Look at post #23 in the thread above.
Darkroom Portraits (Part 2)
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Thanks for your replies and the link to a thread I didn’t see on my research.
I have the new board unfortunately! But, I was thinking along the same lines as @CMoore about bypassing all the white light stuff etc and just controlling the lamp from a timer especially as the fan still works. The solution from @John51 seems worth looking into though I have no electronics/ electrical knowledge!
I have the new board unfortunately! But, I was thinking along the same lines as @CMoore about bypassing all the white light stuff etc and just controlling the lamp from a timer especially as the fan still works. The solution from @John51 seems worth looking into though I have no electronics/ electrical knowledge!
The lever is part of the "paper saver" and can be confusing and aggravating.
If you try to activate the enlarger lamp when it is in the white light mode it will not light the lamp. The head needs to be on and the lamp circuit on, filters in, pull the lever to take filters out, focus, then put the lever back to filters in.
The lever is for focusing, not for printing. The filters must be in before the lamp will light.
For printing with black and white, the lever should be left alone, unless you are using the filters for VC paper
The lamp will not light with the filters pulled out of the light path.
If you try to activate the enlarger lamp when it is in the white light mode it will not light the lamp. The head needs to be on and the lamp circuit on, filters in, pull the lever to take filters out, focus, then put the lever back to filters in.
The lever is for focusing, not for printing. The filters must be in before the lamp will light.
For printing with black and white, the lever should be left alone, unless you are using the filters for VC paper
The lamp will not light with the filters pulled out of the light path.
Thanks - I never use the lever even for focussing.
The "can" part pictured by @mshchem appears to be a bridge rectifier, which would be the black square with a clipped corner on the new style board. If the failure is the same (and rectifiers like that do fail; I have to replace one every so often on hoist motors I repair), it shouldn't be difficult to get a replacement for the black one -- the old "can" part might even fit (hard to be sure what the pin spacing is in two different photos, never mind without seeing the solder side of the board).
I THINK it is more of a LDR or some kind of Light/Opto activated switch.?
Opto-isolator, perhaps? Those were a lot smaller by even the 1990s.
Nicholas Lindan
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The part is a Vactrol, made by Vactec, catchy with their naming, aren't they?
Inside it is made from a lightbulb and a CdS cell. They were the opto-isolator of the 60's. Naturally, the light bulb burns out over the years.
https://www.datasheetarchive.com/pd...b2c065aa725cddb49b897e3238&type=O&term=VTL9B8
Used in guitar amplifiers to provide soft limiting - the lightbulb is driven by the amp output, if it glows brightly then the input is turned town by the CdS cell. (Or, maybe it was the other way 'round - keeping the music LOUD (insert smiley as needed - I hate the things)).
I used to know what function they served in this head but it quite escapes me. It could have been as a simple opto-isolator.
If someone else has a replacement available then that is by far the best solution to the problem.
Inside it is made from a lightbulb and a CdS cell. They were the opto-isolator of the 60's. Naturally, the light bulb burns out over the years.
https://www.datasheetarchive.com/pd...b2c065aa725cddb49b897e3238&type=O&term=VTL9B8
Used in guitar amplifiers to provide soft limiting - the lightbulb is driven by the amp output, if it glows brightly then the input is turned town by the CdS cell. (Or, maybe it was the other way 'round - keeping the music LOUD (insert smiley as needed - I hate the things)).
I used to know what function they served in this head but it quite escapes me. It could have been as a simple opto-isolator.
If someone else has a replacement available then that is by far the best solution to the problem.
The can is an optoisolator there are 2 on the old version. Beseler repaired some of these with as you have noted a little black cube. All this is on the older heads. The head in question, of Mr Miller's is a newer head, Beseler did a nice job on these. I don't think there's a iso in the newer version.
I bet it is something simple like a microswitch on that darn papersaver circuit.
I am using the Beseler Universal 45 heads. I have one set-up with the VC controller and one with the color controller, these have issues as well. RGB additive heads. 3 lamps. What could go wrong
Thanks everyone for the input. The one thing that stands out at the moment is the fault just appeared the other day when I switched on the unit. There had not been any signs of problems before that - especially thinking of the delays in the lamp starting late or intermittently - I had none of that. Thinking on the 'miscroswitch on the darn papersaver circuit' comment I will try and find that board next as I have gained access to the board on the fan side (the newer board shown on mshchem's post #455 above). Unfortunately i don't know any electronics experts around these parts and my minds fogs over when I look at all that stuff. I have found an LPL 5x4 enlarger which I'm going to collect next Tuesday which will do me, hopefully, for the forseeable but I don't want to give up on the Beseler.
A bit of history: I was given the Beseler enlarger and head by a long-time darkroom printer called Bob when I lived in Manchester, UK. He had this one and a Beseler 23c for MF. His wife tells the story how they were in New York and ended up in a photography store and she was asking Bob what they were doing in this store when it was beautiful weather outside. The assistant was showing Bob the 23c enlarger and Bob looked at his wife and said "You don't mind, do you? They brought the Beseler 23c back from the States on the plane in bags - him and his wife carried it back! He paid £23 at customs to bring it in. Dedication or what? Bob sadly died a couple of years ago though the 23c is still in his darkroom and his wife has offered it to me to collect when the pandemic lockdown ends.
A bit of history: I was given the Beseler enlarger and head by a long-time darkroom printer called Bob when I lived in Manchester, UK. He had this one and a Beseler 23c for MF. His wife tells the story how they were in New York and ended up in a photography store and she was asking Bob what they were doing in this store when it was beautiful weather outside. The assistant was showing Bob the 23c enlarger and Bob looked at his wife and said "You don't mind, do you? They brought the Beseler 23c back from the States on the plane in bags - him and his wife carried it back! He paid £23 at customs to bring it in. Dedication or what? Bob sadly died a couple of years ago though the 23c is still in his darkroom and his wife has offered it to me to collect when the pandemic lockdown ends.
Bob sounds like my kind of fellow. I drove 800 miles round trip once for an enlarger. Now I have 5 setup. 
"Hello.....my name is Bob...and I am an Enlarger Addict"Bob sounds like my kind of fellow. I drove 800 miles round trip once for an enlarger. Now I have 5 setup.
"Hello Bob".!
Yep
Bob sounds like my kind of fellow. I drove 800 miles round trip once for an enlarger. Now I have 5 setup.
You need two, maybe three more:
A Durst PRO 4x5
A Durst M601 w/LED
A Leica V35 with Color Head and LED
Available from yours truly
Which is to say I have too many; it's hard for me to let go of them. The M601 is my first enlarger and has been modified with a Heiland Splitgrade System - I doubt I will ever sell it. And so it goes.
I just did a measly (compared to yours) 280 mile round trip yesterday to Scotland to pick up an enlarger. Obviously, with all kinds of pandemic restrictions in place about 'essential travel', I had to have a good story in mind in case I was pulled over by the cops. ("Yes, officer, an enlarger IS essential!") Only saw one patrol car in the entire trip!
Bob sounds like my kind of fellow. I drove 800 miles round trip once for an enlarger. Now I have 5 setup.
Best treasure comes from going on the road. That's how I got my 8x10 and 5x7 enlargers. The person just wanted it gone. Worked out perfectly for me. I bought over 8000 dollars of equipment, about 15 years old for 300 bucks.
His wife was great, they were relieved someone wanted it. One man's junk is another's treasure
Some friend of a friend, 3 or 4 years back dropped off a 10 foot long SS Arkay sink, free! A professor who was retired, he moved into digital, didn't want to see it destroyed. I use it a lot.
His wife was great, they were relieved someone wanted it. One man's junk is another's treasure
Some friend of a friend, 3 or 4 years back dropped off a 10 foot long SS Arkay sink, free! A professor who was retired, he moved into digital, didn't want to see it destroyed. I use it a lot.
If someone offered me a 10ft SS Arkay sink I'd take it and then try and figure out somewhere to put it... although I have a good glass fibre sink so can't really complain.
I thought I would post an update on my Beseler Dichro 45S head. Last Friday I went to Manchester to see Sheila the widow of Bob who originally gave me the Beseler. Sheila is slowly dismantling Bob’s darkroom and wondered if I would like his Beseler 23C enlarger that was still installed. After a couple of hours dismantling it I loaded the enlarger into the car and Sheila gave me a box of spares saying the contents belonged to the enlarger - it was the negative holders and spare lamps etc. I arrived home and unpacked the box and found this and a lead and plug that fits on J2 on the card.
I was over the moon as you can imagine but not surprised as Bob bought everything in duplicate and also spares (I did have a nagging doubt that I was refitting an old card and hoped it was a new one!)
I had dismantled the Beseler 45 to make room for the LPL I bought so set about putting it all back together.
To cut a long story short I spent this afternoon setting up the enlarger again and fitted the new card and lead and lo and behold the head worked again! Thank you Bob!
The only thing is now I now have 3 enlargers - LPL, Beseler 45 and 23.......
I was over the moon as you can imagine but not surprised as Bob bought everything in duplicate and also spares (I did have a nagging doubt that I was refitting an old card and hoped it was a new one!)
I had dismantled the Beseler 45 to make room for the LPL I bought so set about putting it all back together.
To cut a long story short I spent this afternoon setting up the enlarger again and fitted the new card and lead and lo and behold the head worked again! Thank you Bob!
The only thing is now I now have 3 enlargers - LPL, Beseler 45 and 23.......
Congratulations !
There are worse problems to have...
I startet building my darkroom in November last year. Measuring just 14ft x 4 1/2ft space is quite limited. But it´s app. 10ft high, so I´ll build storage space under the ceiling. And the right wall is the wall to the kitchen - water and kitchen hood in easy reach!
The original plan showed mostly benches, but I decided for more flexibility with only a minimum permanent workbench and all boxes, enlargers, workspaces on wheels for a maximum of flexibility.
First practical steps were removing the old suspended ceiling and building the drywall construction including wiring, pastering walls etc..
The original plan showed mostly benches, but I decided for more flexibility with only a minimum permanent workbench and all boxes, enlargers, workspaces on wheels for a maximum of flexibility.
First practical steps were removing the old suspended ceiling and building the drywall construction including wiring, pastering walls etc..
March - works are nearly finished. It needed ages to get all the small bits and pieces due to closed shops.
Walls are cladded with 2mm PVC sheet, shelf rack system for the workbench.
The sink is adjusted to it´s final height.
Darkroom - South end:
Darkroom - North end:
For large prints I can roll out all enlargers and boxes in a couple of minutes and project horizontally against the wall.
Walls are cladded with 2mm PVC sheet, shelf rack system for the workbench.
The sink is adjusted to it´s final height.
Darkroom - South end:
Darkroom - North end:
For large prints I can roll out all enlargers and boxes in a couple of minutes and project horizontally against the wall.
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