Wet suit heating system prototype with modular design (photos included)

[Richard Dayan]

This is a full scale and functional form of a new type of design construction. I have not settled the specifications for the final version yet and there will be changes in the final design. This version has a variable temperature controller, a 95-actual watt max output heating element with 6mm insulation and internal heat sink. It is also designed to be combined and be compatible with a chemical heat pack to augment the heat and increase battery life, if necessary. In tropical water 77-79 it can get hotter than a human can handle, the extra power would be for colder water. The coldest water I tested in so far was 70 degrees with a 4/3 wetsuit without the chemical pack, it handled it just fine I felt like I was sitting in my living room with 70 watts. The highest setting, I used so far was 70 watts with the 4/3 and chemical pack in 77-degree water and it felt like I was sitting in a jacuzzi. I've used it for more than 100 dives of 1 hour duration and took it to a maximum dept of 150ft, I am still in the process of testing and development.


Future upgrades will be posted here, if you have any questions about it, please feel free to ask.

Thank you for your time.

 

[Gone for diving]

I guess you shove in pads as you get dressed?

 

[Richard Dayan]

It only uses 1 pad, which is placed on top of a 1 or 2mm hooded/unhooded vest and sits on your chest in the wet suit. The wire comes out of the neck seal. and goes to the heat controller sitting on the chest area in this design. The 4 pads in the picture are different wattages and or different heat sink sizes for fine tuning the design of the heating element, but only one is used at a time. It is also possible to sandwich a chemical heat pad on top of the electric pad and yes, it is all done as you get dressed it only takes 2 minutes extra time and the pad fits most sizes of people. Once it is on it is nonrestrictive, and you can barely feel it at all. The heat system can also be used on the surface interval, if necessary, with a smaller battery and mini non- diving heat controller, so you don't need to take off your wet wetsuit during the interval even in cold windy temperatures, you will be immune to any cold above or below the water.

 

[Richard Dayan]

This is me, with the system on. In this photo I am wearing an Oniel heat XLS 4/3 back zip with electric pad and chemical heat pack, you can see the electric cable by my neck. The chemical heat pack makes my stomach area look like I am fatter than I really am. The battery and controller are still on my BCD waiting to be used again on the second dive. The heat pad is detachable from the controller and battery. The chemical heat pack can be reheated by the electric heat pad for the second dive so there is no need to take it out, a chemical heat pack can last 30 minutes on its own but if I keep it warm with the electric pad it acts like a huge heat sink absorbing the heat of the electric pad and feels hot and even stays hot with the power off. I use it for around 130-140 minutes a day in and under water and I am as warm as I like with variable control the whole time. The lionfish are from 120 ft below btw.

 

[Tournesol2000]

That looks interesting. I would have thought you would need to heat hands body arms and legs. … I am a warm water diver, so I gave no clue.
Looking forward to hearing more on this. It may make me want to dive in the cold lakes up here.

 

[Richard Dayan]

The heater can be used in 2 ways depending on the user preference. First is by the heater itself radiating heat in a fairly watertight wet suit directly into the body or by flooding the suit and heating the water inside the suit surrounding your body with heated water or a combination of both. Heating the chest area over the heart and lungs warmed up my whole body. The electric pad is capable of getting to 150 degrees F on land (95 watt) there is no temperature regulating thermostat like in other heated gear, the heat keeps going, I must control the temperature with the controller, it is possible to overheat (second degree burn, heat stroke,ect) a diver if they are not trained to use the controller and know how to disconnect the battery in an emergency situation. Thats why I only used it at 70 watt which was 130 F on land a little hotter than a chemical heat pack. If you use the system in cold water a thicker wet suit would be recommended. A lot of testing in cold water still needs to be done but I am confident to say it can handle any water temperature with the appropriate wet suit while eliminating the deficiencies inherent to wet suits and increasing comfort to dry suit levels.

 

[Gone for diving]

What are you using for plugs?
Look like deutch connectors....

 

[Richard Dayan]

Yes, you are very smart and correct!

I use 2 types of connectors E/O cord 16 AWG (15 amp), and Deutch DTP series, also called power series14 AWG or 12 AWG (25amp). The Deutch connectors are hand built and internally sealed by me, they use the same solid, gold plated pins and sockets as the E/O cord. They are fantastic connectors and cost 1/10 the price of the E/O approximately $12.50 for a connector and blind plug vs $111.00 for E/O connector and blind plug. They are just as waterproof as E/O if you build it correctly, easier to use, and more durable without exposed pins to bend. The only 2 issues are first that I must build them myself (time is money) and second, I have not tested if they are underwater unpluggable at depth yet, I will test that when I get a chance. I use 2 different cables with the DTP, 12 AWG Blue robotics ROV power cable which cost $5 per foot or standard 14 AWG. All the components of the prototype, I built from scratch including the 3 different variable temp heat controllers and the 12.8v Lifepo4 battery which is potted in a flexible, thermally conductive and fire-retardant epoxy ($100 for that epoxy), it has 4 times the life span of lithium ion and it never needs to grease O-rings, similar design as Venture heat and Thermulation batteries at least in that aspect. The battery weighs 8 lbs. and sits in the left BCD pocket during use with 8 lbs. lead counterweight in the opposite pocket, reducing the need for additional weights for the weight belt. The goal of this design is luxury diving, elimination of cold and elimination of the weight belt, 2 things that I find annoying and uncomfortable. Also, it has to be reliable and easy to use, set up and transport.

 

[Richard Dayan]

I use 16 AWG on the coiled versions

 

[Gone for diving]

I know the DT connectors well, used on off road equipment alot.

Any reason why you didn't use a DT
70watts will be fine at 12v.

I see the DTP has a recessed seal....
Any problems with that seal?

I assume you shoot the backside of the connector with a glue of some kind and heat shrink it...

Didn't realize gold pins where available