Ultralight problem

I am not usually one to come on-line and moan the moment part of my photography kit goes wrong, but... I have had this problem twice now in the space of a month so feel justified.

Basically I have broken the plastic leaver on the tightening screw of two of my Ultralight quick disconect handles. They still work, it is just you now need a pair of pliers to tighten them!

As I said I have had two break in a month. Maybe I have suddenly developed super strong fingers?

The aim of this post is not to complain. I am interested if I have been unlucky or if other people have had this problem.

Herb at Cathy Church's always reccommends using a fixed adaptor that is screwed to the housing - so that it cannot accidentally become disconected. I don't want to do this for two reasons. First I don't want to admit that Herb is right! But also I do a lot of available light photography and I like to be able to take my strobes on and off.

Not sure which to get as replacements. Any thoughts?

Alex

Ahh, you should have bought the TLCs my young friend, 3000 plus dives on mine, nary a problem yet......

Guess that didn't help you whatsoever did it? But now that we have started the TLC/Ultralight debate...lets gang up on some Canon people too!

Ahh, a boring saturday night in Yap when i have to amuse myself this way

You can use the TLC bases with the ultralight arm set. I much prefer them - my buddy uses them - but I won't pay the price that they ask. THey cost more than double the UL when purchased with the nice big knob. I've been shopping ebay to upgrade my UL bases!

Maybe the TLC knob will fit on the Ultralight arm mount. Can anyone check?

Alex - I've got the same kind but I haven't had any problems so far. Is that a chunk of metal missing from the front of your arm mount? Those Hamlets are sure getting aggresive!?!?

Yes, they all use the standard screw thread - it's the diameter of a tripod mount btw. I believe you can interchange the knobs.

Cheers

James

James is correct that they are the same thread size but the ULCS base adapters don't have the recessed area needed to use the TLC knobs.

Kind of interesting Alex, I've sold thousands of the ULCS base adapters and I've only had to replace a few of these screws because folks lost them. You'd be the first I've heard of that's actually breaking the plastic handle off the screws. Ease up big guy finger tight is all that's needed to secure the arms.

i wonder if it has anything todo with the shore diving you and i do. what sort iof diving were you doing to breakthe opther one?

the only other difference is the newhousing and camera .. any way that is having an effect? heavier , way you use the strobes? been undoing them lots?

ust throwing some ideas out there.

anywho.. Rackams is calling my name.

G

Glad to hear that I nobody else has had such problems. I am certainly going to stick with Ultralight. I guess these are just suffering with a bit of old age. I think that they may have become weakened being bumped around during traveling (they fly in a hard plastic box with my other Ultralight bits).

Alex

The "chunk of metal" is actually a name tag (my name) sticker that is half pealed back!

I've had bad luck with the Ultralight bouyancy arms. One of mine filled with water, and James' unit came apart while we were in the Bahamas.

And one of my handles came apart while I was in French Polynesia last month. I wasn't too upset, though -- it was at the end of the trip, and it has worked perfectly for hundreds of dives, even with heavy arms and strobes attached to them.

I think I'm going to get an extra ball that can mount to my housing (as opposed to the handle), as a precaution.

Quite apart from the breakage issue......you can easily make a new knob using epoxy resin.

Make a knob shaped indentation in plaster, plasticene, putty or what ever will hold the shape.

Fill it with epoxy resin and sit the threaded shaft in the resin till it sets.

Looks a bit agricultural but they are strong.

finger tight is all that's needed to secure the arms.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wonder about the finger tight bit sometimes - my ULCS base adapters have a bad habit of working their way out of the base plate

Has anyone else had this issue? Otherwise love my Ultralight arms!

It only seems to happen with my DS 125 (maybe a weight issue??)

Greetings from Port Alberni, B.C.! About to start a week of diving in Barkley Sound but presently have this hotel internet connection.

I have had one end up as a bare bolt at the end of a dive and had another become loose - The black portion simply came off when I attempted to tighten.

Neither the TLC nor the ULCS dovetails are all that secure. I have had them come off unintentionally during dives. The original half-century-old Rollei design was far better. Have gone to the ball-joint piece that gets bolted directly on with 2 screws.

Tom

I also prefer the fixed base mountws on my stuff. When shooting ambient light, how hard is it to loosen the t-handle on the clamp and drop the arm off that way?

I've never seen that part break, but it doesn't surprise me, and it is a stock item from McMaster Carr, and I'll bet someone in the UK sells them. I'm also intersted in that chunk missing from the base, and wondering if what caused that couldn't have contributed.

There was quite a lot of debate as to the proper glue for building buoyancy arms, and over time there were some that worked better than others. Terry can confirm this here, but I believe there are no known failures with the current glue that is used.

I wonder about the finger tight bit sometimes - my ULCS base adapters have a bad habit of working their way out of the base plate

 

Has anyone else had this issue?  Otherwise love my Ultralight arms!

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed - I have to constantly tighten my bases or they will back out and drop my strobes (or camera). Maybe the bolt in bases are the way to go for me too!

I wonder about the finger tight bit sometimes - my ULCS base adapters have a bad habit of working their way out of the base plate

 

Has anyone else had this issue?  Otherwise love my Ultralight arms!

I use these adapters as well and recently had one come loose during a dive. I was holding the rig by the right strobe arm when the arm slid right off the housing. I was lucky to catch the housing before my dome contacted a rock just below me. I now tighten the thumb screws well beyond finger-tight and am more careful how I carry my rig underwater. Fixed mounts may be in my future.

-Brad

We here at Ultralight highly recommend the BA-AQ fixed adapters for Sea Cam, SEa and Sea, Nexus and Aquatica housing handles. For the Subal it is the BA-SV or SA depending on if you want it vertical or angled.

Any time you have two pieces that are tightened with just one bolt you have the chance of

it coming loose on you.

I remember the old days when Oceanic arms were the only ball and socket arms were all there were and I always kept tightening them during the dive so I wouldnt end up with

one off.

Some photographers just want to be able to get their arms off in 2 seconds vs the 4-5 seconds it takes to loosen up a clamp.

We had had problems with glue in the past on buoyancy arms and handles; but since we switched to new glue and put an o-ring on the ball base before inserting it into the base

we have not had one come back. We have been using this glue for over a year now.

The problem comes from torque on the aluminum from heavy strobes or when arms are adjusted with the clamps too tight.

We have replaced or fixed all arms and clamps that have come back to us and will continue to do so if there is failure.

We will also replace any bolt that has had a plastic knob break off, it is only plastic and those will only take so much bumping, heat, etc. You can always order them without the plastic knobs and use an allen wrench to tighten it , but who wants to dive with an allen key attached to their wrist when the natural tedency of two parts like that with forces agains them is to come loose.

Feel free to write me off list if you have any questions or problems with your UCLS equipment.

Terry

Alex

A simple solution is to use a hex socket bolt - ie a screw which is done up using a hex wrench - in the UK this may be a problem as the thread is 1/4" Whitworth (tripod thread) and its not in very common use, especially in A4 grade stainless which is what you require. However TLC use such a bolt on their very short dovetail base sections and you can either try Cameras Underwater who may be able to get these, or TLC/Aquatica. Downside is that you need a tool (imperial hex wrench) to fit or remove the arm lowers. If you don't anticipate taking them off very often, I'd use Loctite thread locking compound on the threads to avoid corrosion. If you want them and have any problems getting these bolts give me a call and I'll see if I can source some.