Lately we have received customer support email from people with a common problem. When wearing their new TransPac, the tank is too high and they can feel the tank valve at the back of their head.  If you have the right size harness then the problem can be easily addressed if you look at the TransPac as a new piece of gear and not the latest version of an old BC.

Make sure that the side plates are close to the backplate. When you put your arms down by your side the leading edge of the plate should contact your arm, not the center or back of the plate. Some people say they like the plates forward so the adjustment straps are easier to adjust, this is the first mistake. The adjustment straps are to tweak the size from wetsuit to drysuit and are rarely adjusted. If you like to play with them that’s the problem.

Proper fit is

1) Step into the harness

2) Adjust the chest strap so the shoulder straps come straight down over the shoulder.

3) Fasten the waist belt, make sure it is snug

4) Pull slack out of the shoulder/plate adjustments but not too tight

Since the design is similar to backpacking, the lower you sit when putting the harness on and pull slack out of the shoulder straps the higher the tank will ride. Don’t try to pull all the slack out of the adjustment, you could be looking at the regulator over your head. So don’t tighten it too much and use a crotch strap, it helps center the rig and keep it from moving around. If you have problems I am always ready to go diving and help, you just need to come to my backyard.

Watch our TransPac fitting videos to see what I am talking about.

Lamar

We received two NiTek X units in service due to display errors. The DESAT information would not come back once the X was awakened after going into sleep mode. I tested it and found this to be true, but random. I then learned the following from the programmers.

DESAT, or desaturation time is the amount of time that must pass before the residual nitrogen and helium levels drop to a point where subsequent dives are treated as a single (non-repetitive) dive. This is not the same as “time to fly”.  On the NiTek X DESAT times are displayed when the PGT bar graph (on the right of the computer screen) is showing one or more bars.

This explanation gives more merit to tracking tissue saturation than a 12 to 48 hour countdown most dive computers do including the earlier NiTek 3 and NiTek HE.  When diving the NiTek X I see a noticeable reduction in decompression time compared to the NiTek Plus. A 60 minute dive at 100-feet using 32% Nitrox gives me 15 minutes of decompression on the NiTek Plus and then 8 minutes after switching to oxygen at 10-feet. The NiTek X only gives me 1 minute of decompression on Con 1 setting.  The more information a dive computer uses to calculate decompression the better the results. The X uses 16 tissue compartments while the NiTek Plus uses only 9 compartments. You can customize the X for deep diving with variable gradient factors to make the decompression fit the environment.

We’ll look at adding a standard countdown in the next software upgrade.

Lamar

The X is in full production now and we have inventory in-stock. I have over 100 hrs on my unit. We are building the NiTek X in-house at Dive Rite. This gives us full control to improve the product and track changes. One improvement we did before we shipped the first 50 beta units was to change the battery cap. The original cap could be tightened with a coin, but this could scar the cap. We changed it to a cap with finger grips like the Fischer cap on the other side, plus we added a new cap spring.

This fixed one problem, but created a new one. Since the new cap can be installed without a tool people like to check the battery and don’t tighten it securely. If it is not tight pressure can push the cap and you can lose connection and the computer resets. All units leave the factory with the cap secure and pressure checked to 275-feet. If you have the urge to pull the battery for any reason make sure the cap is tight. We have a tool (CO8212) if you feel the need to pull the battery and check it frequently. The battery should last the average diver over a year.

The X has a sleep mode and pushing either button will wake it up. It stays awake for 10 minutes before returning to sleep mode to conserve battery power. It is auto activated at 5-feet (1.5m) via the pressure transducer, not a wet switch.

Lamar

By request we introduced dust caps for the O2ptima rebreather head to seal the cartridge without removing it. Later, we introduced calibration caps so a diver doesn’t need to fill the loop multiple times to calibrate the unit. Now we use the calibration caps for both uses. Take the thread protectors from the harness mounting bolts (5/16”) and slide one over the inflator inlet nipple on the calibration cap to seal the head. I am pulling the Dust Caps off the market because I have received a second report of a damaged head. Both heads were pressurized when the caps were put on for storage, but the diver didn’t shut down the oxygen supply. If the Hammerhead wakes up it will inject O2. Do I need to say more?

Use the calibration caps to seal the head if need be. For those that have a set of dust caps, send them to us in Lake City and we can convert them to calibration caps with the inflator inlet for $25.  Email service@diverite.com

Lamar

We have new software called Dive Logbook for the NiTek Trio and NiTek Duo computers. The scrolling marquis on the NiTek Trio can be changed via the software. Dive Logbook is not compatible with NiTek Logic, so any dives recorded in Logic will not incorporate into Logbook. The NiTek Plus will continue to use NiTek Logic software. Dive Logbook is available for download listed under the “Downloads” tab in the NiTek Trio page of our online catalog.

The NiTek Trio uses the Bulhman algorithm like the NiTek Duo and other Dive Rite computers. The deep stop feature is not new gradient factors in the computer, but rather a simple method of incorporating deep stops without adding time to the shallower stops.

When deep stops are turned on it will add deep stops to any dive with more than 5 minutes of decompression. Deep stops are calculated by splitting the difference between max depth and the first scheduled shallow stop. For instance if you make a 100’ dive for 60 minutes and have a 30’ stop the first deep stop will be at 60’ for 1 minute. It will continue to give you 1 minute stops every 10’ until you get to the scheduled 30’ stop. The Trio is not designed to be a technical computer, but an advanced recreational computer. It doesn’t do Trimix so deep stops will not be accurate for helium. The Trio will slow your ascent and let you do deep stops without suffering increased time at shallower stops.

Lamar

LED lighting technology is rapidly changing and we are delivering the best lighting that we can. While others package existing technology from other industries into a dive light, we have actually engineered our LED technology specifically for our own underwater handheld and canister lights.

It was a challenge to the electrical engineers to create the packaging and heat sink for our product. Our LED products can run out of water without excessive heat buildup. The latest generation of canister light the LED LUX is the culmination of this design. We were able to increase the output and the rated burn time. We started testing the new design with the later LED 700 releases seeing them get up to six hours of burn time on a light that was originally rated at four hours. The LED LUX is brighter and will burn up to six hours on a new battery.

In our product manual, we are rating it conservatively at 5 hours after I tested it on my own three-year old batteries. We rated it for the lower time of five hours to be conservative for divers wanting to upgrade from the older MR11 HID light. The light is designed to never leave you in the dark, the rated burn time is based on a constant voltage of 10.5 volts and when it drops below that it tapers like the LED handheld to give up to an hour of lower output light. We use NiMH batteries to take advantage of their discharge capabilities and recovery from deep discharge to take advantage of LED performance.  

Look for a new canister with longer burn time coming soon.

Lamar

Our fins are back in stock after a delay of several months. We had decided to re evaluate this product and make a necessary change that caused the out-of-stock.

The Dive Rite fin was previously the Apollo Prestige Fin – it won awards for the best fin in the 90’s and I fell in love with them for comfort and power. Apollo got rid of them when they switched to the split fin design. (Split fins…that’s another story…and they are not a technical diving fin). The original fin was monprene, which is a plasticized rubber very popular for pistol grips, motorcycle grips and more. When we bought the molds and moved them to a production house that produces fins for many other dive companies, I let the vendor talk me into changing the material to what everyone else was using. It was supposed to be better, but it wasn’t.

Now our fins once again use monprene, which gives them the performance I expect. I believe everyone will be very impressed with the power of the monprene fin. I can get another 10 feet per minute of speed when cave diving.

Lamar

Dual bladder wings have come back in style. We launched this concept back in 1996 and as divers evolved the demand decreased.

Now there is a demand again through awareness and/or requirements from training agencies.

The new EXP has grommets in place to add the backup bladder to the Rec, Classic and Nomad models. You can upgrade to a dual model later or purchase a dual with the backup installed. The part number for the backup bladder assembly for the REC and Classic is BC4350-Dual and the Nomad is BC4550-Dual.

Lamar

I am clarifying my blog about the use of silicone lubricants on the O2ptima breathing loop because I received some questions that made me realize I needed to give you more information.

I posted the first one out of frustration with what I had seen on units coming in for annual service. We were cleaning enough Christo-Lube from the head and loops to lubricate over 100 regulators. It was simply unreal. One unit could not pass the negative canister test due to the debris attracted to the seals from excess lubricant. You can use Fluorosilicone lubricant commonly known as food grade silicone on the head seals without problem. If you use non food grade silicone on the silicone seals of the head it could lead to the o-rings swelling because it can be absorbed by silicone o-rings. So use either food grade silicone lubricant on the loop or Tribolube 71, which is an inert lubricant.

If you can see the lubricant you have used too much and it can actually prevent the seals from sealing properly because the excess will attract debris. The most common debris found is hair strands which will prevent a good seal.

Remember more is not better when you are lubricating the seals on your breathing loop. If you have too much lubricant and it gets in the loop, guess where it goes. It’s your breathing loop.

Lamar

O2ptima divers who want a fast method for sensor calibration without having to fill the loop can now use our Calibration Caps. They help to conserve gas with small cylinders. We came up with a calibration cap set that consists of an inlet cap with a BC hose connection to plug your manual oxygen hose into and an exhaust cap fitted with a mushroom valve so you can evacuate the canister and fill it with oxygen for calibration. Since it is a mushroom valve you can’t overpressurize the canister while calibrating. It’s simple to use and carry with you. DRT-27-CAL We’ll post pics in a day or two.

Also, the Quick Release buckles for the 1.5 inch cam straps are in-stock. You can add them to any of the 1.5” cam straps on the O2ptima tanks or a stage bottle. We used to use these same buckles for independent doubles on 2” cam straps years ago. No more having to reweave the cam buckle. BC2036-QR .

We’ve added a 60 micron filter to the solenoid inlet on the O2ptima. This should help keep the solenoid from getting any debris in it when disconnecting the oxygen hose. I just finished six hours of CCR time with the filter in place. We need to modify your solenoid inlet to accept the filter. Call or email service at service@diverite.com to send your head in if you want us to install the filter.

Lamar