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Pavel Kolpakov last won the day on April 21
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82 ExcellentAbout Pavel Kolpakov
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Sea&Sea strobes misfiring
Pavel Kolpakov replied to toque's topic in Lights, Strobes, and Lighting Technique
Yes, "single lighting bolt" position. In this mode the strobe answers to each incoming pulse, without any ignore. -
Sea&Sea strobes misfiring
Pavel Kolpakov replied to toque's topic in Lights, Strobes, and Lighting Technique
Yes, of course, fiber cable model and condition is very important for the LED systems, especially for TTL control. Fiber cable for these aims must have a high transmission index (low attenuation). Also, fiber cables at our underwater market often have few broken threads inside, even new cables from factory. Old or hardly used cables have few damaged threads guaranteed. Your cables may be not broken yet, but maybe cheap model, have significant attenuation etc. You have to change them to new. Look at the the User Manual of TTL-Converter, it says that fiber cables must be "613-core" type only, and few compatible cable models are listed in Specification. Currently few companies produce 613 fiber cables: Nauticam, Sea&Sea, HowShot and others. But the core is the same Asahi Kasei (Japan), it has 613 threads inside. When you buy the cable, read carefully the description, check if it is really 613 type. -
Sea&Sea strobes misfiring
Pavel Kolpakov replied to toque's topic in Lights, Strobes, and Lighting Technique
As far as I saw in the previous photos, both symbols "Flash" are on the screen, it means the HotShoe protocol is working. Picture must be the following: I advice to exclude potential influence of some parts of the system, to clear the test. 1) Remove the trigger from the housing. 2) Remove the fiber optical cable from the system. Yo will fire by the one LED directly to the strobe sensor. 3) Set strobe knob to "1 flash" position (mode without pre-flashes ignore). So, each incoming pulse will be repeated by the strobe, no any ignores. Don't touch this knob anymore during the test. 4) Switch ON the "WL" mode by the menu, and don't touch it anymore during the test. 5) Set only the "Mechanical shutter" type by menu. This is important. Don't use an electronic shutter (1-st curtain electronic, or fully electronic shutter). 6) Fire by the the LED directly into the strobe sensor. Look at the flash effect on the wall. Each next flash Increase the flash intensity by the second knob, from minimum to maximum, step by step. If you have any problems with manual flash lighting at any step, let us know. -
Sea&Sea strobes misfiring
Pavel Kolpakov replied to toque's topic in Lights, Strobes, and Lighting Technique
Hi Chris, i agree with you. And it is difficult to say what is in reality, because this product is not on our table, but just a few messages from topic starter. My vision of how to solve this task by small steps: 1) Topic starter has to begin with a check, if the HotShoe two-way protocol works with the TTL-Converter, or not. If it works, the 2 "flash" symbols must be on the camera screen as confirmation. User must confirm this first now. If it is Ok, it means the TTL-Converter works, system dialog works, then let's go to the next step. If no 2 confirmation symbols or just 1 on the screen, nothing to talk about, the system is broken. 2) If system protocol work is confirmed, go to the next step: Look the LEDs flashing. A single flash, or a double flash (Preflash+Main flash) are distinguishable by the eye. User can easy see it. Switch ON and OFF the WL command and back, to see the difference in LED flashing. User should confidently see the both variants: single flash and double-flash. It means that both options are working. Finally, he has to set a single flash (M mode) by WL command and be sure visually that it is a single flash. If this step is solved, let's go to the next step, etc. -
Pavel Kolpakov started following Sea&Sea strobes misfiring
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Sea&Sea strobes misfiring
Pavel Kolpakov replied to toque's topic in Lights, Strobes, and Lighting Technique
If you want to shoot with Sony A6600 camera and Manual flash lighting, you have to set camera flash menu to "WL" ("Wireless"). The "WL" command is assigned in the TTL-Converter firmware for the switching to M mode (without pre-flashes). Because Sony camera menu doesn't have an original command for M flash mode. Set YS-D1 knob to M mode (without ignore of pre-flashes), the YS-D1 will produce a single flash every time when TTL-Converter LEDs produce a flash. And the flash intensity adjustment will be available only by the second knob on the strobe body. UWTechnics TTL-Converter also have few other ways for shooting and adjustment in Manual flash lighting. For understanding the TTL-Converter controls it is absolutely necessary to evaluate the User Manual. Some control options are described only there, they are not intuitive. I can send you the User Manual (PDF), if you need. -
Hello, I have a very disappointing and frustrating issue, my new purchased and installed by distributor UWT flash trigger, in Nauticam R5 housing is constantly malfunctioning. I have replaced the batteries with new, twice already, I have pushed down the tabs on the battery holder to possibly improve contact. I am currently burning days on my trip without any strobe function, is extremely frustrating, in testing, positive results for 10-20 triggering, then couple hours later, turn camera on, triggering does not function. 3 days of diving and not one image with flash function. Backscatter pro from Lembeh is additionally perplexed by the issue, has been very pro-active in helping / testing, 2 different sets of new batteries and same very inconsistent results. Currently in N Sulawesi, for additional 12 days, obviously would like to resolve the issue to enable use my new equipment and capture images. Any help to successful use would be appreciated. Thank you.
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Hello Muriel,
We sincerely regret the failure. You have to replace the defective product via your dealer.
You have to contact the dealer who sold the product and replace it.
If necessary, dealer will contact the factory.
Sincerely yours,
Pavel Kolpakov
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Indeed, I realize that I must go through dealer. I had contacted you directly in hopes I would be able to obtain something prior to departing on my trip. Thankfully, after a few days without strobe function, I was able to get set up with Nauticam manual flash trigger to get going. Just a side note, we did push the battery holder tabs down significantly in attempt to improve contact, no change resulted.
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This all should be done at home in contact with your dealer, before any dive trips. During the dive trip it is too late to build a TTL system. As i already recommended before: 1) Bend down the central tongue of battery holder. This is most important action before batteries installation, to improve batteries contact. After this, test the TTL system first on the table without housing and without bulkheads. 2) if the board is defective itself, return it to your dealer.
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As i told initially, this all looks like you made any mistakes in assembling, battery problems, wrong pinouts or other mistakes, maybe in self-modified bulkheads, or connectors to board, sync cords etc. Problem is unclear. This should be solved and tested when assembling at home or with the dealer, especially because you used self-modified parts. You have to divide the solution to few clear steps. 1-st step: You have to test TTL-converter itself without strobes and without your modified electric bulkheads. Disconnect your bulkheads from TTL board and don't use them for a while. Remove the TTL-Converter from the housing, then service the battery holder as i described above. Connect the TTL-Converter to the camera on the table. Check the TTL-Converter according to the User Manual (step by step). Rate the TTL-Converter LEDs work (the electric outputs work at the same time as the LEDs). If the LEDs work properly at each shutter release in TTL mode (TTL double flash), the TTL-Converter works normally, you can be sure. As a result of this test, send me a video of the LEDs work and camera menu flash control settings, i will also look at all. Please send all videos to my personal messenger, or by e-mail. When this 1-st step is completed successfully, i can help you with the S-6 bulkheads proper pinouts and remake, onboard connectors pinouts, sync cords, strobe settings etc.
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If you are sure that your system is totally assembled properly, Ok. Then, check the battery holder first, improve the contact and change batteries. This is important for such case. So, make the following steps: 1)deinstall the TTL board from the housing, 2) delete both batteries, 3) bend down the central metal tongue of battery holder by any tool, to improve contact, 4) install both new batteries CR1632, 5) Test the TTL board on the table, before the installation. Batteries can also can have bad quality, so you should change batteries to new before the next test. After the procedure, if the malfunction still exists, send me a video. I will check your system details.
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Did you test the system on the table before the dive trips? As i remember, you refused to install S-6 bulkheads which were specially developed by UWT for such TTL boards. But you decided to re-solder any other (used) bulkheads with different pinout. Do you remember I warned that something would not work in this case? That's exactly what happened. You assembled the system by yourself, so the other problems also can exist. But anyway, i can try to help with the setup step by step, of course if it is available online for such case. Let's try. Contact me by the messenger, or by e-mail.
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UWTechnics TTL board #11031-HSS is developed for Nauticam housings. It fits to all Nauticam housings for Nikon. This board has special mount holes and plastic inserts, - for 2 bolts mount, as a replacement of plastic mirror in the Nauticam housing. User installation is easy, it takes 1 minute. This TTL board does not use a conception of "Master"-"Slave", it performs a real TTL for each strobe separately, independently of each other. This TTL board simultaneously performs Electric TTL via 2 outputs and Optical TTL via 2 optical outputs. So, you can use different strobes by optics or by wires, and even both simultaneously, when you need (Inon, Sea&Sea, Ikelite, Subtronic, Retra with HSS, etc.). All 4 strobe outputs works in real TTL. The strobe type (TTL-curve type) should be set by onboard rotary 10-position switch. Seaflash 150D has a casual "film TTL" electric input for the classical TTL control by sync cord, It has circular tube and power 150w, so the TTL-curve shape should be set onboard the same as Ikelite DS160 TTL-curve type position (switch position "5"). TTL will be fine. Circular tube allows much more wide and more accurate TTL lighting than linear tubes.
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9 hours ago, adamhanlon said: This requires a different architecture of the TTL system than the classical one. Such version Seacam strobes (with built-in TTL module inside the strobe) can work in a pair in TTL only if both strobes are connected to the Seacam special communication electronic circuit. This case one strobe is a "Master", the second strobe is a "Slave". That circuit must be installed inside the camera housing. Both bulkheads and HotShoe plug must be connected to it. The circuit has almost the same size as casual TTL Converter, but has a square shape and no any mount for Nauticam housings. How to install it into Nauticam? glue it somewhere (but where?), drill something inside the Nauticam housing to create any mount? How to pull by the HotShoe cable hardly later when use (will it be reliable)? Ok, if user is a specialist, it can be solved finally. The second problem, - this electronics circuit has rather rare "Molex" style 6-pin sockets onboard, it requires to use only Seacam original bulkheads and Seacam HotShoe cable/plug. User must buy those parts. Ok. Then, user can pay attention that Seacam bulkhead does not fit to the Nauticam housing screw hole M16-M14 adapter, because of Seacam long length thread on the bulkhead. User must lathe the bulkhead to delete the 10мм down part of the thread. Ok, let's imagine that this is also available for the specialist and the bulkhead will be alive after that. Then the last question arises: why such difficulties and efforts to make TTL system in Nauticam housing?
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The use of "dual sync cord" (with a splitter in the center) is usually a necessary measure, if a housing does not have an ability to install a second bulkhead. It is acceptable. But it doesn't make sense for the Nauticam housing, because it has 2 normal holes for the bulkheads installation. I often use 3 versions of such dual sync cords (with a splitter in the center) made by Ikelite, Sea&Sea and Subtronic, because i work with very different housings every week. And my opinion, that 2 separate sync cords is more comfortable, than a dual cord. In case of dual cord, the coiled cable is stretched between 2 strobes, it is less comfortable for strobes separate wide positioning and operations with the housing. Also, during the movement and operations, the central part (splitter) strikes the housing. Also, the external splitter body (with connectors on it) is one more sealed gadget in the salt water. And it requires 3 pcs. (!) sealed cables. So, the leakages potential increases proportionally. If dual sync cord connection to the housing is leaked, the sync system is totally dead. In case of leakage of the same connector in separate cable system, user can simply not use one cord and use only another strobe connection, the TTL flash lighting works in this case. The separate sync cord system is more durable in the diving trip.