[h=1]Six Point Compass Calibration:[/h]
The calibration mode is accessed by changing the user name under the Personal Info menu item to "Atomic A"- that is to the word "Atomic, followed by the letter "A" in the last possible (12th) spot. Change it back when you are done, as with this user name you won't be able to access USB communications. It's a testing and calibration mode.
When "Atomic A" is specified as the user other options will appear in the Calibration menu- HP Sensor (this enables recalibration of the HP sensor in the unlikely event it's needed), 3 Pt Compass, which is the standard compass calibration you have already tried, and 6 Pt Compass, which is where the gain and offset constants for the compass are set. That's the one we want.
Six point calibration will require the computer to be held firmly in a box or jig that enables you to turn it to all six sides while still accessing the buttons. It's very important that the rotations be accurately done. They don't have to align with any other than the specified axis- i.e. right or left just means on the right or left side, which direction the compass is pointing doesn't matter. Local factors involving magnetic declination can enter in (the factory calibration jigs are set up to match the local magnetic fields), but in most instances you will get good results just using a horizontal reference. Just make sure you are a couple of feet away from any ferrous metals- including table legs or frames.
The X axis will come up first, requiring a "head up" and "head down" (hose connection pointed to the floor, then the sky) positioning. The process is pretty automated in that you rotate the Cobalt to the specified (highlighted) direction, and press SELECT to take a reading. The highlighting will then jump to the next field- if it doesn't, the button press was not registered and it needs to be pressed again. You may need to repeat this process of rotating the Cobalt and pressing the buttons two, three, or even 6-7 times for a particular axis - so long as the numbers are changing, the software is adjusting the settings to provide the most accurate reading possible. This process is repeated until the axis registers as calibrated.
When the adjustment is complete for a given axis, a tone will sound and the display will indicate DONE. The calibration program will automatically advance to the next axis (Y or Z). These will require different rotations- left to right sides, or face-up and face- down, as instructed on the Cobalt's screen. When you have completed the X, Y, and Z axis, the six point calibration will be done.
You will still need to then redo the three point compass calibration that you are already familiar with before the compass will read correctly. You should be able to test it by looking at the compass in the Ready to Dive screen.
