Questions regarding eSCR

[W W Meixner]

Reasonable? Not to me. Co2 monitoring on a dolphin? This is really crazy and I don't think has ever been done. You will need a whole suite of electronics, batteries and pass through ports that have never existed for any drager which is about as minimalist as it can be electricity-wise. You could probably make something up with parts from Martin at tec-me (in Germany) but for the price and complete lack of any functional testing I think you are better off either skipping this modification or looking at a second hand unit CCR (not SCR) that already has Co2 monitoring.

The way the dolphin (and ray) were supposed to work is that your SCR supply gas is also your bailout. The supplied drager regulator is fine for cold water.

RJ...

The OP is talking about PPO2 monitoring...oxygen percentage...not CO...

For Drager units...Drager made a simple PPO2 monitor...''OXYgauge''...hard to find a good one these days...the first generation units had a two piece housing...that was prone to leaking as it aged due to the adhesive used to affix the two housing pieces together crystallizing...allowing water into the unit...salt water intrusion destroys the board...

Martin Tolksdorf...TECME...out of Dusseldorf makes a good one...TFT...with compatible Fischer cable and single cell P-Port sensor house...unit works great and is a direct fit with the Drager SCR rebreathers...

For the Drager Ray...Martin also makes an ''in-loop'' sensor house that gets the sensor out of the water trap at the bottom of the Ray scrubber...this part allows for a much more accurate PPO2 reading on your handset as the in-loop sensor house is ''post'' NITROX injection...just prior to ''inhalation''...

Martin also makes a Ray ''scrubber'' extension'' kit which includes a longer outer housing and an inner center tube extension...

W S Water Safety in Berlin still has complete 32% and 40% orifice/bypass cups which will permit the Ray to be used deeper than ''original'' factory set up allowed...

It probably won't last much longer but currently W S Water Safety has more new service/replacement parts available for the Ray than for the Dolphin...

Best...

Warren

 

[rjack321]

nevermind apparently P = C before coffee.

 

[doctormike]

Hey, this isn't a facetious or trolling question, I'm seriously interested. There seems to be a lot of SCR experience in this thread. What would you guys say is the major draw of SCR over OC?

 

[W W Meixner]

Hey, this isn't a facetious or trolling question, I'm seriously interested. There seems to be a lot of SCR experience in this thread. What would you guys say is the major draw of SCR over OC?

DM...

I can't speak for anyone but myself...and I only dive to maximum recreational depths...I dove with HP steel doubles for years...

Never had a lot of upper body strength to begin with...and now at age 70 have even less...disappearing muscle mass...exposing skinny chicken bones...

I sold all the heavy gear three years ago and dive full time with a new FGT- 5400 (mil-spec Dolphin)...I also have a new Ray with all the ''accessories''...waiting in the wings...

The FGT is light...easy to manage...being new...functions flawlessly...will hold a negative pressure test for 24 hrs +...the complete unit with full scrubber...less tanks and ballast is under 30 pounds...

24 pounds of ballast...two tanks...brings the complete ''dive ready'' unit in at approx 60 pounds...I dive with a CF 200 Signature Series DUI dry-suit...

I dive the unit with a 3000 PSI AL 50...and 20 cu ft bailout...30 minute + bottom times at 130 ft...with two stops...900 PSI per dive...

I dive at Tobermory regularly in the summer...wrecks including the Arabia...Forest City...Niagara II...

The above works very well for me...is far superior...far more ''gas conservative''...with only a fraction of the task loading slugging 100 cu ft HP doubles was...

Best...

Warren

 

[abnfrog]

I still certify divers every year on scr's (all the way up to instructor ,mostly the dolphin/ray ) units they still work very well , I can repair anything on them , I dive a ccr but still like the simplicity of the scr over ccr . they are great in factory form for all dives in rec range ,

 

[doctormike]

with only a fraction of the task loading slugging 100 cu ft HP doubles was...

Interesting, thanks!

I'm questioning this last statement. After diving CCR for a while, I'm always amazed at the simplicity of OC. "Wait, what? You just stick this thing in your mouth and breathe?"

 

[Leifb78]

Hi guys,
just want to say thank you to everybody who has contributed to this thread. My main rason for getting a rebreather is to learn a new way of diving. I have been diving for 20 years OC only and now want to expand my knowledge and skills to innclude rebreathers. I am very mych looking forward to this and the tips and comments have been very useful so far

 

[OceanEyes]

Hey, this isn't a facetious or trolling question, I'm seriously interested. There seems to be a lot of SCR experience in this thread. What would you guys say is the major draw of SCR over OC?

As a professional photographer specializing in wildlife subjects, I’ll try most anything that I consider ethical and within the bounds of reasonable safety to improve my chances of accomplishing my specific goals. While I much prefer CCRs to SCR’s, I’ve found my Dråger Atlantis to be a useful tool in the past, and have yet to regret purchasing it 22 years ago.

Compared to OC the SCR offers a few substantial benefits:
It is much quieter. While not entirely silent, (it sounds like a slowly percolating pot of coffee), reduced noise is a great asset to me, as it offers the potential to get closer to marine life without sonically spooking the critters.

No bubbles in my face. Not really a major issue, but still nice. It vents from behind your back, similar to a double hose OC reg.

Reduced volume of bubbles that ascend and that are not wanted in an image. There are ways of eliminating all bubbles from escaping from the unit for a moderate period of time, but these techniques are potentially hazardous so I will not describe them on this forum.

It is a reasonably efficient gas extender. I’ve got a pretty low RMV, but I always like to have as much time in a bottle as I can get. While not as streamlined as a single tank OC rig, it is certainly “easier” to manage topside, (and for climbing ladders in rough seas), and much lighter than a pair of doubles.

Having noted the benefits of the Atlantis, I have not dived with my unit in a few years. I’ve been keeping it around as I’ve got the space, and may bring it out of semi-retirement the next time that I have to send my CCR to the factory for repairs, (as was the case when I last dived with it), or when I travel somewhere that can supply EAN but not O2 that I’d want to use in my CCR.

 

[doctormike]

Hi guys,
just want to say thank you to everybody who has contributed to this thread. My main rason for getting a rebreather is to learn a new way of diving. I have been diving for 20 years OC only and now want to expand my knowledge and skills to innclude rebreathers. I am very mych looking forward to this and the tips and comments have been very useful so far

That is the BEST reason to get a rebreather! I really like my JJ, it has really revitalized my interest in diving. I love building it, cleaning it after diving, reading about rebreathers and talking about them online. I find them fascinating, and great to dive. Do I NEED a ccr for my diving? No. But then again, I don't NEED to dive at all, I do it for fun.

Enjoy, I hope that you win the lottery so that you can upgrade in the near future...

 

[doctormike]

As a professional photographer specializing in wildlife subjects, I’ll try most anything that I consider ethical and within the bounds of reasonable safety to improve my chances of accomplishing my specific goals. While I much prefer CCRs to SCR’s, I’ve found my Dråger Atlantis to be a useful tool in the past, and have yet to regret purchasing it 22 years ago

Thanks!

I gotta say, that is the ONE frequently mentioned benefit of rebreathers that I just haven't seen yet. I also do wildlife photography (not professionally), and I don't notice that much difference. I figure that fish have evolved to be wary of predators larger than them, and the vast majority of those predators don't blow bubbles.

Maybe it's just me, perhaps I should stop continually hitting my Dive Alert during the dive?