Well Pardon Me - the USD 1085 appreciation

[Open Ocean Diver]

I would beg to disagree, if you do not mind sir, with that thread, The Grail" as that sissy Scubapro109 is the new kid on the block and hardly plays in my league!



You know my name by the scars I wear from the battles I have fought. I am a rock, I Am What I Am:



And I was here long before the 109 and will be here long after it's soft purge cover crumbles to dust!

Those two are mine. The Calypso/Conshelf series goes way back. My Calypso J I bought in 1966. My Conshelf XIV 1085XX that was found when a dive shope closed up. The display cabinet was moved and from behind it fell a NIB Conshelf XIV in the box! It and a mint mate are my last remaining of the kind as I have given away to deserving young divers (and sold a few too) all the others .

Some things are forever.

James

I have a NOS Calypso J but it looks like your Conshelf. Any idea what year they made them like that?

 

[Nemrod]

@Open Ocean Diver, most catalogs are on the VDH site. Probably around 1973.

USD named their regulator models by the first stage. All models shared the same ubiquitous 1085XX second stage until the advent of the SE and the other polymer newcomers. So a Calypso 1085XX second stage save for the purge button decal was the same unit as the Conshelf fitted 1085XX. The 1085XX is the part number in the PL for the entire second stage assembly. More or less like that.

This from 73:

 

[Open Ocean Diver]

@Open Ocean Diver, most catalogs are on the VDH site. Probably around 1973 sine I think that is the year the 1085XX came out.

USD named their regulator models by the first stage. All models shared the same ubiquitous 1085XX second stage until the advent of the SE and the other polymer newcomers. So a Calypso 1085XX second stage save for the purge button decal was the same unit as the Conshelf fitted 1085XX. The 1085XX is the part number in the PL for the entire second stage assembly. More or less like that.

This from 73:

interesting I had no idea. Thanks

 

[Geo7]

Awesome thread, and gorgeous regs!

 

[Pressurehead]

some spare parts I found .
More in one of my bits and pieces box.

 

[lowwall]

That looks so much like the Mares Abyss except for the lack of the bypass tube on the Conshelf. This is the Abyss 2000 (aka Turbo) (courtesy of forobuceo).

In 2008, they added a port opposite the valve port to make it easier to adjust the lever height. I see the XIV has it too.

 

[Geo7]

The Abyss does something very clever btw: The expanding air is not flowing over the moving parts, so the Joule-Thopson effect creates the temperature drop elsewhere, and the lever mechanism does not freeze. Because of such separation of air flow and moving parts, it seems the Jetstream/Xstream and the Mares Abyss are the only regs that currently meet the most stringent US Navy cold water reg tests (unless more have been added by now, and the Sherwood Blizzard also did exceptionally well for antarctic scientific divers, but is not on the Navy list). I also found my Buddy's Abyss on par with my Atomic when I swapped back and forth at 60 feet.

 

[lowwall]

The Abyss does something very clever btw: The expanding air is not flowing over the moving parts, so the Joule-Thopson effect creates the temperature drop elsewhere, and the lever mechanism does not freeze. Because of such separation of air flow and moving parts, it seems the Jetstream/Xstream and the Mares Abyss are the only regs that currently meet the most stringent US Navy cold water reg tests (unless more have been added by now, and the Sherwood Blizzard also did exceptionally well for antarctic scientific divers, but is not on the Navy list). I also found my Buddy's Abyss on par with my Atomic when I swapped back and forth at 60 feet.

The Blizzard and Maximus were eventually tested by NEDU but did not make it through their very difficult icing test of an RMV of 62.5 L/minute at 29°F/-1.7°C.

 

[Nemrod]

That looks so much like the Mares Abyss except for the lack of the bypass tube on the Conshelf. This is the Abyss 2000 (aka Turbo) (courtesy of forobuceo).

In 2008, they added a port opposite the valve port to make it easier to adjust the lever height. I see the XIV has it too.

The Voit MR12/Mares Abyss as you mention use an external vortex assist tube that was very effective. The 1085XX uses an internal fixed vane that was equally effective in performance and shielding the lever workings, perhaps more so. But, the 1085 never had an adjustable volcano orifice, it is fixed.



The 1085 came to have the adjustment port in the Conshelf 14 series. I do not think any Conshelf XIV combo had the adjustment port. The adjustment port is nice to have but if choosing between two examples I would go with the one with better chrome, adjustment port aside.

There were at least four generations of the 1085, not meant to be detailed, exact or all inclusive. If somebody can put exact dates or other details then please do, I am too lazy. These are post Calypso model with the integral diaphragm and exhaust valve and the integrated wing exhaust that was used for the world record depth dive.

1. Circa 1964 (?) until 1968 --- two screw tee with small exhaust valve, two vent purge cover.
2. Circa 1969 until 1972 --- two screw tee with intermediate exhaust valve, transitional from two vent cover to the "modern" vented periphery.
3. Circa 1973 through the Conshelf XIV combo --- large 30mm exhaust valve in a plenum bell, plastic slip over exhaust tee.
4. Beginning with the Conshelf 14 combo to present (military/commercial) --- lever adjustment port added. Huge, modern style "swept" slip on exhaust tee.

From about 1970 until 1980 I often hung out at dive stores enough they eventually began paying me as a part time employee . And I remember a letter vaguely suggesting that the 1085 with the small exhaust valves and screw-on tee should be retired due to high WOB from the restrictive exhaust valve/port. I am not sure? It was discovered I was good at fixing things so I often got stuck repairing regulators and I looked at the bulletins. Here are two examples with the screw on tee and note the two different diameter exhaust port stampings despite both using the screw-on tee without an exhaust plenum:



James

 

[James79]

The Voit MR12/Mares Abyss as you mention use an external vortex assist tube that was very effective. The 1085XX uses an internal fixed vane that was equally effective in performance and shielding the lever workings, perhaps more so. But, the 1085 never had an adjustable volcano orifice, it is fixed.



The 1085 came to have the adjustment port in the Conshelf 14 series. I do not think any Conshelf XIV combo had the adjustment port. The adjustment port is nice to have but if choosing between two examples I would go with the one with better chrome, adjustment port aside.

There were at least four generations of the 1085, not meant to be detailed, exact or all inclusive. If somebody can put exact dates or other details then please do, I am too lazy. These are post Calypso model with the integral diaphragm and exhaust valve and the integrated wing exhaust that was used for the world record depth dive.

1. Circa 1964 (?) until 1968 --- two screw tee with small exhaust valve, two vent purge cover.
2. Circa 1969 until 1972 --- two screw tee with intermediate exhaust valve, transitional from two vent cover to the "modern" vented periphery.
3. Circa 1973 through the Conshelf XIV combo --- large 30mm exhaust valve in a plenum bell, plastic slip over exhaust tee.
4. Beginning with the Conshelf 14 combo to present (military/commercial) --- lever adjustment port added. Huge, modern style "swept" slip on exhaust tee.

From about 1970 until 1980 I often hung out at dive stores enough they eventually began paying me as a part time employee . And I remember a letter vaguely suggesting that the 1085 with the small exhaust valves and screw-on tee should be retired due to high WOB from the restrictive exhaust valve/port. I am not sure? It was discovered I was good at fixing things so I often got stuck repairing regulators and I looked at the bulletins. Here are two examples with the screw on tee and note the two different diameter exhaust port stampings despite both using the screw-on tee without an exhaust plenum:



James

I actually tinkered with an adjustable orifice for the 1085's (a friend machined a new inlet fitting and I used an orifice from the SP 108HP).... what I found is that all my 1085s breathe well enough without it that the juice isn't worth the squeeze. I did, however, start making new screw-on exhaust T's in three widths (narrow is similar to the early Conshelf VI, medium is similar to the ones you posted above, and wide is a very wide swept design).

Respectfully,

James