Wireless/hoseless or hosed air integrated computer?

[Divin'Papaw]

How does AI help with a TTS calculation?

Also, with a reliable WAI setup, why keep the extra HP hose and all those O-rings (i.e. the SPG) attached to your first stage? That is a lot of extra places where you could develop a leak, for no apparent benefit.

if having the tank pressure during a dive was THAT important, tech divers would have redundant SPGs. Having something to tell you your tank pressure is important, but it's not THAT important. If your SPG were the only thing you had and it failed in some way during a dive, you'd just end the dive. I don't see a reason to treat WAI (that has proven itself reliable) any differently. At least WAI has no HP hose to rupture, no spool to blow out or leak, and several less other O-rings to blow out or leak.

An SPG for redundancy means a redundant pressure display and redundant places to have a failure that results in gas loss.

I'm all WAI all the time (except for deco or bailout bottles - those get a button gauge or real SPG, depending). 2 x Teric plus 1 x Perdix AI in case a Teric dies. That's for all my OC rec and tech diving. As soon as I am ready to perform a list of updates to my CCR, I'll be going WAI on that, too. Maybe this weekend...

I have enough transmitters now to have a backup on hand for any dive I do, plus I have a backup SPG in the bag, too. Never needed any of them yet.

The air integrated Perdix provides an up-to-the minute ESTIMATED TTS (time to surface) based upon your current depth and air consumption on that dive. It's a nice convenience but is only a convenience. Not a necessity nor do I bank on it. I track my air supply throughout the dive just like I always did before having an air integrated computer. But it is a nice modern convenience to have, in one display, my tank pressure, NDL, and TTS. Very helpful data to monitor through the course of the dive.

As to the "risk' of keeping a redundant SPG it's a simple trade-off really as is everything in diving. I currently view the potential risk of my wireless AI failing to be greater than my SPG, hose, or associated o-rings failing. It's as simple as that. At some point ... potentially soon ... I may ditch the SPG. As I said, my Perdix AI has been flawless since I bought it a year ago. I've also never had an SPG fail under water either. I have had the spool o-rings go and require replacement. I've also had an SPG hose develop a small leak at the coupling by the 1st stage and require replacement. Both of those were clearly evident when pressurizing my reg pre-dive. I've never had a leak develop mid-dive. It's possible I'm sure but it's never happened to me.

 

[Addicted2H2O]

You have a computer and a HP hose to worry about. I would call that 2 pieces of gear to worry about, whether you have a QD that lets you take them apart for storage or not. You maintain and replace them as 2 separate pieces of gear.

You have the HP hose and spool, with all the O-rings implied there to worry about. WAI has no hose, 1 battery, and only 2 O-rings (one in the 1st stage port and one in the battery compartment) to worry about.

Seems to me to be six of one half a dozen of the other.

Do you not connect your transmitter to a short hose off the first stage? I'd say that's a HP hose you have to worry about. Maybe still not as many points of failure as a hosed AI computer but still.

 

[scubadada]

Do you not connect your transmitter to a short hose off the first stage? I'd say that's a HP hose you have to worry about. Maybe still not as many points of failure as a hosed AI computer but still.

There are 2 other threads and polls on this topic Attaching AI transmitter to the 1st stage and AI transmitter damage when directly connected to 1st stage

Seems like many divers on SB do use a short hose to attach their transmitter to the 1st stage. It also appears that few divers who connect their transmitter directly to the 1st stage have experienced damage. I have connected my transmitter directly for 8 1/2 years, 1250 dives, so far, so good.

 

[Mantra]

Wireless on the wrist with SPG on the left hip.

My wife dives a wrist computer only. She nearly lost it a week ago when the strap broke mid dive. If that happened or if it just went boink during a dive it would really mess things up at the moment, midway through a dive trip. She’s thinking of getting a back up gauge too.

 

[Hoag]

You have a computer and a HP hose to worry about. I would call that 2 pieces of gear to worry about, whether you have a QD that lets you take them apart for storage or not. You maintain and replace them as 2 separate pieces of gear.

You have the HP hose and spool, with all the O-rings implied there to worry about. WAI has no hose, 1 battery, and only 2 O-rings (one in the 1st stage port and one in the battery compartment) to worry about.

Seems to me to be six of one half a dozen of the other.

I had a wireless AI Computer and it lasted one trip before I went back to a hosed unit. I got tired of trying to check my computer and seeing something to the effect of "Searching for connection. Standby" instead of the info that I was looking for. Not once have I ever had that problem with a hosed unit.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I had a wireless AI Computer and it lasted one trip before I went back to a hosed unit. I got tired of trying to check my computer and seeing something to the effect of "Searching for connection. Standby" instead of the info that I was looking for. Not once have I ever had that problem with a hosed unit.

Wireless air integrated computers are not all the same. I've never experienced this with mine nor have I heard of anyone having this type of issue with the Shearwater AI computers. The only time I ever see this is while on the boat after I've walked more than 10' or so from the transmitter.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

AI /Vyper and a backup SPG clipped to left D-ring

 

[Hoag]

Wireless air integrated computers are not all the same. I've never experienced this with mine nor have I heard of anyone having this type of issue with the Shearwater AI computers. The only time I ever see this is while on the boat after I've walked more than 10' or so from the transmitter.

That is great to hear. This happened to me several (10-15???) years ago. They could be much more reliable now. (It was an Oceanic computer but I honestly forget which model.)

 

[merlinscuba]

That is great to hear. This happened to me several (10-15???) years ago. They could be much more reliable now. (It was an Oceanic computer but I honestly forget which model.)

Lost comm was a problem with my SP UWATEC some years ago. But my Perdix AI is rock solid. No SPG for me.

 

[stuartv]

The air integrated Perdix provides an up-to-the minute ESTIMATED TTS (time to surface) based upon your current depth and air consumption on that dive.

So does a Perdix non-AI (and a Petrel and a Predator). AI has nothing to do with TTS. TTS is purely depth, ascent rate, and required stops. TTS will not tell you if you are going to run out of gas before you get to the surface.

Do you not connect your transmitter to a short hose off the first stage?

No. My AI transmitter attaches directly to the 1st stage on all my rigs. Haven't had a problem yet. But, for the brief time that I used an SPG, I did have a spool blow out an O-ring and start dumping gas. Fortunately, it was before I splashed AND I had an O-ring for the spool in my Box O'Spares. That was on an SPG (with hose) that I bought new and only had a few dives on it at that point.