Strobes firing on their own

[jpomerantz 0]

This is puzzling me. I have 2 Ikelite DS-160's connected via Ike cable to an Aquatica housing for my Canon 7D MkII. For the last few weeks the strobes have been spontaneously firing while on a dive. I replaced the cable thinking there was a short there but still happens. I have looked at the connectors, pins are all straight, not wet and they function normally when shooting. Doesn't happen all the time and can't "make it" happen by doing anything. I think they are possessed!

 

Any ideas or theories???? Thanks

 

Jay

[Cerianthus 55]

Both at the same time? It does sound like a bit off salt somewhere, maybe in the camera side plug? Also new cables can still be broken.

 

 

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[blibecap 28]

I agree if it is both at the same time it is probably in the housing wiring somewhere. Check the position of the hot-shoe connector, is it seated all the way? You may have a week spring allowing a button to be pushed also.

[errbrr 72]

Are you near the surface in sunny conditions? Sunlight twinkling through a calm-ish surface can flash enough to trigger the strobe sensor (which I believe is in the face for all common models, but I have only dived with inons and very old substrobes so could be wrong). Low power LED dive lights can flicker at the right frequency to trigger strobes when held close as well.

[blibecap 28]

The strobes are not Fiber Optic strobes. They are cable connected only.

 

Bill

Edited March 17, 2017 by blibecap

[r4e 18]

I guess you are using an Ikelite Y cable to connect from a single Ikelite bulkhead on your Aquatica housing to your dual strobes. A faulty Y cable or bad connection from it to the bulkhead connector could cause simultaneous trouble to both strobes.

 

The next suspect is the internal cabling and bad connections. If the internal cables from bulkhead and hot shoe are connected to a small circuit board via pin-like connectors, try removing and reinserting the connectors. If there are DIP switches on the circuit board, carefully make a note of their positions and thereafter switch them couple of times back-and-forth before restoring them to their initial positions. You can check the (service) manual for the right positions of the DIP switches.

 

Are you using the new Ike TTL circuitry in your Aquatica housing? Perhaps that is misbehaving? If you still have the internal cabling from an earlier housing, you could try direct internal connection from strobe bulkheads to flash shoe.

[jpomerantz 0]

Thanks. I have the new housing that came with the TTL circuitry. I'll check the internal connections.

[davephdv 0]

Does one strobe work okay? If so it is something inside the housing.