Ikelite strobe firing problem

[nwscubamom]

While in Canada, my Ikelite strobe developed a strange mis-firing problem. It got amazingly frustrating to shoot! It would either randomly:
1. Not fire at all
2. Overfire leaving the photo completely whited out
3. Work perfectly, just like normal

Here's an example of some Orange Social Ascidians:
1. Not firing at all


2. Way overfiring on the next shot


3. Juuuust right. Like it should be, on the next shot


Have you ever experienced such a thing or heard of it happening?

- Janna

[Jan K]

Very interesting Janna. The very same problem sometimes happens to me, except I am using Inon strobes! Now I wonder
if it is problem with the camera, not the strobes since they do fire ...

[rcontrera]

I worked for Ikelite ten years ago and at that time similar things happened when there was a leak or corrosion at the connection. Additionally, it could also happen if there was a short in the cord. Try borrowing a different cord and see if that fixes it.

[UnderwaterEncounters]

Is there a repeating pattern to the exposures (eg first underexposed, then over exposed, then properly exposed) or is it totally random? If there is a pattern, I suspect your camera accidentally got put into exposure bracketing. If there is no pattern, then it could be the sync cord, the strobe, or the ttl converter. Sync cord is most likely, but unless you can verify it is a cord problem by swapping out for a friends cord, I would send in not only the cord but also the strobe and ttl converter and have ikelite test it. In my experience, Ikelite is good about repairing, typically for much less than replacement cost.

[nwscubamom]

Definitely NOT a repeating pattern.

At Sund Rock recently I had:
1. No fire.
2. Overfire
3. No fire
4. No fire
5. Normal

The first thing I did when it started this problem (it's been happening the last 4 dives) was to take it all apart and see if the sync cord connections were corroded. They were pristine, with no problems at all.

Just now, I tested the cord and camera with another DS-51 that I have - and it worked fine. Beautiful exposure every time.

So, it's definitely isolated to the strobe as the culprit.

- Janna

[Jan K]

Mine was totally random. And I can eliminate the connector issue, I fire the Inon with fiber optic cable, I do not change settings. The strobe fires, but the picture is way underexposed. Fire again, same. Third or fourth, overexposed. And then normal. Bad enough one feels like giving up underwater photography. Of course, it never happens when I test it before the dive, or after... I had no problems last four dives, but still cannot figure what is causing this..

[olyvtx]

yeah, one of my DS-51 did the exact same thing Janna. Until finally it bit the dust and wouldn't even power up. Lucky for me it was still under warrenty and i returned it to Ikelite for repair. They replace the control board inside. Got it back within 2 weeks..pretty happy with my first experience with Ikelite repair.

[Blaiz]

interesting thread, and very reassuring. Here all along I thought I was just a failure when my strobes didn't light properly. It never occurred to me that there might be a physical problem with schizo strobes.

[Scubie Doo]

I have noticed this when firing in TTL. I have since dialed them to the manual settings. However, if you already shot in manual I would send it in. I have sent a couple things to Ikelite and they are great!