Tracking the new X

[DeepDiverBob]

February 13th, 2008

NiTek X Beta Test con’t (http://www.diverite.com/blog/2008/02/13/nitek-x-beta-test-cont/)

Rose Sink Cave System, FL
Feb 11, 2008
My dive required using CCR so I ran the Nitek X in CC mode and compared the decompression schedulesbetween the Hammerhead and Nitek X. I ran a set point of 1.2 and programmed my diluent as air. I had to survey the cave out from maximum point of penetration: 4800-feet to my last station from a previous dive. The display on the NiTek X made the survey work easier because of the large depth display, plus the depth reading to a tenth of a foot.
The first deco stop was at seventy feet after 110 minutes of bottom time. Usually this is where I avoid looking at the total deco time on the Hammer Head CCR Electronics or the NiTek HE because they always show more deco time than actual deco until you get to the shallower stops. Yesterday, the Hammer Head was showing 134 minutes of deco, yet the NiTek X was showing 74 minutes. I had asked the NiTek X designers to build in some type of intuitive deco stop time. I wanted to have a real deco check at depth and penetration so I knew when it was time to come home. It works in CC mode and is being checked on a similar dive today in OC mode.
The deco countdown went like clockwork following the 74 minute schedule. I watched the CNS clock on the left of the display climb. The CNS tracking is on the left side of the screen, the 9 pixel display fills up in partial pixel display so you get a more accurate measure of the CNS clock. The NiTek He would jump a full pixel on the display for every 12.5% of use. After seven pixels on the CNS clock the eighth pixel came to life as just a line, but this pushed the CNS clock to 80% and the display started flashing. The Hammer Head deco began accelerating the total deco time and matched the Nitek X at the 30-foot stop. Both the Nitek X and Hammer Head cleared within one minute of each other.
The testing is going well. A few more tech dives are needed to verify some of the alarm features. The only way to really know if the NiTek X is performing properly is to do the dives.
I guess I need to go diving again. Lamar.
Rose Sink Dive Profile 2.8.08 (http://www.diverite.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/rose-sink-beta-test-graph.pdf)

Posted in NiTek X (http://www.diverite.com/blog/category/diverite/nitek-x/), Dive Rite (http://www.diverite.com/blog/category/diverite/) | No Comments » (http://www.diverite.com/blog/2008/02/13/nitek-x-beta-test-cont/#respond)

February 12th, 2008

NiTek X Beta Test (http://www.diverite.com/blog/2008/02/12/nitek-x-beta-test/)

Friday, Feb 8, 2008
Devil’s Cave System, Florida
Last Friday, I dived a NiTek X beta for the first time in awhile. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any place of note to go diving so I dropped in at our local standby; Devil’s Eye Spring. Using a conservancy factor 2 (30/75 gradient), I swam a 55 minute circuit between 90 and 100 feet of depth. The computer is easy to use; gas switches worked just as they should have. The deco matched the HE almost to the second except the NiTek X spread it between 20 and 10 ft stops where the HE merely had a 10 ft stop. So far I am quite happy with it.
Jerry Murphy
Product Manager

[MgicTwnger]

Who is "Lamar"? Another sock puppet?

[DeepDiverBob]

Who is "Lamar"? Another sock puppet?

Every time you say something, we get dumber for listening...

http://www.advanceddivermagazine.com/WETdivers/WET/LAMAR/lamar.html

[MgicTwnger]

Every time you say something, we get dumber for listening...

http://www.advanceddivermagazine.com/WETdivers/WET/LAMAR/lamar.html

Silly me for not knowing that.

[SLIM]

ROFLMAO he is Mr Dive Rite

[MgicTwnger]

Is there a Mrs Dive Rite? Maybe Bob would know.

[scububa]

ROFLMAO he is Mr Dive Rite

???? The referenced article clearly states he is...

"The Duke of Dive Rite"

:D

[DeepDiverBob]

February 25th, 2008



The manned dives on the NiTek X are moving along without any glitches. We are now into the military testing on case integrity with extreme heat and cold testing along with interval pressure checking. We are still waiting on the back lighting to complete the production beta units. We are pushing the vendor to give us a delivery date.
More information on the intuitive decompression model: The NiTek X gas list is for the dive, just like the older NiTek HE you program in the gasses for the dive. The NiTek X assumes you will use all these gases for the dive with change points of 1.6 PO2. This allows the computer to look forward on the decompression schedule and predict your decompression. This was a feature I had asked for so I could have some real information when 2000 feet back in a cave at over 200 feet in depth. The decompression schedule shown on the NiTek HE would lead you to think you would never get out of decompression because it only looked at the current breathing gas when computing total decompression time. The NiTek X will look forward and show you a more realistic schedule. If you don’t use all the gases programmed it doesn’t affect the decompression schedule, you just don’t get accurate total ascent time information. Jerry experienced this on a dive last week when 95% was programmed in for a deco gas but he didn’t have it with him. The real decompression time was accurate but the total time was telling him he could get out earlier if he would make the gas change.
We have been asked by some customers if we will handle service repairs on the NiTek X in-house. The answer is yes. We have computer technicians dedicated to servicing the NiTek X and will offer service in the same time frame as most of our products - 72 hours turn around.

Lamar

[DeepDiverBob]

April 21st, 2008

NiTek X Status (http://www.diverite.com/blog/2008/04/21/nitek-x-status/)

The back lighting circuit is finished and now the production die to mount the LED to the board is being made. The process will take a week and the boards will take a week to run after that. The NiTek X cases are in production. We should have these by the end of next week and start the pressure testing before assembly. Everything is coming together.
Lamar

[theskull]

Can you say, "vaporware"?

theskull

[DeepDiverBob]

I heard from a source that the X is suppose to be out in the next 2-3 weeks. I personally dont believe anything I hear anymore, but I guess its a possibility. It has to come out sometime.

Doesn't it?

[DeepDiverBob]

I knew that source was full of Pratt...

[DeepDiverBob]

May 29th, 2008

NiTek X (http://www.diverite.com/blog/2008/05/29/nitek-x-2/)

I know everyone is tired of hearing this, but the NiTek X is almost done. I just spent a week at Innerspace in the Caymans test diving the NiTek X with great results. Everything is working on it, but the sample did not include the backlighting. Parts are arriving for assembly and the final board with the backlighting in place should arrive next week. After testing it we will start producing the boards. The cables are on order for the 4th cell integration and PC interface. The project is moving forward.



:rolleyes:

[theskull]

May 29th, 2008

NiTek X (http://www.diverite.com/blog/2008/05/29/nitek-x-2/)

I know everyone is tired of hearing this, but the NiTek X is almost done. I just spent a week at Innerspace in the Caymans test diving the NiTek X with great results. Everything is working on it, but the sample did not include the backlighting. Parts are arriving for assembly and the final board with the backlighting in place should arrive next week. After testing it we will start producing the boards. The cables are on order for the 4th cell integration and PC interface. The project is moving forward.



:rolleyes:

Yep, cranking right along. Probably be available for sale to the public by 2010!

theskull

[terrapinken]

I talked to Dive Rite today.......Mike says 30 days from now. I went ahead and ordered some. This is me turning blue holding my breath....

[DeepDiverBob]

:rolleyes:

[DeepDiverBob]

June 11th, 2008

NiTek X Progress (http://www.diverite.com/blog/2008/06/11/nitek-x-progress/)

After seven days of teaching I have the to say the NiTek X is performing as expected. While I am teaching I don’t pay as much attention to the computer as I do when diving it for evaluation. I discovered the Mix 1 default setting was missing from the NiTek X. We have specified that all computers in the NiTek family default to Mix 1 for the next dive after a ten minute surface interval. This is now being added to the NiTek X. You can override the default in set mode (for setting mixes) to start the dive on a gas other than Mix 1. Final programming is being completed and we are about to release the first 100 boards. The computer cases are ready so we can begin assembly. I will be able to give weekly updates from now on.

Lamar


yawn

[DeepDiverBob]

June 19th, 2008

Nitek X update (http://www.diverite.com/blog/2008/06/19/nitek-x-update-4/)

We are in the final phase of testing the Nitek X. The validation boards are on order. After the boards come in we will assemble the first ten production units and if all goes well we will give approval for final production. The Workbench for the X is being moved to a new server and we will have a link for it shortly. The screen captures of the software pages look impressive and are easy to navigate. We are moving ahead rapidly and currently everything is on schedule.

[DeepDiverBob]

There are a few snap shots of the software package that comes with the x on the diverite blog. First visual evidence I've seen that it might be out sometime this year, but we will see.

http://www.diverite.com/blog/

[DeepDiverBob]

July 9th, 2008

Nitek X update (http://www.diverite.com/blog/2008/07/09/nitek-x-update-5/)

The countdown continues and we are ready to receive a final production unit with all the bells and whistles including backlighting next week. The uploader cable and software interface are all ready as well. After Heliox confirms everything is correct with the production boards we will order the first 100 boards and go into production as soon as they arrive.
Our plans are to deliver the first 100 units to a select number of patient consumers to test dive. In order to avoid a slow down in the second production run of the units, the next 250 boards will be produced concurrent to this. If we find any glitches in the programming it will be corrected with firmware updates.
Lamar

[DeepDiverBob]

Who is "Lamar"?

Open water certified in 1979, Lamar and a friend began driving from their home in Jacksonville to north central Florida to explore the springs (and look for girls). Without proper training or equipment, they began diving Peacock Springs, Little River Springs and any spring they could find in Ned Deloach’s “Underwater Guide to Florida”. Too poor to think about paying an instructor, Lamar and his dive buddy stopped for air fills at Aquifer Dive Center in Jacksonville one afternoon. There they met an instructor named, Wes Skiles, who topped off their tanks and asked them where they were going.

“We were too nieve to know any better. We told Wes we were diving Peacock and he immediately became worried," Lamar explains, "he said we had to get training and we shrugged him off. We didn’t have money for training. Then he tried to give us a copy of Sheck Exley’s "Blueprint for Survival". I shrugged that off, too. I didn’t have the $4 to pay for the book.”

Instead, Wes gave them Sheck’s guidebook and as Lamar began reading it he realized they HAD to get cave trained. They returned a few weeks later and Wes not only certified Lamar, but also gained a newfound dive partner. Lamar and his buddy continued checking out all the springs in the guidebook hoping to find something that had been overlooked. They had heard about Rock Bluff and when they discovered it was walled out at a tight restriction, they began digging. Lamar brought Wes back and together they surveyed the system and pushed it another 1400 feet.

Lamar went on to become a modern day explorer and dive pioneer. He has spent over twenty five years exploring and surveying the extensive underwater cave systems near his home in north central Florida. A legend among Florida cave divers, Lamar is known for his expertise in sidemount diving. He developed the very first training guidelines for sidemounting and has taught many of today's well-known sidemount divers.

Underwater exploration, education and conservation are a passion that has led Lamar all over the world. He has mapped and explored cave systems from the rugged mountains of Japan to the remote jungles of the Dominican Republic. Not a stranger to the ocean, Lamar's curiosity for exploration has taken him to the rarely dived icy waters of the Antarctic as well as countless wreck dives off the coasts of Florida and the eastern United States.

When Lamar began diving in 1979, exploration-quality dive equipment was not commercially available. At that time, technical divers made their own gear, fashioning backplates out of metal stop signs and sealing flashlights in plastic bags. In 1984, Lamar joined a start-up dive equipment company called "Dive Rite" and there he helped bring to market the first buoyancy compensator for double tanks known as the "Classic Wing." Dive Rite also mass produced the first metal backplate and invented the "Bridge," which was the industry's first user programmable Nitrox- dive computer. In 1997, Lamar bought Dive Rite and has grown the company into a worldwide dive manufacturer with distribution in over forty-five countries. Today, Lamar continues as CEO, product development guru and top dive guy; leading a company of dedicated divers who share Lamar's passion for developing state-of-the-art dive gear for fellow divers.


Affiliations & Awards
IANTD Board of Advisors (current)
National Speleological Society, Chairman (1992-1994)
National Speleological Society, Training Chairman (1987-1992)
International Underwater Cave Rescue and Recovery (IUCRR) Training Coordinator (current)
National Speleological Society, Lifetime Fellow Award
Florida Springs Exploration Award, 2000
Contributing writer for Advanced Diver Magazine, Divers Magazine, Scuba Times and Sport Diver Magazine
Contributing author NSS-CDS Cave Diving Manual and IANTD Technical Divers Encyclopedia
Instructor: IANTD, NSS-CDS, SDI, TDI

Systems Mapped
1982 Rock Bluff, Florida
1984 Devil’s Ear, Florida
1985 Siphon Creek Rise Spring, Florida
1985 Bonnet Springs, Florida
1986 Little River, Florida
1986 Section 26, Alabama
1986 Cow Springs, Florida
1989 Suwanacoochee/Edwards, Florida
1989 Telford/Luraville Springs, Florida
1990 Silver Glen, Florida
1994 Blue Springs, Tennessee
1995 Akka, Shigawatari, Ryusendo Caves, Japan
2000 Unnamed sinkholes, Dominican Republic
2007 Rose Sink (on-going)

[SLIM]

Can't belive Bob is getting behind on this.

July 31st, 2008

NiTek X Update (http://www.diverite.com/blog/2008/07/31/nitek-x-update-6/)

The PCB validation is complete and the validation sample and I are heading to the Keys for some diving. I will let you know how the computer performed upon my return.

The 100 boards for the first beta run are now on order and we are testing the cases in preparation for final assembly of the first run of units. After we receive the production schedule for the first 100 boards we will be able to announce the ETA on the first run. After the first 100 have been sampled we will order another 250 boards and go into final production.

The Workbench software is complete and will be online very soon to allow divers to play with and experience the interface.

[MgicTwnger]

Can't belive Bob is getting behind on this.


Is it possible......

Could it be........

Bob has finally GOTTEN A LIFE!!!!! :eek:

[DeepDiverBob]

Can't belive Bob is getting behind on this.

July 31st, 2008

NiTek X Update (http://www.diverite.com/blog/2008/07/31/nitek-x-update-6/)

The PCB validation is complete and the validation sample and I are heading to the Keys for some diving. I will let you know how the computer performed upon my return.

The 100 boards for the first beta run are now on order and we are testing the cases in preparation for final assembly of the first run of units. After we receive the production schedule for the first 100 boards we will be able to announce the ETA on the first run. After the first 100 have been sampled we will order another 250 boards and go into final production.

The Workbench software is complete and will be online very soon to allow divers to play with and experience the interface.

Must have been posted later in the day. I was checking all day, but I dont have internet after 3 PM. Thanks for the update though. Hopefully I will have mine before Christmas.

[theskull]

Must have been posted later in the day. I was checking all day, but I dont have internet after 3 PM. Thanks for the update though. Hopefully I will have mine before Christmas.

Christmas '09?

theskull

[DeepDiverBob]

Christmas '09?

theskull

I'm not picky...any Christmas will do.

[DeepDiverBob]

September 5th, 2008

Nitek X Workbench is online (http://www.diverite.com/blog/2008/09/05/nitek-x-workbench-is-online/)

The Keys trip went well and testing is continuing with team Dive Rite actively diving with the Nitek X we have in house. Our first shipment of USB cables has arrived and the 4th cell cables should be here soon. As the 4th cell cables have to be waterproof they are taking a little longer. Everything is on schedule for the buildup of the first beta production run later this month.
The Workbench, the dive planning software that comes with the logbook for the X is complete. Use the links below to download the software, see how it works and what it is capable of. While this demo is web based the version supplied with the cable will run without web access.
MAC http://www.heliox.com/customers/diverite/Mac%20OS%20X%20Installer.zip (http://www.heliox.com/customers/diverite/Mac%20OS%20X%20Installer.zip)
WIN http://www.heliox.com/customers/diverite/Windows%20Installer.zip (http://www.heliox.com/customers/diverite/Windows%20Installer.zip)
Lamar

[theskull]

[quote=DeepDiverBob;18908] . . . As the 4th cell cables have to be waterproof they are taking a little longer. Everything is on schedule for the buildup of the first beta production run later this month. . . /quote]

Everything is on schedule??? Wasn't this supposed to be ready to sell to the public about a year and a half ago?

theskull

[DeepDiverBob]

[quote=DeepDiverBob;18908] . . . As the 4th cell cables have to be waterproof they are taking a little longer. Everything is on schedule for the buildup of the first beta production run later this month. . . /quote]

Everything is on schedule??? Wasn't this supposed to be ready to sell to the public about a year and a half ago?

theskull

That was a different schedule. This is a new schedule.

[DeepDiverBob]

October 15th, 2008

NiTek X In Production (http://www.diverite.com/blog/2008/10/15/nitek-x-in-production/)

All the parts are in stock and the first five beta production units are being assembled. These units are full production with 4th cell integration and download capability. I will have these back on Friday from the development team. The week after DEMA we will be in full production at Dive Rite with the first 100 units rolling off the production line. Another 250 will follow. We will then go to a normal production schedule.
The NiTek X is one of the few US-manufactured dive computers on the market and we are proud to deliver it.
Lamar

[scububa]

Oh Lord!
I guess this means he's better. :0106:

[DeepDiverBob]

its a race...who will be in the water first, me or the X

[theskull]

its a race...who will be in the water first, me or the X

My money's on you, dude! Safe bet.

theskull

[DeepDiverBob]

December 12th, 2008

NiTek X Update (http://www.diverite.com/blog/2008/12/12/nitek-x-update-7/)

Okay, so I know I keep saying it’s close. You’re saying, “yeah, yeah.” Well, the NiTek X is here and we are assembling the first 100 units, which are beta test units. While we were waiting for the parts to come, I have been diving the X with 4th cell integration on the O2ptima. It tracks well with the HH controller and the display is easy to read.

The first 100 units are full production beta units. We want and expect feedback from the divers who purchase them. Our development team are all tech divers so we know what tech divers expect, but we want your input so we can be sure everything you need is there. Any changes on the beta units can be sent via Workbench and USB upload cables.

[SLIM]

But they have just a few more days to have them all ready for the public in demand. I bet not all will be ready for the list of byers that are out there.

Guess it will be 2009 before they are truly on the market for all to purchase.

SLIM

[DeepDiverBob]

But they have just a few more days to have them all ready for the public in demand. I bet not all will be ready for the list of byers that are out there.

Guess it will be 2009 before they are truly on the market for all to purchase.

SLIM

I heard that about 2008, too.

And the beat goes on and on and on...

[DeepDiverBob]

January 12th, 2009

NiTek X BETA Feedback (http://www.diverite.com/blog/2009/01/12/nitek-x-beta-feedback/)

The first Nitek X beta units shipped before the holidays and the feedback was very positive. The Quick start guide alone was all that is needed to navigate thru the intuitive menu. Surprisingly no bugs were found. I didn’t really expect any since we have numerous dives on the pre beta units. We have retuned most of the PC boards to Heliox for two user enhancements noted from the new beta users. 1) the switch from OC/CC mode will be athree second hold of both buttons instead of just the simultaneous push of both buttons. 2) The max depth will display below current depth in smaller numbers after it loses it position to show total time to surface when the X is in decompression mode. We will have the boards back with the enhancements by the end of the week.
Lamar