How to spruce up Omega D5500 dichroic filter mechanism?

hal9000 · Jul 29, 2007

I just picked up a plethora of Omega D5500 equipment (3 heads, 4 controllers, lots of negative masks etc.) after watching the video of Allen Ross on this month's Lens Work (he raves about this enlarger). I found a photographer in Hamburg who does catalogs and he has switched to digital and has no more use for these enlargers. Lucky me! I have been trying everything out and it seems like most everything works. The filter mechanisms in all the heads sound a little rough though and I would like to try and clean one thoroughly and restore it to smooth function as best I can. Can anyone provide any information on how to do this? I read somewhere that there are small rubber bits that move the dichroic filters into place via friction and that these can be adjusted and cleaned, it would be great if someone could provide a brief guide before I start to disassemble one of the heads.
BTW: I have the Controller III version with the closed loop automatic dichroic lamphouses.

hal9000 · Jul 31, 2007

Just in case anyone searches this thread looking for answers, I found the following in an old usenet post by someone named Jim. I haven't managed to buy replacement grommets yet, but after disassembling it looks like this will solve the problem. Here Jim's post:

The problem with this color head is that the little rubber wheels on the ends of the motor shafts used to move the filters in/out of the light path ... either wear out (like pencil erasers rubbing on a hard surface) or get "softer" (goopy, even) over long period of time. Pull the front access panel off the head; disconnect the little ribbon cable from the color-probe on the front of the mixing chamber; pull the mixing chamber out of the head. Now, you'll see a flat aluminum plate with 3 screws on its face. Remove the screws and you'll see the first filter; (sorry, don't recall which one is 1st, 2nd, 3rd); you can see the motor shaft and drive wheel (rubber). If you remove and inspect each one of these, I think you will find your problem with the magenta filter. What I did was to scrape off the old gum rubber things and clean the motor shafts with turpentine, then acetone solvents. when really clean, replace the rubber things with (black) hard(er) rubber grommets just barely larger than the shaft, so they fit tight. I first did this with one filter (cause it was the only problem) then I just (last weekend, as a matter of fact) did the other two, to get everything up to snuff.

hal9000 · Aug 1, 2007

finished the job

I seem to be talking to myself in this thread, but maybe it will be useful to someone in the future. I finished the job, for the grommets I simply used a short piece of 8mm aquarium tubing, cost me 11 cents and works very nicely. Now my unit calibrates to zero (white light) and the filters move nice and smoothly.

Ed Sukach · Aug 1, 2007

hal9000 said:
I seem to be talking to myself in this thread, but maybe it will be useful to someone in the future. I finished the job, for the grommets I simply used a short piece of 8mm aquarium tubing, cost me 11 cents and works very nicely. Now my unit calibrates to zero (white light) and the filters move nice and smoothly.

I have had to replace the Omega 5500 "driving wheels" before - I was forced to buy replacements form Omega - something like US$ 90 for the "set" - aluminum shafts with plastic wheels on the ends. The 'fix" required disassembly of the D5500 Dichro head and the purchase of a 1/16th Allen wrench. Not a heck of a lot of fun.

One thing I would suggest: be extremely careful when having anything to do with the Heat Glass, the IR filter directly in front of the halogen lamp. I've already gone through three of those puppies at $60 each - and the unit will NOT calibrate without them.

I will most certainly keep this in mind: "8mm Aquarium Tubing". I think I'll buy a meter or two of that right now, and be prepared.

Thank you for the information.

ic-racer · Jun 6, 2009

In case anyone finds this thread the dimensions of the rubber wheels are as follows:

Shaft = 8mm
Rubber Outer Diameter = 11mm
Rubber width = 5mm

amaruphotography · Feb 2, 2010

I am trying to use a D5500 that hasn't been used for a few years now. for some reason, i can't seem to zero the cyan on my mixing chamber, but Magenta and Yellow are just fine. I simply get the Cyan to display "--" or "45." when i turn it one way, (and i have to turn several times) it only goes from "--" all the way to "45" and vice versa. Is this a mechanical problem inside or could the rubber be worn down and causing it to malfunction? what do you think? I've never used this enlarger before, but the man who i got it from said that the rubber was recently replaced before the enlarger was ever shut down for storage. I don't know what to think! i need to get printing asap though.

ic-racer · Feb 2, 2010

The connector cable that attaches the mixing chamber sensor to the power board on the head should be treated with "DeOxit" That connector carries very low voltages and just the smallest bit of oxidation on the contacts will cause it to act up.

Also, if the head is off the enlarger and sitting on a colored surface, it can have trouble zeroing.

Let me know if it is still not right as there may be other things to check.

amaruphotography · Feb 3, 2010

ok, so i got that "DeOxit" today and tried it out. Still having trouble though.. i have this horrible feeling in my gut that there's something very complicated going on. When I start up the enlarger, I get the usual 18 888 888 888 888 across the board before it quickly turns to 'E--' over the Cyan, just a '0' over the Magenta, and a '0' over the Yellow (nothing else on the board). Then when while on the "White/Focus" mode, I enter "0" in an attempt to once again zero my machine. "-" shows up over the Cyan, "15" over the Magenta, and "-12" over the Yellow. For some reason, the Cyan just won't change from "-" Clockwise, Counter-Clockwise, nothing will make it budge.. the other day, I could get it to "45" but no luck today.

Another thing to note.. the light being exposed is very Cyan (not white at all). When I punch in settings for Magenta and Yellow (like 65 and 55 for example), I can hear something happening, but I notice no change in the color of the light. Also, when I then switch back to the "White/Focus" mode from the "Filter" mode, I can hear the machine doing something (moving the filters out of the way, right?), however, the light is still very Cyan and not any brighter from the "Filter" mode. Next, I shut the enlarger off and took out the mixing box to find that I could see (i think) all three filters still in the way. They're supposed to be out of the way so that WHITE LIGHT passes through, right?

I am going to change the lamp today if it ever comes in the mail to see if that has any miraculous effect, but it seems to me that some internal mechanism (which I know nothing about) is jammed or can't seem to move the filters correctly. Please let me know if you think there is anything I can do about this. Thanks!

amaruphotography · Feb 3, 2010

i think i figured out my problem..

so i'm pretty sure that my motor is busted!

i just got the lamp, replaced the old one, and continued to have the same troubles. after opening the top of the enlarger to familiarize myself with the internal components and figure out where the filters were, i discovered that the cyan filter was the only one in it's correct position. (According to the guy I spoke to from Omega, they are all supposed to raise out of the way of the light entering the mixing box.. correct?)

It appears to me that the motor is having trouble moving any of the filters at all and I'm afraid to even begin attempting this fix. Should I? Who is closest to MA who may be able to help me with this? How much is a D5500 color head worth with a busted motor? If it's not worth anything, I might just go ahead and carefully take it apart and learn a little about how it works. I wouldn't have anything else to lose!

One more set back to my brand new darkroom. wtf

ic-racer · Feb 3, 2010

Ok here is what I would do.
You can put either a standard Omega condenser head on the D5500 chassis or you can put a Chromega D head on there (there was an adapter on fleabay a few months ago).

D5500 heads do come up on ebay (I have 4) so that is also an option.

I would not hesitate to dig in and see what is going on. If you post pictures, likely I could help get it going again.

I have seem the rubber wheels non spinning because the little setscrew is not tight (common). I saw one motor shaft that was broken. I saw a motor with a bent mount or broken mount screw that did not touch the filter. It would be odd for the motor to die, they are pretty robust.

There is a shop manual available and it would be worthwihle to have.

amaruphotography · Feb 3, 2010

I'll start to carefully take it apart and see how much I can start understanding by looking at the manuals I have and the diagram of every bit, part, and screw on it. I'll do a better job investigating about that shop manual, but if you know off hand where I could order one, I think that might not be a bad idea. I'll be sure to take some good photographs to remember how it was all together to begin with, and show you what it's looking like. Maybe it won't be too bad after all and I'll learn some important things about it before I even get a print out of it. I gotta learn thes things one day.

ic-racer · Feb 3, 2010

You might find some info in this thread also:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

amaruphotography · Feb 4, 2010

So I fixed my enlarger and here was the trouble. While taking it apart and cleaning it a bit, i noticed that the cable connection from the motor to the circuit board or whatever wasn't aligned and whoever last worked on it was obviously thinking about something other than the enlarger cause it's sort of a silly mistake. Any how, I put it back together after realigning it and it took a few attempts to get it to stay zero-ed, but it's finally working. Thanks so much for your help! here's a pic if you're interested in taking a look

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amarupareja/4331438266/in/set-72157623228490619/

ic-racer · Feb 4, 2010

Nice work!!
I was using my D5500 last night and thinking of how it must feel to have a non-working enlarger.

Are you using the Translator-Controller? or the smaller controller? If you are using the bigger Translator-Controller, I find it works best for multigrade printing by putting it into "program" mode. That way the actual filter values you are using show up on the indicators. In the "Translator" mode, it normalizes the display so all the colors show 00.

Let me know, I can take you through it step by step if you have not already figured it out.

urbanvelocity · Jul 1, 2010

I love this forum. I just picked up a d5500 and could not get the cyan to move and zero out. I took it apart and saw the issue with the rollers and thanks to ic-racer I have the measurements and can go out tomorrow and get what I need.

Kenneth Martin · Oct 4, 2010

I've recently acquired a d5500 with dichroic lamphouse hooked up to controller III.
I get a 'no fan' error on the display on power up. Any one got a quick fix for this? The fan is on and working well, I've dismantled the head and all connectors seem to be connected properly. Does anyone know if the service manual goes into the depths of the circuit board? Ant advice would be well appreciated. Best wishes Ken

ic-racer · Oct 4, 2010

"No fan" is supposed to show when the little termistor mounted on the power supply board in the head reaches its critical temp like 60 degrees centigrade. My fan once went out and with shorter exposures I usually use, it never got hot enough to show that signal. If you get that signal right off then there obviously is an issue other than the fan.

The easiest fix would be if the little thermistor got bent and broken from prior tampering. It seems each time I take a power supply out it winds up getting a little bent.

The manual considers the power supply board a replaceable part, but the schematic is shown and you can go through there and diagnose things. For $35 each, I replaced every component to get 2 boards working again.
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Kenneth Martin · Oct 5, 2010

Many thanks for your reply ic-racer. I wish I knew as much about the electronics on this board as you do. I am at a loss at the minute as to which component on the board is the termistor? I have the service manual on order from the US but the machine is in bits in the UK. The Controller III displays on power up a load of garbled nonsense, then "no fan" appears. Such a shame as the color head was demonstrated to me as working fine when I picked it up. I am working on replacing the main rubber rollers and also the aquarium tubing fix on the color filter movers. Your previous posts have been really helpful. I really hope I can get the unit back working again other wise the enlarger will become a black and white only unit running off a simple switch to operate the lamp and fan. That would be a pity I feel.
On this image from your "replace everything on the board" posting where is the termistor located?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/ic-racer/PowerBoardPRE.jpg

Help! Has anyone got a pdf of the service manual by chance? Please email to printing@pumptruck.co.uk
Cheers, Ken

ic-racer · Oct 5, 2010

Here is the thermistor.
Though, if it worked recently, then you may be in good shape. Check for things like good connection at the cable attachment points on the Controller III and on the light mixing box. Is the bulb good?

Kenneth Martin · Oct 7, 2010

Thanks for the Photo. Bulb seems to work well. Also pleased to confirm that all the components seem to match up with your board. There is a thermister present and seems solidly attached to the board. Last night I removed the color filters for cleaning - they were really gunked up. I cleaned the machine up and made some beautiful black and white prints just using the switch. Later tonight I plan to do a few more larger 20" x 16" prints. Whilst the color aspect of the enlarger is at present not working I am delighted to actually be getting some use from my D5500 enlarger. When I have some more time on the weekend I'll get back under the bonnet and try to sort the electrics out. watch this space. cheers to ic-racer for his help here ... I'll be back... and post some photos of how I am getting on. Ken

ic-racer · Oct 7, 2010

Of course your controller may have gone bad. I fixed one controller with a garbled screen by replacing the IC indicated in the manuals troubleshooting chart. The ICs in the controller are all in sockets, so no soldering involved. Also, controllers can be purchased on e-bay frequently for cheap when not attached to an enlarger (and therefore no way to know if they work). The Controller I is a little easier to use for B&W multigrade printing.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Omega-D5500-Tra...253?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item563f11fe35

guyatou · Feb 3, 2011

OK, I'm having similar issues. (Go figure!) I bought two D5500s from a local photofinisher who claimed they were working 2 years ago when they packed them up. I identified the same rubber wheel problem that can be fixed with aquarium hose.

I did as instructed, but the dichroic filters fall when they get toward the top of their travel when I hit White. Then the Y channel goes to (---) on the Controller. What am I doing wrong?!? I've had this thing apart a million times now, to no avail! Even when I put it back together with the dichro filters in their highest position, the motors still ran like the devil once I hit white (which is ridiculous because it none of the filters were in the path of the light.)

Also, in the process I broke one of the IR/heat glass filters. Where can I get a replacement, and are they expensive? Everyone's favorite auction site doesn't have any listed. I'm using the one out of my second unit right now, but need to replace it eventually.

If this gets expensive or much more of a hassle, I may trash these and go back to my ailing MCR 45.

HELP! HAHA!

ic-racer · Feb 4, 2011

It is normal for all the motors to run and grind the rubber wheels after they reach the top in "white" mode. I actually never use this mode (unless setting the mixing box calibration screws).

If the filters fall then the rubber wheels are not making good contact. Are the springs that force the motor toward the filters installed correctly? Are the replacement rubber wheels big enough in diameter?

Here are some options for heat and IR absorbing glass: Dead Link Removed

guyatou · Feb 7, 2011

Thanks, IC! I really appreciate your quick response. I'll use the white mode sparingly once I get the thing calibrated and functional. (I have yet to get all the filters to zero out at the same time, which seems like a critical step.)

I might need to go up a size on the tubing, I guess. Are the sections of the tubing supposed to fit down inside the grooves on the motors' posts? The old wheels were longer than that, so I cut them a little longer than the groove and they slop over on the top and bottom. After looking again, that may be part of the derailing problem.

I have two D5500 units and I'm trying to get one ready to sell, and will keep the other one. I want to make sure the one I sell is in good shape before I let it go (and I want to make sure the one I'm keeping works before I ditch my ancient MCR!) At least the IR glass I broke isn't too expensive!

Cheers,

Michael

ic-racer · Feb 7, 2011

Unless you really need the money, you might consider keeping the other as a spare. I have a spare complete head and controller ready to go in case I have a problem during a printing session.

How to spruce up Omega D5500 dichroic filter mechanism?

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