DIY Video Housing a success...

[blazer]

Well, it took a while to complete but i finished my housing. thanks to all for lots of good design ideas. i used 4" pvc with threaded adapters at each end and 1/4" lexan for the lenses. the gaskets are cut custom from gasket material 1/16" thick and lay perfect in the inside rim of the adapters. sealed the joints w/ 3m 5200. now,how do i get the pictures here to show it off?

 

[cjfox]

I have begun assembling my housing and came across this question:
How do you get a flat surface on the PVC pipe to mount the latches? Or do you just mount the latch to the round pipe and leave a small gap where it doesn't meet?

I cut small squares of the same PVC to match the pipe, glued them on tha pipe with PVC cement, and sanded them flat with an orbital sander. I used epoxy on the screws that hold the latches on.

 

[Bobby_M]

I used my router table with a straight cutting bit to put a "flat" in the couplings at teh latch locations. It doesn't take much, you just need it flat to the mounting screw locations which area about 1/2" center to center.

 

[blazer]

Finally completed my housing.did the "sink" test. next is the pool to check for leaks and bouyancy.pics are in the gallery,dont know how to attach the thumbnails.

 

[Bobby_M]

Blazer, it looks great. It was actually my first design idea to use threaded connectors but there are a few flaws in the design that I might as well bring up in case you have problems. First, and not a very big deal, but rotation against the gasket will cause wear and binding so you'll want to use a lubricant. The next problem which could be bad at depth is that your gasket is not supported in the direction that pressure will want to push it (inside the housing). If you notice the theme with many of our designs, the Orings are supported on the inside diamter via the housing body. The more pressure on the outside, the better seated it becomes. This is also an issue with using the threaded cap. As the outside pressure increases, the threads don't allow more sealing pressure to be exerted on the gasket. I really hope it's a non issue for whatever depths you're planning. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

FYI. The guy who bought my V2 housing claimed he had a leak problem so I asked him to send it back. I need to know if it was just O-ring mishandling or a design flaw.

Bobby

 

[jsmith89]

Alright, I went to the hydraulics store today to get my O-Rings, I got some that fit raly tigthly around the pipe, like I have to stretch it over the pipe to get it on. How tight should the o-ring be?

 

[Padipro]

As long as you don't have to strech the O-ring so much that it becomes difficult to strech it far enough to make it fit it should be fine. I usually buy the O-ring just small enough that I have to strech it over the end of the housing to get it to fit. I;ve never had a problem so far.

 

[superstar]

This is my video camera housing I made from aluminum. I rolled 3/16 plate to form a cylinder for the body, welded on bosses to the ends on both sides. I machined the ends flat, drilled and taped the bosses for the studs that hold on the 1/2" plexiglass cover plates. Rubber gaskets seal the plates and wing nuts hold it down. The handles on both sides are aluminum tubing welded on. The on/off lever is 1/4" round stock mounted through compression fittings with an O-ring for a seal. I turned the nob on a lathe and knurled it for better grip. I cast a 7 lb lead weight that is glued on the inside bottom to make it neutral bouyant. I then had it powder coated. I did it all on my lunch breaks at work.

 

[KingNeptune]

Congrats - very neat bit of kit!

 

[MichiganDiver]

This is my video camera housing I made from aluminum. . . .I did it all on my lunch breaks at work.

Really sweet. Have you dived with it yet?

Why did you use a rubber gasket rather than o-rings?