Ilford 1050 RC Print Dryer not heating

henryyjjames · Dec 26, 2022

Hey all,
I'm home from college and working in my darkroom, and I've discovered that my Ilford 1050 RC print dryer will not heat up. I left it running for a while, and it didn't change temperature. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do or what the problem might be? I'd rather get some insight before I start taking it apart myself.
Thanks!

fgorga · Dec 26, 2022

Did you check the fuse, located just above the power cord?

henryyjjames · Dec 26, 2022

fgorga said:
Did you check the fuse, located just above the power cord?

Hmm. I will when I get home tomorrow. I'm pretty bummed that it's not working; I literally spent all semester waiting to come home and use it .

henryyjjames · Dec 26, 2022

Also, if anyone has a high-res copy of the manual I'd appreciate it.

lensman_nh · Dec 26, 2022

It might be worth reaching out to Ilford Photo here as well. While they won't have parts, they may have some documentation that would help you from before the pre-Harmann days. The worst that can happen is they say they don't have anything.

henryyjjames · Dec 26, 2022

lensman_nh said:
It might be worth reaching out to Ilford Photo here as well. While they won't have parts, they may have some documentation that would help you from before the pre-Harmann days. The worst that can happen is they say they don't have anything.

I already did reach out. Currently waiting for a response.

mshchem · Dec 27, 2022

Check for oxidation on the quartz heaters, 3 I believe. These are amazing dryers. I think there are manuals available to see and download at Ilford

peoplemerge · Dec 27, 2022

I had a similar problem. I know enough about electronics to check out basics, but was frustrated. I took mine to a local electronics repair guy who works on amplifiers, small kitchen appliances etc. He charged me about $150 and fixed the several issues that it had.

fgorga · Dec 27, 2022

henryyjjames said:
Also, if anyone has a high-res copy of the manual I'd appreciate it.

The first result when I googled "Ilford 1050 RC Print Dryer" is a link to a pdf on Ilfords website.

peoplemerge · Dec 27, 2022

fgorga said:
The first result when I googled "Ilford 1050 RC Print Dryer" is a link to a pdf on Ilfords website.

Yup. Also googling “Ilford 1050 repair manual” the first link lists a number of useful manuals. Although they don’t have a published repair manual for this unit, look at the “1250RC Dryer Service Information” - the concepts are essentially the same. It has a list of parts with assembly and electrical diagrams.

henryyjjames · Dec 28, 2022

fgorga said:
Did you check the fuse, located just above the power cord?

Here's the fuse. I don't really know what I am looking for here.

henryyjjames · Dec 28, 2022

mshchem said:
Check for oxidation on the quartz heaters, 3 I believe. These are amazing dryers. I think there are manuals available to see and download at Ilford

What do you mean by 3?

mshchem · Dec 28, 2022

henryyjjames said:
What do you mean by 3?

The heating elements, I think there's 3 of them, maybe it's 2 I can't remember. If 5he fuse is good should show continuity, check with a cheap tester.

btaylor · Dec 28, 2022

As mshchem recommends check the ohms reading (with a multimeter) between the two ends of the fuse. If the reading is 0 the fuse is good. If it’s bad the ohms will be infinity- an open circuit.

henryyjjames · Dec 29, 2022

btaylor said:
As mshchem recommends check the ohms reading (with a multimeter) between the two ends of the fuse. If the reading is 0 the fuse is good. If it’s bad the ohms will be infinity- an open circuit.

I think the fuse is blown. Shouldn't it be clear? I will try to get to the hardware store and get a replacement. The only thing I don't get is why everything else turns on and runs except the heating element if the fuse is blown. I'll start with the fuse and see if that changes anything.

btaylor · Dec 29, 2022

Some fuses are clear- some, like yours, are not. I agree, spent a couple of bucks on a new one and see what happens. I have not a clue as to the internal circuits of the dryer, but it is not unusual for a big consumer, like the heating elements, to be fused separate from the rest of the machine.

henryyjjames · Dec 30, 2022

btaylor said:
Some fuses are clear- some, like yours, are not. I agree, spent a couple of bucks on a new one and see what happens. I have not a clue as to the internal circuits of the dryer, but it is not unusual for a big consumer, like the heating elements, to be fused separate from the rest of the machine.

I managed to get a replacement fuse (Bussman 250V), and it still doesn't heat up. I haven't heard back from Ilford; maybe they are still closed for the holidays.

I took off a few of the cover panels on the inside to start inspecting the internal components. It's very dusty. I'm going to clean it and try to find the issue. I'm not the best with electrical work, but I'm determined to fix this.

It might be worth mentioning I also have the Ilford 1250 RC print dryer as well. It came out of a college darkroom (Algonquin College, I believe), and it's not in as good condition as the 1050, but it does heat up. It has a separate issue with the rollers that I also have to solve at some point.

gone · Dec 30, 2022

Get yourself one of these, they take all the guess work out of things. Think I paid $5 for mine years ago, it's dead accurate for low DC voltages. Works well for 110 volt AC too, but I would get a more expensive one if I did a lot of that. Just because. They're still dirt cheap even today.

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henryyjjames · Dec 30, 2022

momus said:
Get yourself one of these, they take all the guess work out of things. Think I paid $5 for mine years ago, it's dead accurate for low DC voltages. Works well for 110 volt AC too, but I would get a more expensive one if I did a lot of that. Just because. They're still dirt cheap even today.

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!

www.harborfreight.com

My dad definitely has one. I'll ask him.

mshchem · Dec 30, 2022

henryyjjames said:
My dad definitely has one. I'll ask him.

I bet you it's dirty connections where the heating elements snap in place. I inherited some parts and IIRC someone made mention of this. Be careful about the electricity!!!

mshchem · Dec 30, 2022

This is a replacement heater for the Ilford 2150 processor. Quartz/borosilicate? tube with a coiled wire heating element inside the tube. Pretty ordinary device. Again if I was having issues, I would UNPLUG,and check that each heater is seated properly, the connections are very clean and free of any corrosion or oxides. Then if cleaning doesn't help pull the heaters, miraculously not breaking them in the process, and check each element for continuity. And then
The white bands are just lighting, they look a bit like frosted glass.

mshchem · Dec 30, 2022

Mine is still working, so there's still hope. Mine came from a storage unit clean out in Arizona IIRC. Note drill bits and screws from endlessly working on my darkroom

henryyjjames · Dec 30, 2022

mshchem said:
This is a replacement heater for the Ilford 2150 processor. Quartz/borosilicate? tube with a coiled wire heating element inside the tube. Pretty ordinary device. Again if I was having issues, I would UNPLUG,and check that each heater is seated properly, the connections are very clean and free of any corrosion or oxides. Then if cleaning doesn't help pull the heaters, miraculously not breaking them in the process, and check each element for continuity. And then
The white bands are just lighting, they look a bit like frosted glass.

View attachment 325344

Yes, that's the same as what I see in mine. I assume they are replaceable if that's truly the issue? It's weird for both of them in mine to break at the same time, which is why I'm starting to think the cause might not be the heater itself but something else. I will keep investigating. It's def . These machines are rare these days.

henryyjjames · Dec 30, 2022

mshchem said:
View attachment 325346

Mine is still working, so there's still hope. Mine came from a storage unit clean out in Arizona IIRC. Note drill bits and screws from endlessly working on my darkroom

Yup, I still have lots I can do to finish my darkroom, so I feel you there. I have a LOT of sanding and painting to do at some point.

henryyjjames · Dec 30, 2022

View attachment IMG_0005-min.jpg

This is mine currently.

Ilford 1050 RC Print Dryer not heating

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