Question about dive computer sample rate?

[James Ocean]

Hi all, I have a somewhat weird question...

How often do most dive computers refresh/update the depth shown on the display?

I'm not talking about the recorded sample rate for downloading your dive profile after your dive, I'm asking specifically about what's displayed to you during your dive?

For example, I know my Mares Puck Pro has a 5 second recorded data sample rate when I download the dive profile (I know on many computers you can adjust this).

Would you assume that the displayed depth & max depth is being updated at least every second on the actual display during your dive, if not faster?

 

[CuzzA]

I would expect that it's being updated to whatever it is set at and what the manual says.

 

[James Ocean]

Many computers allow you to set the sample rate at 30 seconds or longer - I can't imagine the depth displayed during your dive to be that delayed

 

[sabbe]

Hi all, I have a somewhat weird question...

How often do most dive computers refresh/update the depth shown on the display?

I'm not talking about the recorded sample rate for downloading your dive profile after your dive, I'm asking specifically about what's displayed to you during your dive?

For example, I know my Mares Puck Pro has a 5 second recorded data sample rate when I download the dive profile (I know on many computers you can adjust this).

Would you assume that the displayed depth & max depth is being updated at least every second on the actual display during your dive, if not faster?

I would treat computer display as instantaneous.

The recorded sample rate is much slower due to small size of storage memory. The slower it records the more total dives it can record.

The only caveat is temperature sensors often take minutes to detect changes. Air pressure, depth, time, ascent rate, etc can all be treated as real-time.

Sam

 

[scrane]

If computers can report ascent rate it must be pretty quick.

 

[halocline]

Most computers are too quick with regards to depth changes; hence the annoying ascent rate alarms when someone lifts their arm up.

 

[Centrals]

Would you assume that the displayed depth & max depth is being updated at least every second on the actual display during your dive, if not faster?

Displayed on depth is more or less instantaneous.Try to drop/raise your computer wearing arm and see what will happen?
Max depth is displayed after you are ascending from the max depth achieved. Unless you are saw-tooth diving all the time.

 

[Martijn]

When i did my open water course, I did that in a very limited visibility location (Netherlands).

My ascends were based on what my Suunto Vyper told me. It didn't work, i was reacting to "old" information.

I switched to a a ScubPro Years bottom timer, and all the sudden my ascends were perfect.

So, i have no exact answer for you, but in some cases the answer is: Too slow

 

[rjack321]

Many computers allow you to set the sample rate at 30 seconds or longer - I can't imagine the depth displayed during your dive to be that delayed

The older suuntos were this way (10+ years ago). They had a slow sampling rate to save batteries. And it was adjustable to be as long as 30seonds which is nuts.

Modern computers have far more efficient processors, batteries last plenty long enough, and sampling rates are in the 1 second range usually

 

[Brett Hatch]

I've been diving with a Shearwater Teric for the last year or so. The critical stuff that the computer itself monitors (depth, time, ambient pressure, tissue loading algorithms, etc) update in less than a second. The AI transmitter is not quite instantaneous, it's something like 3 or 5 seconds. I have not yet dived it in a place with a steep enough thermocline to be able to say whether the temp sensor was instantaneous, a few seconds, or even a few minutes -- my local waters will be about 1-2 degrees colder at 100 feet vs at 5 feet. For logs, the sample rate can be configured for 2, 5, 10, or 20 seconds (in freedive mode, you can set the log rate to as fast as 0.25 seconds).

Before that I had a DeepBlu Cosmiq+, and again all the depth/time/pressure variables appeared to be instantaneous, and the manual says the sample rate is 1 second. The manual doesn't say what the log sample rate is, but after looking at a few logs, it appears to be 10 seconds. I never thought to check the sample rate on the temperature, so idk if it was fast or slow. That computer didn't have AI.