Decocheck

[Mark Powell]

The first version of Decochek was an Excel spreadsheet.

The primary purpose was not to plan a dive but to check a dive plan against its own criteria for a safe dive. This included decompression constraints as well as ICD constraints.

It was based on a multi tissue model but instead of 8 or 16 compartments it used many more compartments and deep stops were handled through the use of very fast tissue compartments.

ICD was checked by looking at the N2 spikes at each gas switch.

The newer version is a full executable program rather than an excel spreedsheet. It primarily a dive planning programme rather than a dive profile comparison.

It uses the French AB Bubble Model.

This months Diver has an article by Mark Ellyatt on his views of deco software and bubble models in partricular as well as his view of why his programme is better.

[Clare Gledhill]

Well I've had a look at the spreadsheet version and it's interesting.

Must be a number of bugs though as a 200 minute dive with 60 mins on O2 is shown as only 85% CNS. DP and VP both come up with about 150%

[pauldiving]

buy and read marks book, enough to see what diving he plans, amazing..

i would buy the full version but i have a imac......

cheers,

[Okeanos]

I use the full version and have found it to be very easy to use and allows me to make the right gas choices. It also works well with CCR and gives much more realistic deco's for CCR than other software I have used.

[Mark Powell]

Originally Posted by Okeanos

I use the full version and have found it to be very easy to use and allows me to make the right gas choices. It also works well with CCR and gives much more realistic deco's for CCR than other software I have used.

Out of interest, what do you mean by more realistic Mark?

[Okeanos]

Originally Posted by Mark Powell

Out of interest, what do you mean by more realistic Mark?

Versus running the same dive on Pro-planner. The Pro-planner deco by comparison is far too long. (This is on CCR BTW.)

Comparing Decochek's deco to PP, at least I get out close to the other (OC) divers and don't spend 20 minutes more in the water after only a shortish dive (30@60m). This happened on the last dive when another RB user was using PP. I can choose to pad it in the shallows if I feel circumstances require/allow it, but have had no reason to.