Ancient Gossen Color Meter?

[Kino]

Anyone ever see anything like this? It's not functional, but it's in good condition.

Can't decide if the label says "Keloilux" or Heloiux" or ?

Post war occupied Germany US Zone.

 

[AgX]

Well, reading is not your best trait... However digging up odd stuff. Don't tell us you found it at a thrift store...

It is a Gossen Kelvilux colour-temperature meter.

I myself was not aware of it, and I got a bit of Gossen stuff.

 

[Kino]

Yes, I have a hard time with that script and, yes, I found it at a thrift store for $6...

 

[AgX]

It seems I have to move to Virginia...

I have not seen it in any ad or elsewhere. Maybe it was intended not for still photography but for cinematography and as such only few samples remained here.

 

[Kino]

OK, now I can find a reference: https://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/lacinmatographie1449pari_0066

 

[Bill Burk]

That is so cool! Fix it!

 

[Kino]

It seems I have to move to Virginia...

I have not seen it in any ad or elsewhere. Maybe it was intended not for still photography but for cinematography and as such only few samples remained here.

I don't especially recommend a move for the junk stores...

 

[Kino]

That is so cool! Fix it!

Bakelite and those gossamer-thin wires in a cloth cord? I would probably destroy it trying to take it apart...

Anyway, I have to get hustling, as the next snow storm is supposedly tomorrow and I have to crawl under my car and replace a packed-off catalytic converter before the snow flies.

Always fun around here...

 

[AgX]

Gossen still in 1963(!)* offered a (occupational) lightmeter in these casings:




*or it was just old stock at the US dealer...

 

[AgX]

What puzzles me is that window with seemingly a movable indicator, below at the right.
However, there neither seems any actuator at this casing (the needle-calibrating screw aside), nor can I think of anything to set.

Any ideas?


EDIT: in that french ad there seems a slotted button at the right, small side, to be twisted by coin or such.

Well, at that ligtmeter version this may serve for the indicated range setting over 6 ranges.
So here this likely is a setting for the sensitivity of the colour-temperature meter.

 

[Tel]

It seems I have to move to Virginia...

I have not seen it in any ad or elsewhere. Maybe it was intended not for still photography but for cinematography and as such only few samples remained here.

You're right--it's a color-temperature meter for cinematography. Probably the predecessor of the Sixticolor, routinely used to measure the color of light in Kelvin degrees. (Hence the name "Kelvilux" on this model.)

 

[Tel]

You know, it might not need fixing. My Sixticolors never needed batteries (I don't understand the internal mechanism of these things). What you want it to do is to get the readings to change on that numeric scale in the window on the back of the head--the one that gives readings in thousands of degrees Kelvin (X1000 K). If you hold the head under an incandescent room light, it should read in the 2-3000 range, in bright sun around 5500. It should not be affected by luminance, just by color.

 

[Kino]

What puzzles me is that window with seemingly a movable indicator, below at the right.
However, there neither seems any actuator at this casing (the needle-calibrating screw aside), nor can I think of anything to set.

Any ideas?


EDIT: in that french ad there seems a slotted button at the right, small side, to be twisted by coin or such.

Well, at that ligtmeter version this may serve for the indicated range setting over 6 ranges.
So here this likely is a setting for the sensitivity of the colour-temperature meter.

More photos:



The switch on the side governs the shape in the aperture. The tear drop shaped cover is apparently a void for an accessory that is not present.

 

[AgX]

What aperture? This makes no sense. The sensor is at that lollipop thing, any aperture would be there. And why control any aperture remotely?
There likely is instead a rotary-switch behind this knob, switching some resistors.

 

[AgX]

The way this thing looks likely at one of your next visits at that shop you will find its manual too, in pristine state.

 

[Kino]

What aperture? This makes no sense. The sensor is at that lollipop thing, any aperture would be there. And why control any aperture remotely?
There likely is instead a rotary-switch behind this knob, switching some resistors.

The aperture of the Bakelite case; the switch on the side controls the shape that appears in this window.

Sensor is certainly in the handle. It appears to be a "nulling meter"; you null the needle by turning the knurled knob on the sensor head and get color balance/filtering information from the scale.

 

[AgX]

Yes, a symbolic aperture.

Nulling scale: Yes, the much later Profi-Color accessory in effect did the same, employing the nulling scale of the Profisix, added with a colour-temperature dial.

 

[Kino]

Since the deteriorating weather put an end to my automotive adventure, I will continue forth...

http://www.jollinger.com/photo/meters/meters/gossen_kelvilux.html

 

[Tel]

Here's what my Sixticolor looks like. To take a reading, you hold thw white surface in the light you want to measure, and press (and hold) the red bar on the top. The needle on the back moves across the numeric scale and stops at the color temp. reading for that light source. The red knob adjusts a scale of filter choices, but it's not the US system (85B etc.).

 

[Kino]

Nice. I have a Minolta Colormeter II that still functions fine, but it's not near as cool as either of these!

 

[Tel]

So, does the little half-moon shape in the window indicate a mask covering the receptor disc?
Since the unit doesn't seem to have an actuator switch like the Sixticolor does, maybe the Kelvilux has an internal mask to protect the head from activation when it's not in use. And maybe the half-moon setting is for taking a reading in very bright light...?

 

[AgX]

As I already said, a aperture, for whatever use, remotely controlled, makes no sense. Switching an electrical circuit makes well sense. (Or rather, some sense... I mean, no other Gossen colour-temperature meter has a sensitivity setting...)

 

[Kino]

So, does the little half-moon shape in the window indicate a mask covering the receptor disc?
Since the unit doesn't seem to have an actuator switch like the Sixticolor does, maybe the Kelvilux has an internal mask to protect the head from activation when it's not in use. And maybe the half-moon setting is for taking a reading in very bright light...?

No. The only thing that moves on the sensor head is the thumbwheel in the back. I'll try taking off the sensor disc to see what is under it.

 

[Kino]

Not very conclusive. I could only disassemble it to the point of trying to remove the sensor head and it appears to be glued to the mount. I had to stop there, as the red and blue gelatin filters appear quite fragile.

Front sensor side.

Back side.

Oh well. A display model...

 

[AgX]

2 selenium cells and a moving filter blue-red

or

2 selenium cells, one blue, one red sensitive and resistor circuit , controlling both adversively


both concepts would work