Oceanic Atom battery is low ALREADY!

OK, after only three months and seven hours of dive time, my second Atom (what happened to my first Atom? See http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=46554&page=4&pp=10) is already showing the “low battery” symbol. I hardly ever use the Backlight and my LDS suspects that downloading data to OceanLog may have contributed to the power drain (I have my Atom set on a 2-second sampling interval which means that I have to download data after every one or two dive).

Has anyone else had this power drain issue?

Vie:

OK, after only three months and seven hours of dive time, my second Atom (what happened to my first Atom? See http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=46554&page=4&pp=10) is already showing the “low battery” symbol. I hardly ever use the Backlight and my LDS suspects that downloading data to OceanLog may have contributed to the power drain (I have my Atom set on a 2-second sampling interval which means that I have to download data after every one or two dive).

Has anyone else had this power drain issue?

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I think something is wrong with your 'puter. I'm using the Versa Pro 2 and have used it for 18 months and 110 or so dives and download it after every dive day (so maybe 40 download sessions) and I have NOT changed the original battery yet.

I had a previous computer that had to replaced under warranty as it ate batteries. There is obviously a defect in the computer that is causing excessive current drain. Your dealer needs to stop generating excuses and just needs to send it in - better to do it now than during the prime diving season.

Sometimes dealers seem to get hung up on how customers may react if they admit they sold them something that might be defective. Instead they need to look at it as an opportunity to impress the customer with the dive shop and manufacturer's excellent customer service.

The LDS can call the company with a description of the problem and can often get adequate assurance that it is a warranty issue that they are then able to replace the computer on the spot.

Ok, I've had the Atom's battery replaced by my LDS - the original Varta (CR 2430 Li-Mn 3V) was replaced with a new Toshiba battery. My LDS claims that mine is the fifth Atom that needed a battery replacement in the past three months; no idea if this is a battery issue or a hardware issue. One of the Atom had about 40 dives on it (data was never downloaded).

I will be writing an e-mail to Oceanic tonight. I'll also be going to the Similans on the 8th and should get about 15 dives; hopefully my Atom's new battery can make it through!

I had a similar problem with my Vyper and it was my fault. I was not drying the contacts after getting out of the water so it stayed permanently in dive mode while doing 4 or 5 dives per day on liveaboard trips. On day trips I was only rinsing it at night when I got home.
Nowadays when I get out of the water I always rinse it (at least the contacts) immediately with fresh water and blow the contacts dry and then I make sure it drops out of dive mode as it should.
The 2nd battery is already lasting longer than the first and is still showing full power.

Seems like a good case to support buying a computer where you can at least change your battery. The lds changed it...at a fee?? Can you do it yourself?? The batteries are expensive??

And the most important question....just WHAT does downloading do for you....what does it tell you.....what do you do diff your next dive because of the information???

rich

RICHinNC:

Seems like a good case to support buying a computer where you can at least change your battery. The lds changed it...at a fee?? Can you do it yourself?? The batteries are expensive??

And the most important question....just WHAT does downloading do for you....what does it tell you.....what do you do diff your next dive because of the information???

rich

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My LDS changed the battery and charged me the (low) cost of a new battery. Yes, I could have changed the battery myself.

What does downloading do for me? I like to have the data so that I could compare different dives (following the same or very similar planned route) done at the same site (especially sites that I know well)—I could note changes (i.e. to my ascent rate) and compare them to changes in temp. or condition (which I note on my slate) which may have caused the difference(s) between dives. Two-second sampling IS probably pointless (my previous computer, a Cochran Gemini had a one-second sampling rate, if I’m not mistaken), but it is within the design/function parameter of the Atom—nowhere in the manual does it say that my Atom will suffer an excessive power drain because of constant downloading of data; perhaps I should have exhibited better common sense (with regards to the possible download=powerdrain issue) but that does not excuse the lack of information from Oceanic.

The bottom line is: I do NOT know what is shortening the life of the battery. it could be the downloads or my particular Atom could be defective.

Still not sure I see the value in downloading..but if it suits you thats fine with me.

But I do know this.....downloading off of any electronic device eats battery power almost exponentially above normal use.

I have an MP3 player that will play all day on one charge but if I am using the battery to do down loads of new music from the pc, the battery life is cut significantly....to less than an hour.
Good diving....
rich

RICHinNC:

Still not sure I see the value in downloading..but if it suits you thats fine with me.

Good diving....
rich

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Speaking only for myself, it's the only way I log my dives.

Yeah, I have to agree, electronic logging rules. You can also print off a bunch of dives (every 100 or so) and take those pages out of your actual log book to save space, by iserting the abbreviated computer printout of the dives.

My Atom has just begun to exhibit a low batter after only a few months. I only download about once every other week or so...