Just got DeVere 504 Floor Model, need some help!

[galyons]

My thanks to Mick and Sparky for the guidance on converting a Devere 504 from floor to wall mount. I picked the unit up on Friday evening and have been cleaning, assembling, cleaning and taking inventory.

The enlarger was poorly stored in a metal cargo container near the Port of Oakland. It was unassembled :confused:! It had a thick, insulating coat of greasy dust. I have degreased and washed the unit and cosmetically it is very nice. It was from a pro graphic house and other than some wear on the bottom of the head from neg switching, it looks darn new!

All of the major functions seem fine. Mechanically, it is very well engineered piece of equipment. Solid as a rock! The wheel based focusing is a bit of genius! So, I'll not even consider the change to wall mount. If it ain't broke....

Electronically, I have some challenges. The head is a 500 watt, dual bulb, Dichromat Mark V. There is no transtab. There is the funky timer interface box, it is 115/120v but has the massively charming UK mains plug-zilla! Also there was 1 trashed timer and 1, perhaps salvageable, timer.

The head appears to power the 2 bulbs and dual cooling fans with 115v AC current. There is a small transformer feeding 6v to the face, I assume for panel lighting. The bulbs, ceramic sockets and leads for the bulbs are MIA.

So here is where I need some reassurance! I have traced the wiring. It appears that I should be able to power ENH, (250w/120v) or ENL, (300w/120v), bulbs directly from the mains terminal block. Was the transtab primarily for line voltage stabilization rather than voltage transformation?

The PO said that everything "was there", even a manual. Well the manual is original, vintage March 1984, but for the 5108, still quite helpful as the 504 appears to have been the base from which DeVere scaled up & down for larger and smaller formats. I got many lens boards and negative carriers, masks and several NIB replacement plain and AN glass

There are also several items for a 5108, besides the manual; neg carriers, plain and AN replacement glass and some lens board. The lens board do not have the 2 perimeter notch/locks that the 504 I have or the 5108 boards as shown in the manual. The mounting collar is approximately 6 7/8 inches in diameter. There are 2 flat and 2 recessed boards. I'll take some picks and post!

More to follow!

Cheers,
Geary

 

[Martin Aislabie]

Geary, first of all - congratulations - it looks sounds you have a real peach of an enlarger

I have a bench mounted Mk4 504

My transtab powers both the 24V bulb and the head cooling fan

The air coming out of the head when the bulb is on is suprisingly warm - you will need to do something with yours if you are running a twin buld head

As I had a working transtab I gave up on the other control box the unit and bought the excellent RH Designs Stop Clock Pro timer + DeVere lead.

The Stop Clock works relay well with the DeVere - but needs the transtab

Good luck

Martin

 

[Mick Fagan]

Congratulations on what appears to be a real find.

I would be a bit careful about upping the light globe size, they get very hot in those heads. That said I have the Mark IV single globe 250W. I have at times smelt the heat emanating from the head as the dust inside seems to start burning and decided to switch off the globe. This can happen when doing an outline drawing for either burning or dodging.

I just checked my own unit, I don't have the transtab either, but I do have my own stabilised power supply which I've had for about 18 years and has been used on ½ a dozen enlargers. The power goes directly to the funky DeVere switching box, which I leave permanently on. From there it goes to a cheap electronic/analogue timer, which has a foot switch, possibly one of the best things in a darkroom.

Yep, they are built better and stronger than any other enlarger I have ever seen and I was wondering why you wished to remove the drop table arrangement, now I know.

Mick.

 

[Uncle Bill]

Congratulations on the 504 purchase, I have the much rarer condenser head so my knowledge of what you have is quite limited. Once you get it up and running, the performance will blow you away.

Bill

 

[Martin Aislabie]

Odyssey - the makers of DeVeres are very helpful

As the Enlargers are made like tanks they will almost never wear out

However, Odysey have a good range of spares and are generous with their advice

Being on the other side of the pond they will probably refer you to their American Agent (haven't a clue who that would be) - but its a good place to start

They have always been very helpful to me

Good Luck

Martin

http://www.odyssey-sales.com/

 

[Ian Grant]

There's the Canadian dealer/importer who always has a lot of De Vere stuff on Ebay, he might have a transformer, I think it will help the bulbs last significantly longer.

As Martin says Odyssey are very helpful, contact them and ask who the US importer is.

Ian

 

[galyons]

There's the Canadian dealer/importer who always has a lot of De Vere stuff on Ebay, he might have a transformer, I think it will help the bulbs last significantly longer.

As Martin says Odyssey are very helpful, contact them and ask who the US importer is.

Ian

Thanks Ian,
I did contact KHB in Canada. He was very helpful. The cost of a refurbished Transtab is about $1100US and the new, equivalent replacement is $1300US.

I have stripped down the head and found that the current reduction board going to the "shutter" is also dead. My game plan is to run 250 watt 120V EHN bulbs and replace the board to the shutter with a small 24v DVC transformer. The fans run on 120 VAC. The 8 pin plug had lamp/shutter voltage on the top 4 pins and fan voltage on the 4 lower pins. The Devere control Box puts out 120 VAC on all 8 all 8 pins. So it will be "Plug 'n' Play"!

This will get the head operational while I decide whether to convert to LED's. If I don't convert to LED's then I may source and appropriate 24VDC regulated transformer.

Cheers,
Geary

 

[Sparky]

I had similar electrical problems with my transtab - and ended up just gutting the head and the dichroics - and putting in a cold light and a good timer (metrolux). It works great - and my printing times are excellent (maybe a BIT short for 8x10s etc) - but I can expose a 40x50 in. print with typical times around 2-3 mins...!

 

[Tori8x10]

Hey Geary, I bought a 5108 DeVere on Ebay last year but then had to put it immediately into storage without being able to use it first. The guy I bought it from assured me it worked perfectly; plugged it in, lights came on and the head moved up and down. Fast forward about 13 months to me trying to set this monster (albeit a beautiful monster) up in my new darkroom. This is when I find out that there were many things I hadn't thought to check for; broken things, missing things and things that just didn't even belong to the 5108. MOST everything was fine though and a mere $1,400.00 (choke, cough, gasp for air) later, spent with KHB, I should now have a fully functioning magnificent 5108. BTW, Kevin and Dave at KHB are the greatest!!!!!! They are expensive but they know what they're doing and are willing to spend whatever time it takes to walk you through anything, they even saved me some money.
Anyway.......... what I took way too long to get to is that I have a Transtab for the 504 that I can't use. It's one of the things that came with my 5108 that (duh) doesn't go to it. If you think you might be interested in it let me know off list.

 

[blaze-on]

I knew you had masochistic tendencies...

 

[ic-racer]

It had a thick, insulating coat of greasy dust. I have degreased and washed the unit and cosmetically it is very nice. It was from a pro graphic house and other than some wear on the bottom of the head from neg switching, it looks darn new!

I had a similar experience with my Durst, which also came from a graphics house. Under the settled dust and chemical splashes, the enlarger was in excellent condition.

Good luck with what sounds like a fantastic enlarger.