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Housing Maintenance
The Ikelite Digital Housing should be given the same care and attention as
your other photographic equipment. In addition to normal maintenance, we
recommend that the housing be returned to Ikelite periodically to be
checked and pressure tested.
1. Do Not leave the camera and housing in direct sunlight for prolonged
periods. Heat may damage the camera.
2. Do Not ship the camera in the housing.
3. Before using the housing, always check the tightness each control
gland penetrating the housing and the set screw in each control knob.
There is a slight chance that either could vibrate loose during travel.
4. Keep the back o-ring clean and lightly lubricated. To lubricate, remove
the o-ring from the back. Put a small amount of lkelite lubricant on your
fingers. Pull the o-ring through your fingers to apply a light coating of
lubricant. Apply only enough lubricant to make the o-ring feel slick. Do
Not stretch the o-ring. This light coating of lubricant will help to keep
the o-ring from drying out and will help to show a dark sealing line when
the housing back is properly sealed.
5. Keep the area where the o-ring fits and the sealing surface of the
housing clean.
6. Rinse the housing exterior thoroughly in freshwater after each saltwater
use. Dry with a soft cloth. Dry lens port to eliminate water spotting.
After several uses in saltwater, soak the housing exterior in a mild soap
solution, rinse and dry before storing. When storing the housing, remove
the back o-ring, lightly lubricate, and place in a plastic bag. Place the
plastic bag with o-ring inside the housing for safe keeping.
7. If removing a housing push button, Do Not re-use the E-clip. Contact
Ikelite for replacement E-clips (part #0319.12).
8. Leave lid snaps in the open position when not using the housing for
extended periods.
Control Maintenance
(continued)
3. Some of the controls have a short shaft and cannot be pulled out
exposing the shaft for lubrication. In the unlikely event one of these
controls sticks or becomes difficult to operate, you can remove the
control from the housing and lubricate it, or return the housing to Ikelite
for maintenance. To remove the control - Diagram B, loosen the set
screw in the knob (allen wrench required); remove the knob. If there is
salt or dirt build-up on the exposed control shaft, clean the shaft. Open
the housing and gently slide the control shaft out of the control gland.
Clean and lightly lubricate the shaft, including the end of the shaft.
Slide the shaft back into the control gland and gently slide it back and
forth a few times without fully removing the shaft from the gland.
Replace the knob noting the flat area on the shaft. The set screw in the
knob should tighten down against the flat area on the shaft so the knob
does not turn on the shaft.
Housing
Control Shaft
Tighten set screw down
against this flat area
Lubricate end of shaft
when replacing the knob.
before reinserting into
gland
Diagram B
17
Gland
Loosen Set Screw
19
Lubricants
1. Ikelite provides silicone lubricant with the housing. We recommend you use
only Ikelite lubricant (included with housing - Page 16) on Ikelite products as
some other brands may cause the o-ring to swell and not seal properly.
2. Use only enough lubricant to lightly cover control shafts and o-rings.
Wipe off any excess lubricant with a clean cloth. Lubricant is not a
sealant, it is used to reduce friction. Excessive lubricant can collect sand
and dirt which may interfere with proper sealing.
CAUTION:
Never use spray lubricants as the propellant ingredient can cause
the plastic housing to crack or o-rings to swell.
Control Maintenance
Ikelite controls are designed to provide years of reliable service with minimal
maintenance.
1. Push button controls require no maintenance other than rinsing in
freshwater after saltwater use. If a push button control becomes difficult
to push or if it sticks when depressed, soak the housing in luke warm
freshwater. After a few minutes, operate the push button. If this does not
correct the problem, return the housing to Ikelite for maintenance.
2. Some of the controls have long shafts. These controls can be pulled out,
exposing the shaft see Diagram B - Page 19 and Diagram C - Page 20.
To lubricate the control, gently pull on the knob until the stainless steel
shaft is exposed. Lightly lubricate the shaft, then move the shaft in and
out several times. This will lubricate the x-ring in the Ikelite control gland.
This should be done before using the housing after a prolonged storage
period, or once a week when the housing is in constant use.
Housing
General Tips
1. Before placing your camera in the housing, it is a good idea to immerse
the closed housing in a bucket or rinse tank to make sure it is watertight.
2. Due to the power required to operate the camera and LCD screen, it is a
good idea to start each dive with a fully charged camera battery.
3. As soon as you enter the water, take a moment and check the housing
to see that it is properly sealed.
4. Next, check to see if there are any bubbles on the face of the lens port.
If there are, take your finger and remove them. If there are bubbles on
the lens port they can produce soft focus spots in your photos or video.
Treat the glass or acrylic in the lens port as a camera lens. After use,
rinse and gently dry the lens port to avoid water spotting. To clean, use
a mild soap solution or lens cleaner.
Do not use alcohol or window cleaner on the Lens Port.
NOTE: Fogging of the port glass/acrylic may occur due to a variety of
environmental factors. To prevent fogging issues, always assemble the
housing in a cool, dry area, such as an air conditioned room, and keep
the housing out of direct sunlight. If fogging persists, insert a fresh
desiccant packet inside the housing before each day of diving.
Desiccant packages are not available from Ikelite, however most camera
stores carry them.
18
Lubricate shaft
Pull out to
expose shaft
Diagram C
20
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