Atomic Cobalt 2

[Oldbear]

Thanks Ron for the great explanation.

My Cobalt seems to have found a new home on my GF's rig since she first started to dive. Now I have a reason to get me a Cobalt II.

 

[ScubaND]

I apologize on how I worded that they are the only ones to allow the upgrade firmware. Just my personal opinion, in my eyes Atomic is taking software to the next level.

Thanks and sorry for the confusion if I gave any

 

[Bigd2722]

So when will we see a wrist mount?

Cross posted form Atomic's SB area:

The Cobalt 2 doesn't look any different cosmetically, but it's a complete redesign internally. This redesign is something we wanted (needed) to do before coming out with any type of wrist configuration. Here is an overview:

Compass:
The compass on the original Cobalt was a early generation chip that was the best available at the time, but was not terribly accurate or easy to calibrate. The speed of compass updating was limited by the processor speed. The new processor allows us to update the compass display in essentially real time video- it's quite a remarkable difference. The integrated compass/ accelerometer gives an accuracy of 1-2°, and offers calibration by essentially just waving it around (a little more involved, but that's the general idea). It's also not subject to getting knocked out of calibration the way the old compass chip was, and is still 360° compensated. So there is a big improvement in the compass. It's very obvious when you see it.

Processor:
Speed in the processor is not a big deal in ordinary recreational diving, though it does feel snappier using menus. But when it comes to complex iterative deco calculations, the difference is huge. Calculations that took 8-10 seconds on the Cobalt 1 are done in a fraction of a second. That opens up other possibilities for future development. Which brings up the biggest reason for a redesign- we want to be building on a platform that is stable for the long term and can accommodate many new features in the future. This new hardware platform needed to be in place, for instance, before we could put it into a wrist mount.

Display:
The Cobalt 2 display is a new TFT display, not an AMOLED. Pretty much everyone thinks it looks better, and it uses about the same power. It does allow us to have an auto-backlight brightness option.

Interface:
It will be instantly recognizable as a Cobalt interface- but there are some changes. We allow six gas mixtures, rather than three. There are some differences in how the dive log data is displayed, and more info shown. Some colors are changed.

Firmware Update:
Big changes here. One of the biggest problems we had was people needing to run an application to update firmware, and experiencing system problems. The Cobalt 2 has a built in hardware reset, and if you do this while it is connected to a PC- of any type, Mac, Windows, Linux- it will show up as a mass storage device, just like a USB thumb drive or a flash card. No drivers or software required. Just drag the new firmware file into the Cobalt's icon, and the Cobalt will take care of updating itself. This is something else the new processor makes possible.

This is an evolution from the original Cobalt, and greatly improves the features in the original, but is still very much the same sort of product.

Ron

 

[DColumbus]

Here is a suggestion for Atomic (and RonR).

How about something for the LOYAL owners of the first cobalt. I stuck with it even with having to repair the buttons and never really liking the compass operation...but it is a great computer. How about a trade-in program to let the owners of the first cobalt trade in the old unit for a great price on the Cobalt 2? I know...it probably doesn't sound like such a great idea to a big company.....BUT it sure sounds like a great idea to me ! Especially this year when I am letting my son get certified for his 12th birthday and I will have to get another computer. It would be great for both of us to be running Cobalt 2s. Just a suggestion which you have probably heard a few hundred times already.

 

[RonR]

Here is a suggestion for Atomic (and RonR).

How about something for the LOYAL owners of the first cobalt. I stuck with it even with having to repair the buttons and never really liking the compass operation...but it is a great computer. How about a trade-in program to let the owners of the first cobalt trade in the old unit for a great price on the Cobalt 2? I know...it probably doesn't sound like such a great idea to a big company.....BUT it sure sounds like a great idea to me ! Especially this year when I am letting my son get certified for his 12th birthday and I will have to get another computer. It would be great for both of us to be running Cobalt 2s. Just a suggestion which you have probably heard a few hundred times already.

Personally I love the idea of a trade-up program. I don't set policies for Atomic, and I know Cobalt 2's are probably in high demand right now, but they are responsive to their customers, so I would ask them.

Ron

 

[Gregory Tutt]

Hello,

If I go to a store, how can I see what is the version of the Cobalt they sell ? Is there any physical difference that would allow me to make sure it is the version 2 ?

Greg

 

[RonR]

Very little if any external appearance difference, but a sure fire way to tell is to look at the Cobalt's System Info page (Main Menu- to Settings, select System Info). If it is a Cobalt 2 the Firmware version will start with a 2. If it starts with 1 (current Cobalt 1 firmware is 1.42) then it's a Cobalt 1. Look at the Compass in the Dive Screen- if it keeps up as fast as you can move it, with almost no lag, it's a Cobalt 2.

Ron

 

[Downing]

Here is a suggestion for Atomic (and RonR).

How about something for the LOYAL owners of the first cobalt. I stuck with it even with having to repair the buttons and never really liking the compass operation...but it is a great computer. How about a trade-in program to let the owners of the first cobalt trade in the old unit for a great price on the Cobalt 2? I know...it probably doesn't sound like such a great idea to a big company.....BUT it sure sounds like a great idea to me ! Especially this year when I am letting my son get certified for his 12th birthday and I will have to get another computer. It would be great for both of us to be running Cobalt 2s. Just a suggestion which you have probably heard a few hundred times already.

Keep in mind that just because Atomic released the Cobalt 2 it doesn't mean the Cobalt 1 is suddenly a bad computer. My wife and I are perfectly happy with ours for all the reasons we bought them in the first place. The Cobalt 1 feels plenty snappy already, the display is gorgeous and the interface is intuitive. We don't need six gas mixtures and don't use the compass very often anyway.

Having said that, if for some reason Atomic were to introduce a trade-up program, we would probably upgrade if for no other reason than the simplified firmware update process.

I assume Atomic will continue to support the Cobalt 1 for years to come.

 

[staggsSevin]

Good post Downing. I'm pretty much in the same boat as you. We still love our cobalt 1's and I don't we don't use the compass much either. I think we will end up upgrading sooner or later but there is nothing wrong with the cobalt 1's.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

[mikeycanuk]

If anything I would probably score a cheap used Cobalt 1 as a backup. I've had a zoop and BUD both fail, so the Atomic is reliable in the field (there have been some issues, but nothing to put one out of action). However we are doing a 21day Solomon's trip next year so piece of mind would be great by having a spare. And looking at the lack of sales of used 1's looks like could get one fairly cheap, I won't really need one until year's end so I'll wait.

I don't see any of us upgrading anytime soon, we love our 3 Cobalt's.