YS-120 Conversion to TTL on Ikelite...

[BHB ScubaTroll]

Greetings,
I have seen the question in the past but have not seen a solution to the issue.

Is there a converter or solution to the 5-pin/6-pin issue that allows the YS-120 strobes to use TTL with the Ikelite housing and TTL system?

Thanks in advance,
Jim

 

[slowhands]

Greetings,
I have seen the question in the past but have not seen a solution to the issue.

Is there a converter or solution to the 5-pin/6-pin issue that allows the YS-120 strobes to use TTL with the Ikelite housing and TTL system?

Thanks in advance,
Jim

No, there is no product manufactured to do TTL flash with that strobe. Manual, of course, but not TTL flash. The standard Ikelite to Sea&Sea cables are 4 wire and do not carry the power line needed to power the Ikelite TTL converter in the housing, so it's only good for manual operation. And the strobe does not supply the power either. Also, be aware that the YS-120 is a fairly slow strobe, so it probably won't be able to reset fast enough for TTL preflash+flash with most digital cams. It was really designed for the Nikonos V and other film cameras that did not have preflash.

You would have to make some mods to the strobe, and make a cable. You have to modify the strobe to put +5V power on the SP line. You have to make a special cable from a standard TTL Ikelite to Ikelite cable by splicing a Sea&Sea strobe connector on the strobe end.

Again the YS-120 does not reset fast enough to work with most digicams today. It's a great strobe though in terms of power and charge time, so that's a shame.

To see if your camera might be compatible with the timing of the YS-120, check:
HW

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

Thanks for your answer. My own research turned up exactly what you have stated. I broke down and purchased a pair of DS51s from David Haas about a month ago. David was fantastic to work with and I got a great price on the strobes (they were like new when they arrived) and he included a sync cord to complete the package.