Wisdom Computers and new Rule of Halves

[cjbikes]

WVE...

I could not agree with you more, however for that to come about, the new NAUI specs for safety stops must be adhered to by all computer manufacturers, or else it'll be akind to something like VHS or Beta???

Once all these computer companies and the likes of the major certifying agencies coming to terms with one agreed upon set of safety stop recommendations, all that would be needed would be a "patch", downloadable from the repective computer manufacturer to adjust our "old" computers to the new recommendations, as you mentioned WVE..."running average depth" would be great, and the computer would then start off the auto countdown of 3 minutes at that depth.

However, after all is said and done, keep in mind that "safety" comes down to one individual, and that individual is the "me, myself and I" who's actually diving.

All these gadgets that we use nowadays, it seems that some of us look like christmas trees while diving...anyhow, all these newfound gadgets, as Rick said "ain't worth a hill of beans" in the wrong hands, or for that matter, in the wrong state of mind.

Take care,

CJ

 

[Sherwood SCUBA rep.]

Hi folks,

I have been monitoring this forum for a couple of weeks now. Here is what Sherwood Scuba is doing at this time. The engineers are considering adding a new safety stop at half the depth of the dive. It has not been decided yet whether or not it will be incorporated into the next release, but it is under consideration.

I have taken notes on the louder alarms and avg. depth and will forward these onto the engineers as well. I cannot promise anything but I will present it to them.

Thanks,
Sherwood Scuba Rep.

 

[wve]

CJ,

I agree that giving users the ability to customize their dive computers is a two-edged sword.

The Wisdom allows users to turn certain warnings on/off, and it allows one to customize certain settings such as turn pressure alert, end-dive pressure, remaining air time alert, etc.

Personally, I like having lots of alarms. I configured my Wisdom conservatively to let me know BEFORE I reach limits. For example, I have my maximum depth alarm set at 100 ft. Now, I should not need an alarm to let me know that I am deep, and I know I can go deeper than 100 ft if I want to. But this serves as a reminder just in case I am distracted at the moment.

Having even more control and more information during a dive can be nice, but I will grant that too many options and alerts could also be quite confusing to a novice. Too much customization could also become problematic for an experienced diver if he forgot to check certain settings to be sure they are correct for the planned profile.

The manufacturers have a formidable task. They must make the device easy to use, safe, and reliable. They also have to sell enough computers to stay in business, which means they must try to appeal to users who simply want the basics, yet also try to appeal to those who want or need something more sophisticated.

IMHO, Sherwood has done a nice job with the Wisdom. It is very simple and intuitive to read while diving. It is conservative, but not overly so.

But in case a Sherwood rep checks this thread on this forum, I'd like him or her to note that a nice feature to incorporate to the next modification would be the option to view "average depth" along with maximum depth. And if it cannot be accessed during a dive, it would be nice to have the average depth info readable in the Dive Log screens so that we don't have to wait until we get back home to a computer to find out that important piece of data.

Sorry, Sherwood rep posted his reply before I finished this post. Hope he sees this one, too.

 

[wve]

Hi folks,

I have been monitoring this forum for a couple of weeks now. Here is what Sherwood Scuba is doing at this time. The engineers are considering adding a new safety stop at half the depth of the dive. It has not been decided yet whether or not it will be incorporated into the next release, but it is under consideration.

I have taken notes on the louder alarms and avg. depth and will forward these onto the engineers as well. I cannot promise anything but I will present it to them.

Thanks,
Sherwood Scuba Rep.

Thanks!

Seems that the safety stop at half the maximum depth should be an option to turn off/on. Until the NAUI standard is adopted by everyone, it could be confusing, especially to newer divers. If, for example, they make a dive to 90 ft and then gradually ascend for the rest of their dive, they may wonder why their computer is telling them to make a stop at 45 ft. Or they may confuse it with a DECO stop, thinking they somehow crossed a boundary.

I don't know that the alarms need to be louder, though I have trouble hearing mine with a 7mm hood on. Maybe the tone just needs to be a little longer or variable pitch or something that better gets your attention.

And for those of us who just bought more than one Wisdom 2, it would be nice if these changes could be downloaded and installed and not have to shell out for a Wisdom 3...

 

[FritzCat66]

The engineers are considering adding a new safety stop at half the depth of the dive. It has not been decided yet whether or not it will be incorporated into the next release, but it is under consideration.

I have taken notes on the louder alarms and avg. depth and will forward these onto the engineers as well. I cannot promise anything but I will present it to them.

Yup - That's all we're asking, is to let the engineers know and hopefully give us an update, or if not then at least incorporate these functions into the next Wisdom:

• Optional implementation of NAUI half-depth safety stop timer
• Displayable running average depth (perhaps on an alt screen)
• Louder alarms

Those features would make my Wisdom nigh on perfect for the way I dive. Well... those along with updated debugged desktop software!

>*< Fritz

 

[wve]

Well... those along with updated debugged desktop software!

Oh, yeah! Forgot that! The desktop software does need some of those pesky bugs removed!