Problem with DS-125/manual controller

Hi. I just got my new DS-125 from Ryan (who kindly helped me with my current setup), the manual (EV) controller and ULCS arms. I have a 5050 in a PT-015 housing.

I have a dive trip in 48 hours and I can't seem to make my setup work. I've been reading through digital diver and wetpixel in the past weeks to make sure I won't make any mistakes (but I'm hoping I might be missing something and not because there's something wrong with he gear).

I've read the EV controller and DS-125 manuals and I've followed the recommended settings:

1. Recharged the battery of the DS-125

2. Set the strobe switch to TTL

3. Set the controller switch to A (ignore preflash) and C (for DS-125) since my camera's flash setting is set to SLAVE with intensity set to 1

4. Connected the housing (with the 5050 inside) to the ULCS tray

5. Connected the 5 and 8 arms to the tray and DS-125 with the clamps

6. Connected the controller (together with the ball adapter) to the triple clamp system with the handle

7. Connected the controller to the strobe and positioned the controller's sensor towards the camera's built-in flash

Now here is what happens.

Every picture that I shoot is underexposed (with aperture at F4 [even if I set it at 1.8 it is still underexposed] and shutter speed as low as 1/15. The strobe does fire.

When turn the dial on the manual controller, the exposure doesn't change, it stays the same.

The dial on the manual controller doesn't seem to click (just smoothly, like the dial of an analog microwave oven), and it doesn't stop at 4.5. What I mean is it's like a clock that goes 360 degrees (is this normal?)

So there, the exposure doesn't change whatever power setting I choose, the shots are all underexposed.

Now, when I use FULL on the strobe, it does fire and as expected, the shot is overexposed at the same aperture and shutter speed cited above. The strobe power does go down when I set it to 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8. To avoid overexposure, I just adjust the aperture at 8 and I choose a fast shutter speed to compensate. Since the strobe fires, I think the problem is not with the strobe.

I also tried setting the manual controller switch to B (with preflash) while setting the camera's flash setting to both INTERNAL and INTERNAL+EXTERNAL but the pictures are still underexposed at F to 4.5 on the controller dial.

I hear the strobe squeak very faintly every 8-10 seconds. Is this normal? When I switch the strobe to FULL and fire a shot, I hear a tone that sounds much like TI-DO! (Sorry, that's the best I could describe it) which probably indicates a full dump.

So what am I doing wrong? Is there something wrong with the manual controller or the strobe (please, I hope there's nothing wrong with the gear) or do I need to set something differently?

I ordered the strobe and the other parts via FedEx so I could get the stuff before my trip this Friday so you can see how disappointed I am right now. There's no Ikelite strobe dealer here in Manila, Philippines which is the reason I had to order the whole thing from the US and pay duties and taxes.

Please help me, I'm facing a blank wall right now. Thanks a lot!

Regards,

Norman/Swordfish

Manila, Philippines

Norman, Your settings are correct.

My guess is that your manual controller is broken. I say this because 1. It should click at each number, 2. It should only rotate to positions that have numbers, not 360 degrees, 3. It should not cause the strobe to "peep" every 8 - 10 seconds as this is a symptom of the controller either between clicks or not working.

But all is not lost. Leave it hooked up the way you have it and control the power to the strobe with 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, or full settings. It will squeel in full indicating a full dump, this is normal.

During your dive leave the power at 1/2. This works fine except in shallow water on sunny days where 1/4 may be fine.

Thn get the controller replaced.