Issues With Ikelite Strobes Ds161 And Ds51

[marinuse]

I'm shooting Ikelite housing with Ikelite DS161 as main strobe and DS51 as slave.
I didn't use to have any issues, but now since awhile, without any changes that I know of, the strobes are not functioning properly anymore. Sometimes it works, most of the times it doesn't.

I have an original Ikelite dual sync cord that connects both strobes to the Ikelite housing. The red tape is on the DS51 side, indicating that as the slave.

The strobes work once or twice, then all of a sudden both stop working. I have to switch the whole rig off, and back on. The slave fires when I switch it back on, even without me having changed any camera settings (I always do this when I do studio work and I change for example the power on the battery pack, or when I change camera settings, to power down the strobe), and then sometimes the strobes flash again for once or twice, and then stop working again. Or they don't work at all.

Batteries are fully charged, from both strobes and camera.
I've tried any combination order of switching on the different components of the rig: camera first, then main, then slave. Slave first, then main, then camera, etc., but nothing makes any difference.
I've had the switch in the Ikelite housing set both to DS161 as sub strobe and DS51 as sub strobe, but also that doesn't make a difference.
I've tried different power settings on both strobes and I've had one on TTL, and both on TTL, but also that doesn't make a difference.

I'm running out of things to try, and I'm at a loss for what to do.
Does anyone have (had) similar experiences with an Ikelite combination like this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure you can imagine the frustration when you're hovering over a great scene and your strobes refuse to cooperate.
And shooting everything on ISO3200 and fixing the problems in post-processing isn't really the solution.

 

[DavidFL]

I would strongly suspect the cable. Are you in a position to borrow a cable to see if you can confirm or eliminate the cable as the problem?

 

[cneal]

Cables are consumables since they eventually crack and leak. The resulting behavior is as you describe. I would suggest you buy a spare to carry. Try the spare and see if it fixes the problem. Eventually you will need it, so it is not a waste of money. I would also suggest replacing the o-rings on the cable connecter. These should be greased at least at the start of every dive trip. Some would recommend every cleaning and greasing day.

 

[marinuse]

Thanks for your responses!
I don't have a spare cable. Will purchase one and see if that solves the problem.

 

[Darnold9999]

Something similar, but only similar - worth checking however. Had the Ikelite housing serviced and strobe would work for a while and then stop and or start flashing at random - replaced the cable - same issue. Turns out the tech that had reassembled the housing had misaligned the adjustment wheel and the potentiometer on the card in the housing. Pressure was the critical factor - at depth the card would flex and the results were unpredictable. On the surface worked perfectly at depth - not so much.

 

[marinuse]

Something similar, but only similar - worth checking however. Had the Ikelite housing serviced and strobe would work for a while and then stop and or start flashing at random - replaced the cable - same issue. Turns out the tech that had reassembled the housing had misaligned the adjustment wheel and the potentiometer on the card in the housing. Pressure was the critical factor - at depth the card would flex and the results were unpredictable. On the surface worked perfectly at depth - not so much.

So I got the new cable, and it's not fixed.
After reading your response, Darnold9999, I'm wondering if this might be the issue with me as well. I haven't had my housing serviced, but it's flashing properly on the surface. When I get down, it works a bit, then not. Have to reboot everything, then it works for a bit again. I'd have to do that 10-15 times during an hour's dive.

Were you able to fix the problem yourself, or is this something that requires special tools/equipment?

 

[Darnold9999]

Was able to fix it myself. Took the screws out of the electronics and pulled the card out - the misalignment was obvious - the tab on the adjustment wheel has to fit within the slot and it was nowhere near the right place. Twisted the adjustment wheel to line it up, put it back together and it worked perfectly - until I flooded it the next year.