One thing I meant to say yesterday was to always be careful when lenses end up very close to the glass - I’ve seen a few times problems when the housing compresses underwater (more port sections - more o-rings - more compression), the port then pushes the lens and camera back in the housing enough that the push buttons on the back of the housing start activating.

1 hour ago, Alex_Mustard said:

One thing I meant to say yesterday was to always be careful when lenses end up very close to the glass - I’ve seen a few times problems when the housing compresses underwater (more port sections - more o-rings - more compression), the port then pushes the lens and camera back in the housing enough that the push buttons on the back of the housing start activating.

Good advice, Alex. In fact, the shortest option is really tight (basically the space of a business card), so I’m a bit worried about it. Anyway, I also tried the 97mm + 20mm combo and it's fine — there’s no vignetting with the close-up lens (SMC-1) mounted on the flip. So this is probably the best option: fewer extension rings, less bulky setup... (until the proper port will be available)

I suppose I should chime in here. I've had several requests for 3D printed extensions, so I recently went ahead and designed/tested an N100 version. I made the prototype 17.4mm, as I believe that is the reported length difference between the Sony 90mm and 100mm lenses (if anyone knows for sure the ideal length for the extension for the 100mm, please let me know). It's simple to do other lengths as well (it might be tough to do shorter than 15-16mm with the current design, though). It has a bayonet but not a port lock, though that shouldn't be an issue if you use a vacuum system. I tested it to over 100m.

Obviously, a 3D printed plastic extension is not nearly as nice as an aluminum one from Nauticam, but I just thought I'd let people know about this option - especially for people wanting a non-standard length or to save a little money. I'm hesitant to mention price because I don't want to flaunt the forum's rules on self promotion/advertising, but I also know that's one of the first things anyone who's interested is going to want to know. So I'll just say that I'm thinking in the neighborhood of $100 plus shipping, but if the moderators want to remove that (or any of this), please feel free.

That looks really nice Isaac! Given what Nauticam is charging for extensions these days that is extremely reasonable.

Edited yesterday at 05:44 AM1 day by Dave_Hicks

2 hours ago, Isaac Szabo said:

I suppose I should chime in here. I've had several requests for 3D printed extensions, so I recently went ahead and designed/tested an N100 version. I made the prototype 17.4mm, as I believe that is the reported length difference between the Sony 90mm and 100mm lenses (if anyone knows for sure the ideal length for the extension for the 100mm, please let me know). It's simple to do other lengths as well (it might be tough to do shorter than 15-16mm with the current design, though). It has a bayonet but not a port lock, though that shouldn't be an issue if you use a vacuum system. I tested it to over 100m.

Obviously, a 3D printed plastic extension is not nearly as nice as an aluminum one from Nauticam, but I just thought I'd let people know about this option - especially for people wanting a non-standard length or to save a little money. I'm hesitant to mention price because I don't want to flaunt the forum's rules on self promotion/advertising, but I also know that's one of the first things anyone who's interested is going to want to know. So I'll just say that I'm thinking in the neighborhood of $100 plus shipping, but if the moderators want to remove that (or any of this), please feel free.

Hi Isaac, really a nice try with 3D printing. Can you share more details about the material you were using, PETG or Nylon?

I'm in the market for a n85 16mm, I'm curious about material too.

@flowdesign Oh sorry, the material is PETG. I've been using 3D printed ports myself for 5-6 years and making them for other people for a few years.

For others wanting to experiment with this type of thing, I should note that FDM 3D prints are not typically watertight. Special settings are required in order to achieve this, and one should do proper vacuum and hydrostatic testing before using them in the real world.

@Grantmac Unfortunately, I don't have the N85 design, but I could potentially add it in the future if there's enough demand.

How did you seal the PETG?

I am experimenting with ABS sealed using Dichtol for floats at the moment.

2 hours ago, Grantmac said:

How did you seal the PETG?

I am experimenting with ABS sealed using Dichtol for floats at the moment.

Just through tons of experimentation with print settings in the slicer. I get solid/watertight parts straight off the printer. A couple of the key factors are extruding around 1.1-1.2x more filament than normal and adjusting seam and wall settings so there are no gaps. I'll caution that, while it can be figured out. it's not easy. And settings that work for one printer model do not simply transfer over to another printer model.

1 hour ago, Isaac Szabo said:

Just through tons of experimentation with print settings in the slicer. I get solid/watertight parts straight off the printer. A couple of the key factors are extruding around 1.1-1.2x more filament than normal and adjusting seam and wall settings so there are no gaps. I'll caution that, while it can be figured out. it's not easy. And settings that work for one printer model do not simply transfer over to another printer model.

With some helpful tips from Isaac I was able to successfully make some Port Floats for my n120 Nauticam macro ports. I used a Bambu P1s printer but with ABS instead of PETG. Using just 4 walls of .5mm thickness, .1mm layers, random & staggered seams, 1.1x flow rates, and 10c higher nozzle temps I was able to get parts that are water and pressure tight to at least 35 meters. (have not tested deeper yet and don't have a pressure pot) 5% infill just to support the roof. It gets 300g buoyancy from a 200g dry weight torus. No coatings or treatments necessary. Beyond some light sanding, I don't do anything after they come off the printer. I probably have about 50+ hours of diving on my most used port float with zero problems. I weigh it periodically to verify that it has not taken on any water.

Edited 14 hours ago14 hr by Dave_Hicks

@Dave_Hicks Nice work! Awesome to hear that you were able to figure out settings that are working for your printer!