Suunto USB cable DIY

[Bubbletrubble]

You're all forgetting something.

Those cables are a small market and R&D costs a lot of $$$
Software is already offered for free, the money has to come from somewhere.

I'm not forgetting it at all.

At the beginning, Suunto could have opened up its API to third-party developers and charged a small licensing fee (or not). Essentially, this would have driven software development costs to zero and would have allowed the company to charge less for the cable while still maintaining the same marginal profit. The company chose not to do that. It wanted to maintain proprietary control.

 

[300bar]

I'm not forgetting it at all.

At the beginning, Suunto could have opened up its API to third-party developers and charged a small licensing fee (or not). Essentially, this would have driven software development costs to zero and would have allowed the company to charge less for the cable while still maintaining the same marginal profit. The company chose not to do that. It wanted to maintain proprietary control.

We're seeing the same thing with Oceanic, the question has been out there for a long time...
PLS make the software opensourse.
But they're just afraid you're going to sue the pants of them,when something goes wrong, so it's not going to happen.

 

[NCadiver]

Cost of third party cable: $50
Cost of MacDive: $25
Total cost: $75
MacDive has a lot more features, a more aesthetically pleasing interface, better integration into the OS, integration with iPhoto (a photo storage app), and is far less clunky than Suunto Dive Manager. MacDive was written as native software for the Mac.

Saving $25 and getting more for your money is a good deal, if you ask me.


Like it or not, it's the truth. I'm a diver, not a dive gear retailer. Why so salty?

I have nothing against Suunto at all. The company chose to set a price of approx. $100 for the download cable. Other options exist which provide more functionality at a cheaper price. I have no idea what the marginal profit on each cable is (including development costs for the free software), but if Suunto wanted to sell more cables, the price should be lowered somewhat. The company could make it so that everyone who owned a Suunto computer wouldn't think twice about purchasing a download cable.

I actual found it for 5 cent cheaper.
Why so salty? The price has been like this for 5+ years and here he comes complaining and it down from when they started with parallel ports. So were was he when this all started? 400 dollar computer use to be top of the line and didn't do a 1/3 of what these computer can do now.

 

[Interceptor121]

I bought a custom idea cable here it costs £35 for the DM4 compatible version and £30 for the serial version which is less than $100
I went a great length to get a software that is DM4 and Mac compatible but the software is actually very basic, not only that, but still has some serious bugs
I have downloaded a trial of MacDive and I have to say this software is far superior to the Suunto DM4 I am even thinking of buying this now because first of all works and seems not to have bugs
With the DM4 and a mosquito I even get a timeout after a certain number of dives. Terrible

 

[kd3pc]

I have downloaded a trial of MacDive and I have to say this software is far superior to the Suunto DM4 I am even thinking of buying this now because first of all works and seems not to have bugs

I tried one of the ebay cables (about $50) and while every attempt was an adventure, it only worked some of the time on my MAC,
but I wanted a 100% solution which I now have with the Suunto cable, my cobra 2 computer, and MacDive on my MAC.
100% for the last two years. MacDive is well worth the $25 license and the support is better than any COTS systems or SW I have ever bought.

 

[rha600]

I ran across this thread because I'm looking to start logging dives from my Cobra3 onto my PC and I was a little surprised at the cost of the cable.

For those that think this is an acceptable price, you've got to be joking. My $300 Garmin GPS that I use for cycling not only came with a cable, but it's a standard cable (something they could not do with a dive computer of course). So a $300 GPS/computer came with a free cable that can be used with their free software, but a $700 dive computer requires you to spend an additional $80 for it's cable?

There is no R&D put into that cable.

 

[tadawson]

True, but unlike your Garmin where you need to apply updates - there is no real reason to need the cable for the computer in most cases. Myself, I have run my Suuntos for 10+ years with no cable, and feel no loss. I did buy a cable on e-bay (a real Suunto serial cable) so that I could clear a second Cobra I bought used, but still don't do much else with it.

Having said that, I don't know what percentage of computer buyers want the cable, but likely since price is a very competitive area, they left it out to save $$$. And if you look at a Suunto cable, they have active electronics in them - unlike the standard passive USB cable for your Garmin. Granted, not $80 worth, but still not a generic cable, and it *DID* take some design effort.

- Tim

 

[NCadiver]

I ran across this thread because I'm looking to start logging dives from my Cobra3 onto my PC and I was a little surprised at the cost of the cable.

For those that think this is an acceptable price, you've got to be joking. My $300 Garmin GPS that I use for cycling not only came with a cable, but it's a standard cable (something they could not do with a dive computer of course). So a $300 GPS/computer came with a free cable that can be used with their free software, but a $700 dive computer requires you to spend an additional $80 for it's cable?

There is no R&D put into that cable.

Should have bought it in a package deal and you would have gotten a better price. And part of the cost is the software.

 

[rha600]

True, but unlike your Garmin where you need to apply updates - there is no real reason to need the cable for the computer in most cases. Myself, I have run my Suuntos for 10+ years with no cable, and feel no loss. I did buy a cable on e-bay (a real Suunto serial cable) so that I could clear a second Cobra I bought used, but still don't do much else with it.

Having said that, I don't know what percentage of computer buyers want the cable, but likely since price is a very competitive area, they left it out to save $$$. And if you look at a Suunto cable, they have active electronics in them - unlike the standard passive USB cable for your Garmin. Granted, not $80 worth, but still not a generic cable, and it *DID* take some design effort.

- Tim

The dive computers require updates as well. ANY computer is going to have bugs and/or updates that need to be put in place.
http://dm4.movescount.com/ReleaseNotes.txt

Those are the release notes for updates to the DM4 software. With Garmin (and I'm sure other companies) you can do them yourself with the FREE supplied cable. Suunto while being a more expensive piece of equipment, still requires you to pay quite a high price for their cable.

Should have bought it in a package deal and you would have gotten a better price. And part of the cost is the software.

The software is free. Just like Garmin's software.

and just to compare apples for apples, Suunto's fitness piece that does things like monitor heart rate, speed, distance, cadenace, while being slightly more expensive has a cable that costs almost 3 times as much.


suunto
Suunto t6d Black Smoke | Suunto
USB Cable | Suunto

Garmin
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=142&pID=83280
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=67216



I like my Cobra, but I don't like companies that try to nickel and dime you are every step. It's like selling me a car for free but then telling me the tires will cost me $50K.

 

[muzikbiz22]

The dive computers require updates as well. ANY computer is going to have bugs and/or updates that need to be put in place.
http://dm4.movescount.com/ReleaseNotes.txt

Those are the release notes for updates to the DM4 software. With Garmin (and I'm sure other companies) you can do them yourself with the FREE supplied cable. Suunto while being a more expensive piece of equipment, still requires you to pay quite a high price for their cable.

Your statement here is a little confusing. You seem to be implying (my perception), that you need the Suunto cable to update the DM4 software ?? DM4 software goes on your PC/Mac. You do NOT need a cable to update DM4. You need an internet connection, not a SUUNTO cable. To my knowledge, there have been NO UPDATES for my DIVE COMPUTER, a Suunto D4i, (works flawlessly by the way). If I'm wrong here, someone please correct me. The link to the Suunto Release Notes you have posted above, is for the PC/Mac software, not a Suunto Dive Computer.

Is the Suunto cable expensive ? Yup, it is. So is gasoline, hasn't changed or stopped me from driving or taking my boat out to go diving. It is what it is.