Atomic Cobalt 2

[RonR]

The chip is still causing depth miscalculations for some and as far as I know, Atomic have stopped shipping again. My own Cobalt has been there for several weeks now with no sign of return while they try to fix this problem across the board. Looks like Cobalt 1 all over again. I'm going on a trip in 2 weeks and pretty sure I won't have a working Cobalt by then.

We had some bad depth sensors in the first production run of circuit boards. These passed all the normal tests, but failed in the field, with the depth drifting by several feet. Atomic did stop shipping to identify the problem, to make sure it is confined to a particular lot of sensors, and to institute a longer test procedure to identify any sensors that have the problem. As far as I know they are now shipping, but at a slower rate considering all the extra testing they are doing.

This same depth sensor is and has been used for many years in many dive computers (most brands you know of), and has been used by Atomic for years with high reliability. We don't yet have an answer from the sensor manufacturer as to what caused this problem. But any new production will be from a new lot of sensors, and will be tested very thoroughly.

If you can PM me with your RA# and/ or serial # I will follow up with Atomic. There's no reason you shouldn't have a Cobalt for your trip.

Ron

 

[Oldbear]

The chip is still causing depth miscalculations for some and as far as I know, Atomic have stopped shipping again. My own Cobalt has been there for several weeks now with no sign of return while they try to fix this problem across the board. Looks like Cobalt 1 all over again. I'm going on a trip in 2 weeks and pretty sure I won't have a working Cobalt by then.

I was in a similar position as you are; I needed to return my Cobalt for maintenance and had an upcoming dive shortly. I was getting ready for a trip to the Florida Keys within two weeks and I was checking my dive gear. I hadn't dived with my Cobalt for several months and the battery would not start my computer regardless how long I left it on the charger. Speaking with a Atomic Tech, we decided to return it the factory for a new battery. I was worried that I would not get my computer back in time and had already settled on a back up plan with an older computer that I really didn't care for (that is why I bought the Atomic in the first place). What a pleasant surprise I had one day to find a brand new replacement Cobalt sitting on my porch from UPS. Atomic must have felt it was quicker to send me a new computer than to wait for a battery repair on the old one; thus my trip was saved...or at least made it more enjoyable with the Cobalt.

I cannot say that Atomic will send you a new computer, but if you let them know your urgency they might just surprise you too.

Thanks Atomic...

UKmarcus...good luck and have a great trip.

~Oldbear~

 

[griffon]

Ahh I had a total battery drain once. The trick I learned is it can't get going from USB. You have to set it up on AC overnight, until it was on the full 24 it would not resurrect. But maybe your case was different.


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[ScubaND]

Hey Ron,

i got got a new cobalt 2 sent to me from the factory a few weeks after my trip to Cozumel in March. I got my new one towards the end of march should the depth sensor be something I need to be concerned with? It is still new not been in the water yet but if I need to I will send it back and get one that has the new sensor

 

[RonR]

Hey Ron,

i got got a new cobalt 2 sent to me from the factory a few weeks after my trip to Cozumel in March. I got my new one towards the end of march should the depth sensor be something I need to be concerned with? It is still new not been in the water yet but if I need to I will send it back and get one that has the new sensor

Probably not a concern- this has not been very common, and the ones that have had a problem were off by just a few feet- but that's a major irritation if your computer won't come out of a dive. You can easily check the accuracy of the depth sensor by comparing the atmospheric pressure reading on the System Info screen to a known local reading at your altitude. It should be plus or minus 20 mbar or so (a foot of sea water = about 33 mbar), and the temperature reading should be within reason. Most places have a local weather station you can access online- we use one from a local university. Unfortunately most of the commercial weather services in the US display the pressure in inches of Mercury, To convert inches of mercury to millibars, multiply the inches value by 33.8637526. The value the Cobalt displays should go up and down with actual atmospheric pressure, and not oscillate by large amounts within a few minutes. Changes of several mbar over a short span of time are normal.

The System Info screen is a good place to check in with your Cobalt from time to time to monitor the output of the sensors.

Ron

 

[ScubaND]

Is there any other concerns we should be aware of or be concerned of?

Thanks

 

[Triker]

I picked up a Cobalt 2 last weekend before seven quarry dives and have to say I am impressed. It is a very intuitive GUI and the colors make the interface much easier to see data at a glance. The compass also worked extremely well for me. I found it nicer than the standard compass I carried on my BC.

For anyone on the fence, my advice is to buy it and not look back. Great device and a great company that unarguably stands behind their products.

 

[ScubaND]

Having to send in my Cobalt 2. The Sensor is reading incorrectly and after speaking with Adan on it he has verified it will need to come back to there facility. Adan is great to work with, the only down side is we dont know when the new ones with the new sensors will be ready to come back to us which is a little frustrating but it is what it is. Hopefully Atomic figures this out sooner then later

 

[sincity]

Hmm, sitting at my office at Mandalay bay the atmosphere pressure on the computor says 840 mb and the national weather service says 1006.8 here in Las Vegas, it also says I have tank pressure of 200 psi.
Sin city

---------- Post added June 10th, 2014 at 09:

 

[RonR]

Having to send in my Cobalt 2. The Sensor is reading incorrectly and after speaking with Adan on it he has verified it will need to come back to there facility. Adan is great to work with, the only down side is we dont know when the new ones with the new sensors will be ready to come back to us which is a little frustrating but it is what it is. Hopefully Atomic figures this out sooner then later

It took considerable detective work, but I believe we have isolated the source of the malfunctioning depth sensors. The protective gel had been damaged on some of these, but the problem didn't occur until after (not during) water exposure, such as the test dive Atomic does with every computer. I expect Atomic will be able to replace any faulty ones quickly.

Ron

---------- Post added June 10th, 2014 at 10:38 AM ----------

Hmm, sitting at my office at Mandalay bay the atmosphere pressure on the computor says 840 mb and the national weather service says 1006.8 here in Las Vegas, it also says I have tank pressure of 200 psi.
Sin city

---------- Post added June 10th, 2014 at 09:

That much pressure discrepancy is a concern. The depth sensor should read plus or minus 20 mbar to actual ambient pressure. Can you monitor this and see if it is stable, or changing? I would consider contacting Adan at Atomic and getting this fixed.

Ron