Basic Jobo ATL-3000 questions

[Craig]

I picked up a Jobo ATL-3000 table top model that has not been used in years and am trying to get it up and running again. I have the instruction manual, but it seems a bit thin on details, so I have a few questions:

Do the bottles stay in the machine all the time? The tubes are a real pain to get into the bottles, especially the ones closest to the head. If so, how is chemistry changed? Do I siphon out the old chems when I want to change them?

For the temperature control water bath, is there a way to drain it automatically? I see a plunger type mechanism that looks like it could drain the bath, but see no way to actuate it. In the manual it says there is a button (#19) that will drain the water, but of course there is no button in that spot on my machine. I didn't see anything in the menus that would allow that, but I could have missed it too.

This is the first Jobo I have ever used, so I might be missing something obvious!

 

[RauschenOderKorn]

the tabletop version has 2 sets of bottles: 1 set for fresh chemistry which should remain in the machine and one set for used chemicals. These you should empty after every use.

 

[CatLABS]

The drain "button" is just part of the drain plug lifter, and you need to press it with your finger to raise the drain plug, and let the water out.

The machine is designed for one shot processing (with optional reclamation), this means each bottles is used for one type of chemistry. You have 12 to choose from. Removing and installing the bottles often will lead to grommets breaking, tubes braking and fitting to break, which are a pain to replace for several reasons.

If you want to clear out all or some of the bottles, run a cleaning cycle.

 

[Craig]

The drain "button" is just part of the drain plug lifter, and you need to press it with your finger to raise the drain plug, and let the water out.

Hmm, I don't seem to have anything that can actuate the lifter. To access it I had to reach through the spot for the first bottle. Impossible to access with the bottle in place. The front facia of the machine is completely smooth, no levers or holes that could access the plunger.

Thanks for the tips, I mainly want to use it as a B&W machine, so easy to run as one shot or to reclaim the fixer.

 

[Craig]

I found the drain lever, it was in the reclamation bottle compartment. Of course the first time I pressed on it, the pivot point came off. It was glued to the plastic body, so I have reguled it. We'll see how well it lasts.