Life expectancy at 20°C/68°F:

0 dives/year –> 3 years

100 dives/year –>1.5 years

300 dives/year –>1 year

The following conditions have an effect on the expected battery lifetime:

The length of the dives

The conditions in which the unit is operated and stored (e.g. temperature/cold conditions). Below 10°C/50°F the expected battery lifetime is about 50-75% of that at 20°C/68°F

The use of the backlight and audible alarms

The use of the compass

The quality of the battery. (Some lithium batteries may exhaust unexpectedly, which cannot be tested in advance)

The time the dive computer has been stored until it gets to the customer. (The battery is installed in the unit at the factory)

NOTE

10.2. RGBM

Low temperature or an internal oxidation of the battery may activate the battery warning even though the battery has enough capacity. In this case, the warning usually disappears when the DIVE mode is activated again.

The Suunto Reduced Gradient Bubble Model (RGBM) is a modern algorithm for predicting both dissolved and free gas in the tissues and blood of divers. It was developed in co-operation between Suunto and Bruce R. Wienke BSc, MSc, PhD. It is based on both laboratory experiments and diving data, including data from DAN.

It is a significant advance on the classical Haldane models, which do not predict free gas (microbubbles). The advantage of Suunto RGBM is additional safety through its ability to adapt to a wide variety of situations. Suunto RGBM addresses a number of diving circumstances outside the range of dissolved-gas-only models by:

Monitoring continuous multiday diving

Computing closely spaced repetitive diving

Reacting to a dive deeper than the previous dive

Adapting to rapid ascents which produce high microbubble (silent-bubble) build-up

Incorporating consistency with real physical laws for gas kinetics

10.2.1. Suunto RGBM adaptive decompression

The Suunto RGBM algorithm adapts its predictions of both the effects of microbubble build-up and adverse dive profiles in the current dive series. It also changes these calculations according to the personal adjustment you select.

The pattern and speed of decompression at the surface is adjusted according to microbubble influence.

On repetitive dives, adjustment may also be applied to the maximum allowable nitrogen overpressure in each theoretical tissue group.

Depending on the circumstances, Suunto RGBM will adapt the decompression obligations by doing any or all of the following:

Reducing No-decompression Stop dive times

Adding Mandatory Safety Stops

Increasing Decompression Stop times

Advising an extended surface interval (Diver Attention symbol)

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Suunto None manual Suunto Rgbm adaptive decompression