Inon Z330 strobe light shade

[saxman242]

It worked out great. My first strobe, my first snoot, and my first 3D print. People say snoots are hard so I designed in a bit of a trick and I was up and running out of the gate. Well kinda mostly. (that was a teaser) Now I am making a 24" optic for back-lighting. I don't want to hijack this thread, I am planning to document it over on the DIY board, and share the files here - but it is a lot of work to build right. Easier just to buy one, but nowhere near the fun, and there were none for the 330 when I started.

I've been working through the design to do a fiberoptic ring macro light for my inon. Perhaps we'll have to compare notes.

 

[STIDVC]

finally managed to get the outer ring out with a little force, turns out it was just a tiny amount of salt caked in. TBH its a day design that such a minute amount of salt could jam it but partially i am at fault for not plunging it in water long enough

 

[stuartv]

Has anybody tried taking it apart while it's still clean and applying liberal amounts of silicone grease or tribolube, to eliminate the space/gaps that would allow sand in in the first place? I.e. kind of seal it with grease? Or would that just make it worse (more likely to suck up sand)?

 

[fmerkel]

Has anybody tried taking it apart while it's still clean and applying liberal amounts of silicone grease or tribolube, to eliminate the space/gaps that would allow sand in in the first place? I.e. kind of seal it with grease? Or would that just make it worse (more likely to suck up sand)?

Having cleaned out one a couple times now I absolutely would not put grease in there. Grit magnet for sure. I have used liquid silicone.
Defective design.

 

[STIDVC]

Having cleaned out one a couple times now I absolutely would not put grease in there. Grit magnet for sure. I have used liquid silicone.
Defective design.

Agreed that they are defective but at least it doesn't hinder the main functionality of it

 

[gummybun]

I've been working through the design to do a fiberoptic ring macro light for my inon. Perhaps we'll have to compare notes.

I will start a thread on that build. I can share the Rhino files if you can use them to model.

 

[saxman242]

I will start a thread on that build. I can share the Rhino files if you can use them to model.

It's been a while since I fired up rhino but I think I have it on one of my computers. Happy to share whatever I end up making as well.

 

[gummybun]

It's been a while since I fired up rhino but I think I have it on one of my computers. Happy to share whatever I end up making as well.

I have posted a few shots on 'lighting and stobes'

 

[scubagirl60503]

I found this post when searching for a solution to remove the shade from my Inon z330 strobes. I ended up contacting Reef Photo, where I purchased the strobes and Kevin from Reef Photo provided an approach that worked for me. The shade came off the first strobe right away, while the other shade came off the next day. I wanted to share this approach in case anyone comes across this post while searching for a solution for removing their stuck shade. Here is the Reef Photo approach:

Sorry for the trouble! A little sand or salt crystals can make it seem a bit crunchy and stiffer, but it will generally come off if the right technique is employed and it is usually the opposite of brute strength. It is not intuitive, but since the collar is large and somewhat flexible plastic, the worst thing you can do is squeeze hard in a couple places and try to force it to turn - that just makes the whole thing bind because the shape deforms. Gentle even pressure is usually the trick. Try putting the strobe between your knees and then encircling the entire ring with you two hands - then gently try to rotate the ring just with the friction of your hands - WITHOUT squeezing it. Remember squeezing keeps it from moving. It is harder to describe than to do it, but once you get a feel for it, it will make sense going forward.

For what it is worth: For general wide angle shooting, I recommend just leaving the shades off completely. Just put them on when doing some kind of macro where you want to create a shaded side.

There is nothing wrong with a little soaking and a few drops of dishwashing soap on the threads, just remember you need gentle friction on the grip.

I hope that helps!
​

The only thing I did differently is to use a "2 person" approach. I held the strobe while my husband gently, but with a firm grip, rotated the ring back and forth.

 

[dhaas]

With my Z330 the technique described of NOT squeezing the ring works perfectly to remove and clean the ring. Kevin at REEF Photo is spot on with his advice.
I left the shade on all the time for some protection of the dome plus keeping light away from the lens when shooting single strobe lighting.

Inon strobes have been the most bulletproof design I've seen in 51 years of diving and over 40 years of shooting underwater. I use an Inon S2000 now with my compact Canon G7X II and Fantasea housing too and it just keeps chugging along.

David Haas