Beseler 16 Auto Print Processor

Hi everyone!

I'm new here, but I recently purchased a Beseler 16 auto print processor to make color prints. It turns on, but the gears won't turn and smells like something burned out inside (I assume a belt). I'm wondering if anyone here knows of anyone in the Los Angeles area that might know of someone who knows processors and how to repair them.

Any advice is appreciated, thank you!!

Thread moved and a little bump in the hope that someone has some suggestions for getting this machine fixed.

A Jobo print drum + rotary processor might be a better choice, since they are still making the machines and many people on this forum use them.

The manual and service documents are in an old Photrio thread here: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/beseler-16-cp-auto-print-processor-manuals.194606/

I suggest you stop turning it on and fully read these documents before doing anything else.

Appears to be like the Fujimoto processor which has no belts; everything is gear driven.

These machines require precise and consistent preventative maintenance and cleaning.

They should never be run dry. If you want to test the machine, at least have it full of water BUT the racks have to be stripped-down and cleaned PRIOR to attempting to run or you will burn-out a motor or strip the gears.

It might come back to life if you strip it down, clean it properly and perform some maintenance upon the racks.

Kino said:

They should never be run dry. If you want to test the machine, at least have it full of water

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I came here to say that. The burning smell is the heater melting off the watertight plastic bin. Find it and fix before resuming.

peoplemerge said:

I came here to say that. The burning smell is the heater melting off the watertight plastic bin. Find it and fix before resuming.

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Exactly!

Also, the combined surface areas of all the rollers with sticky or dried chemistry would be enough to stall the drive motor.

Unplug it, examine the heaters and their tanks for any damage, clean the rollers until all run freely in their racks and fill it with water to see if it will run.

I apologize on behalf of Photrio for being the bearers of bad news. If you haven't printed color before, I speak for everyone in saying we encourage you to go through the hard work of getting the machinery working in order to see your first color prints. It's truly a sensational experience that you'll never forget and cannot be reproduced digitally!!!

Let us know how you fare in returning this beast from the dead!

It should be a great project and most rewarding if you can get it going again.

I reread your post, and actually yes there are a few people in LA that are known as repair guys. I think most of the people on this thread assumed you wanted to fix it yourself... most of the people here do the kind of simple repairs themselves, myself included. I have fixed a few out of my home in LA. It's possible that yours is still intact. What you need to do in order to see if it's really working is take out the rollers, fill with water, _then_ turn it on. These are tasks you'll be doing regularly as you empty and refill your machine. In car terms, it's like changing your wiper blades, not doing a break job. If there is something electronic or mechanical, your neighborhood small appliance repair gal can probably do it, you will just need to explain to her how it works. Example: GS electronics in Sunland repaired my color analyzer.

You might reach out to Dave, joboman@aol.com. He is in the greater LA area (possibly Altadena if memory serves). He works with a lot of school darkrooms.
Also, please refer to the manuals (operation and service) that I uploaded in the thread referenced above to be sure you are operating the machine correctly. I have one of these machines and it is great to use. Doesn’t use a whole lot of chemistry and seeing a beautiful 16x20 RA4 color print exit the dryer is a treat.
I am near Pasadena if you want to see mine and fire it if it will help troubleshoot your unit.

+1 Dave Smith. Last I reached out to him he said he didn't do Jobos, but does still work on enlargers (Omega and Beseler), light sources, etc. and also Seal dry mount presses and Arkay RC and fiber print dryers. Maybe someone knows if he does paper processors.