Fujimoto CP51 troubleshooting

I recently picked up a Fujimoto CP51 processor and am having some issues getting it up and running.

Upon first setup, I primed both pumps by pouring water directly into the drain hole with a funnel until water started to dribble out of the spray bars. I then filled the rest of the baths up with water. After turning the machine on, the pumps and motor were firing and everything seemed good.

After a few minutes, I heard the pumps and motor shut off. The spray bar stopped emitting water and the gears were no longer turning, but the machine was still on. The fan was still running and the LCD was still lit. At first I thought the machine had just gone into standby mode, but I did find it odd that it happened after only a handful of minutes. To my knowledge, standby kicks in at around 45 minutes with no paper being fed in. I tried turning the machine off and back on again and each time, the fan kicks on but the motor and pumps do not operate.

I've been stuck in this state for a while now. I have tried dumping the water and repeating the same process (prime both pumps, fill with water, turn on) 3 or 4 times. The results are the same. When I turn the machine on, I can hear the fan turn on but both the motor and pumps don't run.

I'm using a voltage transformer with a 220V output and power rating of 3000W, which should be more than enough for the processor.

Looking for any and all advice. I've opened it up and checked all electrical connections for any physical trauma and everything seems to be good, although I haven't tested anything with a multimeter. Since the fan still turns on, I'm guessing it's not an issue with a blown fuse. The 10A fuse on the exterior of the machine in the back is intact. My current hypothesis is that the mechanism of the pumps or motor (or both) broke somehow, but I didn't hear any noise suggesting any mechanical failure when they shut off.

Any thoughts?

Have you tried inserting a piece of paper?

Could be a thermal cutoff, thermistor maybe?

mshchem said:

Have you tried inserting a piece of paper?

Could be a thermal cutoff, thermistor maybe?

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I have tried inserting a piece of paper with no luck unfortunately. I initially thought it was the standby system kicking in but when turning the machine off and on did nothing to turn on the motor and pumps, I have deduced that it is not in standby. The IR sensors could be broken which would force the machine into standby but again, the machine should wake up from standby mode after turning off and on regardless of the IR sensors or whether paper is being inserted.

Not too sure about thermal cutoff. Are you suggesting that the pumps and motor are turning off because the temperature of the water is being read as higher than the set temperature? If so, wouldn't the motor that transports the paper and turns the rollers continue running even if the pump turns off?

My experience with electric motors, not processors, there's a protection circuit in electric motors that trip when they get really hot. You could feel the case of the motor. Not warm but hot enough you have to let go.

There's a lot of experts here, let's see what they think.

mshchem said:

My experience with electric motors, not processors, there's a protection circuit in electric motors that trip when they get really hot. You could feel the case of the motor. Not warm but hot enough you have to let go.

There's a lot of experts here, let's see what they think.

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Ah I see. The processor definitely was not hot when the motor and pumps stopped working. Hopefully someone can chime in with some more suggestions.

_slee_ said:

I have tried inserting a piece of paper with no luck unfortunately. I initially thought it was the standby system kicking in but when turning the machine off and on did nothing to turn on the motor and pumps, I have deduced that it is not in standby.

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Can still be a defect in that part though. Do you happen to have the schematics/wiring diagrams for this unit?

Does this unit have one motor or several?

koraks said:

Can still be a defect in that part though. Do you happen to have the schematics/wiring diagrams for this unit?

Does this unit have one motor or several?

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I do not have the schematics/wiring diagrams unfortunately.

It has one main motor that moves the rollers to transport the paper and two pumps to circulate the chemistry.

OK, well, could be anything related to that motor, including a faulty capacitor. Can you see a capacitor mounted to the motor housing?

I used two CP-51 over the years in my darkroom. The first was one of the first that they offered and was 110 volt, the newer one was the 220 volt version. They both worked well and were great processors. I just looked and I have three manuals, one is an extensive parts list with schematics and I have two instruction manuals. I suspect that one of your problems is your power supply. I had a dedicated 220 line in my darkroom and when the processor was running my power bills were through the roof.
PM me and I can send these manuals to you as I no longer have the processors.

Robert Ley said:

I used two CP-51 over the years in my darkroom. The first was one of the first that they offered and was 110 volt, the newer one was the 220 volt version. They both worked well and were great processors. I just looked and I have three manuals, one is an extensive parts list with schematics and I have two instruction manuals. I suspect that one of your problems is your power supply. I had a dedicated 220 line in my darkroom and when the processor was running my power bills were through the roof.
PM me and I can send these manuals to you as I no longer have the processors.

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Hi Robert, I can't send a PM for some reason, maybe because my account is too new. Can you PM me? Thanks!

samlee_photo said:

Hi Robert, I can't send a PM for some reason, maybe because my account is too new. Can you PM me? Thanks!

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I reported this to our moderators they'll set you up.

samlee_photo said:

Hi Robert, I can't send a PM for some reason, maybe because my account is too new. Can you PM me? Thanks!

Click to expand...

mshchem said:

I reported this to our moderators they'll set you up.

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And so we have!

MattKing said:

And so we have!

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Well done Sir!

Did you ever figure out what the issue was? I'm in the process of setting up a CP-51 as well.

Would love a copy of those manuals if they're online anywhere/scanned.

I know it's frustrating when the machine refuses to cooperate after such a short time of use. It seems like the problem might be deeper than just typical issues like blown fuses. Maybe there's indeed something wrong with the pump or motor mechanism. Do you have the means to check the power voltage for the motor with a multimeter? That might help rule out a power supply issue. If you don't hear any strange sounds, the fault might be more subtle.

Best regands Christopher

Robert Ley said:

I used two CP-51 over the years in my darkroom. The first was one of the first that they offered and was 110 volt, the newer one was the 220 volt version. They both worked well and were great processors. I just looked and I have three manuals, one is an extensive parts list with schematics and I have two instruction manuals. I suspect that one of your problems is your power supply. I had a dedicated 220 line in my darkroom and when the processor was running my power bills were through the roof.
PM me and I can send these manuals to you as I no longer have the processors.

Click to expand...

Hello Robert,
I was surprised to see your post.
I am currently working on repairing a CP-51 and WD module that have been in operation for many years.
However, here in Japan there are no manuals with parts lists and circuit diagrams available. I was able to determine that the CP-51 main unit is not able to send signals to the WD module, but the repair is not yet complete.
If possible, could you kindly send me a copy of the manual you have?

Thank you very much in advance.