sunkarm
Contributor
had anybody done DIY fibre optic for your strobe and housing? if so, can you tell me which materials u use?
Thanks
Thanks
DIY: fibre optic
- Thread starter sunkarm
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gert7to3
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Below are a couple of sources I know of in the US. I imagine such stuff is harder to come by in NZ. However, local communications suppliers may have something you could use.
Fiber Optic Element, 3' Long - Science Gifts - Edmund Scientific
American Science & Surplus : Search Results for "optical fiber"
Here's my Flckr site with photos of the rig I made. I found green and black sheathed F/O. You can make tapered plugs from odd bits of small plumbing or hobby materials to fit in the socket of your strobe(s). Lacking a lathe (for most people) you can get by with an electric drill. Just chuck up your stock, then use a file or piece of sandpaper on a block to impart about a 2 degree taper. This will lock the mount in yet leave it removable.
I made a shade/fiber optic mount from opaque white plastic sheet stock to replace the diffuser. Then glued the fiber optics to it, opposite my camera's internal strobe, with a 45 degree cut in the F/O to gather the light.
The F/O I found was about 1mm in diameter. The F/O used in commercial set ups (Sea & Sea) is really small, maybe .25mm dia. So you don't need much. F/O can be trimmed with a razor knife. You might want to stabilize the end with super glue, then polish it with fine sandpaper.
PM me. I'm building a new mount for a new strobe. I may have extra F/O.
Fiber Optic Element, 3' Long - Science Gifts - Edmund Scientific
American Science & Surplus : Search Results for "optical fiber"
Here's my Flckr site with photos of the rig I made. I found green and black sheathed F/O. You can make tapered plugs from odd bits of small plumbing or hobby materials to fit in the socket of your strobe(s). Lacking a lathe (for most people) you can get by with an electric drill. Just chuck up your stock, then use a file or piece of sandpaper on a block to impart about a 2 degree taper. This will lock the mount in yet leave it removable.
I made a shade/fiber optic mount from opaque white plastic sheet stock to replace the diffuser. Then glued the fiber optics to it, opposite my camera's internal strobe, with a 45 degree cut in the F/O to gather the light.
The F/O I found was about 1mm in diameter. The F/O used in commercial set ups (Sea & Sea) is really small, maybe .25mm dia. So you don't need much. F/O can be trimmed with a razor knife. You might want to stabilize the end with super glue, then polish it with fine sandpaper.
PM me. I'm building a new mount for a new strobe. I may have extra F/O.
gert7to3
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haibeis
Registered
Matey...
if you are near a jaycar...
wander in and get some of this stuff....
WO4360 - Optical Fibre Cable - 4 metre pack (AUD$18)
Tough as nails.
I used some to replace a broken sea&sea item, and found that it outperformed the origal. So much so my buddies proactively replaced theirs with the same stuff.
Coincidentally 5mm plastic wall plugs fit into sea&sea eqpt like a bought one,
and also fit the cable.
cheers,
if you are near a jaycar...
wander in and get some of this stuff....
WO4360 - Optical Fibre Cable - 4 metre pack (AUD$18)
Tough as nails.
I used some to replace a broken sea&sea item, and found that it outperformed the origal. So much so my buddies proactively replaced theirs with the same stuff.
Coincidentally 5mm plastic wall plugs fit into sea&sea eqpt like a bought one,
and also fit the cable.
cheers,
Packhorse
Contributor
If you use Hifi style fibre optic with the ends then you could source some sockets and mount them to your housing and strobe.
OP
sunkarm
Contributor
Thanks all,
I have looked at Jaycar's website, it seems that the cable haibeis recommend does not have any ends (i will plan to visit them today). and the one recommended by wwunder has ends.So does it really matter if it has ends or not? will the end break due to underwater pressure will they rust as well?
haibeis, can u show me how u stick them on your strobes and housing? I use 2 old sea and sea ys50ms (it works great cause i can turn-off the preflash on my oly sp350 when it's set-up to slave mode) it was fine to use slave mode as long as the strobes r very close to the housing and i maximized the power output of the internal flash but it was not strong enough to trigger the strobes. I manage to find a plumbing pipe ends that actually fit onto my strobes.The question is how do i attach the optic to them and whether i should use the cable with end or not?
gert7to3, I have seen your DIY set-up before and i posted the pics of it on my Diving club's (Corona Diving Club which is also listed in Scubaboard) mailinglist back In Indonesia and it inspires them to follow your ideas. As for me i use locline cause i manage to get them down here in NZ but none in Indonesia. By the way in your pic, I couldn't see clearly how the optic is attached to your strobe and housing although u had explained to me in written forms (I am very bad in following instructions, that's why i prefer seeing it better rather than imagining it)
My other concern is that the cables all of u had shown me, none of them is the loop type (i think that is what u call it) i am afraid it might be cause a drag, will it?
Packhorse, I have checked with the Sea and Sea distributor down here that the cost of the fibre optic from them is NZ$195 (US$100) and I need 2 of them. I can have my Sealoc MS syinccord from my trosbes converted to the ikelite's cord with a cost of NZ$550 which includes ike dual synccords plus couple of hundreds for labor cost. The problem is that the guy (ike dealer down here) will need to open up my strobes and cut the original synccord and prelced with the ike ones. However, reefphoto can make a t-connector that will hook up my ike housing for US$250. I think the latter option is better cause no need of stripping anything apart. Unfortunately rite now the NZ$ has weakened towards the US$. Then i a friend of mine recommended me, since i only need to trigger the strobes only (no ttl), i should just get a fibreoptic. Then i realized how expensive it cost down here and now decided to do a DIY.
Thanks all for your inputs. I am going to Jaycar and cek them out now.
I have looked at Jaycar's website, it seems that the cable haibeis recommend does not have any ends (i will plan to visit them today). and the one recommended by wwunder has ends.So does it really matter if it has ends or not? will the end break due to underwater pressure will they rust as well?
haibeis, can u show me how u stick them on your strobes and housing? I use 2 old sea and sea ys50ms (it works great cause i can turn-off the preflash on my oly sp350 when it's set-up to slave mode) it was fine to use slave mode as long as the strobes r very close to the housing and i maximized the power output of the internal flash but it was not strong enough to trigger the strobes. I manage to find a plumbing pipe ends that actually fit onto my strobes.The question is how do i attach the optic to them and whether i should use the cable with end or not?
gert7to3, I have seen your DIY set-up before and i posted the pics of it on my Diving club's (Corona Diving Club which is also listed in Scubaboard) mailinglist back In Indonesia and it inspires them to follow your ideas. As for me i use locline cause i manage to get them down here in NZ but none in Indonesia. By the way in your pic, I couldn't see clearly how the optic is attached to your strobe and housing although u had explained to me in written forms (I am very bad in following instructions, that's why i prefer seeing it better rather than imagining it)
My other concern is that the cables all of u had shown me, none of them is the loop type (i think that is what u call it) i am afraid it might be cause a drag, will it?
Packhorse, I have checked with the Sea and Sea distributor down here that the cost of the fibre optic from them is NZ$195 (US$100) and I need 2 of them. I can have my Sealoc MS syinccord from my trosbes converted to the ikelite's cord with a cost of NZ$550 which includes ike dual synccords plus couple of hundreds for labor cost. The problem is that the guy (ike dealer down here) will need to open up my strobes and cut the original synccord and prelced with the ike ones. However, reefphoto can make a t-connector that will hook up my ike housing for US$250. I think the latter option is better cause no need of stripping anything apart. Unfortunately rite now the NZ$ has weakened towards the US$. Then i a friend of mine recommended me, since i only need to trigger the strobes only (no ttl), i should just get a fibreoptic. Then i realized how expensive it cost down here and now decided to do a DIY.
Thanks all for your inputs. I am going to Jaycar and cek them out now.
Hi sunkarm,
I just cut the ends off of the cable I bought and made some plastic holders to hold the cable to the housing and strobe. The camera side is a 1/4" plastic plate with a hole drilled in it for the cable and a threaded hole perpendicular to it with a bolt I use to tighten down on the cable. This piece also blocks the internal flash. The strobe side is a plastic elbow with a similar locking mechanism.
I just cut the ends off of the cable I bought and made some plastic holders to hold the cable to the housing and strobe. The camera side is a 1/4" plastic plate with a hole drilled in it for the cable and a threaded hole perpendicular to it with a bolt I use to tighten down on the cable. This piece also blocks the internal flash. The strobe side is a plastic elbow with a similar locking mechanism.
OP
sunkarm
Contributor
Thanks.
I just cameback from Jaycar electronic and bought the fibre optic recommended by haibeis.Now i know what fibere-optic cable looks like. I had a play in it and it works at home. but don't know underwater though. I temporary use normal cellotape on the strobes (i don't know if that is recommended or not)
I just cameback from Jaycar electronic and bought the fibre optic recommended by haibeis.Now i know what fibere-optic cable looks like. I had a play in it and it works at home. but don't know underwater though. I temporary use normal cellotape on the strobes (i don't know if that is recommended or not)
haibeis
Registered
Matey - 5mm green wall plugs from your hardware store fit into the sea&sea mounting holes like they belong there. the fibre optic cable fits into that nicely,and needs to be glued in with fullaprene or something similar.
Cellotape will come off as soon as it gets wet - i find that duct tape or race
tape is good for most things - indeed until i came up with the permanent solution
that is what i used.
i find this stuff better than the curly crap - it has a larger diameter,
and lets more light through (read: more reliable firing)
the lack of expense means i have made custom length ones for
each of my strobe setups, which means that i route them through the inside
of the arms - which then means that there is no drag at all.
perhaps the only drawback - i ran out of cable making spares for my mates!
Cellotape will come off as soon as it gets wet - i find that duct tape or race
tape is good for most things - indeed until i came up with the permanent solution
that is what i used.
i find this stuff better than the curly crap - it has a larger diameter,
and lets more light through (read: more reliable firing)
the lack of expense means i have made custom length ones for
each of my strobe setups, which means that i route them through the inside
of the arms - which then means that there is no drag at all.
perhaps the only drawback - i ran out of cable making spares for my mates!
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