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Home: Inactive Forums: Underwater Video:
water in Amphibico

X-Bruce_Carlson
Imported Account

Jul 28, 1999, 3:46 PM

Post #1 of 5 (2069 views)
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water in Amphibico	Can't Post

Last week in Bonaire, some saltwater leaked into my Amphibico VH1000 housing and the alarm activated shutting everything down. It was only a small amount of water and the camera was fine. The source of the leak is not important, but was not due to a faulty housing -- I have a lot of confidence in the Amphibico VH1000 after three years using it. What I want to mention is deactivating the alarm so you can reuse the housing. Sometimes just a single drop of water entering the housing when you open it is enough to shut down the system. You need a small allen wrench and phillips screwdriver to remove the cover on the control board. I pulled the board and rinsed it with isopropyl alcohol. I cut off the glass fuse under the board and reconnected the contacts with solder. Over the next 2-days I gradually regained use of all the controls. Moral: don't flood the housing in the first place, but if you do, carry a spare control board or at least the allen wrenches, screwdrivers and soldering gun to fix it if you're off in a remote location.

X-Dale_Poff_Aqua_Productions_
Imported Account

Jul 28, 1999, 8:57 PM

Post #2 of 5 (2068 views)
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Re: water in Amphibico	Can't Post

Wow you went to a lot of trouble; did you try a hair dryer? This is what I used the 2 times mine flooded. It sounds as if it didn’t get completely dry. This is why it took a couple of days to work right.
Dale Poff
Aqua Productions
http://www.roava.net/~aquaproductions/
: Last week in Bonaire, some saltwater leaked into my Amphibico VH1000 housing and the alarm activated shutting everything down. It was only a small amount of water and the camera was fine. The source of the leak is not important, but was not due to a faulty housing -- I have a lot of confidence in the Amphibico VH1000 after three years using it. What I want to mention is deactivating the alarm so you can reuse the housing. Sometimes just a single drop of water entering the housing when you open it is enough to shut down the system. You need a small allen wrench and phillips screwdriver to remove the cover on the control board. I pulled the board and rinsed it with isopropyl alcohol. I cut off the glass fuse under the board and reconnected the contacts with solder. Over the next 2-days I gradually regained use of all the controls. Moral: don't flood the housing in the first place, but if you do, carry a spare control board or at least the allen wrenches, screwdrivers and soldering gun to fix it if you're off in a remote location.

X-Bruce_Carlson
Imported Account

Jul 28, 1999, 11:57 PM

Post #3 of 5 (2069 views)
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Re: water in Amphibico [In reply to]	Can't Post

Yup, I had my mini-hair drier working flat out! The problem seems to be the little glass fuse under the PCB. If it blows the board is inoperable, or so I assume. Either cutting it off is what brought the system back to life, or the gradual drying out. Amphibico assured me that once the board is wet it will never work, but apparently that is not correct.
: Wow you went to a lot of trouble; did you try a hair dryer? This is what I used the 2 times mine flooded. It sounds as if it didn’t get completely dry. This is why it took a couple of days to work right.
: Dale Poff
: Aqua Productions
: http://www.roava.net/~aquaproductions/
: : Last week in Bonaire, some saltwater leaked into my Amphibico VH1000 housing and the alarm activated shutting everything down. It was only a small amount of water and the camera was fine. The source of the leak is not important, but was not due to a faulty housing -- I have a lot of confidence in the Amphibico VH1000 after three years using it. What I want to mention is deactivating the alarm so you can reuse the housing. Sometimes just a single drop of water entering the housing when you open it is enough to shut down the system. You need a small allen wrench and phillips screwdriver to remove the cover on the control board. I pulled the board and rinsed it with isopropyl alcohol. I cut off the glass fuse under the board and reconnected the contacts with solder. Over the next 2-days I gradually regained use of all the controls. Moral: don't flood the housing in the first place, but if you do, carry a spare control board or at least the allen wrenches, screwdrivers and soldering gun to fix it if you're off in a remote location.

X-Dale_Poff_Aqua_Productions_
Imported Account

Jul 29, 1999, 7:42 AM

Post #4 of 5 (2068 views)
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Re: water in Amphibico [In reply to]	Can't Post

Man I am glad that hasn't happen to me YET. This is why I have started to sell the Gates Housing, I still use the Amphibico and think it is the best, BUT I think when the VX-2000 I'll get a Gates.
Dale Poff
Aqua Productions
http://www.roava.net/~aquaproductions/

: Yup, I had my mini-hair drier working flat out! The problem seems to be the little glass fuse under the PCB. If it blows the board is inoperable, or so I assume. Either cutting it off is what brought the system back to life, or the gradual drying out. Amphibico assured me that once the board is wet it will never work, but apparently that is not correct.
: : Wow you went to a lot of trouble; did you try a hair dryer? This is what I used the 2 times mine flooded. It sounds as if it didn’t get completely dry. This is why it took a couple of days to work right.
: : Dale Poff
: : Aqua Productions
: : http://www.roava.net/~aquaproductions/
: : : Last week in Bonaire, some saltwater leaked into my Amphibico VH1000 housing and the alarm activated shutting everything down. It was only a small amount of water and the camera was fine. The source of the leak is not important, but was not due to a faulty housing -- I have a lot of confidence in the Amphibico VH1000 after three years using it. What I want to mention is deactivating the alarm so you can reuse the housing. Sometimes just a single drop of water entering the housing when you open it is enough to shut down the system. You need a small allen wrench and phillips screwdriver to remove the cover on the control board. I pulled the board and rinsed it with isopropyl alcohol. I cut off the glass fuse under the board and reconnected the contacts with solder. Over the next 2-days I gradually regained use of all the controls. Moral: don't flood the housing in the first place, but if you do, carry a spare control board or at least the allen wrenches, screwdrivers and soldering gun to fix it if you're off in a remote location.

X-Gordon_Cancio
Imported Account

Jul 30, 1999, 11:46 AM

Post #5 of 5 (2068 views)
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Re: water in Amphibico [In reply to]	Can't Post

The Amphibico has a bad rep here in the Philippines because of the problems of leakage (as mentioned). That's why most of the professionals here use all mechanical housings like the Gate's.
A person I knew has both the Gates and the Amphibico. But she only uses the Amphi as a backup. I've had the Gate's for my VX1k since 1997. It hasn't given me any problems. I haven't greased the O rings yet, though the manual says I should -- every two years. I guess I'm tempting fate.
The service time for my friends Amphi took almost four months (Canada and back) for controller replacement.
By the way, does anybody have any experiece with Betacam size U/W housings? What do you use? (If you do).
Gordon