Best way to familiarize yourself with a new computer.

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Kaneda13

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Location
Indianapolis
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I started learning on an Aqualung i550, but decided that I really like the idea of a wrist mounted. I've only got 7 dives under my belt, and would like to get a lot more familiar with my computer before we take a dive trip later this year (fingers still crossed). My normal dive partner isn't a fan of "cold" water diving (Indiana quarry dives). Unfortunately this is really the only dive spot I have access to without a lot of travel (leaving the state). I'd like you be able to just dive and get familiar with my computer, but don't want to find a random dive buddy at the quarry to explain to them I just want to go sit on the bottom training platform and play with my computer. Any thoughts/tips on another way to accomplish this?
 
Start with the owner's manual. I know, boring, but it will have a lot of helpful and useful information.

Supplement with youtube, if you can for your given model.

Then look at diving at a pool if you'd rather work with gear, rather than in an open water situation. I'm sure a LDS with a pool would be happy to let you pay a day rate to access it and rent any other needed gear.
 
This is what I do every time I purchase a new computer. Read the manual, familiarize myself with the buttons and menu's, and then go play with the computer.
 
All great tips, thank you. I've been playing with it (I got a second hand i770 with only 4 dives on it). I've been playing with it dry, but I'd like to familiarize myself with it in it's operating environment. I'm a hands on kind of learner, and struggle at time with just "book learning" something. My LDS doesn't have a pool, we trained at our local YCMA pool. I guess I could reach out to them and see if I could book a lane, not sure what their policy would be on my going down on my own. It's similar enough to the 550 i learned on, but I'd still like to see it in action some before being on a trip with it (accent rates, alarms, etc). I know I need to have the transmitter on pressure before it turns on so I can get it sync with the computer, so that's something I'd have to have a tank to do (I can always go rent one) for that purpose.
 
Depending on the computer, the manual may be more confusing than simply watching a few “hands-on” demos on YouTube. I usually learn, “something” by watching them…
 
You could probably fill something like a Home Depot bucket (or a deep sink... or the tank on a toilet??) and get it deep enough to trick it into a "dive"!
 
Depending on the computer, it can be tough.

Start with the manual. Read it, and understand it. Make sure you know how change settings. Then try it. Of probably most importance is being able to set the gas mix. If you’ve got a pool, you can probably get it into dive mode, but probably not deep enough to really be useful.

Check on alarm settings, etc. make sure they are on if you want them to be, and off if you don’t. If they are to be on, make sure you understand what should happen if they trigger.

Read, and really understand, the information on the dive screens. You want to clearly understand how it tells you how close you are to NDL, or if you are ascending too fast. You want to make sure you’ll recognize what it’s trying to tell you.

Google may be your friend. Punch in your computer brand and model to see if there is online training available. When I bought an Oceanic VT4.1 years ago, Oceanic directed me to an online course. They even included a code so that it was free. If not, I’m sure there is something on YouTube.

After that, go easy on your first dives with it. Check frequently to see the information and how it changes throughout the dive. It will become more second nature as you use it more.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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