COBALT-2 wishlist

[DaleFranklin]

Since the other thread is somewhat cluttered, I thought it might be good to start a new one.

I've been diving since the pyramids were built and have used more [dive] computers than I can count. It seems like every one has a real “surprise” so I don’t expect manufacturers to advertise “try before you buy”.

Granted, some features are nuisances, but others are show stoppers like transmitters that don’t transmit (never again). Others have feature navigation designed by non-divers in Gobi Desert.

BTY – by profession I’m a database engineer for the last 35+ years and have seen my share of idiot & brilliant software navigation. Since I don’t want to get shot, I’ll skip the idiots; however for brilliant I’ll tip my hat off to Apple & Google.

IMHEO (In my humble expert opinion), the Cobalt is the iPod of the dive computers. The bells & whistles that everyone wants (like playing “The Yellow Rose of Texas” for an alarm) is okay but not really innovative.

MAY I SUGGEST: something Star Trek?

Drag-and-drop your own design! That means on my Mac (or the other flaky operating system) I have a screen with all my data on the LEFT and a picture of the COBALT-2 on the RIGHT. With my mouse, I drag current-depth to the upper left and then drag maximum depth to the upper right. I then drag temperature & PPO2, etc to the bottom right where I don’t care much about looking at it during the dive. When finished, I click SAVE and wa-lah! It gets sent to my COBAL2 screen (connected by USB, of course). I also can select color & size.

Now NOBODY can complain about what their screen looks like. Gee; everybody's happy! Win Win $$$. Let’s focus on enjoying the dive instead of dragging out the D*#N hieroglyphic manual to figure out how it works (read to you by a masseuse on the island of Yap).

-Dale

 

[drrich2]

The Liquivision Lynx is expected to have a feature where you can buy transmitters and have it tell you the direction of another diver, or the dive boat. That would be nice, for finding the dive boat (for those who can't navigate well, like me it seems), or dealing with buddy separation.

I know 'poaching' features off a competitor is not the preferred path to innovation, but when a feature is sufficiently compelling, competitors produce a functional equivalent or lose a serious competitive advantage.

Actually, the option to use 'ring tone' alarms would be quite nice. Especially if you could assign different alarms for different causes, to discriminate them.

Bluetooth interface for connecting to PC or Mac, perhaps?

Richard.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Atomic Aquatics]

Dale

Glad you found the site! Thanks for sharing your ideas!

Atomic Aquatics

Since the other thread is somewhat cluttered, I thought it might be good to start a new one.

I've been diving since the pyramids were built and have used more [dive] computers than I can count. It seems like every one has a real “surprise” so I don’t expect manufacturers to advertise “try before you buy”.

Granted, some features are nuisances, but others are show stoppers like transmitters that don’t transmit (never again). Others have feature navigation designed by non-divers in Gobi Desert.

BTY – by profession I’m a database engineer for the last 35+ years and have seen my share of idiot & brilliant software navigation. Since I don’t want to get shot, I’ll skip the idiots; however for brilliant I’ll tip my hat off to Apple & Google.

IMHEO (In my humble expert opinion), the Cobalt is the iPod of the dive computers. The bells & whistles that everyone wants (like playing “The Yellow Rose of Texas” for an alarm) is okay but not really innovative.

MAY I SUGGEST: something Star Trek?

Drag-and-drop your own design! That means on my Mac (or the other flaky operating system) I have a screen with all my data on the LEFT and a picture of the COBALT-2 on the RIGHT. With my mouse, I drag current-depth to the upper left and then drag maximum depth to the upper right. I then drag temperature & PPO2, etc to the bottom right where I don’t care much about looking at it during the dive. When finished, I click SAVE and wa-lah! It gets sent to my COBAL2 screen (connected by USB, of course). I also can select color & size.

Now NOBODY can complain about what their screen looks like. Gee; everybody's happy! Win Win $$$. Let’s focus on enjoying the dive instead of dragging out the D*#N hieroglyphic manual to figure out how it works (read to you by a masseuse on the island of Yap).

-Dale

 

[mikeycanuk]

Call me a cynic but better quality should be #1, followed by software #2.

 

[Akimbo]

High on the list, and probably Atomic’s, is to use the same desktop software for both.

Even though a lot of people use a third-party dive log program, I think it would be in the entire dive community’s best interest if donating/uploading dive profiles to DAN was really easy.

 

[RonR]

I just want to say that we are paying attention to all these comments, and appreciate the feedback.

Customizing user interface elements, including tones, is something we have wanted to implement. We are hard at work on some other things right now, but maybe when we get them squared away that is something we can do.

Thanks,

Ron

 

[Akimbo]

Like many divers, I am torn between the convenience of wireless and the inconvenience of a second battery to maintain, interference issues, and the relative signal unreliability. Add to that a vulnerable rigid transmitter sticking out of an HP port.

Have you considered a wrist-mount Cobalt with a small cable or HP hose that can run down the arm like many rebreathers? Personally I think it would be the lesser of evils. Another thought is to provide an HP hose with the transmitter that can be secured to the harness. That reduces the vulnerability to snapping off the first stage and physical interference problems with the transmitter itself. It also reduces the distance and body-mass the signal must travel through.

I wear a wrist computer as backup and a “quick glance” for time and depth. I found that rotating it on the wrist 60-90° toward the thumb eliminates having to rotate my arm to read it. To make it work I had to sew loops to my suits so the gauge does not rotate or slide The bonus is the straps don’t need to be uncomfortably tight. I can try to get a photo if the description is not clear. I am not sure what engineering solution for a stand-alone product would be but wanted to point out the concept in case you can devise a workable consumer solution.

One big complaint I have with most wrist computers is the strap. Rubber straps are uncomfortable on your skin, break easily, and fall off with a strap or pin failure. Please make the strap Nylon with a robust and reliable buckle and at least two attachment points. I have made a Nylon strap with double D-rings to replace mine. The main detail is to engage both pins like 1-piece military/NATO watch bands.

 

[Scared Silly]

Have you considered a wrist-mount Cobalt with a small cable or HP hose that can run down the arm like many rebreathers? Personally I think it would be the lesser of evils. Another thought is to provide an HP hose with the transmitter that can be secured to the harness. That reduces the vulnerability to snapping off the first stage and physical interference problems with the transmitter itself. It also reduces the distance and body-mass the signal must travel through.

A thin HP hose/line would be interesting. As for a transmitter on a hose, many already do something similar using a 9" hose which allows the transmitter to be tucked down and between the tank and wing. Some even add a quick disconnect. There is typically no issue with interference and it stays in place.

 

[RonR]

Akimbo,

Good thoughts. I met a diver a couple of weeks ago that had mounted his Cobalt with bungie cords on his forearm, inside (where you would take a pulse), and ran his hose along his arm. He said it worked great for him, the screen is the the portrait orientation, and it made it easy to follow the compass. We do want to offer both screen orientations in a wrist mount design. The standard wristwatch orientation always struck me as not ideal for diving, particularly navigation. And I share your opinions about wrist straps.

I've looked at fiber optic connections for pressure transmission. It doesn't eliminate the need for a 2nd battery and processor, but the cable can be waterproof and if it breaks, nothing else is really harmed. Hoseless is getting pretty good, though.

Always appreciate the ideas.

Ron

 

[bractime]

One big complaint I have with most wrist computers is the strap. Rubber straps are uncomfortable on your skin, break easily, and fall off with a strap or pin failure. Please make the strap Nylon with a robust and reliable buckle and at least two attachment points. I have made a Nylon strap with double D-rings to replace mine. The main detail is to engage both pins like 1-piece military/NATO watch bands.

I use a 12 x 1 Inch Cinch Straps for my watch so that if it gets snagged and 1 pin pops I don't lose my watch. It is comfortable even on bare skin and it doesn't look bad. I have used the 12" with wet suit and dry suit and the length works fine. The 1” width is a perfect fit for my Aqualand watch if other width are needed they come in other widths also. See link http://www.securecableties.com/Hook-and-Loop/12-x-1-Inch-Cinch-Straps-5-Pack-pID807.aspx