Portable Blending Pannel

Lancer4545 · 23rd January 2008, 07:09

Hey Guys,

I was chatting with my instructor last week about making a portable blending pannel and stirred up my interest in making a unit of my own (thanks Matt)

What I want to do is mount everything inside a Storm Case with a row of quick disconnects for the whips so all that's needed is to open the lid, plug in the whips connect it up and go to work.

What I'd like to know is has anyone already made one and would like to share what they have done to make my job easier.

Looking forward to seeing what you've done.

Regards,

Lance

***Beanie*** · 23rd January 2008, 07:18

I'm sure I've heard of one but can't think where.
Shouldn't be too hard though.

Lancer4545 · 23rd January 2008, 07:47

Quote: (Originally Posted by Beanie)

I'm sure I've heard of one but can't think where.
Shouldn't be too hard though.

Thanks Beanie.

I am sure there are a few nice home made unit's out there and that it should be fairly straight forward to make.

It's always nice to see what others have done and get their thoughts on what works and what works really well.

Regards,

Lance

***Beanie*** · 23rd January 2008, 07:57

http://www.rebreatherworld.com/rebre...-for-sale.html

***EBT*** · 23rd January 2008, 08:05

I guess it depends on your definition of portable. When travelling I just use a simple whip with a guage on it....mind you, some of you guys love your shiny boxes

***Beanie*** · 23rd January 2008, 08:16

Quote: (Originally Posted by EBT)

I guess it depends on your definition of portable. When travelling I just use a simple whip with a guage on it....mind you, some of you guys love your shiny boxes

Might also have something to do with the parts are a lot cheaper on tother side of the pond

decoweenie · 23rd January 2008, 08:24

Quote: (Originally Posted by EBT)

I guess it depends on your definition of portable. When travelling I just use a simple whip with a guage on it....mind you, some of you guys love your shiny boxes

Nicos (@ Cyprus, forgot the company name) used to sell a very portable system, but he went out of business about 10 years ago.

As seen above, Paul Berry went overboard on his and stuck with $15,000 of parts when he closed his shop in NZ. Ian had an argument with him on TDS about the functionality of that set-up as well as the pricing...

Personally, I wanted to build one years ago, got all of the parts and have been carrying the component parts with me across 4 countries now. Each time I was about to start putting them together, I asked myself what additional returns I will get for my time over what I am using - whip with metering valve and digital gauge - and I never proceeded.

IMHO, a panel is worthwhile for a permanent set-up with lots of supply tanks as bank. But even with my set-up of 4 x O2 J's and 1 x He J tanks, it wasn't worth the effort.

As far as portable, a whip is a lot more portable and versatile. Just add some nice QC and you could change tanks very quickly.

**nigelh** · 23rd January 2008, 10:01

Quote: (Originally Posted by EBT)

I guess it depends on your definition of portable. When travelling I just use a simple whip with a guage on it....mind you, some of you guys love your shiny boxes

I can't see a case for seperate inputs and seperate valves if it's not all plumbed in. Without that a 'panel' rather vanishes.

I used to throw a couple of Js in the car plus the haskel but these days I've discovered I can do a week's diving whip filling from a pair of 7Ls so I can't be bothered to blend on the fly.

***EBT*** · 23rd January 2008, 10:38

Quote: (Originally Posted by Beanie)

http://www.rebreatherworld.com/rebre...-for-sale.html

hmmmm too much money, he needs to try finding a group of like minded inviduals who like spending a fortune, the sort of people who'd debate "which knot..."

Quote: (Originally Posted by nigelh)

these days I've discovered I can do a week's diving whip filling from a pair of 7Ls so I can't be bothered to blend on the fly.

Snap, for 2 of us a weeks cave diving (~4 hours/day) involves a tub of slime and 2 twinsets to decant/bank from. This offsets the filthy ammount of red wine we load up with on the way home

OceanOpportunity · 23rd January 2008, 12:02

There may be something pre-fab in the Global MFG catalog. If not, they are a key source for all of the parts to do it, and are relatively inexpensive.

23rd January 2008, 07:09	#1 (permalink)
Lancer4545 Closed Circuit Divers Aus Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Cairns QLD Australia Posts: 664	Portable Blending Pannel Hey Guys, I was chatting with my instructor last week about making a portable blending pannel and stirred up my interest in making a unit of my own (thanks Matt) What I want to do is mount everything inside a Storm Case with a row of quick disconnects for the whips so all that's needed is to open the lid, plug in the whips connect it up and go to work. What I'd like to know is has anyone already made one and would like to share what they have done to make my job easier. Looking forward to seeing what you've done. Regards, Lance __________________ You can run but you can't hide! ISC Appointed Megalodon Dealer for East Australia http://www.closedcircuitdivers.com.au info@closedcircuitdivers.com.au
(Offline)

23rd January 2008, 07:18	#2 (permalink)
*Beanie* give a man an inch....... Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: In da house! yeah baby! Posts: 3,174	Re: Portable Blending Pannel I'm sure I've heard of one but can't think where. Shouldn't be too hard though. __________________ Beanie Gallery Admin & Library Assistant. www.outlawdivers.org.uk www.beandiving.co.uk www.beanengineering.co.uk
(Offline)

23rd January 2008, 07:47	#3 (permalink)
Lancer4545 Closed Circuit Divers Aus Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Cairns QLD Australia Posts: 664	Re: Portable Blending Pannel Quote: (Originally Posted by Beanie) I'm sure I've heard of one but can't think where. Shouldn't be too hard though. Thanks Beanie. I am sure there are a few nice home made unit's out there and that it should be fairly straight forward to make. It's always nice to see what others have done and get their thoughts on what works and what works really well. Regards, Lance __________________ You can run but you can't hide! ISC Appointed Megalodon Dealer for East Australia http://www.closedcircuitdivers.com.au info@closedcircuitdivers.com.au
(Offline)

23rd January 2008, 07:57	#4 (permalink)
*Beanie* give a man an inch....... Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: In da house! yeah baby! Posts: 3,174	Re: Portable Blending Pannel http://www.rebreatherworld.com/rebre...-for-sale.html __________________ Beanie Gallery Admin & Library Assistant. www.outlawdivers.org.uk www.beandiving.co.uk www.beanengineering.co.uk
(Offline)

23rd January 2008, 08:05	#5 (permalink)
*EBT* Apprentice Luddite Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: UK, Brighton Posts: 1,970	Re: Portable Blending Pannel I guess it depends on your definition of portable. When travelling I just use a simple whip with a guage on it....mind you, some of you guys love your shiny boxes __________________ Eagles May Soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines! Rebreather World Terms of service Real diving t-shirts for real divers
(Offline)

23rd January 2008, 08:16	#6 (permalink)
*Beanie* give a man an inch....... Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: In da house! yeah baby! Posts: 3,174	Re: Portable Blending Pannel Quote: (Originally Posted by EBT) I guess it depends on your definition of portable. When travelling I just use a simple whip with a guage on it....mind you, some of you guys love your shiny boxes Might also have something to do with the parts are a lot cheaper on tother side of the pond __________________ Beanie Gallery Admin & Library Assistant. www.outlawdivers.org.uk www.beandiving.co.uk www.beanengineering.co.uk
(Offline)

23rd January 2008, 08:24	#7 (permalink)
decoweenie Crash Test Dummy Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Other CCR Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cairo Posts: 5,487	Re: Portable Blending Pannel Quote: (Originally Posted by EBT) I guess it depends on your definition of portable. When travelling I just use a simple whip with a guage on it....mind you, some of you guys love your shiny boxes Nicos (@ Cyprus, forgot the company name) used to sell a very portable system, but he went out of business about 10 years ago. As seen above, Paul Berry went overboard on his and stuck with $15,000 of parts when he closed his shop in NZ. Ian had an argument with him on TDS about the functionality of that set-up as well as the pricing... Personally, I wanted to build one years ago, got all of the parts and have been carrying the component parts with me across 4 countries now. Each time I was about to start putting them together, I asked myself what additional returns I will get for my time over what I am using - whip with metering valve and digital gauge - and I never proceeded. IMHO, a panel is worthwhile for a permanent set-up with lots of supply tanks as bank. But even with my set-up of 4 x O2 J's and 1 x He J tanks, it wasn't worth the effort. As far as portable, a whip is a lot more portable and versatile. Just add some nice QC and you could change tanks very quickly. __________________ "...after a while you get bored offering advice to a bull that like to keep butting the fence with its head rather than walking through the open gate..." - Rebreather World PM
(Offline)

23rd January 2008, 10:01	#8 (permalink)
nigelh New Member Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Vision Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other CCR Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Brighton, Sussex, UK Posts: 838	Re: Portable Blending Pannel Quote: (Originally Posted by EBT) I guess it depends on your definition of portable. When travelling I just use a simple whip with a guage on it....mind you, some of you guys love your shiny boxes I can't see a case for seperate inputs and seperate valves if it's not all plumbed in. Without that a 'panel' rather vanishes. I used to throw a couple of Js in the car plus the haskel but these days I've discovered I can do a week's diving whip filling from a pair of 7Ls so I can't be bothered to blend on the fly. __________________ nigelh
(Offline)

23rd January 2008, 10:38	#9 (permalink)
*EBT* Apprentice Luddite Current Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: UK, Brighton Posts: 1,970	Re: Portable Blending Pannel Quote: (Originally Posted by Beanie) http://www.rebreatherworld.com/rebre...-for-sale.html hmmmm too much money, he needs to try finding a group of like minded inviduals who like spending a fortune, the sort of people who'd debate "which knot..." Quote: (Originally Posted by nigelh) these days I've discovered I can do a week's diving whip filling from a pair of 7Ls so I can't be bothered to blend on the fly. Snap, for 2 of us a weeks cave diving (~4 hours/day) involves a tub of slime and 2 twinsets to decant/bank from. This offsets the filthy ammount of red wine we load up with on the way home __________________ Eagles May Soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines! Rebreather World Terms of service Real diving t-shirts for real divers
(Offline)

23rd January 2008, 12:02	#10 (permalink)
OceanOpportunity for a world of water Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Dolphin Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Inspiration Classic Other CCR Dolphin Home Build Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Providence, RI USA Posts: 544	Re: Portable Blending Pannel There may be something pre-fab in the Global MFG catalog. If not, they are a key source for all of the parts to do it, and are relatively inexpensive. __________________ Michael Lombardi Oceans of Opportunity www.oceanopportunity.com Elected Director, Society for Human Performance in Extreme Environments MN'07, The Explorers Club Project Manager, Diving a Dream
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