ScubaLab: Dive Computers - Atomic Aquatics Cobalt
Specifications
| Mounting Options | Console |
| Operational Modes | Air, Nitrox |
| User Controls | Four push buttons |
| Gas Mixes | Three |
| Air-Integrated | Yes |
| Onboard Compass | Yes |
| PC Kit | Included |
| Price | $1,200 |
| www.atomicaquatics.com |
Atomic Aquatics’ Cobalt uses a high contrast, full-color OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screen with brightly colored digits displayed on a black background. Illumination can be adjusted from a dull glow to an intense blast of light and color on the surface and underwater. Navigating the Cobalt’s menu is simple. The four magnetic buttons direct you to the various menus for setting dive parameters and personal info that includes presets for age and workload. We’ve never used a system so straightforward and intuitive. The Cobalt’s dive screen is divided into three sections: The top contains a graphic that changes from green to yellow to orange as you enter decompression and includes no-deco and dive-time data. The middle section contains data like depth and max depth. The bottom section contains tank pressure, gas mixture, calculated gas time remaining and the current PO2. The DC is powered by a prismatic lithium-ion rechargeable battery, like those in a typical cell phone.
Bottom Line
The ultimate in cutting-edge technology, the Cobalt offers all the goodies you could possibly want in an incredibly intuitive system. The Cobalt’s RGBM algorithm offers three user levels — standard (liberal), recreational (middle-of-the-road) and conservative. It earned a Testers’ Choice for a console-style DC and is one of our two overall favorite data crunchers for 2010.
| September/October 2010 Issue Scuba Lab Review Quick Links |
|---|
| Basic Computers |
| --- |
| We define basic dive computers as single-gas units, nitrox capable to 50 percent. Computers in this category are good for recreational diving, plus they can function as backup computers or simple bottom timers for deep or technical diving. They range from no-frills, budget models to full-featured DCs with air integration. None of these DCs come with onboard compasses, although many come packaged in consoles that include traditional modular compasses. |
| Genesis React Pro| Oceanic ProPlus 2.1 |
| Sherwood Profile| Sherwood Insight |
| SUBGEAR XP10| SUUNTO D4 |
| SUUNTO Zoop| |
| Advanced Computers |
| --- |
| These are full-featured dive computers designed for divers who want the option of ratcheting up their diving experiences. Advanced computers allow you to program multiple mixes up to 100 percent oxygen that can be switched while at depth. They often also offer features like onboard compasses. |
| Atomic Aquatics Cobalt| Mares Icon HD |
| Oceanic Geo 2.0| |
Specifications
||| |---|---|
|Mounting Options|Console| |Operational Modes| Air, Nitrox| |User Controls| Four push buttons| |Gas Mixes| Three| |Air-Integrated| Yes| |Onboard Compass| Yes| |PC Kit| Included| |Price| $1,200| |www.atomicaquatics.com|
Atomic Aquatics’ Cobalt uses a high contrast, full-color OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screen with brightly colored digits displayed on a black background. Illumination can be adjusted from a dull glow to an intense blast of light and color on the surface and underwater. Navigating the Cobalt’s menu is simple. The four magnetic buttons direct you to the various menus for setting dive parameters and personal info that includes presets for age and workload. We’ve never used a system so straightforward and intuitive. The Cobalt’s dive screen is divided into three sections: The top contains a graphic that changes from green to yellow to orange as you enter decompression and includes no-deco and dive-time data. The middle section contains data like depth and max depth. The bottom section contains tank pressure, gas mixture, calculated gas time remaining and the current PO2. The DC is powered by a prismatic lithium-ion rechargeable battery, like those in a typical cell phone.
Bottom Line
The ultimate in cutting-edge technology, the Cobalt offers all the goodies you could possibly want in an incredibly intuitive system. The Cobalt’s RGBM algorithm offers three user levels — standard (liberal), recreational (middle-of-the-road) and conservative. It earned a Testers’ Choice for a console-style DC and is one of our two overall favorite data crunchers for 2010.
|September/October 2010 Issue Scuba Lab Review Quick Links| |---| |Basic Computers| |---| |We define basic dive computers as single-gas units, nitrox capable to 50 percent. Computers in this category are good for recreational diving, plus they can function as backup computers or simple bottom timers for deep or technical diving. They range from no-frills, budget models to full-featured DCs with air integration. None of these DCs come with onboard compasses, although many come packaged in consoles that include traditional modular compasses.| |Genesis React Pro| Oceanic ProPlus 2.1| |Sherwood Profile| Sherwood Insight| |SUBGEAR XP10| SUUNTO D4| |SUUNTO Zoop| | |Advanced Computers| |---| |These are full-featured dive computers designed for divers who want the option of ratcheting up their diving experiences. Advanced computers allow you to program multiple mixes up to 100 percent oxygen that can be switched while at depth. They often also offer features like onboard compasses.| |Atomic Aquatics Cobalt| Mares Icon HD| |Oceanic Geo 2.0| |
