Sofware iprovements

[Paolo Di Mario]

I purchased a N2 from 232bar. I am quite happy with both, the computer and the service I received. Alberto is a competent, kind man and he helped me out to get quickly familiar with the computer.
I have some suggestions which I believe could improve a product which I consider already quite good.
The first improvement I think could be helpfull, is a more evident flashing light to suggest gas changes. All of us know that at 21 mts you change to 50% and at 6 to 100%. A highly evident flasching alarm would be more helpfull for unusual mixes or, better, for travelling mix, where you may decide to take it lower or higher than the bottom mix would allow you to do. You may decide to save bottom mix using more travel mix or vice versa. In other words: you have a 15-50 for the bottom and a travel mix 18-40; on the basis of your SAC, bottom time and amount of bottom gas you may decide, before diving, to change gas from 70 meters up. It could be convenient to use more or less the bottom or the travel gas on the basis of your needs. You may or may not remember the right depth you decided before diving. The computer could be set to remind you with no error, flashing in a more evident way than the small little indicator on the bottom of the screen. You don't like that? the computer allows already to cancel this function, but if you want it it should be very visible.

The second suggestion is that at the change of gas, the computer should suggest as a first choise the most obvious gas for the situation basing the decision on the mode you preset. If there is an unwanted change of program, than you can always run through the variuos gasses you preset or even make a new one.

Last idea is to avoid colors like dark blu or similar as the OLED are fantastic in the dark but very week with light. The choise of colors should be always for bright ones.

I only hope that my suggestions have been of some halp with no meaning of criticism. It still remains an excellent product. Thank you for your attention

[Solodiver]

You can change your colors easily by your own, just play around with the CF (and do not forget to write your chances down somewhere as they will get los while updating to a new firmware).

HTH,
Jan

[JeanDo]

Hello,

I am not sure to fully understand the depth change stuff.
But CF42 make a quiet visible blink. And depth in gaslist settings is indeed meant to be configured freely before dive (and not necessarily at MOD depth).

Hope this helps,

[heinrichsweikamp]

Maybe a blinking gas in red will be more noticeable?

regards,
Matthias

[JeanDo]

Red means there is an > or some safety condition.
--> Yellow (as in decoplan gas-switch stops)?

[Paolo Di Mario]

Thanks everybody for the answers. Colors can be changed in many functions but on the Gas Setup menu. This function is used out of the water where, normally you have lots of light and the dark blu is hardly visible.

When you change gas in depth, you have to run up or down with the left button to locate the gas you want. What I ment is that as you press the left button to go to a gas change, you should find as a first choise the most obvious gas to use and avoid to look for it into the list. The computer could easily guess which gas you need: if in your list you have a 20-30, a 50% and a 100%, as you come up to 21 mts it's obvious that you'll get the 50% and when you get to 6 mts you can only want the 100%. This example simplifies the concept because the real help that this improvement would give is on a fast descent where you have to change a couple of gas and you don't want to be looking for the right one. Gas is never enough to waste time playng with buttons.

For what concerns the gas change alert, I only suggested a larger blinking surface on the screen to attract your attention beyond any distraction (which you should't have, but...). In my mind I would choose yellow just to make it very evident.... it's a matter of personal choise.

Thanks for any further suggestion and for your attention.

[Gucky]

Hallo,

ich persönlich finde das "Gas blinken" (CF42) sehr auffällig.
So auffällig, dass ich uberlege es wieder abzustellen da es unter Umständen (im Dunkeln) sogar nerven kann.

Die Farben für alle recht zu machen halte ich für schwierig. Jeder nimmt diese anders war! Der Ablesbarkeit des Display schadet die derzeitige Voreinstellung nicht.

Zusätzliche Automatiken im Gaswechselmenue finde ich nicht hilfreich.
Jeder kann die Liste so ordnen wie er die Gase für den Tauchgang benötigt.
Die Möglichkeit einen Fehler zu begehen ist geringer wenn das Gas bewusst ausgewählt wird. Die Auswahl im Menue ist einfach.

[PeterK]

My previous computer showed a reminder to gas switch based on the MOD of the next gas. Confirmation of the new gas was done by pressing just one button. This function was available for 30s. After that time you could access the gas through the menus.
With the OSTC you need to open the menu, then scroll to the gases, press enter, scroll to the right gas, press enter.
I guest Paolo is looking for a quicker and more convenient way.
Also the procedure that my old computer offered seems to be more convenient I often had a hard time managing the switch within the 30s frame.
For me the current procedure of the OSTC is fine.

[Paolo Di Mario]

Im sorry Gucky, I don't understand German.

Dear PeterK, you are right, a faster procedure for changing gas could be appreciated for deep dives where you use easily four gasses and you are in a hurry to get to the bottom. I do mostly wrecks in Liguria and the depts are anywere from 50 to 100 meters or even lower. My limit is 100 m. but that on an open cicuit forces you not to waste time in descending. No problem on the way back, but even there it would't hurt. Just suggestions to improve an already good device.

Regards,
Paolo

[heinrichsweikamp]

PeterK Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Confirmation of the new gas was done by pressing
> just one button. This function was available for

Until today, we followed some guidelines in the OSTC (And DR5) User-Interface. For example:
- safety-related actions require at least three button presses from two different buttons
- The user is responsible for the dive plan, that means no automatism in gas changing or configuration

Regards,
Matthias

[Paolo Di Mario]

Hi Matthias,
I understand. It actually makes a lot of sense having to pay more attention to gas changes.
It is important to pay attention to every single action. I know that the N2 gives already a warning, yet some stronger signal -utilizing that excellent Oled screen- for having passed the gas change level could be just helpful.
If there were no mistakes there would be less accidents. One of the features of the instrument could be avoiding possible distractions. Would it be helpful? I guess as much as having to press three buttons.
Thank you for the answers. We learn every day.
Regards,
Paolo

[Beluga]

Hallo Leute,

ich denke der Grundgedanke ist der, den User auf eine visuell optimale Art und Weise auf den Gaswechsel aufmerksam zu machen. Ich hätte da mal einen Vorschlag.
Das als 10 Sekunden blinkende Warnung wäre optimal.

Hi Folks,

I think the basic idea is to show the user on a optimal way the gas change. What do you think about this sample. As 10 seconds flashing warning would be optimal


[img]http://www.ava-info.de/bilder/gas_change.jpg[/img]

[heinrichsweikamp]

Hi,

I'm happy to try something in the 1.92beta, like the yellow-blinking option JeanDo suggested. I agree, red should be reserved for warnings.

regards,
Matthias

[Paolo Di Mario]

Hi Beluga,
I thnk is a great idea! the warning message it's all you need may be only 5 seconds repeted a cople of times. Colors you show are fine, but it would be the last concern if they would be adjustable.

I would still like to see a different color from blu in the gas setup menu. On day light is difficult to read.

Regards to everybody,
Paolo

[heinrichsweikamp]

That's the warning in yellow (Kudos to Sven from Divinglog for the Screenshot function :

[img]http://www.heinrichsweikamp.com/file.ph ... e=OSTC.jpg[/img]

Let's give this a try for the 1.92beta (Which we release tomorrow)...

Cheers,
Matthias

[Paolo Di Mario]

Thank you for the news. By the way How do I get to load the new software? can anybody halp me? I wouldn't know where to start from.

Regards,
Paolo

[Regthing]

Paolo.
There is a sticky thread for updating the firmware here:

http://www.heinrichsweikamp.com/read.php?2,4071

[Paolo Di Mario]

Thanks, Scott, you have been very kind.

Regards,
Paolo

[PeterK]

Frankly speeking since we are talking about technical diving not recreational diving there should be not need of being reminded of a gas change by a dive computer. After all, the computer is meant to make diving more comfortable but we should not reply on it. I've learned that a technical dive (if not any dive) should be thoroughly planned and performed exactly as planned. A runtime is used to keep track of all actions. I dont think there is a need of being reminded on simple things like switching to EAN50 on 21 m or Ox at 6 m. This is even more important on more complex gas switiching scenarios. The diver must be in control and fully aware of necessary actions.
Having said this I dont mind any of the suggested changes for as long they can be switched off using CFs.

I understand that Paolo was mainly interested in shortcutting the number of buttons to be pressed for a gas switch to minimize time. As Mathhias told us there is a 3 button policy for critical fuctions. While I'm not 100% convinced this is necessary I respect this policy and I can comfortably live with it.

[PeterK]

Dear Matthias

I understand that you are going to release 1.92 soon. Do you mean as stable or for test purposes only?

[Paolo Di Mario]

Hi PeterK, I totally agree with you. In fact I think that this reminders the computer does, are more dangerous for inesperienced divers than for those who have thousands o dives. It's a matter of fact that I only recently purchased the N2 and, during the dives, I was watching it to se if would have warned me on the gas change at the right time. Experienced divers plan everything ahead and the computer confirms the dive plan as you go. The real danger is with who relyes only on the computer and, if there is no message, may be there is no need to swich gas!

I also agree on the three buttons need, but on the same line as I just mentioned above.

Going back to the fast descents with different gas, the diver that makes those dives has already everything clear and ready. At the change, he has already the right erogator in his hand. The if the computer flashes at the right depth, it only helps. It only highlights the other function on which you have to trust it anyway: the depth indicator. At that point he knows already what is needed and he would indeed appreciate non to play piano. Yet, computers are designed for everybody and must be understood that three buttons insure more attention.

On my first post, I was even mentioning -with different words- of the possibility of setting different po2 for different gas. I haven't had time to doublecheck, but I think the N2 doesn't do that. This woud be a good way to remind you the level of a specific gas swich based on your needs in a pre programmed gas consumption and not on the basis of po2, which, of course would be set within the right limits for both gas. This could be helpful as you are taking a gas at a depth that is unusual for that gas and a reminder wouldn't hurt.

Thank for the attention to my considerations,

Best regards,
Paolo

[heinrichsweikamp]

PeterK Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dear Matthias
>
> I understand that you are going to release 1.92
> soon. Do you mean as stable or for test purposes
> only?

It will be beta (Maybe I can manage this today, sorry for the delay) but a new stable 2.0 will be published faster this time. Most likely within July.

regards,
Matthias

[PeterK]

Dear Paolo

you can select the switching depth for each gas independently of the ppO2.

[Paolo Di Mario]

Dear Peter, thank you for your help. As I said, I haven't had time to look into the whole system. Your help is very helpfull, I now know what to look for without guessing.
Thanks again,

Paolo