Atomic Aquatics Cobalt Dive Computer

[Downing]

 

[nelsonrl]

Maybe you can try running it on your PC under "Virtual Mac"

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Hey, we all have our crosses to bear. Mine is having to use windows for work and knowing my wife gets to use the MAC at home.

Thanks for keeping us updated. Not a huge deal as I have yet to get underwater with the new Cobalt. That happens next month in Belize!

 

[jpassov]

Important note re. the MacDive update!
Please refrain from uploading dives into MacDive from the Cobalt until you have installed a firmware update, which we will have (along with the Mac program) on the Atomic site shortly. It could (if you have very long dives or a high sample rate) cause the Cobalt to lock up- a temporary but unpleasant experience.

Sorry for the crossed sequence- Nick is putting up a message that the Cobalt function requires a firmware update.

Ron

How do we update the Firmware?

 

[RonR]

How do we update the Firmware?

Sorry for not being clearer. We will have an updater available through Atomicaquatics.com shortly- I hope next week, along with a new firmware version. At first the updater will be a separate application for Mac users, the Windows upload software will incorporate the firmware update from the beginning. When Atomic's dedicated software for Mac (planned as a limited version of MacDive) is complete it will include the update function as well.

The firmware update includes many suggestions from this board, and provides both average depth and SAC in the log.

 

[tangfish]

I saw one of the Atomic Cobalt computers on a dive boat off of Grand Cayman last week. It looked pretty slick, and I look forward to getting my hands on one during a dive. Thanks for the report, OP.

 

[FuzzyMelton]

Ron,

Any update on expected deliverable date for the firmware and firmware updater? Looking forward to this final piece in the puzzle to upload my dives.

Thanks,
Mark (a.k.a. Fuzzy)

 

[RonR]

Ron,

Any update on expected deliverable date for the firmware and firmware updater? Looking forward to this final piece in the puzzle to upload my dives.

Thanks,
Mark (a.k.a. Fuzzy)

I had hoped to have an answer today, but Atomic has still not received the updated PC software version, and that's a prerequisite for the full firmware release.

 

[Downing]

For the benefit of those new to this thread who are asking about the Cobalt's software/firmware updates, I decided to go back and pull out the s/f history per RonR, who has been kind enough to keep us, um, updated.

Here it is:

November 2010

The dive log application will post on Atomic's web site in a couple of weeks for Windows, a couple of months (sigh) for Mac. We, the developers of the Cobalt, are Mac fans and wish it were sooner, but the desktop software is being developed by a third party and the Mac version will arrive later. The Cobalt will hold about 600 hours of diving (at a 30 second sample storage rate) in the dive log memory, so unless you are diving a LOT...

It is in our plans to provide ways for 3rd party dive log applications like MacDive to access the Cobalt data as well.

December 2010

The dive log software for Windows is supposed to be up on the website within the next few weeks- The Mac version will be sometime after the 1st of the year. We are working with the MacDive folks to provide download capability to their program as well, but that will also be after the 1st of the year.

As to when firmware updates are released, I can't say. So far the changes that we are putting in are fairly minor interface issues, like showing surface interval in the log for all dives. We will want to make sure they are well tested prior to releasing them. I would expect that sometime before spring we will put them in to a release version and make them available- it could be sooner.

There are still some changes being made to the Windows version before it is posted on the Atomic website. On the Mac side we are in the midst of helping MacDive add Cobalt compatibility- hoping for not too long after the 1st of the year. The proprietary Atomic dive logging software for Mac is still a ways out, but will come.

January 2011

Word last week was that the Windows software was nearly ready.

February 2011

We have heard that they have established a USB connection- getting the drivers done is most of the battle so that is good news. So I hope MacDive support for Cobalt will be forthcoming shortly. Apparently the Windows software still has some issues that prevent release- it would be ironic if MacDive is first.
Firmware update is doing fine, but I expect that general release of an update will depend on release of the Windows software- that's what most divers will need to install it.

Are you looking for the Windows or Mac version? As of last week there were supposed to be a few details still left to fix. When anything is available I will post here.

I talked with them yesterday about the software, and it does sound really close. The are relying on a third party developer, and it's been frustrating for everyone.

As I understand they have the drivers are working, which opens the door for Mac Dive to integrate the Cobalt. I'll try to get an update. Atomic was hoping to post the Windows software this week- it doesn't look like that will happen, but maybe next week?

I'm afraid I am no help re: the download software- the developer is supposed to have the fixes done in days, but as you say, that has been the case for quite a while. It's a good thing scuba divers don't hold their breath.

March 2011

...when the first firmware update is released (soon, and I know the desktop software is not up yet)...

As to the status of the download software, I'm just going to have to stop commenting. It is a 3rd party developer, these kind of things are always a lot harder than they seem, but I'm confident it will get done. No one is more motivated than Atomic to see it out there. At least with the memory in the Cobalt, no one is losing dive data because they are running out of space- I hope.

I said I would remain silent about the download software until I could say something definite, but...

I talked to Doug at Atomic early last week, and he said the only issues with the software were some alert/ warning flags that were not being properly assigned. He also said he was having slow communications from the developer, and that if these issues were not fixed soon he would go ahead and put up the software as a beta with acknowledged issues. Obviously putting out something with known problems is not Atomic's style, but I would expect to see something soon. I am also aware that I've said that before...

We have been working with Nick of MacDive to get Mac software up and running, and I believe we are quite close there. We are also working with Jef of libdivecomputer, a library for communication with various dive computers. to help him develop a Cobalt interface/ USB drivers as an open source library for use with third party dive log software. The drivers are not easy, and he is doing this as an open source project funded by donations. Again, we are close there but not done.

As the embedded side designers/ developers for the Cobalt, we have always felt the best desktop dive logging software would come from third party developers who do desktop PC/ Mac/ Linnux software for a living, or from the open source community. So we are supporting Jef at libdivecomputer in writing a USB driver for the Cobalt, Nick with MacDive in doing the same using the Apple libraries, and Atomic's developer as well. It seems that most other dive computers don't use "real" USB, so the process was a bit more involved than just adapting their existing code. But through libdivecomputer there will be an open source driver available, and as a consequence we would hope that open source and third party software is encouraged. So in that sense Atomic is officially supporting open source solutions, as well as software like Diving Log and MacDive.

Atomic felt they needed to offer a proprietary software package, so they contracted that job out (we are not desktop software developers- just thinking about keeping track of different versions of Windows gives us queasy feelings). From what I understand, the developer has other projects competing for his time, and this has taken longer than anyone anticipated. So far as I know there are no fundamental problems, other than the time it has taken- which is, granted, pretty basic.

I, for one, didn't realize what a big issue this would be- naively thinking that with 600 hours or so of dive log storage on the Cobalt, and with detailed information easily accessible, that not having the desktop software right away wouldn't matter a lot. Clearly I was wrong about that . But we are working to have a variety of options available soon.

On the bright side, it sounds as if Nick of MacDive is ready to release an update that, among other changes, downloads dives from the Cobalt. I've been using it, and it works. No support at this point for gas switching or multiple tanks, but that is coming.

April 2011

Jut to let everyone know, MacDive 2.0.5 is now live, and adds support for the Cobalt. See the "New Mac OS X Dive App" thread in this section, or macdive - home .

I did hear some encouraging news about the PC software, in that the developer seems to be back on the job, and with just a couple of details to clean up. This is just download software, not as full featured as MacDive when it comes to buddy lists, photos, etc. We're supporting open source drivers, so other programs should offer compatibility soon.

Important note re. the MacDive update!
Please refrain from uploading dives into MacDive from the Cobalt until you have installed a firmware update, which we will have (along with the Mac program) on the Atomic site shortly. It could (if you have very long dives or a high sample rate) cause the Cobalt to lock up- a temporary but unpleasant experience.

We will have an updater available through Atomicaquatics.com shortly- I hope next week, along with a new firmware version. At first the updater will be a separate application for Mac users, the Windows upload software will incorporate the firmware update from the beginning. When Atomic's dedicated software for Mac (planned as a limited version of MacDive) is complete it will include the update function as well.

...Atomic has still not received the updated PC software version, and that's a prerequisite for the full firmware release.

What I took away from re-reading these posts was that a) obviously, it's taken longer, a lot longer, than anyone thought it would for the software and firmware to be ready, causing a slow burn for many of us early adopters; and b) perhaps we really are on the verge of publication.

Of course, I could be wrong.

But in any case, I'd rather not deal with a "beta with known issues," especially if we're this close to a finished product. My 2 cents.

 

[jpassov]

I had hoped to have an answer today, but Atomic has still not received the updated PC software version, and that's a prerequisite for the full firmware release.

What about a Mac version? When will the firmware update be ready so I can start using MacDive?

 

[Akimbo]

Ron (or others)

I recently received a Cobalt with a down-arrow that didn’t respond without excessive force, like 3-4x the other buttons. No problem there, Atomic was polite and apologetic. In reading the manual and playing with setup it was not clear about specifying consumption/SAC rate.

I saw where you can set a Gas Consumption Rate or average the last 10 dives in Simulation Setup. Can you also set consumption/SAC rate for remaining gas calculations? Here is the issue:

About two-thirds of the time when diving doubles with an isolation manifold, I shut the isolation valve until the primary bottle is breathed-down to noticeable resistance or 2-300 PSI, equalize the two bottles thought the isolation valve and shut it, and repeat “X” number of predetermined times depending on the dive profile. Just a guess, but I am thinking that this is going to make the Cobalt’s remaining Gas Time numbers squirrely.

I didn’t get into how the Cobalt handles Gas Time when switching gas, but will this procedure make Cobalt’s average gas consumption calculations at the end of the dive erroneous? Should I tell it that the doubles are a single/half the total volume?