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Discussion of diving methods and equipment available prior to the development of BCDs beyond the horse collar. This forum is dedicated to the pre-1970 diving.
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SurfLung
Master Diver
Posts: 1763
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:03 pm
First Name: Eben
Location: Alexandria, MN
Contact: Website

Titan II DH Project

Mon Mar 08, 2021 11:53 am

Looky What I got...
Starting a New Post for a New Project
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- This is a Titan II single hose regulator which has been modified to include a double hose style 2nd stage. Vance did it for me. Now it works like a Trieste and I can install it in my blue plastic cans with double hoses! I showed a picture of it in my Trieste Update story. But it's a totally different regulator so I'm moving the story to it's own posting. And also... Because it truly is a project with experimental factors that we've been working through... In order to find the best combination of reliability and ease of breathing. At each step, we did dry testing as well as pool testing. Took notes and photos, came home and made modifications... Tried it again, etc.
- At this point, I'll be making one more pool test and then I'll post the story of what-all we did.
- Here's a hint: My first idea for a title was "A VERY NICE Double Hose Regulator".
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

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SurfLung
Master Diver
Posts: 1763
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:03 pm
First Name: Eben
Location: Alexandria, MN
Contact: Website

Re: Titan II DH Project

Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:11 pm

Setting Up the Venturi...
- My Titan II conversion came with two ports in the second stage. The primary port is supposed to point directly into the inhale horn to give the best Venturi effect. The secondary port is 180 degrees pointed in the opposite direction and is supposed to create some back pressure to keep the Venturi from Free Flowing out of control. Here are some photos showing the primary port alignment.
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(If you look in the shadow under the lever, you can see the secondary port)
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(Looking into the horn you can see the primary port pointing directly outward in the center)

With the mechanism positioned this way, I installed the diaphragm, screwed the top onto the can and hooked up a hose to the inhale horn but not the exhale horn. With the air turned on, I took a breath and the regulator went into a hard free flow. This was with a Voit mouthpiece. Next I tried it with a DSV mouthpiece. I got the same hard free flow but I could tell the DSV was tempering it.

I wondered if maybe the lever was adjusted a bit too sensitive. So I backed it off a 1/4 turn. That didn't work so I backed it off another 1/4 turn. Still made no difference. At this point, I forgot to adjust the screw back to where it was.

So I went looking for some other cause. And I found that the secondary port was partly blocked by the first stage nut.
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(This photo shows the secondary port is almost touching the first stage nut)

I didn't want to drill another secondary port without being sure it was needed. So instead, I re-positioned the primary port so it was pointing about 1/2 into the inhale horn and 1/2 into the can. This was hoping to create more back pressure and it worked. I closed everything up again and this time I got a very good result. Easy breathing and no free flow. So I took it to the local pool to see how it worked under water. And it was great. But then it started getting harder and harder to breathe. When I took it home and looked inside, it was the lever I had loosened up... The darned nut had almost completely backed off and the lever was barely opening the seat at all!
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(This was my set up for pool testing... Used the EPDM hoses and DSV mouthpiece)

Okay so it looked like it would have worked if I had re-secured the lever. But aiming the primary half on and off the horn would be kind of a touchy way to adjust the Venturi... And would not take advantage of pointing the Venturi directly into the horn. I talked it over with Vance and he advised to drill a 1/16th inch secondary port 90 degrees from the primary. This made a definite difference. Still pretty sensitive with the Voit mouthpiece. But the DSV mouthpiece made the Venturi contollable. I gave a slower breath and the venturi free flow went slower. Vance said if I was going to use the Voit mouthpiece I should drill another secondary port across from this latest one. And this seems to have done it. With the Voit mouthpiece, I get easy breathing but no Venturi Free Flow.

I didn't make it to the pool last Sunday but I worked on some final touches. I changed the nut on the second stage lever... used an old style DAAM nut and put some thread locker on it. I also installed some of those pressed in nuts that Rob sells for the plastic cans... So now it screws and unscrews just like a Kraken. I restored my original gray hoses and blue Voit mouthpiece. And I have to say, THIS IS A VERY NICE REGULATOR!
Image
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

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SurfLung
Master Diver
Posts: 1763
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:03 pm
First Name: Eben
Location: Alexandria, MN
Contact: Website

Re: Titan II DH Project

Wed Mar 10, 2021 1:19 pm

Secondary Port Drilling...
- Here are a couple of photos of the 1/16" secondary port holes I drilled. It's not rocket science but you do need to keep from drilling too far and disrupting the spring alignment on the inside. Vance gave me a heads up on this.
Image
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SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

swimjim
Master Diver
Posts: 1694
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:28 am
First Name: Jim
Location: Belgium WI

Re: Titan II DH Project

Wed Mar 10, 2021 2:31 pm

Looks like a nice set up Eben. Can't wait to see it at the Pond! :D

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SurfLung
Master Diver
Posts: 1763
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:03 pm
First Name: Eben
Location: Alexandria, MN
Contact: Website

Re: Titan II DH Project

Mon Mar 15, 2021 9:40 am

Pool Testing the Titan II DH Project
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- Well we had a fun day at the pool. Rich brought his recently acquired ScubaPro Twin 45s and I brought the Titan II Double Hose conversion... Both for a first time try underwater.
- However, I also brought along 3 other double hose regulators to compare with: a Royal AquaMaster, Trieste II, and my Divair. And, we BOTH tried out each regulator to compare with the Titan II conversion... The results were not all as expected.
- First the Titan II conversion: I dove it for 15-20 minutes and it breathed very nice. I didn't feel it was lacking in breathing ease at all. Then I switch to my Royal AquaMaster. And honestly, it felt very similar. It sounded a little different. But the breathing ease seemed very similar to the Titan II conversion. Next, I tried my Trieste II with original (small) cans. This too, seemed to breathe just fine. It wasn't as good in some way... Exhaling seemed to take more effort. But otherwise a decent breather. The big surprise was my Divair... This one seemed to breathe easier than the rest of the regs.
- Okay, so Rich was swapping the same regulators and I was surprised by his evaluations. He started out with his Phoenix and then swapped for my stock Royal AquaMaster. This he said, breathed smoother and easier than his Phoenix. So then he tried the Titan II conversion. "Not as good as the Royal". Next for him was my original Trieste. This he felt was not giving him the "volume" of air he wanted... Much like his own Trieste. And finally, he tried the Divair... And like me he was close to saying it breathed better than all of them!
Image
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

swimjim
Master Diver
Posts: 1694
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:28 am
First Name: Jim
Location: Belgium WI

Re: Titan II DH Project

Thu Mar 18, 2021 9:28 am

That doesn't surprise me at all. The DivAir is a super smooth breathing reg IMHO. I've had mine down to 120 feet in Fortune Pond and it worked great. :D

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ScubaLawyer
Master Diver
Posts: 1649
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 11:25 am
First Name: Mark
Location: Laguna Beach, CA

Re: Titan II DH Project

Thu Mar 18, 2021 4:04 pm

Tell Rich he can take the BC off in the pool. :)
"The diver who collects specimens of underwater life has fun and becomes a keen underwater observer. .. seek slow-moving or attached organisms such as corals, starfish, or shelled creatures." (Golden Guide to Scuba Diving, 1968) :D

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Herman
VDH Moderator
Posts: 1315
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:45 pm
Location: Raleigh NC

Re: Titan II DH Project

Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:34 pm

Anyone else notice Eban is standing by the "NO DIVING" sign? :)
Herman

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