A300CS OLED Dive Computer

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I had the computer die on one dive due to a dead battery. I couldn't see the display very well on the surface. I went ahead and did my dive because of SPG and back up computer was working. the computer was on before the dive but I couldn't make out if the low battery codes were displayed.

---------- Post added December 5th, 2014 at 04:43 PM ----------

I did a night dive the previous night and looked at computer and downloaded data and everything looked good. I don't know it computer logs low battery info.
 
I replace the battery after 10 dives, which is about 10 hours of operation at 100% brightness. Manual says to expect 15 hours @ 100% brightness.

Trying to run the battery till it is completely dry is not important to me considering it is a $2 battery and the amount of dives I do in a year adds up to giving up 3 cups of Starbucks coffee to buy the batteries.

Keep the used batteries for other devices that are not life support critical (i.e. flashlight)

I bought the entire A300CS kit with transmitter, but I paired it with the transmitter I have been using with my old Aeris 750GT. That transmitter is about 7 years old now. It looks similar to the new one. I have not tested the new transmitter that came with the A300CS.

Link performance between the A300CS and 750GT appear to be about the same, and I thought the 750GT was extremely reliable. I only carry a mini SPG as backup.

Reason I upgraded was the 750GT is stuck at 2010 which makes recording dives cumbersome. That and the 750GT software runs on at most, Windows XP 32 bit with a parallel port. Also, the A300CS doesn't look like a brick either.

I am disappointed that the A300CS doesn't run bluetooth as advertised, and I have given up trying to make it work on my Windows PCs and laptops. I have bought 4 different BT4.0 LE / Smart dongles, and none of them worked with the A300CS.
Have requested the model of the elusive "one" dongle that is suppose to work, but no response. Hopefully the Android app is also not vaporware.






Is the Oceanic VTX the same exact device as the Aeris AC300CS?

Is it true that the battery goes from green to red with no notice?

I don't want to be in the middle of a dive and have this thing go out on me.

How is the transmitter reliability for most? I have read some good and some bad on this thread. What's the general consensus?

Would you use this unit as a primary without a backup computer or depth gauge in the water?
 
I have a question to Aeris/Oceanic representatives.
According to photos of Oceanic VTX, in Dive mode this DC indicates NDC and EDT in the center area of the screen unlike A300CS which shows only NDC. What about firmware update for A300CS with the same function?
 
I had the computer die on one dive due to a dead battery. I couldn't see the display very well on the surface. I went ahead and did my dive because of SPG and back up computer was working. the computer was on before the dive but I couldn't make out if the low battery codes were displayed.

---------- Post added December 5th, 2014 at 04:43 PM ----------

I did a night dive the previous night and looked at computer and downloaded data and everything looked good. I don't know it computer logs low battery info.

How many dives did you get in before they died?

I'm sure interested in further comments on the visibility of this unit in bright water.

---------- Post added December 7th, 2014 at 08:54 AM ----------

Also, what does SPG stand for? Standard Pressure Gauge?
 
I really like the computer. It is easy to use and the buttons make sense. If you want Bluetooth, wireless transmitter, and nice colors then the price is battery consumption. I talk to computer with USB cable and iPhone/iPad using Bluetooth.

I have replaced the battery twice at approximately 10 hours each. I have the computer brightness set to 100%. I don't mind buying the batteries and the battery is real easy to change out.

i would wear SPG and backup computer with any wireless computer.

I don't like the shiny cover.
 
There's a reason it's using the low energy profile. However, I expect a device that costs $1000 to work out of the box.
 
bought mine in November, seems easy to use and I liked the look. Didn't do much research more of a impulse buy but it did fit the budget for what i was looking for.
tested it twice in the pool once when i first bought it and then a second time once my transmitter arrived everything worked great except it seems to lose connection
for a few seconds here and there.

Go on vacation , first ow dive ever in the ocean and everything was great again lost connection for 15 sec then it connected again but doesn't matter as when I hit 40ft the screen went black !!!
not a dead battery as the screen looked weird and then it started looking like a etch a sketch. Ruined my first dive but i was almost over it by the time i got back to the boat. Didn't want to ruin my day and i
had a SPG anyways just for safety sake.

got back to the hotel and emailed my LDC - they got back to me right away and apologised. Near the end of the trip my LDC got back to me to say that my new computer was waiting for me
at the front desk! no fuss no muss - I thought i was going to have to prove that i didn't break it etc fill out papers etc. but no when i got home it was there waiting for me. turned in the old one and got the new one.
Haven't tried it yet but my next trip is in march so will find out - I think the odds of two duds are pretty slim.

my 2 cents
 
I have had mine for quite some time, and was an active member of this thread several months ago.

The computer is great, but there are some trust issues I still have with it. My first OW dive with the computer was in Cozumel. The battery was green on the surface, but as soon as I got to 80ft the computer shut off. I tried to turn it back on, but it would not cycle because I was at depth. I also still have an SPG on my gear, so I pretty much dove tables that dive. When I got to the surface and cycled the computer on it notified me the battery was dead...

After that I dove with two computers, with the A300cs as my primary. I also changed the battery every two days of diving. This may have been overkill, but I went to Coz to dive, not to worry about my brand new dive computer not functioning correctly. Now in all honesty, the battery I arrived in Coz with had probably been in the computer for a month or two with it just sitting on the shelf. Starting my dive week with a fresh battery probably wouldn't have been a bad idea, but the battery indicator on the computer said I was good to go.

My A300cs syncs with my iPhone beautifully. There were some issues when I first got it, but between the firmware updates from Aeris and updates to Diver Log it's been working fine since July or August.

I read a post from Doug Krause on a different thread that the firmware for the VTX and the A300cs are different...which doesn't make me happy at all. He said they are exploring whether or not the new screen layout can be included in a future firmware update for the A300cs, but didn't promise anything. I purchased this computer expecting a polished product, it wasn't cheap. I was patient while they worked out all the kinks...and now I have kind of a sour taste in my mouth. Everyone who purchased an A300cs was more or less a beta tester for a product that existed for less than a year before it was swallowed up by Aeris' parent company and rebranded as something else.
 

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