Need help, pretty new Cobalt is frozen or won't charge even off AC!

[Laurens Parsons]

the problem with mine is that it appears to have let water into the main compartment as there are water droplets behind the screen... anyone else had a flooded one before?

 

[Sevenrider860]

I have never had a flood past the battery compartment. While a flooded battery compartment is a mess (corroded battery, contacts, etc) it does seem to protect the primary computer compartment.

 

[Laurens Parsons]

yes mine seems to have got wet into the main compartment the battery compartment is dry... I'm in the UK, do you think i should send it to USA or germany to be repaired? thanks

 

[RonR]

I have just return from a weeks diving in Greece sadly to find that my atomic cobalt 2 dive computer has failed after approximalty only 100 dives, the dive computer does not turn on and despite me using the AC wall charger and also holding the left and right button to reset it, it still does not work, I'm devastated as i always took such great care of the unit and washed it very carefully after each dive and also used it within operating spec, I believe that it has slightly flooded as i can see small droplets of water inside the screen and it is slightly fogged, I have read online that a huge number of people are suffering problems like this, i payed a large sum for this dive computer and am really concerned that it is totally ruined and to no fault of my own, please can you let me know how i can send this to be repaired?

Laurens,

If any water has gotten into the Cobalt interior the electronics will not be repairable. Even if they could be brought back up, they would no longer be reliable. Your Cobalt sounds like a candidate for replacement.

You don’t say when or where you purchased the Cobalt or how old it is, but this would be a case for warranty replacement. I believe you will find Atomic to be extremely responsive for service and warranty. If you purchased the Cobalt through Atomic Europe that would be the place to go for warranty service. Kontaktieren Sie Atomic Aquatics A problem like this would not be prevented by good care, it’s a problem with a faulty seal.

There were case issues causing leaks with the Cobalt 1 a number of years ago, when the product was first introduced, those mostly involved water getting into the battery compartment. There was a problem with some high pressure seals that actually resulted in a recall, also early in the product life. Atomic has for some time tested each Cobalt 2 prior to shipping with at least 10 wet dives to 50m, and leaks in the Cobalt 2 have been rare. That’s not to say the Cobalt 2 has been trouble free- the first couple of months production suffered a great deal from a batch of depth sensors that were defective from the manufacturer and did not fail until after some period of use- so they got through factory testing and were sold. Cobalts were removed from production for several months until this issue was identified and solved. There were also issues with corrosion in the buttons, these have been definitively corrected. A great many changes were made to the design of the case internally nearly two years ago to go after any identified weak points.

While the earlier Cobalts had more problems than acceptable, I believe what you see with recent Cobalt production- in the last two years or so- is a company that is very open about any problems and very proactive about fixing them, and engages fully on forums like this, rather than a computer than has an unusual number of problems. No product is going to be without some issues, but Atomic has in my view- based on 35+ years in the field- been excellent in dealing with them.

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

-Ron

 

[RonR]

Welcome to the life of owning an Atomic Cobalt. If you are not diving enough to keep a charge in the battery all the time, then you absolutely must use the AC charger when the batter has run down. Make the mistake of using the USB adapter on a dead battery and you get to take the back off and pull the battery. The charging adapter is also very poorly made in my opinion. I am on my third one now. It always fails on the AC adaptor charging side...seems like a circuit board contact gets broken...not sure.

The comment you make re. the need to use the A/C charger is accurate for the Cobalt 1, but not the Cobalt 2, which the OP has. The Cobalt 2 has a built in reset function. Pressing the Back and Select buttons for 11 seconds will restart the firmware. This will be necessary if the Cobalt goes completely dead and is first charged from the USB adapter rather than the wall adapter. Doing so sets the Cobalt up for a firmware update.
The power plug extending out of the adapter can put a lot of force on the PCB if it gets knocked. That can pry the socket off the board surface. In the last several years Atomic has put some reenforcement in there, but it is still a potentially breakable object. Transporting the adapter with either the power plug or USB cable plugged in can result in damage with rough handling. The two sides are independent, so if one was broken, the other charging method will likely still work.

The Cobalt should go several months in sleep mode if it is fully charged and stored in a dry environment (NOT with the adapter attached, though!). If not, the battery may need to be replaced.

Ron

Ron