Won a camcorder on eBay...plus, question on mics in housings

[diversteve]

...as a side note, how would you even 'attach' the external MIC? wouldn't it involve drilling through the housing and other nasties like that?

At least a hole for the wire...I've never seen one up close. I'm guessing I'll have to drill and tap a hole for whatever sort of fitting they use, then seal it with an appropriate o-ring - or sealant, maybe marine epoxy, I don't expect to remove it ever.

 

[meekal]

i dunno dude. i'm no expert, but an o-ring and epoxy at 90'? eeks. maybe somebody here has some info, but i'm coming up dry on my google searches. will keep looking.

 

[diversteve]

just my $0.02 on the 'sleeping' camera syndrome. tape is cheap, that once in a lifetime shot is not (i know there's a Master Card commericial saying in here somewhere) but since most dives are under 60 minutes, start filming as soon as you hit the water and don't stop until your back on the boat. do your editting at home and just cut the 50 minutes of the camera pointing at the sand!

I agree except I usually seal the camera in the housing while inside my condo/hotel room so being able to power it up w/o having to open the housing on the boat is a nice feature. And I like to stop the tape on the surface interval between dives.

 

[diversteve]

i dunno dude. i'm no expert, but an o-ring and epoxy at 90'? eeks. maybe somebody here has some info, but i'm coming up dry on my google searches. will keep looking.

Depends on the mount for the microphone, if it could be mated to a tapered NPT fitting, and then the fitting was to be screwed into a tapped hole, I wouldn't even need the o-ring or epoxy since the more it's tightened, the tighter the tapered part seals.

If it's a standard thread I think two o-rings, one on each side compressed by a nut would hold it. Although I'm not sure if water could get in between the threads. I don't think so as the compression of the o-ring by the nut should also seal the gap between the threads and the inner surface of the hole - I think. Kind of like an Ikelite gland works.

Have you seen this microphone? http://www.gateshousings.com/accessories.html#audio

Steve

 

[Groundhog246]

It's difficult to seal around a wire and it's the most common leak on a cannister light. And if it leaks at either end (cannester or lighthead), the water can travel through the wire and flood the other end. Most multistrand wire has so many layers/parts, there's lots of tiny gaps that will compress when pressure is applied.
And check for a depth rating on that mic. Most 'underwater' mics I've seen are meant to be attached to a device above the surface of the water and dangled, not rated for several ATM.

 

[Randy43068]

Why is it that we "win" something on ebay? We BUY stuff there, not win it.

Just a thought...

 

[diversteve]

It's difficult to seal around a wire and it's the most common leak on a cannister light. And if it leaks at either end (cannester or lighthead), the water can travel through the wire and flood the other end. Most multistrand wire has so many layers/parts, there's lots of tiny gaps that will compress when pressure is applied.
And check for a depth rating on that mic. Most 'underwater' mics I've seen are meant to be attached to a device above the surface of the water and dangled, not rated for several ATM.

The mic is an add-on for Gates housings so I'm sure it's designed for u/w video use. Equinox also sells one for their housings through B&H, but I couldn't find any details on their website, other than a brief reference to being able to add one.

Thanks for the info about sealing around wire but what I meant (and should have said) was that the backside of the mic housing will probably have some sort of hollow fitting that will protrude into the housing and the wires will run inside it. So I won't be sealing the wires, but sealing around what they're in.

steve

 

[diversteve]

Why is it that we "win" something on ebay? We BUY stuff there, not win it.

Just a thought...

When you're the high bidder you "win" the auction.

 

[ChrisA]

At least a hole for the wire...I've never seen one up close. I'm guessing I'll have to drill and tap a hole for whatever sort of fitting they use, then seal it with an appropriate o-ring - or sealant, maybe marine epoxy, I don't expect to remove it ever.

You can buy waterproof electrical conectors. Many companies make them
here is one http://www.agoenvironmental.com/Connector.htm

 

[diversteve]

You can buy waterproof electrical conectors. Many companies make them
here is one http://www.agoenvironmental.com/Connector.htm

I shouldn't have said wire, I should have said whatever fitting Gates uses on the mounting side of their mic.

Thanks for the info though, it will come in handy on my next project - mounting an external monitor to my case as I have no room inside for one.

Steve.