Sea&Sea YS-D2 strobe failure

[Drew83]

Hi all,

I am having issues with my Sea&Sea YS-D2 strobe as it is not firing and the ready light is continually flashing. I’ve tried multiple sets of batteries to no avail so hopefully someone has some ideas.

In my troubleshooting I've managed to turn on and off the internal protective circuit but that hasn’t helped, either the ready light continues to flash, or is solid orange/green.

Sea&Sea Customer service seems more than useless as the only contact I can find is via an online contact form from which havnt got a response in over a month. I’ve tried the local distributor as listed on their website but that link is dead and I don’t know if they’re even in business anymore!

It was purchased one and a half years ago has only been used on roughly 100 dives. Its always been well maintained and never flooded.

At the moment it’s just a very expensive paperweight. Any ideas, anything would be appreciated!

 

[JohnnyC]

You could try getting ahold of Jack at Optical Ocean Sales. He sells S&S stuff in the US and he's active here. @JackConnick

 

[Yellowdog]

Apparently Sea&Sea had a problem with a run of the YS-D2's. There is some information available if you search but basically they moved production away from Japan and began to have problems. They have now moved production back to Japan with the YS-D2j line and the quality seems to have improved. You might contact Backscatter Backscatter Underwater Photography & Video - Backscatter, Bluewater Bluewater Photo, Video & Underwater Cameras or Reef Photo Reef Photo & Video | The Underwater Photo Pros to see if they have heard of your problem and hopefully a potential fix.

Issues/Problem with Sea&Sea YS D2 Strobe? - Lights, Strobes, and Lighting Technique

Also saw this on the Reef Photo fb page:
Had this problem and fix with a student's S&S YS-D2 on a recent Jim Church Photo trip. After working a little while, the YS-D2 stopped firing. The Ready Lamp then blinked alternating green and orange. The manual says "Please contact the World Customer Service Center or an authorized SEA&SEA dealer." Which is NOT possible when you are on a boat out of cell range. The manual also states, "An internal protective circuit is activated if the product is left in an area with high temperature" The key term is " internal protective circuit". Seems to me that S&S does not want to have to open up every sing strobe to reset that circuit. So I tried a bunch of different on/off options and found success by... 1.Turn light level control dial to minimum. 2. Hold target light switch down. 3. Turn mode switch from off to ttl ... the TTL/Ready Lamp should NOT come on 4. Turn mode switch to off. When turned on again, the strobe worked fine the remainder of the week.

 

[VsubT]

Sea&Sea Customer service seems more than useless as the only contact I can find is via an online contact form from which havnt got a response in over a month. I’ve tried the local distributor as listed on their website but that link is dead and I don’t know if they’re even in business anymore.

Backscatter is the US authorized repair center for Sea & Sea. I went through a similar experience with the same model strobe. Result back from service was that the main board was no longer functioning and it could not be repaired. Didn’t even get a paperweight, as my email to Backscatter asking for either a discount on a new one (purchased from them, but out of warranty) or my strobe back was ignored.

My other YS-D2 is still going strong. It was purchased as a temporary replacement / second strobe while the first was in the mail to Backscatter service. Would not have made the second purchase if I had known the eventual result of service on the first. It was also troubling to see that the manufacturer shifted production from China to Japan soon after that, indicating that they already knew it was a problem while mine was in for service.

One thing I have done with the new strobe is only use regular Eneloop batteries, instead of the pro version. From what I have read, the pro version may have contributed to the board failure. Another is turning it off until I am actually ready to shoot, to avoid heat buildup.

Best of luck with your unit,

Lance

 

[Drew83]

Thanks for the replies. I’m going to get in contact with some of the recommended suppliers and keep my fingers crossed as it isn’t sounding promising.

I’d also come across the Facebook page about resetting the “internal protective circuit”. It got the ready light to change back to flashing from green/orange but the strobe still won’t fire even with brand new batteries.

 

[fmerkel]

One thing I have done with the new strobe is only use regular Eneloop batteries, instead of the pro version. From what I have read, the pro version may have contributed to the board failure. Another is turning it off until I am actually ready to shoot, to avoid heat buildup.
Lance

Separate subject but it's highly unlikely there is any functional difference between stock and Pro Eneloops for strobe use other than the Pro has more capacity when new. Discharge slope is almost identical. They age faster (internal resistance goes up at a higher rate), so they likely lose that lead in a couple years of use.

 

[VsubT]

Separate subject but it's highly unlikely there is any functional difference between stock and Pro Eneloops for strobe use other than the Pro has more capacity when new. Discharge slope is almost identical. They age faster (internal resistance goes up at a higher rate), so they likely lose that lead in a couple years of use.

Agreed on capacity, but I’ve read from multiple testing sources that Eneloop Pros discharge at higher amperage. Hence the quicker refresh rates for a strobe. All else equal, higher amps through the same circuit equals more heat buildup, no?

It may not be a huge difference in heat buildup, but I know first-hand that my first YS-D2 is dead and my second one is still functioning.

Lance

PS - The other major difference with Eneloop Pro batteries is that they are only manufacturer rated for 500 recharge cycles versus 2500 for the regular Eneloops.

 

[fmerkel]

OK, went to that source and tweaked the discharge graphs for 1,2,3, and 5A. I don't know what the strobe pulls at max draw but I seriously doubt it's over 5A. The discharge graphs a just a tad higher for the Pro vs. stock, something like 0.1-0.2v. Can that make a difference? Don't know, but that trivial difference sure as hell should not make a difference. If it does....the engineer/designers have done a lousy job, which they did in the Chineses D2. If there are STILL problems, they obviously did NOT do an adequate fix. Unfortunately this is becoming all too common in design. Keep cutting corners and cost until the product breaks....then back off a little....until the next generation. Repeat. The consumers get to be the beta testers. It sucks.

The difference in longevity is the rapid increase in internal resistance I referred to. Panasonic/Eneloop is good enough to acknowledge it. Seems the rest of the manufacturers do anything they can to obscure and cloud these kind of issues.

 

[ONerka]

I have two relatively new, pristine condition, Sea & Sea D2J strobes, and both failed during my trip to Fiji in Sept 2022. I purchased the strobes just prior to the Pandemic but did not use them much until January 2022 (Maldives). They worked fine when using Duracell rechargeable batteries. For the Fiji trip, I switch to the black Eneloop Pro batteries, which are highly rated. After about 4 dives (100 flashes per dive, full power with preflash), one strobe turned off without warning and would not turn back on. Ultimately, I discovered that tapping the strobe with my knuckles (one time usually) turned strobe back on. Shaking the strobe did not cause it to turn off or on; battery cap terminals were tested to be fine. After 20 dives, the second D2J strobe blew its flash tube without warning. No moisture, no flooding, essentially pristine condition. The electronic lights still turned on. I contacted Backscatter and my dealer (Mozaik), who is helping me fix the blown tube. Even though blown flash tubes seem to be common in the D2J strobe, Sea and Sea refused to fix it because warranty time had expired. After this, I wondered about the powerful Eneloop Pro batteries, so I switched back to the Duracell rechargeable batteries. The "working" strobe seemed to shut down less frequently during a dive (once per dive) and I could quickly restart it with a tap underwater. Later, to my surprise, Backscatter mentioned to me that the black Eneloop Pro batteries are linked to blown flash tubes in the D2J strobe but not the newer D3 strobe that replaces the D2J. Backscatter recommends the white Eneloop batteries. Wish I had known this! I asked Sea and Sea about using the black Eneloop Pro batteries in the D2J strobe and they said I should continue to use the Eneloop Pro batteries. Apparently S&S does not read Scubaboard and does not listen to their authorized repair shops. I just sent the "working" D2J strobe to Backscatter for diagnostics. Needless to say, I am very disappointed in Sea and Sea customer service, and I am wondering if the Lemon Law applies to the failed D2J strobes.

 

[Interceptor121]

I have two relatively new, pristine condition, Sea & Sea D2J strobes, and both failed during my trip to Fiji in Sept 2022. I purchased the strobes just prior to the Pandemic but did not use them much until January 2022 (Maldives). They worked fine when using Duracell rechargeable batteries. For the Fiji trip, I switch to the black Eneloop Pro batteries, which are highly rated. After about 4 dives (100 flashes per dive, full power with preflash), one strobe turned off without warning and would not turn back on. Ultimately, I discovered that tapping the strobe with my knuckles (one time usually) turned strobe back on. Shaking the strobe did not cause it to turn off or on; battery cap terminals were tested to be fine. After 20 dives, the second D2J strobe blew its flash tube without warning. No moisture, no flooding, essentially pristine condition. The electronic lights still turned on. I contacted Backscatter and my dealer (Mozaik), who is helping me fix the blown tube. Even though blown flash tubes seem to be common in the D2J strobe, Sea and Sea refused to fix it because warranty time had expired. After this, I wondered about the powerful Eneloop Pro batteries, so I switched back to the Duracell rechargeable batteries. The "working" strobe seemed to shut down less frequently during a dive (once per dive) and I could quickly restart it with a tap underwater. Later, to my surprise, Backscatter mentioned to me that the black Eneloop Pro batteries are linked to blown flash tubes in the D2J strobe but not the newer D3 strobe that replaces the D2J. Backscatter recommends the white Eneloop batteries. Wish I had known this! I asked Sea and Sea about using the black Eneloop Pro batteries in the D2J strobe and they said I should continue to use the Eneloop Pro batteries. Apparently S&S does not read Scubaboard and does not listen to their authorized repair shops. I just sent the "working" D2J strobe to Backscatter for diagnostics. Needless to say, I am very disappointed in Sea and Sea customer service, and I am wondering if the Lemon Law applies to the failed D2J strobes.

interesting
I own two YS-D2J since June 2019. They have not done many trips due to pandemic and I rarely fire them at full power. I use eneloop pro. So far no issue and nor I understand why there would be a difference between white and black. the difference is the capacity and the drain current. I go the strobes directly from Japan fresh back as this was trade.
The one thing that can be problematic is when a single battery drops before healthy conditions this creates an issue to the entire set. You avoid by not mixing the batteries and keeping them in their 4 set
I really like the color of the light of the YS-D2 and I have no interest in upgrading to the YS-D3 that looks uglier nor buy another brand until they fail
I was using Inon for the last 10 years before