts on that? To calibrate me, I've never used zoom or used an external camera on a computer, but I figure it can't be that hard.

I dont think that has changed much. The improvements @rsingler has put in place put less demands on the student: the initial class pretty much required a non-mobile device in order to allow the student to manage which camera or screen share was visible, and mobile did not give you the control you needed. With the upgraded video management, he can control this to a much greater degree, which makes using a large mobile device (full-size tablet, *not* a phone) more practical. But that wasnt the real problem.

The real problem is trying to show the *student’s* environment — your space. A cell phone works pretty well for this, so the best thing is to have both a full size device and a phone size device connected in advance. You don’t need a microscope or anything: phone cameras are plenty good, An external camera on a PC will work, but will put a greater load on you technically (Zoom doesn’t always make this easy) and won’t allow you to use both cameras at the same time. Most PC external cameras aren’t going to focus on something a few inches away, and (good) phone cameras do. I’d go with a phone on its own connection.

But either way, what you *do* need is a way to hold that camera. You will really want a way to hold the phone without your hands, and ideally *above* your workspace. I don’t see that this being any different, either in the more recent class, or in any future one.