Optima Codes

heyydude

Hey everyone,

Just a quick note to more thoroughly explain the User Code and Helium Code as found in the Optima's (and new Hammerheads).

There has been a bit of misunderstanding behind the reasons for the codes, as well as the function of the codes. I'm NOT posting this to argue with anyone about whether or not they think this is a good idea - that decision was made by ourselves, Dive Rite and Farallon, and one of the nice things about owning the company is that you get to make the rules...

1) First, what the Codes are NOT: They are not Log-In's. They are "set-it and forget-it" codes. They do not need to be entered every time you change a battery, they do not need to be entered when the unit re-boots, they will not ever just "pop-up" on you randomly.

2) "Set-It-And-Forget-It" - You must enter your codes only ONCE. This is generally done by or with your Instructor on the Optima. Once you have done this, the authorization is stored forever in non-volatile RAM on the CPU itself. The only way this can be changed or erased is if the RAM on the CPU is erased during a re-program (where we have to select that option) or if the CPU is damaged, or if you intentionally select "Erase All Passwords" from your OPT menu (more on that below).

In the first case, the unit is either here being updated, or coming back to us for repair under the second case, so the point is moot. In the third case, you wanted it erased yourself (see below again).

The bottom line is that you should NEVER have to worry about entering the code(s) again once you've done it.

3) So Why Bother?

Good question.

Here's why:

In order to sell the Optima's online, the dealer(s) had to have the ability to control the end-use of the unit to some small degree. You have only a couple of ways of doing this - either ship the unit directly to the Instructor, which is how guys like Dick King of BioMarine used to do it, then hope the guy has good enough sense not to let the student have it over the weekend before the dive training begins, or make the unit have some sort of Lockout, like the Cis Lunar folks did and then give the student the code once they started the course - again, involving an Instructor.

The Cis Lunar software went one (or several) steps further - (a) you had to enter your PIN each time you turned on the unit (b) you had to get the computer "authorized" at the factory to use Helium, and then it would lock you out if you exceeded your max allowed depth (which was limited in 3 steps by the factory code).

Dive Rite, Farallon, and we here at JM took a slightly different path - recognizing today's litigious society, everyone agreed that Waivers needed to be signed, and protections issued to keep this enterprise going - we're all very small businessmen, so it isn't like we're General Electric and have armies of lawyers around to protect us - but beyond that, we wanted to protect the idiots of the world from themselves, and yes, even to protect YOU in the event you decide to sell your rig second-hand.

So we came up with this strategy:

(a) The unit is issued a unique Serial Number for the Primary and Secondary, which is actively displayed on the StartUp screen as well as the "About" screen.

(b) Each unit is then given a unique User Enable PIN, which is then given to Farallon ONLY.

(c) Each Primary is then given a unique Helium Enable PIN, which is then given to Farallon ONLY.

(d) Dive Rite sells/distributes the Optima's to whomever.

(e) Joe Blow decides to buy an Optima - he orders it online and it is shipped directly to him. Yee-haa! He is now a eCCR Pilot.

(f) But wait - he can't fly the thing without the codes! He has to go to a Certified Instructor for the Optima, who then gets him to sign up for a class, fill out the required paperwork, and provide the necessary proof that he is READY and QUALIFIED to dive an eCCR.

(g) Then, and only then, does the Instructor transmit this information to Farallon, who then gives the Instructor the Code(s) for that particular unit.

(h) The Instructor can then unlock the Primary/Secondary for the student, give them the codes for future use (more later), and then train them.

Pretty simple stuff, really. The end-user never has to enter the codes again.

So why give him the codes ever?

Good Question.

Here's why:

We also provided a facility in the Options Menu whereby the end-user can "Erase All Codes" - this allows them to reset the unit to original de-activated mode should they (a) not want their crazy brother-in-law to take it diving when they're gone, or (b) sell the unit to someone who's diving experience is unknown to them personally.

This isn't easy to do, by the way. You have to go to the Options Menu, select Password Manager, select Erase Passwords, and Confirm you want to do that before it does it. So it isn't like a chimpanzee playing with your kit is going to erase your passwords by randomly pushing buttons...

Should you ever use this feature, you could unlock the set using the same codes that were issued when the unit was first given to you. That means that you should write them down somewhere. The Cis Lunar guys used to use Sharpie Markers to write them on the side of the Brick (so much for keeping unauthorized divers away from using the set, but it worked).

Further - utilizing this feature, if you DO sell your Optima to a third party (like Mr. Backman is doing now), you don't have to worry that the dumb bastard is going to go right out and kill himself in his neighbor's pool, whereupon his grieving widow decides to have her rich-lawyer-daddy sue the pants off of YOU for negligence ("you should have known by the look of him that he was too stupid to dive one of these" boo-hoo...!). You simply make HIM go get a certified Instructor to contact Farallon and go through that process - thereby at a minimum, reducing your material responsibility.

If he complains, you can always blame "that OTHER bastard, Juergensen" for forcing you to follow the rules...

---> But note - no one MAKES you do this - you want to sell your unit to your best friend's Uncle Luke so he can go get hisself some golf balls down at the swimmin' hole, then you can, but then you are accepting more of the blame if he does something dumb.


So why the Helium Code?

Good question.

Here's why:

As a diver, I firmly believe that you should be trained in Mixed Gas when you are trained on an eCCR, but I'm not running the training agencies. Tom Mount, Joe Dituri, Rich Pyle and I have had many conversations on this very subject, and since Tom and Joey were running IANTD, and I was just a lowly puke Mark 15 Instructor, I had to defer to their judgement that the Mixed Gas portion of the course should only be taught after the student has completed so many hours of Nitrox use. My feeling has always been that once you train a guy on a rig, he's just going to go out and buy a tank of Helium and start mixed-gas diving anyway, so you may as well try to give him training that will keep him from hurting himself, but I can't argue with their logic either.

So if you are one of those guys, you'll need to buy a separate deco computer (which you all do anyway), or get the training like you should. If nothing else, this will at least impose a bit of "standards" on training.


I understand that people do not like PIN codes, and do not like feeling that they are being "controlled" in any way. I am one of them, believe me. But this is no longer "cowboy" country - eCCR's are a maturing market, which means that we all have to start thinking down the road where these units will be changing hands, and once they leave our control, who knows where they'll wind up? There are hundreds of these that are going to be built and sold, so it becomes a real issue of safety.

What we've done is designed a system which is minimally intrusive - to reiterate, once the code is entered into the unit, it will NEVER ask for it again - while at the same time it is providing the basic level of protection we all wanted, with the added bonus of giving the owner (you) the ability/option to further protect yourself should you ever decide to sell your unit to another diver.

This is just a simple recognition of how the world works today, and trying to anticipate how best to deal with some of the uncertanties.

I hope this clears up any confusion behind the code scheme on the system.

These codes are also part of every new HH sold, but since that unit is a REPLACEMENT set for the Insp/Megalodon/KISS/BMR-500/etc. it is already going to certified divers, and once OUR waiver is filled out, the codes are issued with the respective units.

...or I just give them to my buddies so they'll tell me how cool I am...

>>>I jus' kidding!.......<<<<<

See ya,

Kevin Juergensen
Juergensen Marine.

Beanie

Thanks Kevin, that makes a lot of sense and explains it very well.

__________________
Beanie
Gallery Admin & Library Assistant.
www.outlawdivers.org.uk
www.beandiving.co.uk
www.beanengineering.co.uk


0871 242 7808

TordoffR

Nice job Kevin!

__________________
Rich
"It's better to burn out, than to fade away."

n2diving

I'll add a bit to Kevins post regarding using the O2ptima with Helium... because there is a small 'gap' in the availability of the Helium PIN vs training qualifications... If the student is 'recreational trimix' or higher qualified on open-circuit; the IANTD standards for O2ptima basic rebreather diver would allow him to do what some have termed a 'lite tech' dive.... i.e. the IANTD standards allow a fair amount of helium in the dil even as a basic O2ptima diver who would not be qualifed to receive the Helium PIN.

In retrospect it might have been nice to have two levels of trimix codes, one to enable normoxic or hyperoxic trimix and a second level for hypoxic mixes.... However, from a discusion with Tom Mount and John Jones we have concluded the workaround is that the student is allowed to use normoxic trimix as their dil and conduct their dive using a constant PO2 trimix table or use a constant PO2 capable trimix dive computer such as the VR3. In this case the student simply sets their HH handset for the Oxygen percentage of the dil and ignores the helium content.

In practice this works fine for recreational and lite tech dives. For recreational trimix dives with the O2ptima I find that the HH when set for 21/35 will very shortly after the start of the dive show a brief required 10 fsw stop which does not increase further as the dive continues. For example, this past Sunday near the end of my fourth dive in the 50 to 70 foot range on 21/35 dil at 1.2 po2 and almost four total hours in the water my VR3 was showing over 500 minutes of NDL time remaining and the HH was showing 3 @ 10. After my usual 5 @ 20 both the HH and the VR3 allowed a direct ascent to the surface.

Thus having the HH handset enabled for nitrox only does not prevent the use of helium mixtures in the dil by basic rebreather divers, and neither do IANTD training standards, as long as such mixtures are not hypoxic and the dive profile does not incur a significant amount of required decompression obligation (<15min) and the diver is recreational trimix qualified or higher on open-circuit. In fact, my preference is as Kevin suggests, teach any new rebreather diver who is only nitrox qualified enough additional material such that they are qualified to use 21/35 dil from the very outset of their CCR training... Air is dangerous stuff when used for diving.

Jordan

Thanks Kevin - nicely put!

I will "set and forget" tomorrow morning, as I got an Optima just today.

Wow Mark, 4 dives in a day - you'll sleep well tonight.

__________________
Is it clear? No. Well, let's go anyways.

"Those who would sacrifice a little freedom for a little order, will lose both, and deserve neither." Thomas Jefferson

seafox

Thanks muck Kevin. This certainly gives me an insight into the logic of this implementation.
Makes sense from a reselling point of view and you're quite right it does somewhat protect the seller of a used Optima.
In this day and age we can use all the protection we can get!
You've got me almost convinced that this could be a good thing
Thanks for taking the time to shed some light on this contentious and important issue.

Cornel

__________________
Protect the SHARKS!

Excellence is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skillful execution and the vision to see obstacles as opportunities.


Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards!

heyydude

I should hasten to add that I stole that line "set-it-and-forget-it" from Ron Popeil who's company makes Showtime Rotisserie. We own one, and it makes the best chicken on Earth.

Credit where credit is due and all... Don't sue me, Ron, I bought one of your first "Popeil Pocket Fishermen" ever made...

Kevin.

Genesis

Well, I understand the reason behind it (and did originally), but I still disagree with it.

The fact that Farallon controls it (and thus can and apparently will force you through a full $1500 Trimix class to get the second PIN) was enough to cause me to cancel my standing order for the O2ptima.

I understand its a bizness decision - the only way I know to express disagreement with business decisions that is actually listened to is with my wallet

__________________
"A venturesome minority will always be eager to get off on their own, and no obstacles should be placed in their path; let them take risks for Godsake, let them get lost, sunburnt, stranded, drowned, eaten by bears, buried alive under avalanches - that is the right and privilege of any free American."
http://www.denninger.net
http://www.diversunion.org/liability.htm - Fix the Diving Cert racket

mverick

Well,

Chicken in fresh lime juice and garlic and tabasco grilled over charcoal. Don't overcook. Mmmmm.... But, the Showtime does make a good chicken...

Skipbreather

Hi Kevin-

Great post. Logic is solid, undeniable, and in today’s world the most unobtrusive that can be hoped for.

Just one question set remains: Just what were you fishing for in your pocket? How hard were you working the lure? Did you get a hook up?

Only the very best (from your LAST MK15 student!)
Ken