Honest Azimuth opinion

Woz

Well. I'm looking at an Azi as my first Rebreather as it's a piece of piddle to convert to mCCR at a later date if I wanted to. So- what's your honest opinion on the unit? Go on- pull no punches.

If I want to convert to mCCR later then all it needs is:
Blank off a port on the Azi dosing unit.
Fill a cyl with O2 and fix the reg IP or swap for a DS4 and fit a blanking plug.
Add a mass flow and O2 inject doohicky off a KISS or from Tecme and plumb it into the exhale lung.
Fit a 3-sensor holder to the inhale lung from Tecme or John Routley.
Nick someone's PPO2 displays who have recently upgraded a KISS to a Shearwater (yes you know who you are) and re-engineer so they don't fall apart.
Add a DSV if I am feeling keen or alternatively make my own from one of the myriad of decent 2nd stages I have lying around.

I think that's about it. Hopefully I'll end up eventually with a radial scrubbered unit for less than the price of 1/2 a second hand KISS.

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jaap

Yes

I have an Azi-mccr. Only difference from you description is that the original Azi-dosing is completely replaced by a Bob Howell ADV in the location where the Tecme-sensorpod would sit. And 3 extra P-ports for the cells in the bag.

If I would do it again or upgrade for some reason I would go with your outline with the Tecme-pod. Maybe adding an ADV by say a p-port in the inhale bag using say a Ray-dosing without the CMF-flow orifice.

The bad thing with the Azi is that its big. The good side of that is the long lasting 4l-cylinders. The bad thing with the big 4l-cylinders (in combination with the heavy scrubber) is the trim. It tends to be but heavy. This can be solved by adding more lead to the top of the unit. But this makes the unit even heavier...

Another bad thing is the shape of the chassis. Since its curved against the divers back it makes it more difficult to add a std backplate/wing configuation. It can be done but you will end up with adding extra distance between your lungs and the CLs. So the WOB will increase by some degree if you do that.

Other bad things are that you will be limited in the number of cylinders sizes that fit. Also there is not built in way of dumping water. But on the other hand the Azi has several good water traps.

Do you plan on buying an Azi with the very sleek and small wing or the bigger 'bungee'-wing? The small wing really doesn't have enought lift if you add a few kg of trim weight and want the unit to float by itself. Escpecially so if you add a sling cylinder or two.

After some time I simply removed the original harness/small wing from my unit. I then cut some slits in my old DiveRite Classic wing and more or less premanently added it and a std Hogarthian harness to the chassis. Its not a very good solution if you want to be able to easily remove the wing from the chassis.

Anyway I don't dive my Azi much for the moment since I tinker with other homebuilt things and if they turn out to work nicely I think I might sell my Azi. Its a bit to big and heavy.

But it breathes very well, has a very nice and easy to operate DSV. And the but heavy trim can be solved by weights or a wing with more lift near the bottom.

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My initials: JAAP

paulraymaekers

??? how will you do that??? if you get the Azi for free?? :-)

regards
paul

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www.rEvo-rebreathers.com

.... the earth is flat, Elvis is alive, and radial scrubbers give longer dwell time than axials...

Yann A.

Hi,
The Azimuth is a very big unit for what it does. When I say big maybe I should say huge! That's probably one of the many reasons we don't see more units around. Apart from the size it also breath like a cow if you don't have the body size: on slim people diving wet, the CL are way too far away from the back of the diver. (In Asia it was a big issue when we tried to sell it).The trim is also very poor with the 2 tanks on the bottom it's but heavy. Correcting the trim will make the unit even heavier as it has been said already.
Unless you get it very cheap, don't bother and go fo a Dolphin or even better a kiss or ECCR.
I' d go startight CCR. Well... that's my 2 cents. Been lucky enough to be paid to dive a Dolphin then an Azi and happy Meg diver now.

Yann.

MHD

Having gone done that path myself also I can say it's OK. I like it in CCR mode. Have no trouble with WOB. have correct the trim and lightened it over all, but it was a lot of work.

Azimuth Conversion to CCR

I honestly would say buy 2nd hand sports kiss. All you miss out on is the manual add function. You will in the end get a lot more diving done and learn a lot more then spending a year trying to convert it. And there is support teaching material and you don't have the isuse of diving a homebuild if you want to go on holidays.

At the moment you can get 2nd hand SK for about 2500 US with out wing and tanks and that will be so much cheaper than a converted azi

Matt

Matt

Woz

I should lob into the equation that I am MD of an engineering company and so can make pretty much anything I like to bolt to an Rebreather including a complete new case if I want to go that way.

I'd like to homebuild. But by the time I've dicked around with stuff I'd end up with something that was not quite right and probably not a million miles away from an Azi.

Just as long as it doens't leak copiously like a Boris, eh?

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www.kitfondle.co.uk

Duncan Price

I know of a cave diver who put an Azi into a bag and turned it into a chest mounted unit.

Can help - I know your background - with bits, I'd recommend a needle valve system over a fixed orifice.

Can I have the bits I requested please? Hope to join you for a pool session asap.

Duncan

Woz

Er bugger. Forgot. Which bits? A mouthpiece, wasn't it? Off the Piss? What was the other thing?

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MHD

if you have those resources the sky is the limit. My conversion required 9 parts to be made on a lathe, ranging from fitting for the ADV to attach the azi hoses to custom manifolds and other fittings/ adapters, You can really knock yourself out depending on how you want to convert the unit. All depends on what you want at the end.

If you want to go that way I think the azi is a great basis. Some use the existing dosing block for O2 feed, so like me add kiss dosing and just use the existing block for Dil addition, some use manual feed via a second power inflator etc lots of ways to convert it and learn. Give yourself a target and see how light you can get it to get over on of the biggest criticisms of the unit.

Matt

Duncan Price

A pair of Woz knobs and a couple of ss bolts (2-4" should do it) - to my work address (IPTME, Lboro U. please.

I could also do with a new diary.

Hope to get to Stoney on Wed night for a splash on whatever I've got working at the time.