Retrofitting a Stingray Housing to fit a newer sony

Long story short, flooded housing, fresh water, camera toast, housing is fine. Hows that for short. Now for the long story. All of the used Sony Camera's I've bought so far (4) and returned to their owners all have had one problem or another. I've almost given up on finding a working older model that will fit the housing. However, while in the store the other day I noticed that some of the newer sony harddrive models had the same 2.5mm remote control jack as on my older camera. Due to how small the camera is, it appears like it would be possible to retrofit it inside the housing however I'm unsure if the protocol for the 2.5mm jack is the same...ie did Sony change it or is it the same? Has anyone even attempted anything like this?

Also - Hard drive versus the disk drive. I've heard the mini disk versions are not good because you can only fit 20 minutes of HD on them. Does anyone know if miniDV suffers the same?

I believe the Top Dawg housing uses the same aluminum shell as the Sting Ray, but with a glass front bulkhead vs the attached port of the stingray. Perhaps you should contact Top Dawg to see if they can convert your StingRay into a Top Dawg? For basic functions, the lanc hasn't changed much.

Mini-DV is the only tape for camcorders in the prosumer and consumer range. The max tape you can get is 83mins SP/120mins LP.

However, while in the store the other day I noticed that some of the newer sony harddrive models had the same 2.5mm remote control jack as on my older camera. Due to how small the camera is, it appears like it would be possible to retrofit it inside the housing however I'm unsure if the protocol for the 2.5mm jack is the same...ie did Sony change it or is it the same? Has anyone even attempted anything like this?

I think you'll find that it won't though since Sony changed the position of their lens from the bottom lower left on the TR series of cameras that fit your housing, to upper left and then later to top center, without moving the tripod mount location relative to the body. So although it looks like it might work, the reality is that Drew's idea is correct, you need a flat port so it doesn't matter.

If you look at the TopDawg II pictures, it's basically your housing with a flat port. They're both made by L&M, the Stingray line has a better depth rating, but mechanically that's about the only difference. All the TopDawgs come with a flat port, the Stingrays with a zoom-thru port.

Compare the current Stingray Sport III and the TopDawg Mini, it's the same housing. Same price also.

Tried looking for a TR700 on eBay? I think it will fit. As they were last prosumer series for their time, and sold for about $1600 new, they tend to be in better condition. A few years ago I had an old Quest poly housing that was designed for a TR101, I used a TR5 and later a TR700 in it. Both lined up exactly. Although it was hard to see the viewfinder on the TR5 since the camera body was too short.

I played around with this quite a bit with my old housing because I never knew what Sony models fit it when I bought it off eBay. This was the list I came up with of cameras that had the correct configuration:

TR4

TR5

TR6

TR7

TR28/30 fits

TR51 - does fit but short

TR61/65

TR71

TR81

TR91

TR101

TR105

TR700 fits exactly

TR805 - may fit.

Canon ES-500

Canon ES-800

Nikon VN-750

Ricoh R16

Ricoh R18H - TR101 clone

The LANC protocol is mostly unchanged, dr bill on Scubaboard has used 5 different Sony cameras with his Top Dawg housing including an HDR-HC7 currently. It doesn't do advanced features like MWB but neither does any housing except the L&M Bluefin ($3099) - and maybe the Seatool.

Didn't we go through this on SB a few weeks ago? Although I may've posted just b4 the crash...

Steve

Steve,

Thanks for the information. I actually found a used TR700 fairly cheap however it doesn't fit well in the housing. I would have to retro the tripod mount and the problem there is it appears to be a much bigger camera. Additionally the LANC on that housing is in the upper right and even with a right angle cable it probably won't fit. I've got a TR500 on order, again fairly cheap but haven't tried that one yet. My biggest issue with these cameras is that stupid tape moisture sensor which locks the camera up. It comes on randomly in most of them and the only way to reset it is to pull the battery or tape. My first Sony did this after 3 years. All of the cameras I've purchased since seem to have a problem with this. I was told by a Sony technician years ago that while its called a moisture sensor it actually can come on for any reason. In any case, these cameras appear very sensitive and you would absolutely scream if the thing locked up underwater while filming that special moment. In any case, I think even with the port the newer, hard drive type cameras are small enough to retro so I might take the chance.

This all sounds familiar.

I have a original Stingray housing that was designed for a TR400. Wanting to go digital and for other considerations, I am fitting an SR60 into the housing. I made an adaptor block out of HDPE plastic that precisely positions and aligns the camera lens with the existing housing lens. I used a milling machine to get the adaptor block exactly right. As there is not a usable viewfinder now or a monitor back (yet!), I use a simple external sighting system (old school) to align my shots.

I took it on a trip without much testing and found that the exisiting housing electronics (LANC) did not *reliably* control the new camera. Big disappointment. Why? Not sure whether LANC protocol has "evolved" or perhaps a difference in voltage levels (new cameras operate on lower voltages than older ones), housing battery, etc., but the thing did not work very long after I buttoned it up. Basically, once the camera did an auto power down ( or something??), the housing commands could not get it started going again, though it should have.

When consulting L&M on the subject, they said that the electronics/signals were not compatible with the new camera. Guess they were right. They also (naturely) suggested that I buy one of their new housings that supported the SR60.

Since I have another trip coming up next month, I decided to take a drastic approach and retrofit the electronc control system. I am using a CamEye II video controller, with a single magnetic reed switch replacing the existing circuit board (hall effect transisters, etc) that senses the external switch sliders (magnets). I am wiring the switch across the single "multi-function" button on the CamEye II, so I will be able to power up/down, and record/pause. The CamEye also has a LED status system that will help a lot -- will make the LEDs visible in the old viewfinder window. The reed switch is low-tech buts works fine. Only tricky part is that the external sliders relyed on circuit board mounted magnets to act as "springs" to center the slider in a neutral positon, while I wil be using a low-tech device -- a rubber band -- to keep the slider switch (& reed switch) in the OPEN position unless I activate it.

If this works successfully, I may look into using a different LANC controller that also supports zoom functions as well, but that will require either finding a monitor back for the housing (or making my own) so that I can frame shots properly.

So, I guess my only caution is to thoroughly test the housing/camera combination before you use it for anything important. There were signs in my living room tests that things were not OK, but I was in too much of a rush. Replaceing old electronics with stuff that works may also be a viable option.