Thank you Oceanic, again

[scubadada]

I bought an Oceanic VT3 and started diving it in July, 2010. I just returned from a trip to Roatan and noticed that after 7 years, I now have over 1000 hours on the computer and nearly 1000 dives. I just started on my 7th battery.

Maybe I just happened to get a good one, but this has also been my general experience with Oceanic computers starting in 2002. On our trip to Roatan, my wife dived a PP2 that is considerably older than my VT3. Though it has many fewer hours and dives on it, it continues to perform flawlessly. I also own a 6 year old Geo2 and another old PP2 that are working perfectly. This is the performance I have come to expect from Oceanic. I'm sure others have their horror stories, however, I am a satisfied customer. People often complain, positive feedback is less common.

Good diving, Craig

 

[the_ocean]

My Oceanic VT4.1 works great, unless you trigger the software bug that they said they fixed. Happened twice on two different serial numbers. Sent it back both times. They couldn't reproduce the problem. It's exactly the same as this bug:
OC1 Firmware Update

Steps to trigger:
1) Set computer to nitrox mixture. FO2 > 21%
2) Complete a dive.
3) Go to plan mode. (for example, you want to check your NDL times for the next time and while you are on your surface interval).
4) Exit plan mode using the M button (not with the "go back" button).

Results: When you next go diving, you may find shorter NDLs, more bars than expected on the TLBG, or you go into deco prematurely. It's as if the computer had incorrectly forgotten to offgass after you exited the plan menu, so it's as if your surface interval didn't count.

Yea, mildly annoyed with that. Fortunately, I was able to use the VT4.1's transmitter with my Shearwater Perdix. The VT4.1 is on backup duty. If I don't do the above things, I haven't had any other issues.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @the_ocean

I had not heard of this problem before, seems that if it were common, we'd have heard all about it. My son has a VT 4.0, no problem.

 

[the_ocean]

I'm not sure if it's the sort of bug that can be reproduced reliably every single time, or if there are some other non-deterministic factors that make it more or less likely (temperature, pressure, software race condition, etc). In any case, I reproduced the problem twice, on two different VT4.1s with the latest software. It seems odd that Oceanic thought they fixed it and yet it keeps happening. I'm tempted to do some pressure pot "test dives" to see if I can reproduce this myself (just for fun...I'm past the point of relying on this computer for deco calculations).