Shearwater Petrel Questions

[declan long]

Hi

I have some q's for people who have swater computers, thanks

1) When changing the battery do you lubricate the o ring and if so using what, how tight to tighten the lock?
2) when you don use the comp how long would you leave the battery in there?
3) what is firmwere?
4) do i have to download it and ho often?
5) does it turn on wateractivated by itself? also off by itself?

thanks
dec long

 

[KellyAsh]

Hi Declan,

Here's what Shearwater has to say about some of the things you have questions about. I'm cutting and pasting from the Petrel user manual (http://www.shearwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/PetrelManual_1_2_0.pdf) where there are specific references to your questions and giving my own 2 cents where Shearwater offers no guidance.

1) When changing the battery do you lubricate the o ring and if so using what, how tight to tighten the lock?

From the manual:

"Reinstalling the battery cap

It is very important that the battery cap O-ring is clear of dust or debris. Carefully inspect yourO-ring for any debris or damage and gently clean. It is recommended that you lubricate yourbattery cap’s O-ring on a regular basis with an O-ring lubricant compatible with Buna-N (Nitrile)O-rings. Lubricating helps ensure that the O-ring seats properly and does not twist or bunch.Insert the battery cap into the Petrel and compress the battery contact springs. While thesprings are compressed rotate the battery cap clockwise to engage the threads. Be sure not tocross thread the battery cap’s threads. Tighten the battery cap until snug. Do not over tighten​

the battery cap."

2) when you don use the comp how long would you leave the battery in there?

Shearwater offers no guidance on this so I would refer to the battery makers recommendations on that since there are a number of possible types of batteries that can be used. Storage requirements will be different for each type of battery.

3) what is firmwere?

Firmware is the programs and algorithms the computer uses to operate and make on the fly dive planning computations.

4) do i have to download it and ho often?

Your desktop software will monitor and alert you to any updates automatically. You can respond to the alert or you can manually initiate a search for updates if you want to look for one yourself. If you miss one or more updates, your software and computer will work normally with the old software just without the latest changes to the software until you update it. No biggie.

5) does it turn on wateractivated by itself? also off by itself.

Yes and yes. It will turn itself on after sensing the extra pressure and turn itself off after a certain amount of time of inactivity. You can do both manually also. To turn it on simply push both contacts at the same time and it turns itself on. There is no need for the contacts to be wet like some computers.

To turn it off, you access the menu and select the option to turn it off. Very user friendly computer.

Hope this helps

 

[ajduplessis]

Important note on point 5

If you dive at altitude and don't turn on the device, it will default to sea level once submerged. This will have an impact on your calculated profile vs actual. I did this once during a deco dive but corrected it by switching to my cut table.