I am trying to resurrect a video housing for a Sony HDR FX-1 that was made by Seacam Subsea Systems (USA), model HD/F1. This company has disappeared. I have tried many ways to get in touch with them with no luck although "snail mail" letters to some address's in Huntington Beach, CA have not been "returned to sender" (me) as of yet.
Need a replacement, or two, magnetic switch "hat and covers" as pictured below. Anyone know of a OEM manufacture of such an item? Also looking for a right side grip/handle although I may be able to machine a fix for the one I have.
Better yet, does anyone know what happened to Ed Ivey of Seacam Subsea Systems? Suspect he would have parts left. I know he got dissed pretty bad by a unhappy customer some years back, that's what you see when you do a search for them. I have no issues at all, just looking to get this pretty stout housing back in the water.
Ed Ivey worked for Quest Housings in the 90's. Quest (owned by Dale somebody from Vegas?? - in case anybody here knows him) went out of business in 2003. Most of their remaining inventory was sold on eBay that year. IIRC somebody bought just about the whole lot. They used a similar (identical?) switch on all of their products.
I bought one of their housings in 2003/4 off eBay - it needed some port work. I repaired it and later sold it to a friend - she literally knocked the top off the switch once. After part sourcing I found that the switch was not made by Quest or Seacam - but rather by someone in SoCal (not Huntington Beach - IIRC the vendor was in Irvine)
The vendor posted on one of the video forums in answer to someone else who was looking for a switch - I had his contact info about 5 years ago but don't any longer afaik.
So maybe an archive search for Quest housings might turn something up. His post might have been here or on Digital Diver.
Another option is that Quest Housings still show up on eBay occasionally. Bentley was another company - in England - acquired by Quest soon before they went out of business - my housing was actually a Bentley with a Quest label/manual. It had almost the same switch yours does - mine also had a focus/on-off if you held it in one position longer.
Here's a recent post on Scubaboard from someone who bought a Bentley housing for $20 on eBay last October. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/underwate...eo-housing.html I'm the diversteve that responded in the thread.
IDK if the switch I'm referring to will work for you - but if you can find that vendor I'm guessing it's likely he made the switches for Seacam also.
Here's a shot of the switch on the $20 Bentley housing - very similar to yours. 
