Atomic Aquatics Cobalt Dive Computer

[Hondaid]

I converted my hose to a MiFlex High Pressure hose today

 

[bthinnes]

Did not mean to come off so negative in my little rant. I do not believe that AA is at fault but rather a sub that they contracted to do the work on the software development.

Some one though should be communicating the need to clear up when the deadlines are and what the expectations are. I, as a member of the market place expect that soon means days rather that weeks and certainly soon should NOT mean months. IMO

 

[scubafanatic]

...given the long (and sorry) track record for the HP Miflex hoses, I have no interest in 'downgrading' my OEM Atomic Kevlar HP hose to a Miflex hose.....still do like the LP Miflex hoses though.

 

[RonR]

Bear with me and try to think outside the box a little.....

Your thoughts are things I have also wondered about- even to incorporating a wrist mount light... I even worked on a dispersed rebreather package, with the cables running along the breathing loop.
The display has fairly intense requirements, so that probably mitigates towards the processor being in the same package with the display. Nothing inherent requires the sensors or power supply to be in the same package, though. You would need minimal processing and signal conditioning, but it could be possible.

I think the bigger issue is that if one had a free hand to design integrated dive gear- buoyancy, gas supply, instrumentation- that all worked together AND had the design discipline to keep it clean and simple, you could come up with something that would be very appealing.

However, it's also a reality that many [-]consumers[/-] [-]instructors[/-] divers tend to be very conservative- and sometimes just a bit opinionated. I started diving after the great Double Hose vs. Single Hose controversy was pretty much settled, but I got to see the BC vs. May West & backplate battles, the Stab Jacket vs. ADV, Back flotation vs. Jacket style, vented vs. non-vented fins, metal regulators vs. "cheap plastic" 2nd stages, black rubber vs. silicone masks, was deeply involved in the (horrors!) weight- integration vs. weight belt controversy, also the wetsuit vs. drysuit, neoprene dry vs. shell dry, computer diving vs. table diving (my Orca Edge was a wrist mount, BTW- it came with straps- and it was about the size and weight of a brick), nitrox vs. good old air, and on and on. Two things I have learned: there will be plenty of people who will not like something if it's not what they are used to; and it is risky for a company to be too far ahead of the pack.

Since being out there trying to design new solutions is what we truly enjoy, we have to work with manufacturers who are willing to go out on a limb a bit and do some genuine creative engineering. We had a prototype version of the Cobalt computer- grayscale screen, using AA batteries, but still essentially the same product- that we were showing to manufacturers in early 2001. After several false starts, we- to our great good fortune- found in Atomic a company that was willing to work and invest to make a top quality product. It took years of effort to get to production, but if you look at what Atomic does, there is not a single product they make that is not thought through from basics to be the best they can build. So in a roundabout way, I'm saying that we intend to keep pushing the possibilities for dive computers and diving gear integration along with Atomic for some time to come. And ideas like those brought up here are all going into the hopper.

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.

 

[vladimir]

I started diving after the great Double Hose vs. Single Hose controversy was pretty much settled, but I got to see the BC vs. May West & backplate battles, the Stab Jacket vs. ADV, Back flotation vs. Jacket style, vented vs. non-vented fins, metal regulators vs. "cheap plastic" 2nd stages, black rubber vs. silicone masks, was deeply involved in the (horrors!) weight- integration vs. weight belt controversy, also the wetsuit vs. drysuit, neoprene dry vs. shell dry, computer diving vs. table diving (my Orca Edge was a wrist mount, BTW- it came with straps- and it was about the size and weight of a brick), nitrox vs. good old air, and on and on.

I'm glad you got to see all of those debates, Ron. For anybody who missed them, we generally try to reenact them on a weekly basis.

 

[RonR]

I'm glad you got to see all of those debates, Ron. For anybody who missed them, we generally try to reenact them on a weekly basis.

Yep, kinda glad there wasn't an internet for most of that time. I forgot about "J-valves- safe or not?" and probably a dozen others.
Myself, I've always favored a "different strokes" philosophy.

 

[Downing]

...given the long (and sorry) track record for the HP Miflex hoses, I have no interest in 'downgrading' my OEM Atomic Kevlar HP hose to a Miflex hose.....still do like the LP Miflex hoses though.

I had a MiFlex HP hose for a while and hated it. I just couldn't get used to the pencil thin diameter and finally got rid of it long before the reports of failure started coming out.

I replaced it with a Phantom hose. It's just as light and flexible as a MiFlex but it's also double braided, kevlar reinforced and a more standard diameter. And as an added bonus, it's cheaper. I haven't run across any reports of failure but it's not as popular a brand as MiFlex in the US so that may be a factor.

I think you'll find a Phantom hose is a worthy upgrade if you're into lightweight flexible hoses.

Here's a pretty good analysis of the differences between standard hoses, MiFlex and Phantom: Dive Gear Express Hoses For Scuba.

It's probably a good time for me to 'fess up on the hose length issue. When I got the Cobalt, the included Atomic hose looked too short to me. I was kind of bummed because I thought it wasn't possible to move the Cobalt over to my Phantom. When I found out I was wrong, I immediately had my LDS do the switch.

Turns out the length of the two hoses was identical.

 

[Akimbo]

… The display has fairly intense requirements, so that probably mitigates towards the processor being in the same package with the display...

I would think that the conductors required for the sensors & alarms would be more than for the display. Of course, the buttons also have to be factored in so you would probably end up splitting processing and setting up a USB-style communications interface (USB because the silicon is so cheap and most chip sets support multiple channels).

Given the current prestige-factor associated with canister lights, this may be a unique opportunity to market the concept. Normally I tend to be a discreet component kind of guy, but LED reliability is so high that this combo doesn’t give me any heartburn. It is fascinating how much more important market timing can be than function.

 

[donhealy]

Yep, kinda glad there wasn't an internet for most of that time. I forgot about "J-valves- safe or not?" and probably a dozen others.
Myself, I've always favored a "different strokes" philosophy.

RonR,

Like you, I missed the double hose and experienced the rest. Its the classic adoption curve at work! My 25 yr. old son was "fondling" the Cobalt last night and noted that he preferred his old Prodigy but that the Cobalt was developed just for me. Just goes to show you....

One thing for sure: I don't care how long it takes to get the new software release. What I care about is that it works on land as well as under water (where it really counts!). so keep doing the FMEA (failure mode effects analysis) as long as the 3P and you need to. The current version works just fine for the early adopters.

finally, you forgot about the hyper stretch wetsuits vs. the std neoprene! Its amazing how comfort becomes the overriding factor for early adoption.

 

[Hatul]

I converted my hose to a MiFlex High Pressure hose today

The Miflex hose in your photos does not look like the pencil point hose I have. It looks wider. Or am I missing something. Also what length did you choose?

Adam