Hi Ron,
Thankyou for raising some important questions about this unit that are worth addressing. I've considered the issues you pointed out and found a few workaround modifications to overcome them:
Quote: (Originally Posted by
RonMicjan)
also they had not provided a place for a 4th cell, but alluded they may be doing that. Are you or are you not? simple question.
I could probably install a 4th cell holder in a CL or some other part othe rig if I need to and if the the unit does not come with one.
Quote: (Originally Posted by
RonMicjan)
again, according to Colin, the backlight sucks juice and will significantly deplete the battery, I asked why it was set up so that you couldnt turn the BL on during the dive, he retorted with "dont you carry a dive torch?" Sorry that was a salesman talking around the poor design features and you, dave, are defending a poor design. Question, if this was something alien to you and not your best remembered design from the warm fuzzy past, would you be defending it quite so much? There should be a way to turn the BL on During a dive, not have to decide it Prior to the dive, that is just plain lazy design and stupid. How about a tap sensor? Colin said they didnt want any switches to pierce the hull of the PO2 meter, but then they put this silly hole in the back for calibration that REQUIRES the diver to break the seal into a unit that is NOT potted (I asked) every dive that either needs calibration, or you decide to change the state of the Backlight.
The KISS PO2 displays have also have switch inside them to turn the back light on or off when changing the battery, not something you do often. I agree that it is not the best design (for example, my PO2 meters use a magnet free mechanical switch that does not break the seal and allows the BL to be turned on or off underwater), but it is a minor issue really that teh KISS divers seem to accept and can probably be modified with a magnetic reed switch if it gets too annoying. The lack of potting for the electronics might be overcome if they are filled with parafin oil.
Quote: (Originally Posted by
RonMicjan)
this is however a bad thing for the oxygen side, with 200 bar on the manual inject valve, how much oxygen do you think is going to flow into the rig when one hits the button at depth....hmmm, Im dont have the flow rates or hose diameters, but Im going to hazzard a guess and say more than I would like, a lot more..
To overcome this I could try installing a high pressure snubber just upstream of the manual O2 injection valve.
Quote: (Originally Posted by
RonMicjan)
I have pointed out quite a few problems with this unit, I was the red headed stepchild in the crowd, Colin was not happy with the questions I asked and tried very hard to brush them off, rather than explain with logic and design principles, he weaved and dodged like Bill Clinton at an inquiry. I wasnt tryin to shoot this down, honest, but I tend to ask questions and when I dont get good answers, I tend to start digging deeper.
As much as manufactureres don't like it, I still think it is a good idea to ask the tough questions, if only to find things that can be improved upon. Furthermore, I have yet to find a commercial rebreather unit that has everthing I'm looking for in a rebreather. Howeverm I am willing to buy an off the shelf unit and if possible, modify it to be closer to what I want.
Cheers.
-Marek