Ratio ix3m Computers

[stuartv]

Even if the battery can't be removed, the thing still has to be charged. It doesn't use wireless charging, so the physical charging port is a leak risk just like a battery door would be.

It doesn't have to be wireless for charging to still be sealed. My Seabear H3 has exposed charging contacts. I don't think that poses a leak risk anything like a battery door would.

But, I agree with you that I generally prefer devices with user replaceable batteries. Even the best technology for rechargeable batteries has a limited lifespan. And that's assuming the battery doesn't have a premature death due to a plain ole' defect. I've never bought a cell phone that didn't have a user replaceable battery, just for that reason. The only reason I'm not still using a 3+ year old Galaxy S4 is that I ride motorcycles, so I wanted a waterproof (-ish, of course) phone and I found a sweet deal on an S5. A new battery every now and then and the phone continues to perform like new.

I don't understand why companies don't offer kits to let users replace their built-in batteries (e.g. the one in my H3). It would let them wash their hands of any responsibility. I.e. I get a kit and replace my own battery in the H3 (someday). If it floods afterwards, it's on me. If I send it in for an "official" battery replacement and it floods on the next dive, they dang sure better own up and replace it!

 

[stuartv]

Sold 20ish, first one back in January of this year when we became a dealer.

Isn't anyone on your staff using one (or, at least, has used one some)? A real world user review sure would be nice. There don't seem to be any on the Web.

 

[tbone1004]

remember also regarding the batteries that in order to lower the profile of the computers, flat batteries really have to be used similar to your cell phone. Shearwaters have to have the large barrel battery compartment to facilitate that feature which even on the Perdix increases the ultimate profile. Not a huge deal and it doesn't bother me at all, but it is a factor. Some are choosing to go rechargeable and unfortunately with this it does have a proprietary cable which bothers me a bit. Played a bit with one this past weekend, not enough to get me to buy it over a Perdix, but it's very nice

 

[stuartv]

remember also regarding the batteries that in order to lower the profile of the computers, flat batteries really have to be used similar to your cell phone. Shearwaters have to have the large barrel battery compartment to facilitate that feature which even on the Perdix increases the ultimate profile.

The OSTC 3 uses the same batteries as the Perdix and is significantly thinner (22mm vs 39mm), with the same size screen (well 2" for OSTC and 2.2" for Perdix, but both are color LCD of the same resolution), and overall smaller in every dimension.

2 AAA batteries should give the same amount of total energy as one AA. Maybe someone will make a computer that takes 2 of those and is even thinner. Or, honestly, if a computer lasted half (or even one third) as long as a Petrel or Predix, ran on 1 AAA battery, and was as thin as it could be (to still fit a AAA), that would make me perfectly happy. Heck, if it took 2 x AAA and lasted half as long as a Petrel, and was 5 mm thinner than the OSTC 3, I would be fine with that.

Perdix - Shearwater Research

heinrichsweikamp

The OSTC 3 is less expensive, too.

 

[tbone1004]

the thickness of the OSTC is due to the use of aluminum instead of injection moulding for the case btw and OSTC's price is irrelevant because they aren't available in the US.

I would be over the moon if OSTC was available in the US and would own one, but unfortunately they are not.

 

[stuartv]

the thickness of the OSTC is due to the use of aluminum instead of injection moulding for the case btw and OSTC's price is irrelevant because they aren't available in the US.

I would be over the moon if OSTC was available in the US and would own one, but unfortunately they are not.

I want a second proper tech computer. If something doesn't come out at DEMA that I want (like an H3 w/AI or maybe a Ratio w/AI), then I will probably get the OSTC 3. The fact that none of the online retailers will ship directly to the U.S. doesn't seem like a very big impediment, to me. They will ship to Canada and England and many other places. I have several choices of friends in one place or another that I could have it shipped to and then them ship it on to me.

Once I have it, from what I can tell, there would not be any problem with warranty work. If it needs to be returned to HW for some reason, I believe I can ship it to them and they will ship it back to me, here in the U.S.. It doesn't seem to me to be any different than if I traveled to another country and bought it while I was there. Once I had one, it doesn't seem to be a significant difference than if I had to send a computer back to Shearwater.

So, price is very relevant, to me.

If you really want one, why don't you get one the way I'm thinking of? Surely you must know someone that could receive it and send it on to you.

 

[tbone1004]

don't want one that bad and my Petrel does just fine. The OSTC doesn't have any more features than the SW's that would make me sell my Petrel and buy a new OSTC. AI doesn't work for the dives I'm doing due to the number of bottles in the water so it isn't a selling point for me. If H/W cared about this market, they would set up a dealer here, they haven't, so eh, not worth it to me. If I was doing 100m+ dives I would have identical computers, but even for the big cave dives that we are doing now a backup computer isn't really required if you know how to do math

 

[stuartv]

I would be over the moon if OSTC was available in the US and would own one, but unfortunately they are not.

The bar is fairly low. The above made it sound like you wanted one more than I guess you do.

don't want one that bad and my Petrel does just fine. The OSTC doesn't have any more features than the SW's that would make me sell my Petrel and buy a new OSTC. AI doesn't work for the dives I'm doing due to the number of bottles in the water so it isn't a selling point for me. If H/W cared about this market, they would set up a dealer here, they haven't, so eh, not worth it to me. If I was doing 100m+ dives I would have identical computers, but even for the big cave dives that we are doing now a backup computer isn't really required if you know how to do math

The OSTC doesn't have AI and I haven't heard of any plans to have it any time soon. So, that's not why I would get one, either.

But, why would you want identical computers? I like my H3, but rather than get a second one, I would get the OSTC (or some other tech computer that is not an H3) to ensure that I never have a problem that comes from some hidden flaw in the design of the firmware. For computers like these, both running Buhlmann, with the same GF settings, they should give nearly identical ascent plans and tissue loading info. And as long as they do, I would be confident they were both working right. With two Shearwaters how can you ever be POSITIVE that what they're telling you is correct versus both showing you the same wrong answer? Sure, they may be good today. But how do you know the next firmware release won't have a bug in it?

It seems like the tech mantra of "two is one and one is none" would apply as "two implementations of a deco algorithm is one and one implementation is none". At least, for anyone diving with a 2nd computer intended to function as a backup. I write software for a living. Have been for over 30 years. I do not believe perfect, bug-free software exists (in real-world application implementations).

 

[stuartv]

ps. I would trust my brain, while underwater with some degree of narcosis, more to operate two different dive computers correctly than I would trust it to do math.

 

[tbone1004]

i'd be over the moon because it gives S/W competition which they need. I would probably own one because I think it's marginally better, but it is splitting hairs and I wouldn't want the 3 because of the buttons, the 4 would be what I would choose.

You don't have to do math at depth, just write down your time at ascent, the math happens at the first decompression stops and you should know roughly what the deco profile will look like before you get in the water, especially when you're in the ocean with nice square profiles