a7RII+Meikon Case+ST-100 Strobe

daveco2 wrote:

Very interesting. I didn't know they supported the Meikon cases. Quite a comprehensive list of products.

They mention optical and electrical TTL for the Meikon case. Does that mean they replace the single Meikon sync cable connector with one that has a window and/or pin connections? Can they handle two-strobe operation with the optical connector? We may have to wait to see what they provide for the a7RII and Meikon case, but I would like to know before I order Retra strobes, which I assume will work with their converter.

No idea, but you can message Pavel Kolpakov over at Wetpixel; he's the guy behind UW-Technics. He did mention that Retra strobe TTL profile will be added to converter firmware when the strobes hit the market, although flashing the update will require sending the board back to the manufacturer.

daveco2 wrote:

Guzy,

Looks like you're getting close. To use that gland, you just have to be sure that it protrudes far enough into the case to put the nut on it, at least 0.365". If it doesn't, you could grind off some of the case inside surface, making sure to leave enough for wall strength. Below are more dimensions for you to check. 14 mm (0.551") is close to the 0.535" hole diameter, so the gland may fit with minor mods, except for the two flats which may have to be ground off if the gland outside diameter is larger than 0.792". Time for some precise measurements of the gland.

If the dimensions check out, all you would need is to clear the gland internals and epoxy in their place a piece of transparent plastic. I could make that for you. I'm assuming you have the fiberoptic external and internal connections worked out.

Gland parts as they would fit into the Meikon electrical fitting hole. Note required gland thread length and diameter.

Meikon case with electrical fitting exposed. Note flats on O-ring seal surface.

The gland threaded part is 8mm based on this chart, so it's a problem

I heard the news from UW Technics too, they said it's an optical connection. Let's wait and see

guzy wrote:

daveco2 wrote:

Guzy,

Looks like you're getting close. To use that gland, you just have to be sure that it protrudes far enough into the case to put the nut on it, at least 0.365". If it doesn't, you could grind off some of the case inside surface, making sure to leave enough for wall strength. Below are more dimensions for you to check. 14 mm (0.551") is close to the 0.535" hole diameter, so the gland may fit with minor mods, except for the two flats which may have to be ground off if the gland outside diameter is larger than 0.792". Time for some precise measurements of the gland.

If the dimensions check out, all you would need is to clear the gland internals and epoxy in their place a piece of transparent plastic. I could make that for you. I'm assuming you have the fiberoptic external and internal connections worked out.

Gland parts as they would fit into the Meikon electrical fitting hole. Note required gland thread length and diameter.

Meikon case with electrical fitting exposed. Note flats on O-ring seal surface.

The gland threaded part is 8mm based on this chart, so it's a problem

I heard the news from UW Technics too, they said it's an optical connection. Let's wait and see

They also call the seal a "washer", but it looks like an O-ring. I would be worried about using O-rings without a groove, and the washer would have to be pliable rubber, not a hard surface. The UW-Technics system for Canon that Barmaglot referenced has information at their website that says it supports both optical and electrical TTL.  It would be interesting to see what that means and how they intend to interface with the Meikon case for optical firing of two strobes, if in fact they address that problem.

Barmaglot_07 wrote:

daveco2 wrote:

Very interesting. I didn't know they supported the Meikon cases. Quite a comprehensive list of products.

They mention optical and electrical TTL for the Meikon case. Does that mean they replace the single Meikon sync cable connector with one that has a window and/or pin connections? Can they handle two-strobe operation with the optical connector? We may have to wait to see what they provide for the a7RII and Meikon case, but I would like to know before I order Retra strobes, which I assume will work with their converter.

No idea, but you can message Pavel Kolpakov over at Wetpixel; he's the guy behind UW-Technics. He did mention that Retra strobe TTL profile will be added to converter firmware when the strobes hit the market, although flashing the update will require sending the board back to the manufacturer.

I got this reply from UW-Technics and it sounds good.

"Yes, we plan to include Retra TTL-profile into our firmware. We have an agreement with Retra company. All TTL-Converters for Meikon support 2 strobes.
Sony-TTL version will be ready in few months. Currently it is not available yet.
We will inform you when Sony TTL boards are ready as serial production."

danaranda02 wrote:

What are the recommend strobes to use with this camera/case?

The case comes only with a sync cable connection.  In that configuration, if you want TTL, then you could get an Ikelite bulkhead connector (which fits in the same hole) and their strobes.  Some people, myself included, believe the Ikelite strobes are too big and heavy for what they do.

Another approach to TTL is to wait for the UW-Technics converter for either fiberoptic or sync cable connection, which they say will be released in a month.  In that case, you could use other strobe types from Inon or Sea&Sea, for example, which trigger in TTL mode by fiberoptic.

If you only want manual trigger, preferred by many, then you could use the Meikon as it is with Inon or Sea&Sea strobes that have a sync connection.  You would need a Y-sync cable to trigger two strobes in parallel.

I started with the Meikon ST-100 strobe and found that TTL did not work through the sync cable connector.  In retrospect, that's not surprising; but I wonder why Meikon didn't tell me that in the beginning.  I suppose they hadn't checked it out fully. I have since used the strobe in manual.

I recently bought two Inon Z330 that have both sync cable and fiberoptic trigger inputs.  They work fine in parallel through a Y-cable attached to the Meikon sync cable connector.  However, I'm now waiting for the UW-Technics converter to come out, and at that point, I'll retrofit the Meikon case bulkhead connector for a fiberoptic link connector.  Or I'll use the Seafrogs fiberoptic connector plate from their Salted Line series which I already retroffited to the case.  It depends on the geometry of the UW-Technics unit.

I started with the Sea&Sea YS-03 which has only fiberoptic input.  I would only buy strobes now that have both fiberoptic and sync-cable input, because you never know.

daveco2 wrote:

Another approach to TTL is to wait for the UW-Technics converter for either fiberoptic or sync cable connection, which they say will be released in a month.

You'll be happy to know that Pavel has released his Sony converter yesterday. Right now it's only available in Nauticam A7/A9 series housings form-factor, but I'm talking to him about getting a Meikon A6xxx version before I fly out to the Philippines in two months.

Barmaglot_07 wrote:

daveco2 wrote:

Another approach to TTL is to wait for the UW-Technics converter for either fiberoptic or sync cable connection, which they say will be released in a month.

You'll be happy to know that Pavel has released his Sony converter yesterday. Right now it's only available in Nauticam A7/A9 series housings form-factor, but I'm talking to him about getting a Meikon A6xxx version before I fly out to the Philippines in two months.

I hope so.  He told me via a message to the UW-Technics website that the Meikon/a7Rii unit would come out in a month.  Maybe we'll both get lucky.