Nauticam with ikelite strobes?

[jemery]

Need some advise on how to connect ikelite strobes to a nauticam housing.

I have a canon 7D in Nauticam housing and have a Ikelite ds160 strobe.
What are the options for connecting the strobe?
Any advise and good websites to buy relevant equipment needed wouod be most helpful

Thanks.

 

[bvanant]

You can install the Nikonos bulkhead in the housing, and get a nikonos to Ike cable.
Bill

 

[JackConnick]

Or you can use a fiber optic sync cord and an Ikelite optical converter.

Those are pretty much the only ways to do it.

 

[sharkbaitDAN]

Or an Ike bulkhead, I've got one in my 7D housing for when I was using it with DS-125s, and I could just use my old Ikelite dual cable.

The option that is most cost effective will depend on whether or not you have any cables already. I think the optical solution will end up being the most expensive, but it won't require an extra o-ring in your housing.

 

[PatW]

I use the Nikon bulkhead and the Ike cables. I use 2 DS160s. It works pretty well. I got my bulkhead from Reef Photo and Video in Fort Lauderdale. Backscatter in New York would almost certainly be able to get them too.

 

[jemery]

Thanks for the advise. I do have ike cables so the bulk head might be the best way. Are the bulkheads easy to install in the housing? Trying to research online for any installation instructions but without any luck. Also will this allow ttl? I see if I went the optic fibre way it wouldn't allow ttl.
Thanks again

 

[sharkbaitDAN]

You pretty much need an adjustable spanner and o-ring grease; unscrew the bulkhead plug, grease the o-ring, screw in the bulkhead until it's tight, but not gorilla tight. Plug the lead attached to the bulkhead into the hotshoe connector, and connect the camera and strobes to test. Takes a couple minutes, longer if you are drinking the requisite "using tools" beer.

No ttl using optical adapters or cords with Ikelite strobes.

 

[jemery]

Sounds pretty easy, will make a purchase. Any recommendations for uk websites?

 

[KeithG]

one thing to check is internal clearance. different models of bulkheads protrude different distances into the housing. and they may have different space requirements for wires / connectors. some housing / camera combos are very tight on space.

i have scavenged bulkhead connectors from obsolete sea & sea housings bought on ebay. 3 different models of bulkheads had different mounting space requirements. they all took the same nikonos "internals".

 

[KeithG]

one thing to check is internal clearance. different models of bulkheads protrude different distances into the housing. and they may have different space requirements for wires / connectors. some housing / camera combos are very tight on space.

i have scavenged bulkhead connectors from obsolete sea & sea housings bought on ebay. 3 different models of bulkheads had different mounting space requirements. they all took the same nikonos "internals".

I had a subsequent thought...

My comment is directed at "thru hole" mounting of bulkheads. You drill a hole and then the threaded bulkhead connector (and it's several o-rings) fills the hole and you use a nut on the inside of the housing to tighten the bulkhead connector in place. The housing simply has a hole with a flat external mating surface - no threads.

This method commonly uses 2 o-rings. The first o-ring is placed in a groove in the threaded portion of the bulkhead connector and "goes into the hole" in the housing body. This o-ring is all about the dimensions of the bulkhead body and the hole in the housing. the second (larger) o-ring goes in a groove in the external bulkhead face and presses against the outside of the housing. this o-ring is all about the flatness of the external surface of the housing with respect to the bulkhead connector and the hole in the housing.

I have noticed some nomenclature about M17 & M16 bulkhead connectors. Does this just refer to the dimension of the hole in the housing? Or is the hole also threaded?