First time subsurace usage surprises

Jef Driesen jefdriesen at telenet.be
Fri Aug 10 03:57:06 PDT 2012


On 2012-08-02 00:46, Linus Torvalds wrote:
> I'd love to like the Heinrichs Weikamp computers, but they don't do
> integrated air.
>
> There seems to be this crazy tech diver community that thinks 
> wireless
> air is a bad idea. They're wrong.

Although I'm not a tech diver, I can see why they don't need or want 
(wireless) air integration.

With multiple tanks and wireless sensors you have to remember which 
tank corresponds to each pressure sensor on your dive computer. A 
pressure gauge is hardwired to the tank, so there is always a visual 
indication in case of doubt. But with a wireless sensor there is no such 
indication, and thus it's easier to make mistakes.

I think a wireless sensor is also less reliable than a wired sensor. 
Wireless sensors have to be paired somehow with the dive computer to not 
pick up a wrong sensor, there can be interference, signal can be lost, 
etc. A wired sensor doesn't have any of these problems. Of course HP 
hoses can fail too (e.g. leaks), but that applies to wireless 
transmitters too (e.g. leaking o-rings).

For recreational divers, a problem with a malfunctioning sensor usually 
isn't such a huge problem. Without any mandatory decompression stops, 
you can basically abort the dive at any point and make a safe ascent. 
With long decompression stops things get more complex, and there is less 
margin for errors.

> Sure, you want to have a gauge for backup, but wireless air
> integration is still convenient while diving, and it's *required* for
> me after the dive for logging. I will never buy a computer that
> doesn't log my air use for that reason.

In the end, the choice for air integration or not, comes down to 
personal preference.

I prefer a wrist mounted dive computer because it allows me to look at 
my dive computer while my hands are occupied with other things (e.g. 
holding a camera, dive light, etc). Air integration is not an absolute 
must for me, but rather a nice to have feature, for exactly the same 
reason as you: logging of the pressure data for post-dive analysis.

> Sad. Because HW is so close in many other respects, and I love the
> open-source side of it.

It's indeed a great dive computer! I especially like:

  * OLED display: It's very easy to read, even from a distance (my 
buddies can easily read it too). No need to push any buttons to activate 
a backlight, or needing a dive light.
  * Piezoelectric buttons: Very easy to use, even with thick gloves.
  * Good battery life: I was (and still am) a bit skeptical about the 
new generations of dive computers with large power hungry screens. But 
the ostc does very well so far.
  * Basic, no-nonsense user interface
  * Wrist mounted with bungees
  * Active development: Firmware updates are released regularly, and HW 
actually listens to customer feedback!
  * Open source

Jef


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