Focomat V35 Voltage Regulator

Does anyone know what alternative Voltage Regulator can be used on the Focomat V35? Leica made a special voltage regulator but it is difficult to obtain second hand. I learned that using other voltage regulators can damage the enlarger? Is it true? Can I note use regulators from a different manufacturer?

Mine has a Chinese voltage regulator I bought here in Ethiopia hooked to it and there's never been a problem. Can it really matter as long as it regulates the voltage well? THere should be no interference with the V35's electronics from the voltage regulator.

Thanks mmccellan! What brands should I be looking at? I heard Meopta once made these devices also.

I can't help directly as I know nothing about the Focomat V35 but a few suggestions/observations occur.

A quick Google gave me this: http://www.bonavolta.ch/hobby/en/photo/v35suply.htm & http://www.bonavolta.ch/hobby/en/photo/v35.htm#Bulb Specifications

This shows that you need a 12V DC supply to provide a minimum of 75W to the lamp. This should be fairly easy to find - possibly a 3rd-party laptop power supply if you can find one at 12V and capable of supplying over 6.5A.

Good luck, Bob.

When mine Meopta transformer for 100W 12V halogen light die I will go to home lighting shop, and buy transformer for that light. And instead to pay 200Euros for stabilized transformer with "Photo" word written on it bought in photo supply shop, I will pay 30 Euros for same transformer bought in "general lighting" shop. OK, maybe will not be same transformer, but will be same purpose transformer, that is stabilized transformer for 100W 12v halogen lamp...

It is not worth to pay 170 Euros just to have word "photo" written on it...

I know you talked about regulator, not simply transformer, but it is same pattern. Buy general purpose regulator in electric shop, not photo dedicated in photo shop, and you will have same thing for much less money.

Only thing is connectors may be different. But with basic knowledge of electric wiring, that is simple thing to do. If you ever changed electric cable for let say reading lamp, it needs same knowledge to change connectors/cables for your enlarger/power supply combo. Of course, my advice is: Do not do it yourself, let trained and authorized electrician to do that!!!!!!!

We here just learned to improvize, but, on the other hand, we here don't have to follow EU or USA or who knows whos rules and regulations

V35s plug into the wall, ergo you need to make sure the power coming from the wall is correct and steady. Any regulator will get you to that point. I've hauled my V35 through several countries with wildly unstable power grids and always used the "cheap Chinese brand-you-never-heard-of" voltage regulators and transformers and have never had a problem.

Just make sure that whatever you ultimately plug into is giving the enlarger the power level the manual says you need and as long as it's reasonably steady, you're good to go.