Nauticam USB-C bulkhead mini review

[Floris Bennema]

Great messages Timo and Barmalot!

 

The possible option at Dive and See that Chriss mentioned does not work.  I connected them and found out that their bulkhead with Micro-USB  is made to connect to a device above water. And a bulkhead like the Nauticam one, also USB-C at both sides.

 

On Amazon I only found larger adapters. I stripped one to dimish it's size, and gave up. Especially in the Olympus M5 ii there is little room. I'll try the aliexpress adapters now.

[Tino Dietsche]

2 hours ago, Barmaglot said:

Why not just use an adapter? For example https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005996269495.html

Today I would definitely do it with an adapter like this. When I built my version, USB-C wasn't really widespread and all the Sony cameras I had used Micro-USB.

[Tino Dietsche]

9 minutes ago, Floris Bennema said:

On Amazon I only found larger adapters. I stripped one to dimish it's size, and gave up. Especially in the Olympus M5 ii there is little room. I'll try the aliexpress adapters now.

How much space do you have in the case for the connector? I can look for my documents if you like. My solution also worked in an RX100 case where there was hardly any space.

[Lewis88]

I also use this bulkhead with my A6400 housing. Have an adapter cable tucked in where the battery pack normally goes to get the micro USB connection. 

 

I only use mine for charging in between dives, but it works great and means I don't need to break the vacuum all day, or even at night if I'm shooting the same lens the next day. 

[Barmaglot]

1 hour ago, Floris Bennema said:

On Amazon I only found larger adapters. I stripped one to dimish it's size, and gave up.

The ones I linked at Aliexpress have L-shaped plugs that require only a couple mm of clearance.

[Nemrod]

1 hour ago, Lewis88 said:

I also use this bulkhead with my A6400 housing. Have an adapter cable tucked in where the battery pack normally goes to get the micro USB connection. 

 

I only use mine for charging in between dives, but it works great and means I don't need to break the vacuum all day, or even at night if I'm shooting the same lens the next day. 

 

It is working for me also. With the battery pack removed the adapter can tuck in there. The problem I have is that the battery pack is the better solution for most uses as long as they are working and they work very well.

[Lewis88]

2 hours ago, Nemrod said:

 

It is working for me also. With the battery pack removed the adapter can tuck in there. The problem I have is that the battery pack is the better solution for most uses as long as they are working and they work very well.

I likely would have gone battery pack as well, but alas, they were discontinued by the time I bought my system.

[JohnD]

19 hours ago, Chris Ross said:

This is the concern we are discussing.  If the o-rings fail water can get in - realistically quite unlikely but possible and if it did then shorting the socket is possible.  If there is water splashing around like on a small dive boat or tender, shorting at the socket is again possible.  You need a reasonably protected area if charging as it would need to sit with cap off and plugged in for at least an hour to get a decent amount of charge in.  Not really feasible on a small crowded dive boat.  It's something you would do at a camera table on your liveaboard or the resort during a surface interval.

I understand your point, but I have doubts that just getting the usb port wet will cause a short.  Mobile phones that are water resistant ("waterproof") have exposed USB ports and getting those ports wet does not do damage.  You have to be sure the port is dry before running any current into it, of course.  I am no electrical engineer, but I suspect if the USB cap leaked, you would not want to use it until at least it was rinsed in fresh water and dried, but I don't think it would fry the camera to just get wet.

 

I always carry the original m16 cap on dive trips and if a vacuum valve, or now also the usb port, were to have a problem, I can pull them and replace with the original cap.  I am not advocating you would use such a port in a RIB or on small skiff, or really any situation in which it is likely to get wet, but I can certainly see situations in which it would be much simpler and safer to pour a little some fresh water over the USB cap and dry it well than it it would to open up the housing and removing the camera and then reseal it all.  Of course, this is just an accessory and is not needed and if it makes one uncomfortable then no need to bother with it.

 

Without spending any time on the issue, here is one option that would work on a boat's camera table: an 11 gallon ziploc bag.  It completely covers a Z8 housing and the power block and is tall enough to go over arms and strobes if desired.  I feel it would protect against any incidental splashing or dripping form nearby gear or a diver walking by or whatever.  Although I wouldn't, it could even be zipped closed to seal the rig form dust or moisture.

 

Edit to add:  I may have over-complicated things.  I guess the really the simple way to look at it is that this is a gadget that may or may not make life easier.  If not, don't get it!  If it lets me open and close the housing less often, and/or charge a battery that is low when I otherwise would not want to open the housing to change batteries, then It makes life easier.   If it floods the housing, shorts out the USB circuitry in the camera or causes some other problem, then it was a bad choice.   But I think it is safe enough. Clearly its use requires some caution and care.

 

 

 

 

Edited Monday at 07:07 PM by JohnD

[Floris Bennema]

7 hours ago, Tino Dietsche said:

How much space do you have in the case for the connector? I can look for my documents if you like. My solution also worked in an RX100 case where there was hardly any space.

Its not the plug but the length of the conector cable that I have bothers me. With a lot of effort it will fit. Not nice by itself, but I am  afraid that one day it will "put its foot between the door". The aliexpess one might sove this.

[Chris Ross]

8 hours ago, JohnD said:

I understand your point, but I have doubts that just getting the usb port wet will cause a short.  Mobile phones that are water resistant ("waterproof") have exposed USB ports and getting those ports wet does not do damage.  You have to be sure the port is dry before running any current into it, of course.  I am no electrical engineer, but I suspect if the USB cap leaked, you would not want to use it until at least it was rinsed in fresh water and dried, but I don't think it would fry the camera to just get wet.

 

I always carry the original m16 cap on dive trips and if a vacuum valve, or now also the usb port, were to have a problem, I can pull them and replace with the original cap.  I am not advocating you would use such a port in a RIB or on small skiff, or really any situation in which it is likely to get wet, but I can certainly see situations in which it would be much simpler and safer to pour a little some fresh water over the USB cap and dry it well than it it would to open up the housing and removing the camera and then reseal it all.  Of course, this is just an accessory and is not needed and if it makes one uncomfortable then no need to bother with it.

 

Without spending any time on the issue, here is one option that would work on a boat's camera table: an 11 gallon ziploc bag.  It completely covers a Z8 housing and the power block and is tall enough to go over arms and strobes if desired.  I feel it would protect against any incidental splashing or dripping form nearby gear or a diver walking by or whatever.  Although I wouldn't, it could even be zipped closed to seal the rig form dust or moisture.

 

Edit to add:  I may have over-complicated things.  I guess the really the simple way to look at it is that this is a gadget that may or may not make life easier.  If not, don't get it!  If it lets me open and close the housing less often, and/or charge a battery that is low when I otherwise would not want to open the housing to change batteries, then It makes life easier.   If it floods the housing, shorts out the USB circuitry in the camera or causes some other problem, then it was a bad choice.   But I think it is safe enough. Clearly its use requires some caution and care.

 

 

 

 

 

I wouldn't assume that the USB socket is immune to shorting, The salt water is certainly enough to make a connection between two wires.  There's two components to make a phone waterproof, first the physical seal that prevents water ingress, second electrical protection so that shorts do not impact the device.  for example an iphone:

 

If you see a liquid-detection alert on your iPhone - Apple Support

 

detects water and shuts down the charging port.  It allows it to be rated IP68  which withstands 6m or water for 30 minutes.  An OM-1 is rated IP53 which is resistant to water spray from "certain angles" - not submersible, so I expect doesn't have this protection.  I believe OM is the only camera maker to have IP ratings on its cameras.  And the camera is the one that needs to be resistant.  Above someone mentions they shorted their Canon R5.  So yes it will short if wet.

 

But again as you say it's low risk, I only raise this as I have seen a lot of people be quite cavalier with their housings and a bit of simple attention to the cap o-ring will make this a lot less likely.