Gates EM253 Setup, Use And Care Manual

Setup, Use and Care Guide

EM253 Color External Monitor

Gates Underwater Products • 5111 Santa Fe Street, Suite H • San Diego, CA • 92109

858.272.2501 • 800.875.1052 • Fax [phone] • [e-mail] • www.GatesHousings.com

01/06/04 1

Dear Gates Customer,

Welcome to the Gates family! You now own one of the finest underwater
housings available, and we thank you for choosing Gates. For over 33 years
Gates has crafted the most reliable, durable and dependable housings to suit
many needs, from recreational diving to treasure hunting, marine research and
Hollywood productions to U.S. Navy programs.

You see, at Gates, your selection of our product is only the beginning. We are
here to service you, the customer, for as long as you own our product. Our
Customer Service is second to none. We’ll make every reasonable effort to
support you wherever your adventures land you, including remote corners of the
globe. Anytime you need advice, parts, overhaul, or repair, Gates will take care
of you promptly and to your satisfaction.

Please read through all the documentation contained in this package to
become familiar with your Gates housing before diving. It contains important
and valuable information to make using your new housing easy to learn and use.
Soon you’ll be capturing images and showing your friends and colleagues the
splendor of the undersea realm.

Complete and return the warranty card enclosed in this package to activate
your 2-year renewable warranty. You’ll receive 2 years of warranty coverage for
your investment and unprecedented peace of mind, only from Gates.

Gates wishes you the greatest success in your diving adventures. May you
capture the memories of a lifetime and the envy of your friends. And
remember…..

Don’t take a chance…Take a Gates!

Sincerely,

John Ellerbrock
President and General Manager

Gates Underwater Products • 5111 Santa Fe Street, Suite H • San Diego, CA • 92109

858.272.2501 • 800.875.1052 • Fax [phone] • [e-mail] • www.GatesHousings.com

2 1/6/2004

Example connection of

Gates EM253 External Color Monitor

Setup and Use

Congratulations! You’ve selected a Gates product that will provide years of value and

reliable service. This monitor was designed for operation with a variety of cameras and
housings. Please read through this entire guide to become familiar with the Gates
External Color Monitor. The following setup guidelines will explain how to prepare and
use the EM253 and housing so you’ll get the best results from your video endeavors.

Before You Begin

Every Gates housing is pressure tested before leaving the factory to assure a watertight
seal. The EM253 is shipped with batteries installed and is ready to use. Rough or
abusive handling during shipment however, could have caused unnoticed damage after
leaving the factory. Please carefully inspect the contents of the package and the EM253
for any sign of damage during shipment. If so, contact Gates directly for further action.

Camera Setup

Special setup of your camera may be required to use the EM253.

ü Information display. Some cameras must be set to display important camera

data on the video out signal. Every camera is different in this regard, so consult
your camera user manual for further help. If you purchased the EM253 with a Gates
housing, the housing Setup, Use and Care Guide may have specific information on
these settings.

ü Camera video connection. The location and type of connection required to

supply the EM253 a video signal from your camera is specific to the camera. The
Setup, Use and Care Guide for your housing may contain more specifics on this
connection.

After plugging into the camera, you can
verify operation of the EM253 by
plugging the EM253 cable into the
bulkhead connector on the housing and
turning on the camera. You should see
an image display on the monitor within a
few seconds.

Gates Underwater Products • 5111 Santa Fe Street, Suite H • San Diego, CA • 92109

858.272.2501 • 800.875.1052 • Fax [phone] • [e-mail] • www.GatesHousings.com

01/06/04 3

EM253 video wire to

the Canon XL1s

Spacer(s) may be required

Swivel

Mounting to a Housing

Attachment of the EM253 to any housing is straightforward and generally the same
(with exception of the Gates XL1/XL1s housing). See photos below for typical
installations.

ü TRV / VX / PD / HD housings utilize a

bracket that secures to the handles and
spans the top of housing. In the center
of the bracket the EM253 swivel base will
attach.

After mating the swivel base and yoke,
tighten the wing nut until the EM253
moves in all directions with enough
resistance to stay in the position you
desire, yet remain moveable for re­positioning

ü XL1/XL1s housing. An “L” shaped bracket is attached to the left side of the

housing on a threaded stud located directly above the left handle.

between handle and bracket

Monitor bracket spans handles

base and

yoke.

Note that the monitor can be mounted in two ways: offset to the side, and directly
on top of the housing (see photo). Determine your preferred mounting method and
attach the “L” bracket to the housing appropriately using the ¼-20 nylock nut and
stainless washer. You may have to move the swivel base on the “L” bracket for the
different positioning.

Gates Underwater Products • 5111 Santa Fe Street, Suite H • San Diego, CA • 92109

858.272.2501 • 800.875.1052 • Fax [phone] • [e-mail] • www.GatesHousings.com

4 1/6/2004

Side mount

Top mount

Swivel

Plug in the EM253 cable to the

bulkhead

ü Sea & Sea VX2000 Housing. The EM253

will mount to the Sea & Sea VX2000 housing
on a dovetail bracket (see photo). This
bracket will slide into the same slot as the
carrying handle (which cannot be use at the
same time as the monitor) and secured by use
of a thumb screw.

Dovetail mount bracket

EM253 Connection to Housing

The EM253 will connect to the housing via the 2-pin EO-type connector. The male
connector on the cable will mate with an easily identifiable female bulkhead connector
on the housing (see photo). If necessary, use water or lubricant for easier mating of
the connectors.

connector. (HD1 housing shown)

While you may see a hole on both ends of the bulkhead
connector, only one is big enough to accept the cable
connector. Also, the connectors are ‘wet mating’ connectors, so
there is no need to plug/unplug them only when dry.

~ Caution: If you are not using the EM253 monitor for any reason, do not plug the

video wires into your camera.

ü Verify operation by turning on the camera. If properly connected, the monitor will

automatically turn on and display an image. You may have to wait 3-4 seconds
before an image will appear.

Gates Underwater Products • 5111 Santa Fe Street, Suite H • San Diego, CA • 92109

858.272.2501 • 800.875.1052 • Fax [phone] • [e-mail] • www.GatesHousings.com

01/06/04 5

Batteries

The EM253 uses 8 AA cells for power. They
can be Alkaline or NiMH/NiCad rechargeable.
The monitor will operate for ~14 hours on a
fresh set of Alkaline cells, and ~10 hours
on fully charged NiMH/NiCad cells
depending on the capacity.

To change the cells, release the latches
on the either side of the monitor and
separate the two halves. You will see the
battery pack in the front half of the housing.

When closing the EM253 housing, perform a routine
inspection of the o-ring for any foreign material or damage. Replace if necessary and
clean the o-ring groove before installing the new o-ring. Refer to the Gates “Housing
Care and Maintenance Guide” for more information.

~ Caution: Ensure the battery pack wire connection is tucked into the monitor

housing prior to closing. Failure to do so could cause the wire to become trapped in the
main seal and cause flooding.

~ Caution: Verify the batteries are installed in the holder in the proper direction.

Reversed cells may leak acid and cause damage to the EM253.

Gates Underwater Products • 5111 Santa Fe Street, Suite H • San Diego, CA • 92109

858.272.2501 • 800.875.1052 • Fax [phone] • [e-mail] • www.GatesHousings.com

6 1/6/2004

Monitor Adjustment

The EM253 has three adjustments for brightness, color and contrast. These
adjustments can be found on the inside rear half of the housing (see photo).

While the monitor is pre-adjusted at the factory, Gates recommends the monitor be
further adjusted to match the camera being used. This will ensure a consistent match
between the monitor and the image actually being recorded.

Matching the camera and monitor should be done in a darkened area to allow good
viewing of both the monitor and the camera electronic viewfinder (EVF).

With the camera on and the monitor plugged in, compare the image on the EVF to the
monitor. Separate the monitor halves, make a small adjustment to the brightness,
contrast or color control, then mate the halves again and view the results. (It is not
necessary to secure the latches. Simply mating the halves should produce an image).
Fine tune your adjustments until you are satisfied that the image on the monitor
accurately reflects that being seen in the EVF.

Color

Brightness

Contrast

Customer Support

If you have any questions or require further assistance with your EM253 External Color
Monitor, contact your dealer or Gates directly and we’ll be happy to assist.

Email: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Gates Underwater Products • 5111 Santa Fe Street, Suite H • San Diego, CA • 92109

858.272.2501 • 800.875.1052 • Fax [phone] • [e-mail] • www.GatesHousings.com

01/06/04 7