More ?'s re: fiber optic cable to housing attachment

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Divernoob

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I just got my Canon S90 with OEM housing and Ultramax strobe (woo hoo!). The fiber optic sync cord mounts to the housing with the 3M Dual Lock clear adhesive strips. I've searched and read umpteen threads here, on digital diver and wet pixel, but still have some questions. I've also read the Reef Photo instructional article on using these types of mounts and it is much better than the manufacturer's instructions that came with the sync cord.

First, the 3M Dual Lock strips are clear. If I decide to not use my slave strobe, would the internal strobe on my camera still be effective with the clear Dual Lock strip over the housing window for the internal strobe? If so, I'll just use the 3M stuff for mounting my sync cord.

On the other hand, if the 3M strip on the housing makes the internal strobe ineffective (and I'm not using my slave strobe), I want to make a different mount for the sync cord. I'm looking for some type of set screw or Inon type clamp that I can attach to a DIY, non tranparent, cover for the internal strobe, then clamp the fiber optic cord to the cover. Any ideas?
 
Figured it out, and maybe this will help someone else with the Canon WP-DC35 housing for the S90.

First, I used a vinyl gutter joint for the flash cover\blocker, since it's already formed at a 90 degree angle. Got that tip right here at SCUBAboard.com! Attached pic is a cross section shot of the finished product, fastened to the housing with clear 3M Dual Lock (purchased at Radio Shack -- they call it "Super Lock").
 

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I saw somewhere on the internets (can't remember now) that someone was using nylon hardware to secure the fiber optic sync cord. Brilliant!

Bought some 1/4-20x1" nylon screws with nuts and 8-32 socket set screws and I had my answer. My fiber optic sync cord is 2mm thick, so I just drilled a 3/32" hole through the length and center of the nylon screw, and I had a super cheap fastening point. I then drilled and tapped a threaded hole through the nut and screw and Presto! I could then use the set screw to firmly attach the sync cord to the flash cover. Pic attached (again, I adjusted contrast to more clearly show the set screw design).
 

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Front view of attached finished product ...
 

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It's next to impossible to cut\mill the flash cover to match the contours of the lense tunnel part of the Canon WP-DC35 housing. I was therefore concerned about odd shadows cast by flash "leakage," so I cut a flash blocker from 2mm black vinyl, using the OEM flash diffuser as a template. It turned out great, and fits more securely than the OEM diffuser!
 

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I like your outfit. Very clever work, well done.

N
 
I didn't have as much luck in Cozumel with my new S90 and Ultramax UXDS-1 strobe as I had hoped, but I still got some good shots, IMHO:
 

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The strobe worked great the first day, but after that, it would only fire sporadically. I couldn't figure out why. I emailed Jack at Optical Ocean Sales, and he let me know that the mounts for the fiber optic sync cord can get misaligned.

The Ultramax (or Intova ) design leaves a little to be desired. Basically, a rubber ring around the front of the strobe has three purposes: protect the front of the strobe; serve as a place to mount the diffuser, and; to retain the fiber optic sync cord next to the sensor(s).

There are 2 sensors on the bottom of the strobe. Attached is a pic showing the rubber ring, rotated 180 degrees on the strobe, to give y'all an idea as to how this system works. There's a "blank" that fits in one hole on the rubber ring to cover one sensor, and the other "blank" has the fiber optic cable mounted to it at the factory. I didn't like this design. One, the mount had some play in it, and wouldn't necessarily provide enough light signal to fire the strobe, if the mount shifted (as I found out in hindsight). Two, what if my sync cord broke? How would I remount it to the strobe?
 

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I went to Lowe's and found my answer in the plumbing department with this:
 

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The great thing about these washers is that they have a little nylon ring inside them. Initially, all I did was drill a 7/64th's hole through it, and I had a good friction fit for my sync cord.
 

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https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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