My Beseler Dichro Head died!!

Jim Fitzgerald · Oct 29, 2007

I was set up to print all day this past Sunday and my dichro head on my Beseler 45 was dead. The power seems to be getting to the thing and the bulbs are good but they do not come on. Any ideas? Do I need to consider a cold light, another dichro head or another enlarger altogether? The wires all look good. Is it a problem with these heads? It is an older one. Any help would be great.

Jim

waynecrider · Oct 29, 2007

Isn't there a transformer for that? Did you check voltage? Did you check the wiring in the head?

I rebuilt one about 2 years ago from the wiring being burnt up. It's not really a hard thing to do. I also cleaned mine while it was apart and got the dust off the filters.

Curt · Oct 29, 2007

Jim, which one, model, is it? I have one that had dead electronics, I tried and tried to clean the contacts and such but in the end I took all of the electronics out, the boards, and changed the 83V halogen bulb with a 120V halogen bulb of the same color temperature. This head has the three knobs on the front to adjust the color, C,M,Y. I bought a used color analyser so I could figure out the filtering and since I don't do color it works great. The transformer went out in the original configuration and now I don't need a transformer and that archaic 83Volt bulb. I runs it on a Sola CV supply so there is a consistent power supply to the unit. I wired the original fan separately as it has to run until cool after the unit has been used. I need to put it on a spare timer so I don't forget to turn it off though.

If you need to get going sooner than later then an Aristo head works very well on these enlargers.

Curt

MurrayMinchin · Oct 30, 2007

Do you have a Beseler Dichro 45S Colorhead, or a Beseler Dichro 45 Color Computer head?

Murray

Jim Fitzgerald · Oct 30, 2007

Ok, everyone I have the Dichro DG-1 color head 400 watt. It has the color dials on the front. The bulbs say Osram EUL 200 watt 24 volt. Both of them are in great condition. The head plugs into a voltage regulator? It is a heavy rectangular box about 3 1/2 x5x7. When I plug it in i can hear it working. Must be a wiring issue or something? This is not my specialty so I guess I have nothing to loose by taking it apart when time allows. Any other ideas are appreciated.

Jim

Curt · Oct 30, 2007

I don't know about the DG1 head, but as a rule with my experience I would smell the unit for any obvious smoke damage, like shorts, then look for any fuses, they sometimes have black caps on the outside.

I would inspect the wiring for damage then plug it in and check the voltage in the bulb socket. Check the bulb. Then if nothing, open the case and look for shorts and inspect the wires to make sure they are hooked, soldered, in ok. Check the transformer, input and output, with a multimeter. You can get one cheap at RadioShack etc.. If it's not the wiring, fuses, transformer, bulb socket then it's the electronics in the circuit boards or if they are removable clean them. The Beseler heads I am familiar with have removable circuit boards that have contacts which needs to be cleaned off once and a while and can cause the head to fail. Other than that I don't know. If the unit is on a timer, plug it directly and try it.

Good luck,
Curt

Jim Fitzgerald · Oct 30, 2007

Curt, thanks for all of the troubleshooting info. I will check all of this out and report back. There is no smell at all and as I remember when I was warming up the head the light just went out. I'll let you know what I find.

Jim

blaze-on · Oct 30, 2007

Jim get/borrow a voltage gauge unit and test the regulator/power unit. Step by step elimination. If it's toast, let me know as a friend has one in the garage on the stand sitting unused and unloved. All works except the readouts for the cmy. Pick a part maybe...

Jim Fitzgerald · Oct 30, 2007

blaze-on said:
Jim get/borrow a voltage gauge unit and test the regulator/power unit. Step by step elimination. If it's toast, let me know as a friend has one in the garage on the stand sitting unused and unloved. All works except the readouts for the cmy. Pick a part maybe...

Matt, will do. I'll let you know.

Jim

Chan Tran · Nov 3, 2007

Except for the 45 computerized version, Both the 45s and the DG1 are not that difficult to fix. I don't have a DG1, but I would suggest to check the switch on the white ligh level first.

Jim Fitzgerald · Nov 3, 2007

Chan Tran said:
Except for the 45 computerized version, Both the 45s and the DG1 are not that difficult to fix. I don't have a DG1, but I would suggest to check the switch on the white ligh level first.

Chan, thanks. I'm going to try all the suggested fixes and report back. I have some great 4x5 negs to print and share with everyone.

Jim

Curt · Nov 11, 2007

How did the fix go? I got tired of looking for hard to find 8x10 enlargers so it's contact printing in ULF. I have a Beseler MCRX with a Beseler and a Cold light head, but it's the contact "look" that gets me going.

Curt

Jim Fitzgerald · Nov 12, 2007

Curt said:
How did the fix go? I got tired of looking for hard to find 8x10 enlargers so it's contact printing in ULF. I have a Beseler MCRX with a Beseler and a Cold light head, but it's the contact "look" that gets me going.

Curt

Curt, I took it apart and I can't figure it out. I need to print some 4x5 negs so I'm keeping my eye on some cold light heads. Meanwhile, I've been contact printing also. I must say that printing in the light is great. My Thomas safe light is wide open and the 8x10 Azo prints are looking good.

jim

Chan Tran · Nov 13, 2007

If you can not fix the thing and decide to junk it, can I have it? I do hope that you can fix it though.

dslater · Nov 13, 2007

Hi Jim,
I also have a Drchro DG - you might want to check the plug that plugs into the transformer - this is on the cord that goes from the light to the box mounted on your enlarger. You can open this plug up easily - it is held together with a few bolts. On my head, one of the wires came loose from the from the plug and needed to be re-soldered. I also have the voltage regulator - this is a very heavy box that goes on the floor and your transformer is plugged into it. My voltage regulator failed mysteriously - I suspect it is because I left it on with the light turned off. Anyway, since I am usually printing at night when no one is running anything else in the house, I simply stopped using the voltage regulator and just plug my head directly into the blower.

Dan

Jim Fitzgerald · Nov 13, 2007

dslater said:
Hi Jim,
I also have a Drchro DG - you might want to check the plug that plugs into the transformer - this is on the cord that goes from the light to the box mounted on your enlarger. You can open this plug up easily - it is held together with a few bolts. On my head, one of the wires came loose from the from the plug and needed to be re-soldered. I also have the voltage regulator - this is a very heavy box that goes on the floor and your transformer is plugged into it. My voltage regulator failed mysteriously - I suspect it is because I left it on with the light turned off. Anyway, since I am usually printing at night when no one is running anything else in the house, I simply stopped using the voltage regulator and just plug my head directly into the blower.

Dan

Dan, thanks. I was wondering if the voltage regulator had something to do with it. I will check the plug also. Everything else looks ok so I'm thinking that the regulator has failed. I'll let you know.

Jim

ic-racer · Sep 16, 2011

By all means if you are considering a new head, I'd ship that DG off to someone who can fix it up and use it. There really should not be anything in the head besides the bulbs. I suspect the 200W bulbs have fried the sockets. That should be an easy fix.

Ian C · Sep 17, 2011

Can I use the red filter on the dichro head as a contrast filter?

The question is confusing. A dichroic color head has cyan, yellow, and magenta filters only (unless your dichroic head is equipped with a red filter, which seems unlikely).

Enlargers used to have red safety filters installed on moving plate under the lens. The safety filter passes a dim red light that the enlarging paper is relatively insensitive to.

The true purpose was as a safe positioning device when making prints different than the easel size allowed. The print was made with the enlarging paper lying directly on the baseboard.

The image was first focused onto the back of a scrap print focusing sheet. Then the red filter was introduced. The focusing sheet was removed and the enlarging paper was positioned under the dim red projection to allow positioning visually without exposing the paper (provided that the amount of time under the red light was kept short).

Then the light was switched off, the filter removed from the light path, and the print was exposed.

You can use the yellow and magenta filters of your dichroic color head in various combinations to control the contrast of variable-contrast enlarging papers.

ic-racer · Sep 17, 2011

vintagepics said:
Can I use the red filter on the dichro head as a contrast filter?

Rick

Swinging in the safelight filter will not allow any green or blue light to fall on the paper, allowing for no exposure. It therefore makes a poor contrast filter

My Beseler Dichro Head died!!

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