Student Scuba Diving Project

[bradr14]

Hope all is well. I am new to scuba diving as in I got certified a few months ago. I am a product design major and my next project I am trying to tackle is scuba diving. I was thinking of a better way to attach a tank to a BC (other than just a strap) because I have herd stories of the tank falling of during a dive. However my professor thinks that is too little of a project to last the rest of the semester. So I wanted to ask you a couple of questions to try and generate some inspiration for more project ideas/good areas of design. If you could take sometime when you get the chance to answer these questions to the best of your ability, that would be great. Now I know that tackling a project like this is difficult because things have been the same for a while and there are conservative moves to actually redesign some of this stuff due to safety and everyone is complacent with their equipment. However this is a project(and I am trying to conduct some research and areas of possibility) and at the end of the day it will only be a concept but maybe sometime in the future it could actually be real! Once again I appreciate all the help and time into answer my questions!

I will ask one thing to keep in mind when answering these questions. What is the future of diving? Where is diving heading? What do you think will be the first thing to change/adapt? What needs to adapt now that can help the general population of divers/ attract more people to diving? Basically I am trying to get at is scuba diving later on down the road as we go through a fast pace developing world. Also I noticed I have a few chats, unfortunately the plug in on my laptop is not working so maybe send me a message to my inbox if you are trying to reach me directly.

What are issues you have with your BC now?


- attaching tank? (on land and in water) how high to put it on your back?


- streamlining all your gear? (I know this is a big issue especially with safety)

- weight issues? maybe having a weight belt that can be attached to a BC so it doesn't fall, also so you could have both integrated and weight belt system?

Explain any issues you have with your regulator?


What issues do you have with your mask, snorkel, and fin?


What are equipment issues you have/struggle with both on land and in the water?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

What are issues you have with your BC now?- None, Neither the Back plate and wing or the sidemount unit.


- attaching tank? Again, none. Problems with putting a tank on a BC are mostly due to incompetence, not the design of the system.

(on land and in water) how high to put it on your back? It varies for every person. There is no right position that works for everyone. Your instructor should have gone over this in detail.


- streamlining all your gear? (I know this is a big issue especially with safety) Streamlining is easy. Nothing dangles, put pockets on your suit, use a properly sized rig.

- weight issues? Again none. Proper weighting negates any issues with this. It takes a little bit of time and a competent instructor or mentor to show you how to do it.

maybe having a weight belt that can be attached to a BC so it doesn't fall, also so you could have both integrated and weight belt system? Dude, you want a weight belt to be able to fall away. Use of a belt and integrated weights is called weight distribution and is a must for anyone using more than say 12 lbs or more of lead. It's commonly taught in most cold water diving locations. Now there are poorly informed instructors that think putting all your lead in a BC is good idea. That may be ok for tropical diving. In cold water it can get you in a bad situation pretty quickly. As well as making the BC too damn heavy to move around.

Explain any issues you have with your regulator? I service my own regs so I don't have issues with them.


What issues do you have with your mask, snorkel, and fin? Mask? - Expensive since it has my bifocal prescription in it. Snorkel? None - simple gimmick free j tube. Fins? which ones. I own several pair that I use depending on the conditions.


What are equipment issues you have/struggle with both on land and in the water? Seeing other divers who don't know how to use their gear, configure it, and treat it like crap.

 

[TMHeimer]

I have used the Apollo Bio Tank lock for most of my 10 years. Never had a tank slip, and it was a problem back then when I was new. I have also heard that a BC with 2 straps instead of 1 is a lot better preventing slippage. But you may be inventing something that already exists.

--my tanks is very high because of my legs of stone.
--gear is very streamlined--only thing hanging a bit is the 8" of my console, which is clipped a closely as possible.
--no reg, m/f/s issues (I use a foldable snorkel & keep it in BC pocket).
--weights--Integrated BC pocket weights plus a pouch weight belt and suspenders. No slippage at all or tightening a belt so as to bust a gut.
--on land I struggle putting on the 7 mil wetsuit and doing any long walks to enter/exit water. This is due to plantar faciitis in my heels and of course OLD AGE.

 

[Imla]

What are issues you have with your BC now?
It is dry...


- attaching tank? (on land and in water) how high to put it on your back?
Tank bands are never moved, and the holes in my plate doesn't move either, so tanks are in the same position every time. I normally don't even disasemble it.


- streamlining all your gear? (I know this is a big issue especially with safety)
Except for my BRIGHT PINK vyper bungy mount... Most of my gear is a very streamlined black... (And also clean, properly attached and no dangly bits...)

- weight issues? maybe having a weight belt that can be attached to a BC so it doesn't fall, also so you could have both integrated and weight belt system?
No need for a belt. 4,5kg in a tailweight to trim out my rig, and 2kg on my left waistband when temperatures drop.

Explain any issues you have with your regulator?
Again, it is dry! I blame my professor!

What issues do you have with your mask, snorkel, and fin?
Biggest issue I suppose is with the snorkel... I have NO idea where it is.


What are equipment issues you have/struggle with both on land and in the water?
Nothing here... Sorry.

This may sound like a joke, however, it really is just to show that my biggest problem is actually finding time to get more diving in. Really looking forward to easter!

 

[Bob DBF]

I was thinking of a better way to attach a tank to a BC (other than just a strap) because I have herd stories of the tank falling of during a dive.

The reason that tanks can slip out of the strap is operator error, compounded by poor execution of the cam band design on some jackets. When properly threaded and tightened there is not a problem, the BP/W configuration with two straps reduces the even issue more.

The attached photos are a design about 40 or so years old, and there were many similar designs available, and a lot more older, non adjustable, designs that made changing tanks a PITA. Because of travel the modern tank strap was designed to make the plate or jacket easier to pack, as stainless does not rebound well after folding.


In use on tank, I use this rig in the pool.


Note the adjustment nut on the lever arm for band tightness.


Note the two slots for the two tank sizes of that era, steel 72 and AL 80.




Bob
-------------------------------------------------
There is no problem that can't be solved with a liberal application of sex, tequila, money, duct tape, or high explosives, not necessarily in that order.

 

[Akimbo]

… - attaching tank? Again, none. Problems with putting a tank on a BC are mostly due to incompetence, not the design of the system.…

True, but that defines a serious flaw from a design standpoint. Ideally the clamping system would be so obvious, even to the mechanically challenged, that it would always be installed properly and require no training. If the dominant cam buckle met these criteria then there would have been no need to write this:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bu.../391300-cam-buckle-assembly-instructions.html

This is a classic dilemma for experienced divers… people in general really. Once mastered we naturally overlook flaws when something fills our basic needs.

As for backplates, I think there are a lot of design improvement possibilities once you expand your production limits beyond laser cutting and a simple sheet metal brake. Although it requires a much higher tooling investment, stamping would allow complex compound curves and lower unit costs. It would also allow using thinner material and provide a stronger product.

A clever design would accommodate singles and doubles in addition to providing attach points for side-mount. There may be some inspiration provided by some of the old pre-BC designs.

 

[TMHeimer]

Akimbo, I usually agree with Jim on almost everything, but the tank band strap/buckle on both my BC and those of the shop's are, as you say, simple enough for the mechanically challenged like myself to do with little or no instruction. Now, as a beginner I only had my tank slip a time or two, and MAYBE that was my fault. But you can only wet the strap so much and tighten it like there's no tomorrow. I know it cost me $100, but I never worry about slippage with that bio tank lock. The only thing is you can't tighten it TOO tight because it tightens itself over time when in water, and if it gets "too" tight it can apparently screw up the mechanism. The only time I had this happen was on a charter and the DM wanted to set up my gear (forgot to tell him and check).

 

[Akimbo]

TMHeimer

I never gave cam bands much thought until talking with some friends who were instructors. My guess is you aren’t as mechanically challenged as some of their students. It isn’t a widespread problem, but less than ideal — which is an opportunity for designers.

I have seen a lot of divers afraid to unthread their cam bands. The biggest problem is a failure can become part of a dangerous cascade that can injure new divers. There are enough divers who responded to this post to make me think the problem is real.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bu.../391300-cam-buckle-assembly-instructions.html

 

[Bob DBF]

I like the steel buckles as the ones I've seen give a larger mechanical advantage when tightening the band. If I were wearing a jacket I would immediately switch out the factory issue strap.

Except for travel I always used a stainless strap like the picture I attached above (post #5) on my jackets so I avoided the issue the majority of the time. When using a strap and nylon cam, I always laid the tank down to tighten the strap in order to keep it straight, the weight of a jacket alone can cock the strap a little so it seems tight but will loosen as the tank moves.

Although not wetting initially, insuring the band is straight and not tightening enough may cause the tank to slip, most I've helped with were not threaded properly which actually caused the issue. Those involved didn't check the buckle threading which is usually found stamped on the side of the plastic buckle.



Bob
----------------------
I may be old, but I'm not dead yet.

 

[Joelage]

It's great to see another product designer around these parts!

Just had a random idea, which could be a possible design project idea.

What about a BCD system that could be easily modified/configured, depending on the style of diving?

- So it allows for recreational diving, a range of technical dive configs, side mounts, etc, etc, depending on what is required (eg. travel, local dives, single, double tanks etc)