SOS Deco Meter Instructions.

[ClevelandDiver]

Anyone know where I can find instructions to go with a Deco Meter I picked up for my vintage dives?

FYI - I know it was called the bendo-matic by many old divers and often hailed as useless/dangerous. I just like collecting & diving vintage gear and owning a little piece of diving history. Picked up a working princeton bottom timer too!!

 

[Nemrod]

The Princeton Bottom Timer will serve you well, I have several and still use them. I think the deco meter would be quaint and fun to fool around with but stick a modern computer or set of tables in your pocket. Post a pic. N

 

[ClevelandDiver]

The Princeton Bottom Timer will serve you well, I have several and still use them. I think the deco meter would be quaint and fun to fool around with but stick a modern computer or set of tables in your pocket. Post a pic. N

I am definitely using the deco meter as a novelty item. My vintage dives are usually quarry dives with a steel 72 never come close the NDL.

For deeper dives in the Great Lakes I am using an H-valve, pony bottle, 2 computers, sealed regs and a drysuit.

The pic is a good idea. I'll try to lay out all my vintage gear this weekend to illustrate the extent of my obession. Something tells me you probably have me beat though....

 

[Nemrod]

"The pic is a good idea. I'll try to lay out all my vintage gear this weekend to illustrate the extent of my obession. Something tells me you probably have me beat though...."

Maybe, maybe not, I am just a vintage beginner compared to several guys who seem to purchase every dang regulator that comes up for sale!!!!!!! I just try to grab whatever litle bits are left over from the feeding frenzy, every once and a while even the little fish get lucky. N

 

[ClevelandDiver]

I know what you mean......... If 2005williamsp or kgehring are bidding on an item, I know its time to move on. They must have some serious cash or serious debt.

 

[FredT]

The SOS is a good tool, if you use the correct fudge factors. I have 2, both need recalibration. I only have a few thousand dives on them with no hits.

Step one, the meter has to start "in the blue"
Step 2, First dive of the day, dive per the dial labels
Setp 3, MOST IMPORTANT! On every reptative dive move the "Safe to come up" point two ticks to the left for each dive that day.

Using this method the meter tracks the EDGE "brick" display quite well. I did a few hundred dives on the Bend-o-matic with a hunting buddy using the brick. Our deco times tracked. Please note that the SOS meter is a DECOMPRESSION METER unlike the majority of the dive computers today which are essentially NO-DECOMPRESSION METERS that will figure simple deco for you and then typically lock you out of the water for 24 hours. The function is NOT the same!

FT

 

[ClevelandDiver]

The SOS is a good tool, if you use the correct fudge factors. I have 2, both need recalibration. I only have a few thousand dives on them with no hits.

Step one, the meter has to start "in the blue"
Step 2, First dive of the day, dive per the dial labels
Setp 3, MOST IMPORTANT! On every reptative dive move the "Safe to come up" point two ticks to the left for each dive that day.

Using this method the meter tracks the EDGE "brick" display quite well. I did a few hundred dives on the Bend-o-matic with a hunting buddy using the brick. Our deco times tracked. Please note that the SOS meter is a DECOMPRESSION METER unlike the majority of the dive computers today which are essentially NO-DECOMPRESSION METERS that will figure simple deco for you and then typically lock you out of the water for 24 hours. The function is NOT the same!

FT

Thanks for the info. Just to be clear, on the third dive of the day would you move the safe to come up point 4 ticks to the left? One more thing, how do you recalibrate them?

 

[Allison Finch]

I still have mine which is a low 4 digit serial number. I made many technical dives with multi stage decompression with no problems. Bend-o-matic? No. I certainly would not use it now, not having had it calibrated for.....20 years.

I like my two computers, now.

 

[Turtleguy9]

Anyone know where I can find instructions to go with a Deco Meter I picked up for my vintage dives?

FYI - I know it was called the bendo-matic by many old divers and often hailed as useless/dangerous. I just like collecting & diving vintage gear and owning a little piece of diving history. Picked up a working princeton bottom timer too!!

Aloha Cleveland
Dan at Vintage Scuba Supply has copies for sale for $10.00 check out

http://www.vintagescubasupply.com/repro.html

Hope this helps
Aloha Turtleguy

 

[FredT]

Thanks for the info. Just to be clear, on the third dive of the day would you move the safe to come up point 4 ticks to the left? One more thing, how do you recalibrate them?

That is how I did it. Others would have only moved 2, effectively adding one tick per dive. I never got bent with my method after over 5000 dives on the meter, including some serious oops dives.

To recalibrate it the meter must be disassembled. AFAIK nobody does that any more as a commercial offering.

FT