KilgoreTrout
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I am in the process of developing a dive log and planning program for my beloved Mac OS X. I have successfully completed a dive planner by integrating Navy Air No-D tables into the software. (Please no comments about my choice, honestly they were the closest to my computer at the time.) Are the navy tables the same as the NOAA tables?
Having just completed a Nitrox Class last week, I decided that it would be fairly simple to update the program to plan for Nitrox mixtures. I planned to do this using by calculating the Equivalent Air Depth (EAD) and then running it back through my tables. In the process of implementing this, I ran into some issues between the tables that I would like to discuss. BTW, I am using NOAA Nitrox tables (I was told they were the same/compatible).
More Background:
The EAD Equation I'm using:
EAD = (((fsw+33)(1-%O2))/0.79)-33
(Corrected 5/18/2003 11:12EST)
This equation is solely looking at nitrogen levels. Therefore, I have added a Max Operating Depth check in the program which simply changes the max depth is you have exceeded it.
The problem:
I ran this profile: 150'@%36 for 100 min.
Of course this won't work, so the MOD got automatically changed to 95.33' and the No-D limit was changed to 40 minutes.
Next I ran: 92'@%36 for 150min.
Of course the No-D limit needs to change, but it went to 50 minutes.
EAD=68.26' No-D limit on Air at 70' is 50 minutes.
This is only one example. I found several other spots like this in the table yesterday.
So, my question is why is there a discrepancy? I realize that the easiest and safest solution is to remove the EAN section of my program. Should I be looking at PO2 at every depth?
But this brings up the question of which method is more correct. Tables or EAD? What method does most software use (I realize there are more advanced computational methods, but I don't have those)? I just see people on a dive boat using EAD because they have air tables with them and running into the same issue without even knowing it.
Can anyone with more experience in the matter shed some light on the subject?
Having just completed a Nitrox Class last week, I decided that it would be fairly simple to update the program to plan for Nitrox mixtures. I planned to do this using by calculating the Equivalent Air Depth (EAD) and then running it back through my tables. In the process of implementing this, I ran into some issues between the tables that I would like to discuss. BTW, I am using NOAA Nitrox tables (I was told they were the same/compatible).
More Background:
The EAD Equation I'm using:
EAD = (((fsw+33)(1-%O2))/0.79)-33
(Corrected 5/18/2003 11:12EST)
This equation is solely looking at nitrogen levels. Therefore, I have added a Max Operating Depth check in the program which simply changes the max depth is you have exceeded it.
The problem:
I ran this profile: 150'@%36 for 100 min.
Of course this won't work, so the MOD got automatically changed to 95.33' and the No-D limit was changed to 40 minutes.
Next I ran: 92'@%36 for 150min.
Of course the No-D limit needs to change, but it went to 50 minutes.
EAD=68.26' No-D limit on Air at 70' is 50 minutes.
This is only one example. I found several other spots like this in the table yesterday.
So, my question is why is there a discrepancy? I realize that the easiest and safest solution is to remove the EAN section of my program. Should I be looking at PO2 at every depth?
But this brings up the question of which method is more correct. Tables or EAD? What method does most software use (I realize there are more advanced computational methods, but I don't have those)? I just see people on a dive boat using EAD because they have air tables with them and running into the same issue without even knowing it.
Can anyone with more experience in the matter shed some light on the subject?