Sensus Ultra Arrived!

[reefnet]

I would really be interested in figuring this out. If sending the old unit in to you for a look see is and possible, I can do that. The upgrade might be a good choice as well, but I am curremtly using a Mac at home.

As an engineer, problems like this really irritate me...rare, unpredictable, and very difficult to replicate on a test bench. I certainly want to get to the bottom of it.

You are welcome to send your recorder to me for a few chamber runs and other exercise. If (as I suspect) it is purely EMI-related then there is no true solution. However an exchange might help, since your recorder could just be unusually sensitive.

Kris Wilk
ReefNet Inc.

 

[rainman_02]

So, I had a "fun" time downloading my first dives from the Ultra. Errors, CRC Handshake, weird data coming off it, etc. I am using a serial-USB converter, because none of my PCs (laptop and desktop) have serial ports. Since I have also had trouble with my Vytec downloading using the same converter, I suspected it was the culprit.

So, I ordered the "guaranteed" USB-serial converter from Reefnet. It arrived today (I think I ordered it Friday night). So I immediately tried it out. Perfect download the first try. It works awesome now.

As I suspected, the problem was the cheap no-name USB-serial converter.



Just my experience so far. If you're having any "weirdness" with your Ultra (or even your Pro?) I would suggest checking on your USB-serial converter if you're using one. Fixed my problems right away.

 

[Aeolus]

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank the fine folks at REEFNET for their outstanding service. My daughter bought me a Sensus Pro for Christmas. REEFNET suggested that I wait for the Ultra to come out in the first quarter of 2006. They offered to send it at no additional charge. Sounds like a GREAT idea. I had a dive trip planned for the middle of April to Utila and Roatan and really wanted to have the logger for that. Since they were not sure that the new Ultra would arrive in time, they offered to send me a loaner Sensus Pro. I used it on about 30 dives and it performed flawlessly. I have since received my Ultra and I am anxious to try it out. My special thanks go to the people at REEFNET. They certainly go out of their way to ensure customer satisfaction. Kudos to you guys.

DSDO

 

[reefnet]

Just a heads-up for those watching this thread and waiting for our updated Mac OS software supporting the Sensus Ultra...

I will soon (hopefully by the end of the weekend) be posting a public beta version on our web site. I believe there may still be a few hidden gremlins and would appreciate as much feedback as possible. The "final" release will follow shortly after unless any major problems are discovered.

To be notified when and where the beta version is available, you may want to subscribe to this thread, and/or subscribe to ReefNet's Newsletter

Kris Wilk
ReefNet Inc.

 

[DivesWithTurtles]

Kris,

Since you are watching this thread carefully, maybe it is a good place for a wish list, also. Third-party developers take note.

I would like to see some sort of tracking of tissue compartment loading using a Haldane/Buhlmann model in the desktop software. It would be interesting to study my dives in this manner.

I'll bet you have higher priorities though.

 

[reefnet]

Kris,

Since you are watching this thread carefully, maybe it is a good place for a wish list, also. Third-party developers take note.

I would like to see some sort of tracking of tissue compartment loading using a Haldane/Buhlmann model in the desktop software. It would be interesting to study my dives in this manner.

I'll bet you have higher priorities though.

We do have a lot of things on our plate, so to speak. But we're always open to suggestions. Yours is a good one, which we get frequently.

 

[reefnet]

A follow-up as promised...I have just posted TWO important files to our Downloads section:

http://reefnet.ca/downloads/​

1) Sensus Manager 2.52 for Windows

This minor update fixes a couple of long-standing bugs and one new one which might affect some PC users downloading via our USB adapter. We've also added a brief help page describing what the new Sensus Ultra settings mean, and we've added some "sanity checks" to warn you if any settings you've specified might be a bad idea.

2) Sensus Manager 2.5 BETA for Mac OS X

We would have released this as FINAL, but there are some known issues we're trying to work out. Most importantly, we have been seeing intermittent communication problems, even with our own USB adapters. Certain combinations of OS, drivers, and hardware may be more problematic than others.

If you get communication errors of any kind, record which ones and report directly by email to WILK {at} REEFNET {dot} CA. Try multiple times, because sometimes you will get different errors, and you should eventually get a good connection.

Looking forward to your feedback,

Kris Wilk
ReefNet Inc.

 

[mike_s]

So I was looking at this after another board member used it and referred me to this thread.

without direct replying to any specific above post....

Are there any plans to add USB support for downloads?

I know that you guys like serial for some reason, but the world, it's a changin'. Try buying a laptop with a serial port. You'll have a have a hard time. I've bought several in the past 2 years for family members and for at work, and I didn't buy one that had a serial port. All USB.

So if I was going to get one and use it while I'm on a dive trip, I'd need USB support. I know I can buy a converter, but why could I carry one for just one device?

I think you would increase your market share if you supported USB.

 

[reefnet]

Are there any plans to add USB support for downloads?

Hi mike_s,

No, absolutely not. I answered this question earlier in this thread. To summarize, the three primary reasons we will not be offering native USB support are:

• USB requires proprietary drivers for every operating system. Serial works out of the box.
• Handheld devices (Palm/PPC) cannot connect to USB peripherals. But they almost all have serial ports.
• Our serial architecture is extremely easy for third-party developers to implement. By comparison, USB is needlessly complicated and unfriendly. Our policy is to facilitate** third-party software development, not to impede it.

Contrary to popular belief, serial is just as "hip" and "plug-and-play" as USB. All you need to know is the port number you have connected to, and it will "just work". Frankly, USB has way more failure modes due to its reliance on drivers and the possibility of inter-device conflicts.

As you said, USB-Serial adapters are readily available for computers without serial ports. They are no more hassle to carry than a plain serial cable...the USB adapter just has some extra electronics in it. We sell one that works great. Adding USB to our download unit would be reinventing the wheel...at the user's expense.

Kris Wilk
ReefNet Inc.
www.reefnet.ca

**By the way, we just posted the new Sensus Ultra Developer's Guide. Whether you're a programmer or just want to learn how our recorders work, you're welcome to download it for free.

 

[fdog]

Kris, do you know if any (and if yes, what percentage) of hyperbaric facilities are equipped to read data from a Sensus Pro/Ultra? Thanks for your time!


All the best, James