AI Computer?

[Blazinator]

It will only tell you how many psi you have in your tank following your dive profile. Nice information, but needed ?
What does a dive computer tell you ?
Two things : depth & time and with those two things where you are in the tables.

What vtxkev meant and Boulderjohn alluded to, is that most, if not all AI wrist computors ARE dive computors that will constantly calculate, and indicate your current nitrogen loading for multilevel dives, as well as show your estimated dive time remaining based on immediate air consumption (real cool feature).

I love my Oceanic Atom 1 and later Atom 2.0 AI computor. I bought them immediately after my checkout dives and they were not over technical to figure out as a new diver.

If you are sharp enough to get certified, you are certainly sharp enough to understand your AI computor.

 

[paddler3d]

I have about 20 dives and I find myself constantly looking at my wrist mount computer for depth and time. I also find myself fumbling for my console to check my air ALL THE TIME. So I wonder if an AI computer should have been the way I went from the start? If I had everything all in one spot on my wrist i might be able to stay more neutral and relaxed? I am wondering if anyone else out there is like this and if an AI comp helps them?

There are a variety of things you can do aside from getting a new AI computer.

First off, get more dives under your belt. When I first began to dive, I used to look at my gauge constantly. It felt like I was looking at it every minute or less. I finally got my own tanks and then I started to 'learn' what my air consumption was like simply by diving and learning what I'm doing on similar dive profiles. For instance my typical dive profile in the NC coast is a dive to 95-100fsw, diving my HP130, diving to about 7-8 minutes of 'deco', and I'm going to end up with around 1100-1200psi air when I get on the boat. Of course, I'm looking at my SPG along the way, but not constantly. Every few minutes maybe? Not sure.

2nd off, you can clip off your consul to your left d ring, if you haven't already. I've seen a lot of divers using consuls that have them simply floating around them in space. If it is clipped off, you know exactly where it is. Also, if you have a clip on your consul, you can clip it to your left d ring on your shoulder strap. That way it is right there in your face. I do this when I wearing big gloves and I don't have the dexterity to continually be clipping and unclipping my SPG.

Your question was about AI and I'm going to assume wireless.

They are nice. My wife has one. Aries Atmos. I have dove it and it can tell you a lot. Almost too much, but it is pretty cool.

I'm still paranoid that if something happens to her computer, she has no idea what her air is. I simply put a SPG on a short (24") hose that is clipped to her left d ring. If the computer fails, there is a backup. It is also easy for me to rotate her SPG so I can see it to help keep and eye on her.

You mentioned that you have a consul and that your computer and compass are on your wrist. To declutter yourself, if you haven't already, ditch the consul part and just go with the SPG and hose.

Before buying a new computer, play around with what you have.

Good luck!

 

[RAWalker]

AI wireless computers are a great convienence but they are not perfect.
While I agree that sync problems do happen the frequency varies depending on manufacturer, model, battery condition and in a few cases because of environmental issues such as magnetic fields due to metal content in rocks.
Don't let the above statement scare you some work very well when maintained with fresh batteries.
There is another issue however and that is sudden catastrophic failure of a computer.
In this event a computer user would typically need to end the dive and wait 24 hours for his nitrogen load to zero before resuming dive activities.
This would be a real drag if it happened during a expensive dive trip so redundant backup is needed to avoid this.
Redundant backup does not require a SPG however as many other would suggest. It can be accomplished with a second computer. Chances of both computer having a catastrophic failure at the same time are slim. Probably no greater that the computer and a backup timepiece or the computer and SPG failing simultaneously. The advantages is you still have all the convienence to continue your dive and in purchasing a second computer you needn't purchase a second transmitter. Although having a second transmitter would get you back in the water fast in the event of a transmitter failure.
The disadvantage is it is expensive even without the second transmitter.
A less expensive half way point is to have a second non AI computer that uses the same Nitrogen model and keep a SPG in your reg bag. In this case if the AI computer fails the backup computer still has you nitrogen load so all you need to do is surface, (for lack of pressure info) Do your proper surface interval, add the SPG to your reg set and continue enjoying your dive trip with the backup computer and SPG. At this point you may also want to figure out your prior dives as per the tables so in the event of the failure of your backup computer you could use the tables to continue diving.
Althought you may ask why not keep the SPG on all the time the answer is that it has a drawback. If it becomes loose from it's mounting point it can do damage to sensitive environments. Secondly although a small almost insignificant point it produces some drag and it's elemination means you are more streamline and carrying less unneeded equipment.
My option is 2 Oceanic wireless computers. I do keep a spare transmitter, SPG and table with my save a dive kit which has spare batteries in it. Yep, I was a Boyscout. "Be Prepared"

 

[svs]

I have about 20 dives and I find myself constantly looking at my wrist mount computer for depth and time. I also find myself fumbling for my console to check my air ALL THE TIME. So I wonder if an AI computer should have been the way I went from the start? If I had everything all in one spot on my wrist i might be able to stay more neutral and relaxed? I am wondering if anyone else out there is like this and if an AI comp helps them?

I recommend you to wait and invest time and money into diving. I do not have AI computer and during my first dives I was also constantly looking at computer/gauges while struggling with buoyancy. It passed somewhere between 50-100 dives. I don’t think that constant looking at one display will be much less annoying then looking at two. Aim is to naturally eliminate necessity for excessive looking.

 

[vtxkev]

Thanks all, I will keep diving my NON AI computer right now until I hit at least 100 dives and then go from there.