Color Star 2000 analyser manual

[Geoff C]

I just picked up a LPL 7451 enlarger kit complete with a Color Star 2000 analyser. The good news is the enlarger comes with a manual, the bad news is that the analyser does not. Does anyone have a manual for the Color Star 2000?

 

[Mike Wilde]

I have found the manual in dutch I thinki, by googling 'lici color star'. Not the clearest, but it will get you started.

It is a single channel analyser/timer.

Make a print you like the density and colour balance of, presuming we are printing RA-4.

Set the meter cell on an area you want to use as your reference, or diffuse the whose scene near the lens, so you are metering something close to grey.

Without changing any filtration or time of exposure, set the device to analyse, and adjust the potentiometers until the color star display is extingushed, and the time matches the time you exposed the good reference print for.

Move the anayser mode to to store these values.

Push expose and the enlarger socke of the timer/anayser will come on for the diaplyed amount of time.

Probably a good idea to do the set up with no safe light.
Then you can see how much it might mess you up if you leave it on for subsequent analysis sessions.

Happy experimenting.



Now

 

[Nige]

I think I have it in English (bad photocopy of a photocopy). Someone else here also does so while I'm looking (might take a few days) they might respond.

 

[AgX]

Here is the website of the dutch manufacturer:

http://www.colorstar.nl/

 

[largeformat pat]

Hey,
I have a manual, Send me a PM and I will copy it for you.

 

[Geoff C]

Hi all,

I am sorry I have not got back to you sooner I have been in bed sick.

Many thanks Mike Wilde, Nige, Agx and largeformat pat for your responses. Your responses were a big help, I think I am starting to get a grasp on this analyser. Having the instruction manual would be a big help so Pat I have just sent you a PM, many thanks.

Once I have the analyser sorted hopefully I can do some serious RA-4 colour printing at last. The next step for me then is to start shooting 5x4 large format, I can’t wait.

Many thanks, Geoff C.

 

[Kshaub103]

Would anyone be able to post the PDF or sent me a copy of the manual. It would be greatly appreciated and a great source to reference.

 

[Nige]

couldn't upload here as I don't have software to create/compress into a reasonable sized PDF and as mentioned above... a bad photocopy of a photocopy... maybe a few more photocopy generations actually!

however, for the time being, it's uploaded here

http://www.nlandgl.com/docs/ColorStar2000.pdf

It's about 13MB and if the link doesn't work, yell out and I'll work something else out.

 

[Kshaub103]

Thanks for uploading this manual. Had no problems loading nor reading the PDF. Now it's time to calabrate my color star analyze.

 

[moofy]

Hello from eight years in the future. I have just come across one of these colour analysers while helping with a community dark room clear-out. It's complete with an extra set of potentiometers and an original shirley positive and negative but, naturally, no instructions on how to use the thing.

Google has lead me here as the only PDF I can find online is for the 3000 model. People seem to have hosted the instructions for the 2000 model in the past but the links have been lost to time, does anyone out there still have a copy knocking around somewhere they would be willing to share?

 

[koraks]

Have you tried the Internet Archive?

 

[moofy]

Have you tried the Internet Archive?

All I can find there is a PC game from 1996 with the name Colorstar 2000.

My plan was to upload a copy there if I find one for the next guy who needs the manual. There is a copy for the 3000 but they seem to have substantially changed the interface and possibly abilities of the thing between versions.

 

[koraks]

I meant for this:

People seem to have hosted the instructions for the 2000 model in the past but the links have been lost to time

Have you tried running those links through the Internet Archive?

The irony is that I used to own one of these and I'm pretty sure I had the manual for it, too. I don't recall if I ever actually used the manual; the unit is fairly intuitive to use.

 

[moofy]

I meant for this:


Have you tried running those links through the Internet Archive?

The irony is that I used to own one of these and I'm pretty sure I had the manual for it, too. I don't recall if I ever actually used the manual; the unit is fairly intuitive to use.

That was my first attempt, before looking more generally. It seems like they were all smaller sites and the wayback machine never archived a copy of them.

There are, somewhat frustratingly, copies of the instructions for both the original Colorstar and the 3000 on the archive.

It isn't to bad to use as a timer and for rough approximations but I'm trying to find out what there calibration procedure is, plus if I can use it as a densitometer or if that was a later addition.

 

[koraks]

I'm trying to find out what there calibration procedure is

As I recall, it wasn't too difficult. Going from memory, you simply used a neutral & middle grey negative (e.g. an appropriate patch on the Shirley) as a reference; print it so the patch prints neutral grey and at roughly 18% reflective density. Note the exposure time. Then place the probe on that part of the negative and turn the dials on the pot array until all LEDs are off. If memory serves, you could match the exposure time in the same way, but because you'd adjust both color balance and exposure time with the pot array, the adjustment process was iterative.

if I can use it as a densitometer

All LiCi Colorstars could by default be used as B&W easel densitometers. You'd but the meter on Slide/Chrome for this; on the original Colorstar, this switch was on the probe, on the 2000 it's on the faceplate. Then measure a light area or blank film as a reference, note the exposure time. Then measure the required density and again note the exposure time. Use the difference in exposure time to determine the relative density. I used this for a while to determine a starting point for a paper grade when printing VC B&W. Worked quite well.

 

[moofy]

As I recall, it wasn't too difficult. Going from memory, you simply used a neutral & middle grey negative (e.g. an appropriate patch on the Shirley) as a reference; print it so the patch prints neutral grey and at roughly 18% reflective density. Note the exposure time. Then place the probe on that part of the negative and turn the dials on the pot array until all LEDs are off. If memory serves, you could match the exposure time in the same way, but because you'd adjust both color balance and exposure time with the pot array, the adjustment process was iterative.

I have a few reference images I can pull out and try to calibrate to but I should probably shoot a few frames of a grey card on my next roll. Presumably I put a known grey in the holder then turn the pots on the side until the leds of the colour star are all zeroed out?

I'm also just unsure what the buttons marked 'yellow', 'magenta' & 'sensitivity' do. Lacking cyan I assume they're to do with induvidual channels somehow but I'm not sure how I go about using them.

All LiCi Colorstars could by default be used as B&W easel densitometers. You'd but the meter on Slide/Chrome for this; on the original Colorstar, this switch was on the probe, on the 2000 it's on the faceplate. Then measure a light area or blank film as a reference, note the exposure time. Then measure the required density and again note the exposure time. Use the difference in exposure time to determine the relative density. I used this for a while to determine a starting point for a paper grade when printing VC B&W. Worked quite well.

I've just read your response to this on another thread after more googling, you're basically describing the exact idea I had but have yet to try. Thank you for the point about the switch, I will have that on slide for measuring.

 

[koraks]

Presumably I put a known grey in the holder then turn the pots on the side until the leds of the colour star are all zeroed out?

Yes, that's it, and of course while metering the image with the filter stack that produced the neutral grey reference print.

I'm also just unsure what the buttons marked 'yellow', 'magenta' & 'sensitivity' do.

It's been a while, but as I recall, when you pressed these, the display would show the value of the accompanying pot. I think it was a number on a scale of 1-999. The manual had some reference numbers for papers that were around at the time of writing. All long gone, of course...

Thinking about this, I now remember the bottom pot set the sensitivity and therefore there was little influence of the top pots (for Y and M) on the exposure time. I recall dialing things in was really straightforward; I guess this was one of the reasons why.

About that manual - there's one more string I might be able to pull; it slipped my mind. I might come back to it.

 

[moofy]

About that manual - there's one more string I might be able to pull; it slipped my mind. I might come back to it.

That would be very helpful, thank you.

 

[Guivd]

Here the english translated version (by deepl) from original german manual.

 

[moofy]

Here the english translated version (by deepl) from original german manual.

Thank you! Do you also just have the original? I know enough German that won't be a problem and this auto-translate is also a bit mangled.

 

[Guivd]

Thank you! Do you also just have the original? I know enough German that won't be a problem and this auto-translate is also a bit mangled.

here is it!

 

[Nige]

Just re-uploaded the photocopy of a photocopy version I have (I should have found this thread first and put it back in the same folder with the same name... however I didn't!)

Colorstar 2000 Manual

 

[moofy]

Thank you both!