I tried the friction fit thing and slid the washer in the OEM holes of the rubber ring. It worked, but again, the sync cord would get misaligned from the sensor and then the strobe wouldn't fire. Hmmmmm. First, I didn't like the simple friction fit. I wanted something more secure, so I used the same nylon screw\nut\set screw deal that I used for the camera mount. I did have to grind down the screw head to fit inside the washer.
More ?'s re: fiber optic cable to housing attachment
- Thread starter Divernoob
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phillybob
Contributor
I just did 20 dives at Socorro with my un-altered UltraMax and didn't have any issues with it firing or keeping the f/o cable in place. I will remember your fixes if I ever do run into any problems. Maybe I'll rig up the pieces and keep them in my camera case in case I do run into problems on the road.
Beta version.
I didn't like the set screw idea enough, so I came up with a compression fitting design.
I swapped the "nut with set screw" for a nylon cap nut and rubber washer design. I stuffed a chunk of 1/8" thick rubber washer into a cap nut, then drilled through them. With the fiber optic cord inserted through the cap nut (with rubber washer inside) and the 1/4 x 20 nylon screw, I had a tool free, sync cord attachment point for both my strobe and housing. When the end cap is tightened, it compresses the washer inside and holds the sync cord quite snuggly!
I also made my own cords by wrapping stereo fiber optic cables around a 1/2" dowel and zapping them with a heat gun to make them coiled. Worked great!
Pics:
I didn't like the set screw idea enough, so I came up with a compression fitting design.
I swapped the "nut with set screw" for a nylon cap nut and rubber washer design. I stuffed a chunk of 1/8" thick rubber washer into a cap nut, then drilled through them. With the fiber optic cord inserted through the cap nut (with rubber washer inside) and the 1/4 x 20 nylon screw, I had a tool free, sync cord attachment point for both my strobe and housing. When the end cap is tightened, it compresses the washer inside and holds the sync cord quite snuggly!
I also made my own cords by wrapping stereo fiber optic cables around a 1/2" dowel and zapping them with a heat gun to make them coiled. Worked great!
Pics:
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phillybob
Contributor
Now things are loosening up and I'm having trouble getting the cable and sensor to line up and fire. I'll be using some of your fixes on my strobe. I'm using an Ikelite housing so some things are a bit different
Have you taken your revised rig in the water? I'm actually curious to see if you enjoy your strobe's performance.
I haven't got it wet yet, but I'm pretty confident that I fixed the issue. The strobe was firing by fiber optic sync cord without a miss.
Things I don't like about the Ultramax strobe:
1. The poor design of the fiber optic cord attachment (duh).
2. It's size. This thing is a tad bigger than a Foster's beer can.
3. Not so informative user's manual.
Things I like:
1. Its simplicity. For UW photo rookies, this is a real plus -- there's only 1 button you need to fool with under water (the strobe power settings) unless you're switching between different modes on your camera. Then you may have to adjust the preflash count.
2. Price. I got mine for < $300.00 with a very nice tray, handle and arms, too.
3. 2 year warranty.
4. Independently sealed battery compartment.
5. It's very bouyant (keeps my camera upright at the bottom of the camera bucket.)
Divernoob, thanks for the info. Let us know once you take it in the water 
popsiclediver
Registered
My $0.02...
I had exactly the same issue with my Ultramax...I found that not only the Cable grommets are not necessarily misaligning themselves, or the cable popping out (BOTH certainly happen regularly, ALWAYS discovered after the shot is taken and the strobe doesnt fire...) but the ring itself will shift. Even .5mm is enough to wreck it...
I solved it in an emergency by taking the black ring off, and the grommets and using Neoprene cement to stick it all back together until I got home.
I glued the front ring back on, and I changed the position of the cable - I put it in the hole on the far side of the strobe, as putting it on the 'near' port put it under too much stress at the entry point, also causing it to 'pull'- glued the grommet to the ring, and then glued the cable into the grommet.
It worked so well that it is the permanent fix on the second camera.
I had exactly the same issue with my Ultramax...I found that not only the Cable grommets are not necessarily misaligning themselves, or the cable popping out (BOTH certainly happen regularly, ALWAYS discovered after the shot is taken and the strobe doesnt fire...) but the ring itself will shift. Even .5mm is enough to wreck it...
I solved it in an emergency by taking the black ring off, and the grommets and using Neoprene cement to stick it all back together until I got home.
I glued the front ring back on, and I changed the position of the cable - I put it in the hole on the far side of the strobe, as putting it on the 'near' port put it under too much stress at the entry point, also causing it to 'pull'- glued the grommet to the ring, and then glued the cable into the grommet.
It worked so well that it is the permanent fix on the second camera.
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