Metric versus Imperial System for Diving?

[vincent54]

I like it. A math bowl competition. Count me out, I just watch the needle go down. Usually I come up before it gets to 0, the universal number for being in trouble. Cheers

 

[RJP]

I like it. A math bowl competition. Count me out, I just watch the needle go down. Usually I come up before it gets to 0, the universal number for being in trouble. Cheers

I think you're on to something! Forget metric vs imperial... how about a BINARY SPG?

Needle stays at "1" as long as there's any air whatsoever in the tank, and doesn't move until you are completely out of air... at which point the needle suddenly swings to 0. What could be simpler?

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

I think you're on to something! Forget metric vs imperial... how about a BINARY SPG?

Needle stays at "1" as long as there's any air whatsoever in the tank, and doesn't move until you are completely out of air... at which point the needle suddenly swings to 0. What could be simpler?

Could do percentages so there's no unit of measure, but we'd have to recalibrate everything: turn at 60%, startup at 40%, etc.

 

[RJP]

Could do percentages so there's no unit of measure, but we'd have to recalibrate everything: turn at 60%, startup at 40%, etc.

Be a bitch when it comes to dissimilar tank volumes. Binary would still win out there for simplicity - we thumb the dive when one of us runs out of air.

 

[agilis]

I've always been an advocate of smile/frown faces on tank volume gauges: a big smile when the tank is completely filled, becoming less happy as the air supply diminishes, a neutral expression at half-volume, a frown of increasing severity as the volume drops, finally becoming overt rage as the volume approaches dangerously low levels. The artistic possibilities are endless.

 

[redacted]

I think you're on to something! Forget metric vs imperial... how about a BINARY SPG?

Needle stays at "1" as long as there's any air whatsoever in the tank, and doesn't move until you are completely out of air... at which point the needle suddenly swings to 0. What could be simpler?

Perhaps we could add a "reserve" lever to the tank like on the old VWs.

 

[Tigerman]

Perhaps we could add a "reserve" lever to the tank like on the old VWs.

Also known as the J-Valve?

 

[agilis]

Perhaps we could add a "reserve" lever to the tank like on the old VWs.

Nostalgia nearly did me in. For a second I felt that ancient panic of being late for my damned 8AM Geology class, the one that taught me about talus slopes and disabused me of the notion that rocks were a great winged bird of Arabia.

My '57 VW had no gas gauge, but did have a useless reserve lever. The gas tank was concealed under the front hood. I kept a dowel there to see how much gas I had left. I'd pop the hood ( where the spare lived), open the filler cap, and insert the dowel to see how high the wet mark was. Primitive, but absolutely foolproof and not likely to require any repairs.

 

[victorzamora]

I've always been an advocate of smile/frown faces on tank volume gauges: a big smile when the tank is completely filled, becoming less happy as the air supply diminishes, a neutral expression at half-volume, a frown of increasing severity as the volume drops, finally becoming overt rage as the volume approaches dangerously low levels. The artistic possibilities are endless.

And then, right at the "Completely Empty" line.....you get a smiley-face with a flat mouth and Xs for eyes. I like where you're going with this. Of course, you'd have to have 3 versions: HP, MP (3000psi), and LP versions!

 

[Tigerman]

And then, right at the "Completely Empty" line.....you get a smiley-face with a flat mouth and Xs for eyes. I like where you're going with this. Of course, you'd have to have 3 versions: HP, MP (3000psi), and LP versions!

Digital, or just a dial you can tune up, like there is on some altimeters