Orca Marathon Battery

[Marek K]

Mike--Yes, this is helping very much. I'm posting here, rather than private e-mail, because there seem to be several folks here missing manuals to these or similar computers.

OK, on my Sherwood Sigma II, the start-up sequence looks very similar, but slightly different. To be precise, here are the steps (my comments/questions in parentheses):

1. All the large digits are "drawn" quickly, one by one.

2. The Ceiling Alarm LED flashes, and the Ascend Slower LED is on. All the digits appear as 188, with all the other displays also showing:
CEILING
TO FLY
NEXT DIVE
LOG
SURFACE
LOG

(I assume this is just to show that all the digit segments, LEDs, and displays are working.)

3. The LEDs are flashing/on as in step 2., with the following digits displayed:
11 11 1
10
11 11 1

(What is this?)

4. No LEDs from now on, and the digits display:
Lo
Lo
Lo

(Checks the low voltage notification?)

5.
EE
EE
EE

(What?)

6. The following shows up in the Depth display:
or (I assume this checks the Out Of Range display, like if the computer goes too deep?)

7. Next, the following show up in the Depth and Elapsed Time displays:
go
up

(I assume this checks the functioning of the display telling you to move to more-shallow water?)

7. Finally, the three digital displays show the following simultaneously:
115 (battery voltage? ... pretty good after 14 years, eh?)
11 11 1 (what??)
33 (the surface altitude calibration? ... we're about 50m above sea level here)

Then it goes into the dive planning sequences... depth/max time/surface. (what does "surface" tell me?)

Grrr... Drives me crazy to have a piece of gear that's supposed to help keep me safe, and I don't have a manual for it. Yes, I will use also dive tables as a reality check.

Anyway, you're being a tremendous help. Thanks again/still.

By the way, any problems over the years wht the SD's notorious (?) battery compartment flooding problem? My Sigma has a knurled aluminum threaded plug with o-ring... just needs normal o-ring care? Is the battery compartment sealed off from the electronics?

--Marek

Hi Marek K,
I have had a Skinny Dipper II for many years, and it shows battery level during startup as follows:
after a number of displays, we get, (in sequence);
the 3 vertical levels of display are as in the SDII:
First, Then then then then

"LO" "EE" ###**

"LO" "EE" "or"* "go" /////

"LO" "EE" "up" 32

* "or" means "out of range"

**this is the ### that shows battery voltage:
According to the manual,signifying:
75-120: Normal operation
63-74: normal operation, with a flashing "lo" during use.
46-62 No LEDS ,and 2 "Lo" flashes
30-45: 3 "lo",and no new start up.
0-29 shut down
Personally, i'd replace batteries if this number gets below 63.
BTW, the "32" in the final display is a pressure calibration32,33,or 34 are ok for sea level.

Hope this helps,
Mike

 

[miked]

Mike--Yes, this is helping very much. I'm posting here, rather than private e-mail, because there seem to be several folks here missing manuals to these or similar computers.

OK, on my Sherwood Sigma II, the start-up sequence looks very similar, but slightly different. To be precise, here are the steps (my comments/questions in parentheses):

1. All the large digits are "drawn" quickly, one by one.

2. The Ceiling Alarm LED flashes, and the Ascend Slower LED is on. All the digits appear as 188, with all the other displays also showing:
CEILING
TO FLY
NEXT DIVE
LOG
SURFACE
LOG

(I assume this is just to show that all the digit segments, LEDs, and displays are working.)

3. The LEDs are flashing/on as in step 2., with the following digits displayed:
11 11 1
10
11 11 1

(What is this?)

4. No LEDs from now on, and the digits display:
Lo
Lo
Lo

(Checks the low voltage notification?)

5.
EE
EE
EE

(What?)

6. The following shows up in the Depth display:
or (I assume this checks the Out Of Range display, like if the computer goes too deep?)

7. Next, the following show up in the Depth and Elapsed Time displays:
go
up

(I assume this checks the functioning of the display telling you to move to more-shallow water?)

7. Finally, the three digital displays show the following simultaneously:
115 (battery voltage? ... pretty good after 14 years, eh?)
11 11 1 (what??)
33 (the surface altitude calibration? ... we're about 50m above sea level here)

Then it goes into the dive planning sequences... depth/max time/surface. (what does "surface" tell me?)

Grrr... Drives me crazy to have a piece of gear that's supposed to help keep me safe, and I don't have a manual for it. Yes, I will use also dive tables as a reality check.

Anyway, you're being a tremendous help. Thanks again/still.

By the way, any problems over the years wht the SD's notorious (?) battery compartment flooding problem? My Sigma has a knurled aluminum threaded plug with o-ring... just needs normal o-ring care? Is the battery compartment sealed off from the electronics?

--Marek

Marek-Glad to be of help.

I'll number my replies to match your questions. Given my crummy typing skills, the shorter the post,the better.
(BTW quoted sentences are from the manual.)

1) and 2):are exactly this in the SDII, for the reason you suggested.

3. the "11 11 1" on top and bottom are filler-no real meaning(according to the manual)
the "10" on the center line is the software version number.

#s 4)-7) are included: "Since you will rarely see some of these messages,they are shown upon each power-up so that they will be familiar to you if and when they occur during diving operation"

4) as you suggested.

5) "EE" refers to "ComputEr Error" meaning the unit is toast, at least temporarily. Obviously,if you see this during a dive,you can't rely on the unit.

6) and 7)You assumed correctly

8) "115" is the battery voltage level.
"11 11 1" is filler
"33" shows
"the ambient atmospheric pressure in feet of sea water. At sea level,it should read 32, 33, or 34. It will read less at altitudes."....."If the reading is greater than 36 or less than 20, the computer will not accept these values as a valid surface and will not proceed further."

So your "33' is an okay reading.

Regarding the "surface" line (3rd line) during the planning sequence: it refers to the surface interval since your last dive -providing the computer has not been shut off.
BTW, the SDII "stores" time and depth for your 1 most recent dive only until the unit is shut off.

As far as the battery compartment flooding: In all the years I have used this computer,as a primary,and now as a back-up,
I had one minor flood.
The battery plug on mine is plastic, but regular o-ring care seems to do just fine, and the battery compartment is sealed off from the electronics.

As I said, I use my SDII as a back-up, and have gone through several more "modern" computers, (nitrox capable,more dives stored, more bells and whistles) and it keeps rolling along.

If you have any other questions, post away!!

Take care,
Mike

 

[Marek K]

Mike, your replies have been a wonderful help. I've collated them together, edited a bit, and saved them for future reference.

Hope they've helped the other folks here that have been looking for manuals for these computers, too.

--Marek

 

[Marek K]

Hey Bob--

I was thinking as I was lying awake last night (God, I hate Mondays!!)... If these Sigma/SD/Marathon computers only store the most-recent dive -- I assume so that you can jot the info down into your logbook -- then how does it do bottom-time planning for, like, the third dive of the day? Unless it keep cumulative track of everything as it goes... Or is that one of those bizarre middle-of-the-night sleepless questions?

Also, I understand about obviously not shutting the thing down if I'm going to be making subsequent same-day dives. But does it then eventually have to be shut down manually (battery plug/switch unscrewed); or does it shut down by itself when the time comes, like newer computers?

--Marek

 

[O2Addict]

You can use either the battery pack or the 3 separate cells. The pack is just the 3 cells soldered together and shrink wrapped. We used to make these in the UK, and the reason for soldering them was to make the connections move reliable.

 

[Marek K]

Hi Bill--

Any luck with getting that Marathon manual from Orca? As I understood it, you should have been able to download it as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file immediately after they received your payment via PayPal.

Mike ("miked") has been helping me out a lot in the last day or so, understanding how my Sigma works. But I'd still feel best with a copy of the manual.

LIke I said, PayPal won't accept me because I'm overseas right now. Would I be able to send you a check for $5.00 (or the cash?), and have you forward the PDF file to me? that is, unless there's some kind of copy protection on it, or other restriction...

--Marek

Thanx for the URL. Can't speak for the Skinny Dipper, but the Maratho battery is definitely a 3 pack. On the Marathon at least, it says "Lo EE" when you turn it on if the batteries are low.

I ordered a new battery anda pdf manual from Orca using Paypal. Paypal says it made the payment but Orca's website doesn't give any sort of order confirmation so I'll have to call them on Monday.

 

[O2Addict]

I should have mine around somewhere. If I can find it I will scan it and sent it to you. It is crazy charging for manuals.

 

[Marek K]

Thanks, O2...

I agree, one could argue that it's not right to charge for manuals. Just about everyone else allows you to download user manuals for free, and that includes dive computer manufacturers.

I'm waiting with eager anticipation for whether you find the manual. I'd be very grateful... And how guilty I feel about getting you to do scan it, will depend on how many pages it is!

--Marek

I should have mine around somewhere. If I can find it I will scan it and sent it to you. It is crazy charging for manuals.

 

[miked]

Hi guys,

Marek- the SDII does keep track of all dives done during a "session" of diving, and does its calculations taking all that info into consideration. It displays only the most recent dive in the "session".
There is an automatic off(?) that kicks in after a time- I believe it is some # of hours after you have desaturated. When that occurs, the screen flashes two vertical "off"s-one letter per level. (e.g.: if you do only a single mornng dive, there is a pretty good chance that by the next morning, the screen will have the "off" display-and you'll have to turn it on manually.)

BTW- the quotes I have been using are from the manual for the original Skinny Dipper-not the mark 2-but they match up with what the computer is doing.

also-if 02 can't get you the more recent manual, perhaps I can-although right now I don't have scanner capabilities.(lousy hardware glitch!!)

take care,
Mike

 

[bill_bain]

Anybody got a phone #, etc. for Orca? Their website only has email addresses and "Oakley California". They're not in the Internet Yellow pages, at leas tht I could find.