Control buttons not working between 70’ to 100’

[Ricksteric]

i’m diving in cayman’s and the last 2 wall dives the control keys stop working, I’m trying to adjust focus setting and flash setting and nothing works. All other buttons the camera does not respond either except the shutter button. As I come off the wall to about 60-65 feet all is well. I have been diving with this camera for the last 4 years and I have never had this problem.
Any help would be great, maybe I’ll take a trip down to Kathy churches tomorrow

Rick

 

[Coop42]

Open the case and watch and feel the keys while pressing them. Give it a good rinse, work the keys thoroughly and then dry it. When it's dry again, open it up and work the keys again, looking to see if there is any improvement.

 

[northernone]

I do not have the camera that's giving you trouble.

However based on experiencing the issue how I'm reading your description, it sound like sticky buttons. Salt or sediment making the buttons remain depressed because the added friction overpowers the rebound when at depth. Once one button is depressed the camera won't read any other button inputs. Except the shutter.

As #coop42 suggestions, give it a good rinse and check all the buttons for any slightly harder to press or less response on the rebound. Work those until they are smooth again. Clean and lube if appropriate.

 

[Russjstewart]

Springs may be getting tired as well, I have had the same problem. Washing in warm water to dissolve any salt made no difference.

I do have a Canon plastic housing and I suspect it may be made to be sold at a given price point

 

[SeaLife Bjorn]

Do you have the DC1400 model? If so, here is some troubleshooting advice from the SeaLife website:

Back buttons on UW housing not working

If the Focus, Flash and/or Menu buttons on the back of the housing don’t work, the zoom lever did not return to the center position or the shutter button is sticking.

• Make sure to center the zoom lever after using it.
  

• "Exercise" the shutter button after it's been in storage by pushing it up/down until the button operates smoothly and quickly returns to its upright position. Also, push up on the shutter from the inside of the housing to exercise the button’s full range. If the shutter button is sticky and does not return to its uppermost position, the Focus, Flash and Menu buttons will not function.

• Thoroughly rinse housing in fresh water after each use. Periodically soak the sealed housing in warm fresh water for about 20 minutes. Push all the buttons about 20 times to flush out any debris trapped. Allow housing to completely dry before storage.

• If the above information does not resolve the issue, please contact your local authorized SeaLife dealer or the distributor/service center in your country for repair service. SeaLife recently developed a Zoom Lever / Shutter Button O-ring Repair Kit for DC1400 (Item # SL7201), which may only be installed by an authorized SeaLife Service Center.

Hope that helps.
SeaLife

 

[ibj40]

Do you have the DC1400 model?

I am also curious as to which camera the OP is using.

 

[Ricksteric]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I have the dc 1400. I ran warm water around the keys for a bit last nite working the keys. I was at 70’ today no problem. I’m going to soak in warm water tonite and see how everything works tomorrow. Thanks so much for all your help. Still have another 3 days of diving

Rick

 

[ibj40]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I have the dc 1400. I ran warm water around the keys for a bit last nite working the keys. I was at 70’ today no problem. I’m going to soak in warm water tonite and see how everything works tomorrow. Thanks so much for all your help. Still have another 3 days of diving

Rick

And not wishing to belabor the point, but can I assume that you had not soaked the housing previously? I also have a 1400, and leaving Friday for a dive trip. I usually soak the camera housing in warm water along with our dive computers, but do not exercise the buttons during that process.

Thanks, and hope it all works out!

Jim

 

[Ricksteric]

Everything is working good now, having an awesome vacation in cayman, Eastend diving.
Thanks for the help!

 

[Rred]

Rick-
If cleaning and "exercise" did the trick, may I suggest using ArmorAll (original white) on all the "flexible" plastics, or spraying them with McLube SailCote, which is a spray lubricant of Krytox in a paraffin base. (There are other "dry PTFE" sprays which would do a similar job, but Krytox is a better product.) Using either one sparingly, and cleaning off any excess. They will ensure the plastic stays flexible and free to move, and when used SPARINGLY they will also discourage crud from building up on those surfaces.
If you get a "canned air" dust-off product and blow out the area around all the switches and moving parts, that will also ensure there's no condensate forming in crevices to crud things up as well. There used to be freon sprays (no residue) sold for cleaning electronics parts, which could be even better, but you'd need to check with the camera maker about chemical compatibilities for specific products on that kind of stuff.