Power supply reliability - LPL 4500

Just how reliable are LPL 4500 power supplies?
It would seem they have a high failure rate.

Thread title tweaked and typo adjusted.
What does Kevin Brown (KHB) have to say about the issue?
The two power supplies I have for the 7700 seem fine after years of use in high school darkrooms, but that, of course, is not a reliable indicator.
It may be the commercial users of the 4x5 models tended to use them very heavily.

Procrastinators lose every time and so my desire for a LPL 4500II evaporates again as I missed a potential purchase due to concerns over the LPL 4500's solid state power supply which I believe is not at all similar to the LPL 7700/670 wire wound transformer style which should be near bulletproof.
So now comes plan B with the potential purchase of an LPL 7700/670VCCE; variable contrast the VCCE head being the desired outcome.
As I occasionally print old odd size glass plate negatives that are over 100 years old plus some WWII 6 x 9 negatives I will try and improve the usability of my Beseler 45 MXT which I have a love hate relationship with!
The 7700/670VCCE should cover much of my work but I will have to wall mount it for 16 x 20 prints .

@MattKing! you mentioned that you opened up a carrier to accomodate 6 x 9 on your 670/7700 ; just how successful was that?
If that works I would have a negative carrier 3D printed to that size should I buy the 7700!

Melvin J Bramley said:

Procrastinators lose every time and so my desire for a LPL 4500II evaporates again as I missed a potential purchase due to concerns over the LPL 4500's solid state power supply which I believe is not at all similar to the LPL 7700/670 wire wound transformer style which should be near bulletproof.
So now comes plan B with the potential purchase of an LPL 7700/670VCCE; variable contrast the VCCE head being the desired outcome.
As I occasionally print old odd size glass plate negatives that are over 100 years old plus some WWII 6 x 9 negatives I will try and improve the usability of my Beseler 45 MXT which I have a love hate relationship with!
The 7700/670VCCE should cover much of my work but I will have to wall mount it for 16 x 20 prints .

@MattKing! you mentioned that you opened up a carrier to accomodate 6 x 9 on your 670/7700 ; just how successful was that?
If that works I would have a negative carrier 3D printed to that size should I buy the 7700!

Click to expand...

It is the Universal glass carrier. It accommodates 6x8 completely, and it comes very, very close to fully accommodating the 6x9 negatives.
You lose the masking blades at the ends, but you can retain the blades at top and bottom, should you wish to print panoramas from 35mm film.
The 6x9 negatives I've printed make it hard to detect any carrier or light path induces vignetting, but I don't notice any such issues without a negative in the carrier.
I'm not sure how you would go about getting a 3D printed carrier, but it might be possible to have a 6x7 glassless carrier enlarged.

And as for wall mounting for 16x20, you could also spin the column around, clamp the baseboard to the edge of a table and put the easel on a shelf near the floor.

MattKing said:

And as for wall mounting for 16x20, you could also spin the column around, clamp the baseboard to the edge of a table and put the easel on a shelf near the floor.

Click to expand...

Not a bad idea and did that myself with my LPL 7700. Eventually I picked up a wall mount kit for the LPL745 which I needed to drill one hole and then I could mount my 7700. Wall mounting is preferable and of course you can pop the wall mount out a bit to emulate the 745II enlarger which from memory has 50mm spacers to pop the enlarging head 50mm further away from the column.

Having a home made drop table, (mine had three slides where I could place the baseboard) allows you to drop the head down and thereby almost eliminating the possibility of getting the column in the way for big enlargements.

My only real gripe with all of the LPL enlargers, is that you cannot do any adjustments if something is out of whack.

If you do get an LPL7700 then I suggest if it doesn't have one, find the micro adjuster for the bellows, they are very much a game changer for these enlargers.

If you are really lucky and find a DeVere 504 enlarger, then just go for it; they are at another level compared to almost any professional enlarger.

Melvin J Bramley said:

Procrastinators lose every time and so my desire for a LPL 4500II evaporates again as I missed a potential purchase due to concerns over the LPL 4500's solid state power supply...

Click to expand...

When another 4500 II crosses your path, jump on it. Even if the power supply is toast and no replacement can be readily sourced from KHB or elsewhere, there's another excellent option. Replace it and the whole halogen bulb / filter module / mixing box with a Heiland system:


My 4500 II, purchased new more than three decades ago, still works fine, but I have a Heiland system in another enlarger and highly recommend it.

MattKing said:

And as for wall mounting for 16x20, you could also spin the column around, clamp the baseboard to the edge of a table and put the easel on a shelf near the floor.

Click to expand...

Your suggestion seems counter to the posts on laser alignment of negatives?
I cannot see floor projected images meeting critical focussing accuracy?
Am I missing something?

Melvin J Bramley said:

Your suggestion seems counter to the posts on laser alignment of negatives?
I cannot see floor projected images meeting critical focussing accuracy?
Am I missing something?

Click to expand...

It isn't all that difficult or time consuming to adjust the alignment when you spin the enlarger around - assuming a flat and level floor or drop shelf.
The critical alignment question is always the lens to film plane alignment, and that doesn't change when you move the baseboard and spin the column.
All assuming of course that your counter is strong and stable.
How much of your printing will be 16x20 or larger?
By the way, I don't know how easy it will be to find a teardrop shaped LED replacement for the PH140 bulb.

mine, purchased in early 1997 is working fine