DC800/1000 strobe connector cracking??

[kdupreez]

Hey, I have a question, if someone can shed some light on this issue for me..

I have a DC800 Pro with the SL961 strobe.. same as DC1000 strobe.. I've had it for about a year now and the arm will come loose at the tray every now and again, so I just pop off the arm and tighten the screw into the tray and its good again for a month or so..

BUT - I recently though it might be a good idea to service the rest of the arm and connectors, so I took the Flash head off and to my surprise, the plastic connector that connects the strobe to the arm, has a ton of cracks in it.. almost to the point where i think its about to fracture!

So, my question is, could this be from just normal use on the strobe?? i.e. holding the strobe head and manipulate the arms to get the strobe into a decent shooting position??

Also, the nut thats set into the plastic is severely rusted and corroded.. Not sure how much longer this SL961 strobe will last before it breaks off the arms...

any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Nemrod]

That is what results when acrylic materials are over stressed. Possibly over tightened compressing the acrylic beyond it's limits.

Do not hold a rig by the strobe or use the strobe as a handle to twist and aim. I hold the arm below the strobe. You may need to, in the future, not tighten the grip up so much so the strobe pivots with less force.

Acrylic does not like petroleum, greases etc. It alos has a much higher coefficient of expansion than steel. If you tighten the screw down cold and then set the strobe in the sun, the acrylic will expand considerably.

If the nut and screw are stainless they can still rust. Passivate the new one in vinegar (I think). Go to the hardware store and find two nylon washers (faucet washers etc) and use them between the nut/screw and strobe. They will cushion the acrylic and allow for smooth rotation.

I wish they would use fiber reinforced plastics for these things instead of molded acrylic.

Yeah, it is looking bad, use it until it breaks. Me, I would probably try to sandwich it with aluminum .032 plate and bond with structural adhesive to help carry the loads.

N

 

[kdupreez]

Thanks for the suggestions! I will for sure try the aluminum plate idea. it might work..

the only problem with this particular strobe is that the "kit" it comes with is the SeaLife Maxx and you cant really pivot the strobe by itself, the nut is supposed to lock onto the top of the arm.. the arms are those ball plastic kind that has a bunch popped into the other to form a "ball chain" of some sorts.. so the only way to bend/manipulate these arms is by holding the head unit..

I didnt tighten the screw, it came like this pre-assembled from the factory.. the first time i touched the screw was when i removed it to service the arm..

Great info on the material composition! thanks!!

cheers!

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

The shaft the strobe slides into will not allow for any other material to be added in order to slide into shaft.

My strobe cracked and I tried everything from super glue to J.B. Weld... nothing worked to hold them together on a dive and the plastic finally broke.

I took out the SS screw from the strobe. I drilled all the way through the other side of the arm (through the original screw hole straight through the other side). I went to Home Depot and bought two SS screws that screwed into the SS nut and protruded from each side. I created a bungee that connected on one screw, over the top of the strobe and connected on the other screw.

That solution has worked for 6 months now without incident.

 

[DandyDon]

I'd phone Sealife and ask for Karl, their Tech guy. When I have sent strobes in for help, he has been very generous in fixing things for me. 800-257-7742

 

[kdupreez]

Good tip DandyDon.. Thats exactly what I did, and Karl said he's seen this before when the head unit has been overtightned at the factory and issued me an RMA number to have the issue fixed..

GREAT customer service from these folks and super friendly, would for sure invest in more SeaLife poducts based on this kind of service!

 

[kdupreez]

DandyDon - Thanks again for the tip.

Karl at SeaLife replaced my strobe with a brand new one! great products and the after sales customer service rock!