Meg COPIS II Explorer (Meg C2X) w/pics

Parker

Here are some pics of my newly upgraded COPIS II or COPIS II Explorer (Meg C2X) as I have named mine. You will not find it on the ISC website 'yet' because there are only two in existence at the moment. It is my understanding that there are some differences in the two units but I am not clear on what all of those differences are. The other unit is (or was) on display at a European dive show and is awaiting it's time to get wet- but mine on the other hand is getting plenty of time in the water.

Essentially what you are looking at is a COPIS II upgrade with a redundant APECS handset/controller, battery box and HUD installed by ISC. The one in Europe was the first to be built and Jerry @ ISC graciously allowed me to have the second, by way of a special order upgrade, in order to meet my mCCR needs. Long story short- I like everything about the APECS Meg except the solenoid- not that there is anything wrong with the solenoid- I have just been diving manual rebreathers for the past 10 years and I did not want to go through the trouble of reprogramming my brain (the little one between my ears) for compatability with eCCR. So the Meg C2X gives me the redundancy that I require and the function, simplicity and reliability of the mCCR that I am accustomed to. There is a 'real long' story as to how Jerry and I finally agreed to this configuration, but I will not burden you with that. I will say that persistance pays off and that Jerry bent over backwards (literally) to meet my needs as a ISC customer.

***A bit of info on the redundant (extra) HUD-
The handsets on my Meg are basically APECS secondary controllers, one acting as primary and the other as secondary, with a slightly different software build for the COPIS II. The current software will not allow the physical HUD to be eliminated on either controller without showing an 'error' on the setup menu. This can be changed with a new software build but Steve @ ISC is busy working on APECS III for you guys so the easiest route for him, and me, was to just add an extra HUD. The extra HUD can be parked on the can or various other places or can be added to the DSV next to the other. The configuration that I am currently experimenting with (see pics) is mounting both HUD's on the DSV while disabling the one controlled by the primary handset that is mounted on my left arm. The active HUD (closest to my mask) is controlled by the secondary handset that is nicely stowed away. This gives me quick access to O2 sensor info from both handsets. Should the secondary handset/HUD fail, I can easily enable the redundant HUD controlled by the primary. Notice that the redundant HUD is offset a bit so that it can be easily seen if enabled. I haven't even tried diving the unit with both HUD's enabled as I'm pretty sure it would resemble a Christmas tree with all the blinking lights. Who knows- with both of those things blinking at the same time I could end up in a submerged hypnotic state at just the wrong (or possibly right) time.

Any feed back or suggestions, especially concerning placement of the redundant HUD, would be greatly appreciated. I don't post all that often but I do draw a tremendous amount of useful info from you guys on Rebreather World. Thanks! and...

Take Care!
Parker

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Lancer4545

Hey Parker,

The guys at ISC will do just about anything to keep us happy, wont they!!

Interesting concept......Not for me but I have to say I can see where you're coming from and I like it!!

Regards,

Lance

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caveseeker7

Thanks for the pictures and description.

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Stefan



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Philippe GERIN

Parker,
Thanks for the info. I follow your thinking there. That's why I got a COPIS-Hammer aka Copis I + HH 2dary w/ deco and HUD. So If I loose the ISC displays, I still have the HH w/ HUD but if I loose the HH 2dary I also loose the deco and HUD. No prob w/ deco as I still have my VR3 as for the HUD/PO2 display loss I still have the ISC display.
I generally use the HH as the primary, the ISC displays is stowed under the CL and I check it @ the begining and end of dive the dive only, no more.

Now having the COPIS II hardware, software & HUD + HH 2dary w/ deco & HUD would give redundancy on both displays + HUD + integrated deco.
Is it something you thought about doing?

Best
Philippe

brockbr

I'm waiting for the CopisMaximus conversion:

kevin stone

Now this looks like my house during Xmas!
Cables and lights everywhere, all is ok until the power bill comes in
Kevin

Gill Envy

great write up... please do "burden us" with the details of your philosophy behind it.

in my book steering clear of a controller is more about avoiding the inevitable effect that it has on ones habits than anything else.

nice Kit!

g

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Parker

Nothing better than having a buddy that's a computer whiz- That spends WAY too much time on the computer!

Parker

My philosophy was really pretty simple- I wanted a COPIS Meg mCCR with complete redundancy on all three cell. I tried to get ISC to add an extra COPIS handset and battery box when I first bought my unit, this was pre-COPIS II, but they would not do it due to Teledyne's specifications for cell loading being exceeded. Another issue ISC had with the idea is that without proper isolation of the cells a failure such as a flooded cable on one system could take down both systems. Once the COPIS II was introduced I started in on them again about a completely redundant COPIS mCCR. This is where it got kinda complicated, and long and drawn out, since they already offered the 4th cell option for the COPIS and were in the process of developing a cell isolator board for a plug-and-play option on wiring in the new Shearwater Pursuit to view all three cells with deco options. Anyway, long story short, after a bunch of negotiating with Jerry @ ISC he finally found a way to give me what I wanted and still stay within boundaries of what ISC could support in the future. There were some ISC9001:2000 concerns as well- but I don't understand all of that stuff.

Hope this helps!

Parker

Parker

I actually thought about going that route but by the time I paid to upgrade to the COPIS II and then sent my unit off for the HH upgrade the $$ were really starting to add up. The intergrated deco would be a really nice option but I already had a VR3.

Parker