Enlarger frustration

[Sirius Glass]

Does your enlarger have two brightness levels, like my Omega does?

 

[logan2z]

Does your enlarger have two brightness levels, like my Omega does?

Yes, on and off

Kidding, no, just one brightness level.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Call FreeStyle 800 292 6137 or the Darkroom Doctor http://www.darkroomdoctor.com/ Dave and Nora Smith 323 227 1869.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

I just realized that the Heiland LED light source requires a separate controller. The combined cost of the LED light source and the BW controller for the v35 is $1200. I think I may just put up with some longish print times...

You could try to modify the enlarger to get more light going in the right direction. From what I understand the original bulb projected the light in a narrower angle than the replacements. You could place some reflective material in a tube in front of the bulb to direct the light that you are losing. Just doing that could significantly improve your situation.

You could probably rewire it to change the bulb to something much brighter, or maybe find a brighter bulb.

Or you could build your own LED unit like the Heiland. RGB LEDs are out there. I was looking into doing it with my Focomat 1c but it doesn't really lend itself to that since it is a straight condenser enlarger. I haven't figured out a way to diffuse the LEDs for my purpose. The V35 has the mixing box to do that for you though. Should be a pretty simple thing to do actually. If I had a V35 i'd do it in a heartbeat. It looks like Heiland just replaces the filter module with LEDs so you could do the same, assuming you could handle the design and such.

Hope that gives you some ideas/helps you out.

 

[John51]

You could use a dimmer on the 75w bulb.

 

[kingbuzzie]

I did some research on LED bulbs, and was left with doubts about their suitability to the enclosed housing of my Omega enlarger. I also had questions about lag time to start and afterglow as well as the output spectrum when using VC papers.

I wouldn't worry about the enclosed housing warning. You probably wouldn't have the bulb on long enough for that to be an issue. I'm using a cree "bright white" 3000k led bulb in my durst 606 with some success. It has a 90+ cri that seems to work well enough for me (but I don't get to use my darkroom very often). Perhaps someone with more hours logged or better expectations might see it differently.

Also remember the issue with heat with an led bulb is around the BASE more than it is projecting down.

 

[BMbikerider]

I have LED lights throughout my home. The ones in the bathroom have a definite lag time of at least .5 second. Many LED bulbs specs state that they are not to be used in enclosed fixtures.

I can only suggest that there is a problem with that particular bulb. LED lights do NOT have any lag when switching on. You can see this every day in cars where you can tell from watching the direction indicators when they are fitted with LED bulbs. The blinking on/off is instant when compared to a normal tungsten bulb. It could be you have a small problem with your household circuitry. If it is only in the bathroom, then the contacts may have deteriorated due to moisture when showering or bathing.

 

[Pieter12]

In another room, I have new LED recessed lighting with new wiring and dimmers. The lag is even worse. I am not an electrical engineer but I think there is a range of performance depending on the associated electronics used to power the LEDs. Cars use 12VDC, maybe the LED arrays they use can run directly off that.

 

[glbeas]

Even if there is a lag as long as its consistent it can be compensated for. However I think the lag is in the circuitry, Ive seen older led bulbs do this but mostly the newer better brand bulbs dont. I have to wonder if there is a difference between the dimmable and the non dimmable leds as far as lag time.

 

[Paul Howell]

I use GE LEDs, no lag time what so ever.

 

[Ron789]

Forget about the V35, get a Focomat 1c instead and equip it with a LED bulb. The 1c is a much better built enlarger than the v35 and you don't have the problem with the bulbs. I had exactly the same experience with the V35; apart from the bulb the V35 has several other weak spots, the polystyrene light box with plastic condensor(s) being one; they decay over time.

 

[mshchem]

You could use a dimmer on the 75w bulb.

Yes, one could even get a Beseler Resitrol.

 

[logan2z]

Forget about the V35, get a Focomat 1c instead and equip it with a LED bulb. The 1c is a much better built enlarger than the v35 and you don't have the problem with the bulbs. I had exactly the same experience with the V35; apart from the bulb the V35 has several other weak spots, the polystyrene light box with plastic condensor(s) being one; they decay over time.

I've actually been keeping my eye out for a nice 1c but haven't come across one yet.

FWIW I checked out the light box before I bought my v35 and it was in perfect shape, but point taken.

 

[logan2z]

Yes, one could even get a Beseler Resitrol.

That's an option, but I much prefer the ergonomics of the v35 to the 23C. But I'm considering going back to the 23C if I can't get this bulb issue worked out.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

I've actually been keeping my eye out for a nice 1c but haven't come across one yet.

FWIW I checked out the light box before I bought my v35 and it was in perfect shape, but point taken.

Someone is selling a 1c with easel and two lenses for $150 over at LFF. You have to have an account there for one month before you can see the postings, but he goes by Dr. Tang and he is in Santa Barbara. You might want to look him up and send him a pm. Hard to go wrong with a 1c for $150....

 

[Arklatexian]

I have LED lights throughout my home. The ones in the bathroom have a definite lag time of at least .5 second. Many LED bulbs specs state that they are not to be used in enclosed fixtures.

Do all or most LED bulbs state that they are not to be used in enclosed fixtures? I have not seen that on any I have bought and that would rule out several enclosed light fixtures in my home as well as in my darkroom.......Regards!

 

[Arklatexian]

Does your enlarger have two brightness levels, like my Omega does?

Why yes Sirius, it has a switch that says off/on. Sorry, I just could not resist. Actually I am interested in what you are talking about. My Omega does not have such an ability (D11V.....Old Model D2V)........Regards!

 

[logan2z]

Someone is selling a 1c with easel and two lenses for $150 over at LFF. You have to have an account there for one month before you can see the postings, but he goes by Dr. Tang and he is in Santa Barbara. You might want to look him up and send him a pm. Hard to go wrong with a 1c for $150....

Thanks, I've contacted him.

 

[Chan Tran]

I have LED lights throughout my home. The ones in the bathroom have a definite lag time of at least .5 second. Many LED bulbs specs state that they are not to be used in enclosed fixtures.

I don't know perhaps some circuitry in your LED bulb does that. LED's have been used to flash at 40KHz rate in phototoelectric sensing application. For application like fiber optics data transmission I think it would be in the GHz rate.

 

[jim10219]

Do all or most LED bulbs state that they are not to be used in enclosed fixtures? I have not seen that on any I have bought and that would rule out several enclosed light fixtures in my home as well as in my darkroom.......Regards!

The issue is heat. While they generate less heat than a standard bulb, they are much more susceptible to the effects of overheating. If you're using short exposure times, I don't think this would be much of an issue. If it is, you could look at things like heat sinks or fans to control the temperature. Most of the time, heat is only really a big concern with the higher wattage LED's. Lower wattage LED's usually do fine. I mean, think of how many LED flashlights there are out there in enclosed spaces. You could give it a try. If it doesn't work, it'll blow out your LED bulb. If that happens, try a new bulb with some cooling regime.

As for lag, they don't have any practical lag or afterglow, unlike a fluorescent bulb. If they do, then there's something going on at the power supply level. That's why LED's are used for highspeed optical data transference. They can quickly switch on and off hundreds of thousands of times a second, which is why they're used in fiber optic data connections. Even a standard incandescent bulb can't do that.

 

[logan2z]

Ugh now I'm getting flickering in the v35. I wonder if there's problem (eg. corrosion) with the bulb socket/wiring. Has anyone ever changed the socket out on a v35? I'm not entirely sure how to do it and don't want to damage anything by experimenting.

The Beseler is starting to look pretty good to me again...

 

[Sirius Glass]

Why yes Sirius, it has a switch that says off/on. Sorry, I just could not resist. Actually I am interested in what you are talking about. My Omega does not have such an ability (D11V.....Old Model D2V)........Regards!

My Super Chromega 5D XL has a choice of Off, White [no filters], High, and Low.

 

[Paul Howell]

The Chromega color head has the high low switch, (last time I used a D5 color head was in the AF in the mid 70s) a standard condenser head is just on off. So do have a color head or the standard head? Where a high and low setting would have in handy was was the Omega cold light.

 

[Paul Howell]

Thinking about it, one to have a high low feature on a condenser head with most enlargers is have 3 way light socket installed, one that will work with LED bulbs. Only problem is how to extend the switch arm far enough to be turned up or down without taking the enlarger head off.

 

[koraks]

As for lag, they don't have any practical lag or afterglow, unlike a fluorescent bulb. If they do, then there's something going on at the power supply level.

This is oversimplified a bit. There certainly is afterglow with some LEDs, and there can be two sources/causes: 1. filter capacitance in the power supply; basically the cap discharges through the led, which will make the led burn (decreasingly) for up to a few tenths of a second. 2. Much more prevalent and impactful: many contemporary white led bulbs employ a phosphor just like CFL's do. The LEDs themselves emit UV and the phosphorous coating on the lamp enclosure (the bulb itself, or sometimes even on the led die) turns this into broad-spectrum visible light. This is good for the CRI and also to prevent flicker, but the downside (for us) is a noticeable afterglow that can last up to a second or even more (of course, light intensity decreases). While for most purposes this is not problematic, in an enlarger setup, it's something you'd have to compensate for.

Of course, 'bare' leds (not led bulbs with their integrated circuitry and packaging) switch somewhere in the low-us range, i.e. much faster than we would need in any realistic darkroom scenario. However, the story is really very much different when talking white led bulbs that are supposed to go in any old socket in your home.