[Steve Summers]

(picked up my H. suit inflation bottle the other day)

<sigh> your free fall to the Darkside continues unabated then

Safe diving,
Steve

P.S. Enjoy your holiday

 

[TerryH]

The BLOB he is talking about is Closed circuit, not self inflating. They are enormous, but require inflating either orally or using a Halcyon-compatible drysuit inflator hose. OBviously not an issue for us clones, becuase we change the nipples on all the kit so everything is interchangeable, but worth bearing in mind that you'd have to disconnect the drysuit - which at this point is the ONLY source of buoyancy you have.

Nah was really thinking about a second bladder as part of a wing.
Much smaller version of the double bladder version and with its own small
bottle.

Integral emergency jobby.

No disconnects and very quick operation if needed.
With a very limited size and dump valve, it wouldnt matter if you cracked
it wide open.

More in the vein of a reserve parachute as opposed to carrying two full
size bladders.

 

[pieater]

Nah was really thinking about a second bladder as part of a wing.
Much smaller version of the double bladder version and with its own small
bottle.

Integral emergency jobby.

No disconnects and very quick operation if needed.
With a very limited size and dump valve, it wouldnt matter if you cracked
it wide open.

More in the vein of a reserve parachute as opposed to carrying two full
size bladders.

Well, it would matter if you cracked it open by accident.

 

[TerryH]

Well, it would matter if you cracked it open by accident.

Thats an engineering solution.

Fire extinquishers have pull rings, so wouldnt take much to come up with
plastic pull tag. Besides dont get runaways with Argon suit inflation
sytems.

 

[Garf]

Fire extinquishers have pull rings, so wouldnt take much to come up with
plastic pull tag. Besides dont get runaways with Argon suit inflation
sytems.

Wreck Diving. With an inflation bottle. That has a plastic ring pull tag.


What could possibly go wrong.

 

[TerryH]

Wreck Diving. With an inflation bottle. That has a plastic ring pull tag.


What could possibly go wrong.

Really ought to allow people more common.

The tag is a pull before you can crack the bottle.
Actually prevents accidental use.

 

[Mark Chase]

Well, it would matter if you cracked it open by accident.

Buddy BCDs used to (some still do) have this, yet I dont here many reports of runaway ascents. Mind you Id rather have a bottle going to a valve myself.

ATB

Mark Chase

 

[TerryH]

Buddy BCDs used to (some still do) have this, yet I dont here many reports of runaway ascents. Mind you Id rather have a bottle going to a valve myself.

ATB

Mark Chase

I've got 8 spare bottles in the sin bin, never to be used

The problem was that they would be fully cracked open, fully inflating
the whole BC. Ok you'd get to the surface, but maybe not in one piece.

Was thinking on the lines of a much small independent bladder, built
into a wing with limited lift. Maybe 6kg + a overpressure dump valve.

That way even if you overfill it, the ascent would be more controled.

 

[pieater]

I've got 8 spare bottles in the sin bin, never to be used

The problem was that they would be fully cracked open, fully inflating
the whole BC. Ok you'd get to the surface, but maybe not in one piece.

Was thinking on the lines of a much small independent bladder, built
into a wing with limited lift. Maybe 6kg + a overpressure dump valve.

That way even if you overfill it, the ascent would be more controled.

But wouldn't you be able to provide 6Kg of thrust with your fins? The OP was about surface support. Would 6Kg make much difference?

As to "it never happens" I thouight I'd read that Woz disproved that theory

 

[TerryH]

But wouldn't you be able to provide 6Kg of thrust with your fins? The OP was about surface support. Would 6Kg make much difference?

As to "it never happens" I thouight I'd read that Woz disproved that theory

Yep that's why I said the tricky bit is working out how much.

If you make it a surface only effort then how do you stop anyone using
it U/W, plus surely if this can also aid an ascent it should do both.

Most BC's are 15kg, buddy 19kg, so 6kg sounds about right.
Same as third of a BC. Enough to give you a boost without taken the
dive over.

 

[pieater]

If you make it a surface only effort then how do you stop anyone using it U/W, plus surely if this can also aid an ascent it should do both.

You're right, you can't stop someone using it at depth. That's why this isn't the best idea. If the average diver (and I am one) straps 6Kg of bouyancy at themselves at 30M (starting from a position of being correctly weighted) I bet they clear the water surface 20 seconds later with enough room to land on the boat deck.

 

[TerryH]

You're right, you can't stop someone using it at depth. That's why this isn't the best idea. If the average diver (and I am one) straps 6Kg of bouyancy at themselves at 30M (starting from a position of being correctly weighted) I bet they clear the water surface 20 seconds later with enough room to land on the boat deck.

Cough.

Original horse collar type vests had one shot CO2 cartridge.

Later the Fenzy and La Spirotechnique type of ABLJ went from bottle
to direct feed. The Buddy ABLJ had both and was fired using a bottle
that could be cracked open to initiate the ascent.

Later the same bottle was added to the Commando range and again
was used as an alternate method of ascent.

Problem with all this wasnt the principle, but the actual size of bladder
and the potential to overinflate. Crack it too much and the bladder would
cause a rapid, reduce the size of the bladder and even if you did push it,
ascent could be stopped by dumping air.

If I can buy a massive range of wings that will carry from 8-50kg
I'm damn sure a manufactuer can have a range of bladders from 4-10kg.

This is only a new application of a proven technology, but paying attention
to one of the drawbacks.

 

[pieater]

Cough.

Original horse collar type vests had one shot CO2 cartridge.

Oh well, that's all right then, 'cos diving was safe-as-houses in those days wasn't it? Why don't we go back to attacking Calor gas fittings with files as well? :wink:

"Back in the day" I'll also bet you'd find:
1, Divers were correctly weighted more often;
2, The average diver was fitter;
3, The average UK dive was to much shallower depths.

 

[TerryH]

Oh well, that's all right then, 'cos diving was safe-as-houses in those days wasn't it? Why don't we go back to attacking Calor gas fittings with files as well? :wink:

Just because it's old, doesnt mean we cant reinvent it. Rebreather anyone?