Undepletable oxy sensor?

[HeXx]

Combined O2-helium analyzers cost in the 8-900 euro range right now. Sure you can try to compete with divesoft, analox, or trumix. But on what basis? You aren't cheaper, there isn't much in the way to add feature-wise. You are trying to enter a market with multiple established competitors who already have vendors and distributors.

You are absolutely right, but I don't see any vendor having a solid state oxygen sensor, and that I think it's what could be an advantage.

 

[broncobowsher]

What advantage? Unique, yes. But what advantage are you seeing? We are not seeing it.
You have an idea and are trying to find a market for it. That is almost always a failure. You look for a need in a market and make something that fills that need. The market you are trying to find is a new anaylzer. Doesn't analyze any better, will cost a huge amount more to buy, will likely never see a return on that investment. Why would anyone buy one?

As for the Nitrox analyzer, they get even cheaper to own once you have a rebreather buddy who hand off cells that are too old for the rebreather but still have analyzer life left in them. My divesoft analyzer has no ongoing costs. The battery is rechargable and I have free O2 cells from the rebreather. Helium uses sound, so no sensor to replace there.

 

[Wibble]

The big market for scuba is reliable long-life oxygen sensors for rebreathers. There's one very minor player who does this (in an unconventional way) and who seems to have the patent or contract control for this from the supplier.

Currently rebreathers have three or more conventional cells simply because they're so unreliable and have limited lifespan.

edit: by "big market" it's actually very small in the grand scheme of things. Doubt if there's more than 50k active rebreather divers globally! (that estimate pulled out of the air, will be wrong, but not by orders of magnitude). How many PADI certs are there a year - isn't it around a million? Rebreathers probably account for <1% of certs?

 

[J-Vo]

If a solid state He+O2 analyzer would have been available for say $200 more than the one I currently have I would have paid the extra. Now that I have my Oxycheck, I won't by another unless it dies.

 

[kelemvor]

You could probably add a CO test to that analyzer for relatively little extra cost. Then you'd have something that might interest buyers enough to stray from the established brands.

 

[HeXx]

You could probably add a CO test to that analyzer for relatively little extra cost. Then you'd have something that might interest buyers enough to stray from the established brands.

That is already included as the parts cost is minimal.
The idea is that it first measures for CO contamination, if it is below a settable threshold in ppm, than proceeds to measure PPo2, followed by He

 

[-JD-]

[/QUOTE]

That is already included as the parts cost is minimal.
The idea is that it first measures for CO contamination, if it is below a settable threshold in ppm, than proceeds to measure PPo2, followed by He

How about adding in a pressure transducer and valve at the lead-in end. Then you can do full checks with one tool and attach cycle.

 

[HeXx]

How about adding in a pressure transducer and valve at the lead-in end. Then you can do full checks with one tool and attach cycle.

Can you please elaborate?
To measure pressures in the 300bar range, those transducers substantially increase the cost of the device, by at least 200 euros.
And I want to keep the device as portable as possible.

 

[broncobowsher]

We are now moving into the phase known as "project creep"
Adding stuff, increasing complexity and cost. Getting away from the original idea.

 

[kelemvor]

We are now moving into the phase known as "project creep"
Adding stuff, increasing complexity and cost. Getting away from the original idea.

Well, yeah. The original post was just about @HeXx replacing the sensor in his existing nitrox analyzer with something that might be better.