[brandvik]

Hi Monk,

The fact that the Palmcontrol is so efficient when it come to air consumption and the fact that it is proven to be adaptable to so many portable sources is exactly what drew me to it. (That and its shear beauty, of course)

I live off-grid and depend solely on solar power or generator if the sun doesn’t shine for a few days. So having a compressor kick in every few minutes sucking up my meager power supplies is just not an option for me.

Regarding the SCUBA tank idea, Kurt and Danny are both correct in that this is a viable option. I taught recreational and technical diving for 10 years and owned a dive shop for 8 of those years. There are essentially only two types of 1st stage regulators; piston and diaphragm. The delivery pressure can be altered to a degree on most but generally speaking 150 to 200 psi is the operating range.

One other important point to mention is this. Reputable dive shops go to great lengths and expense to filter their air of contaminants such as oil, fumes or water. This is because it is a real safety concern. While a few ppm of Carbon Monoxide in the mix may not be a big deal at the surface, it is increased at a rate directly proportional to the density of the air breathed. So a diver breathes in 5 times as much of the bad stuff at a depth of 130 feet. (5 Atmospheres of pressure) So you can bet the air in a SCUBA tank will be much cleaner than any off the shelf compressor can deliver thus keeping your PalmControl nice a clean and dry.

I will be receiving my Palmcontrol airgraver soon and right now I am in the process of experimenting with just such a SCUBA powered setup using an old regulator and a dual tank rig I used to use for cave diving. The dual tank rig holds 200 cf of air which I calculate will last for weeks of use. I am hoping to arrive at a quick connect coupler solution to address the hose issues already mentioned. I will post more information for anyone interested once I have worked the kinks out.