Heiland SPL-COMF

In the Monochrom catalog I found this item, the Heiland SPL-COMF Comfortbox http://monochrom.com/cc/monoc/shop/rmiArt003.asp?artnum=00021995
, which seems to replace the normal light bulb in the enlarger. I can't find much other information on it. Does anyone has experience with it?

If you Google 'Heiland Electronic" you should find this item described under their product list.

What you're refering to (Monochrome) is the new cold light source (high bright LED).

The Comfort Module is an extra to connect to the existing Heiland Split Grade (TM) console to have faster access to the menus and have a visible indication for the zones.

http://www.heilandelectronic.de/

Best regards,

Robert

Additional info of the LED light source:

http://www.schwarzweiss-magazin.de/swmag_frame_aktuell.htm

December 2006.

Hans Berkhout said:

If you Google 'Heiland Electronic" you should find this item described under their product list.

Click to expand...

I looked at their website before I wrote my E-mail, but the information is very minimal (unless I looked at the wrong place). This is what I found:

* Description (for enlargers and cold light heads): Splitgrade® Comfort Control Interface
* Delivery content / Remarks: Could be attached to all existing Splitgrade® controllers

For me the description implies that it is something to be used in combination with a cold light heads but the info on Monochrom suggests that it is the cold head.

In the download section you can find the description and the whole manuals of mentioned instruments.

Fotohuis said:

In the download section you can find the description and the whole manuals of mentioned instruments.

Click to expand...

Thank you for your quick response, but I am still puzzled. The Monochrom website shows a cold light head (Splitgrade-Kaltlicht-Kopf) and calls it "SPL-COMF Comfortbox". The Heiland website shows a control interface and says it is a control interface that is to be used in combination with the splitgrade module and also calls it "SPL-COMF Comfortbox". It doesn't give any suggestion that it is a cold light head itself. Also on your website (Heiland darkroom equipment) mentions a "Coldlight source split grade also deliverable". Is this coldlight source the same as shown on the Monochrom website. Could it be that the description on the Monochrom website (SPL-COMF Comfortbox) is not correct? Is the coldlight source you mention the same as e.g. the "SPL-CL1" that Heiland mentions on it's website? A lot of questions, sorry.

Yes, you got it.

A complete Split Grade unit is the console + filter unit.
Additional you can have the comfort module with it.

Instead of the filter unit (or a rebuild enlarger head for some enlarger systems) you can buy a cold light source now.

This latest development with high bright LEDs have a long lifetime and build in are also the RED LEDs for replacing your red filter on your enlarger. When doing the split grade exposure the system will show you just before the red image so that you can also do burn & dodgeing in split grade on the right place you want it. Very sofisticated and a very nice system. You will get the best out of the MG paper and negative. All sensiometric parameters of the different MG papers are pre-programmed in their system. In one measurement you will have the right exposure time and gradation which is effectively exposed as magenta and yellow (or vice versa, software selectable) filtered light on the MG photo paper.

Hope to be helpfull with you.

Robert

Fotohuis said:

Yes, you got it.

A complete Split Grade unit is the console + filter unit.
Additional you can have the comfort module with it.

Instead of the filter unit (or a rebuild enlarger head for some enlarger systems) you can buy a cold light source now.

This latest development with high bright LEDs have a long lifetime and build in are also the RED LEDs for replacing your red filter on your enlarger. When doing the split grade exposure the system will show you just before the red image so that you can also do burn & dodgeing in split grade on the right place you want it. Very sofisticated and a very nice system. You will get the best out of the MG paper and negative. All sensiometric parameters of the different MG papers are pre-programmed in their system. In one measurement you will have the right exposure time and gradation which is effectively exposed as magenta and yellow (or vice versa, software selectable) filtered light on the MG photo paper.

Hope to be helpfull with you.

Robert

Click to expand...

You are great. Finally, my cerebral LEDs start glowing. I am using a Durst M70 condensor enlarger (I don't have a halogen lamp unit). So I would probably need an SPL-CL2, since the SPL-D4 assumes that you have the halogen lamp unit already in place.

So far the Split Grade system could be only used with diffuse enlarging systems, indeed equipped with a HLX lamp.

Precise information of the new cold light sources with LEDs I even do not have from Heiland. I only know he's building them on request in very small series for 35mm, 6x9cm and 4x5" and even larger, enlarging systems since a few months.
Existing customers have always the possibility to upgrade their system with the cold light source unit only.

The additional Comfort module gets the power and communication via the RS232 cable which is suplied already with the Console and normally only used to retrieve the new software version (actual V2,4) from the computer to the Heiland Console.
A new version is expected soon (V2,5) hopefully now with some pre-programmed Foma papers.

Fotohuis said:

So far the Split Grade system could be only used with diffuse enlarging systems, indeed equipped with a HLX lamp.

Precise information of the new cold light sources with LEDs I even do not have from Heiland. I only know he's building them on request in very small series for 35mm, 6x9cm and 4x5" and even larger, enlarging systems since a few months.
Existing customers have always the possibility to upgrade their system with the cold light source unit only.

The additional Comfort module gets the power and communication via the RS232 cable which is suplied already with the Console and normally only used to retrieve the new software version (actual V2,4) from the computer to the Heiland Console.
A new version is expected soon (V2,5) hopefully now with some pre-programmed Foma papers.

Click to expand...

According to the Heiland website the SPL-CL1/2/3 include the "Controller, probe, foot switch, cables" (part 1) and "Heiland LED cold light source and adapter" (part 6), which implies that they include the cold light head. Probably, some adapter is needed to fit it to a specific enlarger (?).

If you equip your enlarger with a dichroic color head, you'll be able to use the Heiland Splitgrade system in the "manual" mode and save some money; all you need is the Splitgrade Controller with the probe (and footswitch if desired). You'll be amazed at the speed with which you'll produce acceptable prints eg snapshots- for perfect "fine" prints you need some experience/practice with the set-up.

You don't need the Heiland enlarger light source/filter unit right away, nor the Comfort interface. Unless that's what you're after from the start.

When using the dichroic head you probe the high resp low density areas of the projected negative, and the Splitgrade Controller will tell you to dial in the resp filters; it functions as enlarging timer as well, setting a different time for each filter and in doing so achieving the right contrast for your chosen VC paper.

Can the LED cold light source be used with a Beseler 45 VXL or 45 MXT enlarger?

Does it have both blue and green channels in addition to the red?

What is the price in US dollars?

Is it comaptable with 120V and an RH Designs StopClock Pro timer?

Thanks.

Probably, some adapter is needed to fit it to a specific enlarger (?).

Click to expand...

Yes, the adapter is customer made for each different enlarger, that's one of the reasons the price is pretty high.

But you can also order the cold light source seperately. The same is valid for the Console only where you can do Split Grade manually. Price: Eur. 824,00 (19% VAT included for Europe).

SPL-B1: Split Grade for Beseler 45 (1+3) for Eur. 1300,00 is available so I expect also the cold light source must be possible then. For this enlarger a complete rebuild of the HLX colorhead is necessary. For the cold light I have no idea. You should e-mail Jürgen Heiland for that. I know Split Grade is available also for 115-120V/60Hz.

The complete prices for the cold light systems incl. the Split Grade Console are as follows:
SPL-CL1 (35mm): Eur. 1400,00
SPL-CL2 (6x9cm): Eur. 1643,00
SPL-CL3 (4x5" ) : Eur. 2000,00

(19% VAT included).

In case of a rebuild system (1+3) you have to sent in the color head to Wetzlar in Germany.

Most flexible are the modular type enlargers where (1+2) means that the customer can do the changing to Split Grade themself. Dunco II 66/67; Durst Modular 70; Jobo/LPL 4x5"; Kienzle A35/T67/T69 ; Kaiser Sys V ; Leitz V35; you can do yourself.
1+5 menas an extra adapter and transformer also possible to install by the customer:
Agfa Varioscope; Ahel 12; Durst M700 kond. ; Leitz 1C/2C.

All other enlargers needed upgrade/rebuild unless you decide for manual Split Grade. Later on you can always go for a full auto system or the upgrade to the cold light source.

Best regards,

Robert

This is the latest info I have received from the cold light source. You can use this type also on condensor systems only:
++++++++++++++++
Do you want a Splitgrade system but your enlarger is
not yet supported? Are you happy with your enlarger
and don't want to change it? Maybe it's an older
condenser enlarger but still working well. Or are you
unhappy about losing the ability to print colour after
modifying a colour head to work with the Splitgrade
system?
Here is our solution: Simply replace the complete light
source of your enlarger with our brand new cold light
source. This works independently of your existing light
source type, even a condenser enlarger can be
equipped with the latest modern Heiland cold light
source.
Instead of the usual neon tubes, our system uses hundreds of super bright LED´s in 3 colours
(blue, green and red) leading to several advantages like
• No light drift – stable light from the first millisecond of exposure.
• Near white light for focussing purposes
• Insensitive to mechanical shock
• Can be adapted in size to your invividual enlarger
• Emits paper safe red light to target burn in areas
With only 25% of the power consumption of traditional halogen tungsten light sources, our light
source produces an equivalent light intensity. No fan is needed.
The light falloff in the corners of the negative is eliminated with our light source. The life time of
the LED´s is several thousand hours, no replacement of LED´s is expected.
The cold light source is controlled directly by the Splitgrade controller; existing controllers can
be used by simply updating the software.
We adapt the size of the light source for your existing enlarger, at the moment we offer three
sizes for
• 35mm negatives
• up to 6x9 negatives
• up to 4x5 inch negatives
Other sizes could be produced on demand – please contact us.
+++++++++++++++++++++++

incl. pictures:
Dead Link Removed