adjusting Focomat IC autofocus

[LucRoMar]

Good evening,

I have a Focomat IC but the auto-focus is off, I would like to adjust it but the manual online isn't very clear.

In the manual, they ask you to focus it at 10x magnification, then align the clamp, go down to 2,5 magnification, unscrew the cam and adjust te focus again, and that is where I am lost, as I don't see what screw I need to use to adjust it.

I have a 50 mm schneider lens on it, could it mean the I loose the auto focus completely ?


Otherwise I am quite happy with it, still have to see why I need 40-60s exposure time at f11 for ma paper but then this was my very fist session ;-)

Any help/advice are very welcome.

Enjoy your week end ;-)

 

[tony lockerbie]

I also have a 1C but have never used the auotfocus so I can't help with problem. I have also the V35 and even with that you can't rely on the autofocus that much, so I just view it as a help with sizing and that's all.
With the 1C and V35 I always check the focus with a magnifier before doing each and every print, so the aotofocus accuracy is irrelevant to me. I ave found this with all the autofocus enlargers that I used, not just Leica.

 

[JLP]

Don't have the manual for mine and never had to look for one. Assuming that there are two clamps on your focus ring as there are on mine i simply adjust focus and then move the clamp to that position and lock the screw at the bottom of the clamp. Never bottered doing the adjustment at more than one magnification as it seems to stay in focus no matter how close or how far away from the paper i adjust the head. You can use the other clamp for another focal length or lens so it is easy to swap by just moving the focus ring to the other clamp.
The enlarger will focus no matter what brand of lens you use. I use either a 50 2.8 Nikon or a 50 4 Focotar, there's a bit of a difference between the clamps for those two lenses even they both are 50mm.
Hope this make sense?

 

[AgX]

I had a look at the original manual:

-) you first, at larger manification, adjust the helical mount (bearing the lens)

-) then, at lower magnification, you adjust the cam (near the parallelogram joint)


In other words:

-) in the first step (10x magn.) you focus with the focussing ring and then set the clamp on the focussing ring in the prescribed position, without moving the focussing ring.

-) in the second step (2.5 magn.) you unlock the cam and then focus by turning the adjuster screw behind the cam.

At the side of the cam is the locking screw, behind the cam is the adjuster screw, running alongside the parallelogram arm.

 

[LucRoMar]

Thank you for the replies, AgX, so the adjuster screw is the screw with the red dot that the manual mention for fine tuning wit the 3 enlargment tests ?

Cheers,

 

[AgX]

I don't know, I only have the manual at hand. But if you look at the right side and at the upper joint you should see the cam and the respective mechanics. I assume that sight should be self-explanatory.

Otherwise someone should chime in who actually has a Ic at hand.

 

[LucRoMar]

With a picture it should help ;-)

 

[AgX]

-) the bare-metal, recessed screw in 4:00 position should be the arresting screw (maybe its even both of that type)

-) the screw with knurled head covering the #3 marking is the adjusting screw

 

[LucRoMar]

Thanks, I'll check this out tonight when all the kids are asleep...

 

[LucRoMar]

indeed I needed to unscrew both of the screws in order to adjust the cam, however as Tony said, it doesn't seems to be reliable.
I'll do some more test and check take a good look at what the cam exactly do.

thanks for your support.