Are older Jobo reels compatible with newer tanks?

[adelorenzo]

Hi All,

I have an older Jobo 1235 roll film tank and plastic adjustable reels. Does anyone know if these reels are compatible with the newer 1500-series tanks? Do they use the same type of core?

Sorry if this has already been asked, I've been searching for this answer but unable to find it.

Regards,
Anthony

 

[CatLABS]

The short answer is no. The long answer is that newer 1501 reels are compatible with older tanks, but not the other way around.

 

[Rhodes]

Is the reel similar to this? http://www.flickr.com/photos/78982978@N08/7065108843/lightbox/
I am using a old jobo reel with my 1500 series tank and just fine. The difference of the old reel to the 1500 ones is the plastic being "transparent" and hard on the old one, similar to the one on the picture.

 

[adelorenzo]

Is the reel similar to this? http://www.flickr.com/photos/78982978@N08/7065108843/lightbox/
I am using a old jobo reel with my 1500 series tank and just fine. The difference of the old reel to the 1500 ones is the plastic being "transparent" and hard on the old one, similar to the one on the picture.

Yup those look like the same tank and reels that I have.

I have some 1500 equipment coming in the mail (from Catlabs!) so will see how they work out.

 

[CatLABS]

1000 system reels sometimes work, and so i will say you should just try it and find out, other ro system reels though will not work.
Let us know what you find.

 

[AgX]

To my experience they (the ones Rhodes linked a photo to) are compatible with the current ones.

Here some interesting findings on the differences between both type of reels:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[adelorenzo]

So I got my new 1500 tank system and and reels yesterday. Took a quick look this morning and those older reels do fit in the new tank and would definitely work well for inversion processing.

However... I intend to do rotary processing and the newer reels have some small tabs on the inside that seem to grip the core whereas the older ones don't. The older style reels spin very easily on the core so I think doing rotary processing there would be a risk of uneven development. I'm not expert but I think if I was going to use them I'd have to add some material on the inside so they would grip a little better.

 

[AgX]

You are right! I overlooked this.

Both new and old reels have tabs that rest on the collumn.
Both reels fit stuck to the old columm.

But the old reels fit only loose on the new collumns. The most simple solution would be to wind self-adhesive tape around the new collumn. Thus enabling to use old and new reels in the 1500 series tanks with tight fit.

 

[Rhodes]

Really? Mine fit thigh on the column and I use it in my cpe2+. Never had any problem!

 

[AgX]

I checked it with reels and collumn made in the 70s and a reel and collumn in the most recent packaging.
The new collumn is smaller in diameter than the older one. Just wide enough to give a tight fit with the new reel, not wide enough for the old reel.

 

[adelorenzo]

Ah yes, on closer inspection that is the case. The older column is slightly thicker and the new 1500 reels won't fit into the old 1235 tank.

I don't think I'll modify my old reels to tightly grip the column of the new tank, since my old system works just fine as it is.