Blacktip Tech DPV Review
I just spent three days (October 2023) fiddling with two new Blacktip Tech scooters in a freshwater cave - Devils' Eye/Ear in North Florida.
My overall impression is MEH when comparing it to my SS UV-18 & UV-26 with the exception of the weight. The UV-26 weighs in at 96 pounds, this Blacktip weighs less than 30 pounds. That difference is great! The Blacktip just doesn't feel as robust as the high end DPVs.
It took several dives over a few weeks to get the these scooters weighted and balanced properly. In the end the nose weighs 6.22 pounds, the tube weighs 11 lbs with the batteries in it, and the tail section weighs 11.5 pounds for a Total Weight of 35.52 pounds. This was adjusted several times by varying the lead shot volume and the plate then putting it in the water several times for fine tuning. Overall a PITA but eventually worked OK. The batteries weigh in 2.8 at pounds each.
UPDATE Dec 26
I am more impressed with this DPV as time goes by. I am willing to say that this is a good DPV for an entry level DPV cave diver.
The factory rigging is less than optimal and I changed that on both of these scooters to better match what I have always used on the SS UV-18 & UV-26. These were easy fixes but time consuming. The carrying strap on the Blacktip now sits in my dive locker and that is where it will remain.
I hope the images are clear enough to see what I have done to these scooters, and maybe even why.
At this early point in my very limited experience with this scooter I am leaning toward thinking it is a barely acceptable choice for an entry level cave scooter. The DPV Cave diver who wants to scooter back to the Dome Room at Little River, the Hinkle/Sweet Surprise/Main Land at Ginnie will be OK with this scooter as long as the batteries are healthy.
We did a run up to 1800 feet in Devils' Ear on setting 4-5 (There are 8 speed choices 1-8) and I towed the other scooter and diver back out to the Park Bench, about 1400 feet. Upon surfacing I ran around a few circles and the battery indicator showed the "Battery Low" icon.
The DPV cave diver who wants to go way up into Manatee will NOT be OK with this scooter.
I think the MAP on this Blacktip scooter is $2,100.00. The MAP on a Genesis 3.1 is $8,750.00 and a Suex is near the same price as the Genesis.
Updates as of November 10, 2023
I decided to update some of the settings on the Blacktip.
The first update was to do away with the three second delay of the DPV motor starting to spin. I changed it to start up immediately upon pulling then trigger.
Another update was to lenghten the migrate rate time: When you restart the scooter after releasing the trigger, the scooter resumes at a slower speed based on the time off the trigger.
The longer the trigger is off, the closer the resumed speed gets to the default gear. This setting controls how fast the speed changes.
Value is in milliseconds per gear. I changed mine to 1,000,000, factory default was 5,000.
The other change I made was to change the default initial speed from three to four.
The left side image is the underside of the plate that secures the electronics to the DPV tail section. The lights indicate it is powered up and ready to accept commands.
The right side image is what the VESC software output looks like after changes are made.
Be careful what cable you use between the DPV and your Windows based PC. All Micro USB (Male) to USB (Male) Cables are not created equal. Some are designed for charging; others are designed for data transfer and charging. Make sure your cable is able to transfer data.
Update November 13, 2023
Did about 5000 total feet over two dives on the BT at Devils' Eye/Ear. Average speed probably four.
The settings changes are good especially getting rid of the three second delay. At the end of the day the battery icon was as shown on the photo below. Buoyancy changes between the surface and 100 feet are negligible/un-noticeable to me.
Update November 21, 2023
Did about a 6500 feet round trip dive in Devils' Ear/Eye today. Up to just past the MainLand jump. The DPV never slowed down and I averaged running on speed 5 +/-. At the end of the dive the battery icon on the DPV showed low.
The LEDs on each battery showed one LED lit.
Update December 7, 2023
Did about 90 minutes on the trigger today, the scooter never really slowed down but the battery icon showed only four small dots afterwards..
Update December 8, 2023
Did about another 90 minutes on the trigger today, the scooter never really slowed down.
Update December 9, 2023
Did about another 40 minutes on the trigger today at Little River. 1200 feet in, 2 circles around Merry-Go-Round, the scooter never really slowed down. Battery icon showed fully charged at exit.
Jim@cavediveflorida.com
Call or text Jim at 352-363-0013
Updated 17 December 2023