Really, REALLY need Help w/ Colorstar 3000

[Ed Sukach]

Ed-- that Colorstar 3000 I mentioned is still at that camera store--I saw it over the weekend...

Not any more. I've GOT it!!! Coming via UPS....

Hey, THANKS, Ken!!! I owe you , for this one!

 

[DKT]

hey--great.... I told 'em over the weekend someone might be calling & to keep an eye out. glad it found a home.

 

[Paul Sorensen]

And I was going to tell you about this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/Jobo-Omega-Lici...906QQihZ017QQcategoryZ629QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Oh well, maybe someone else here can use it.

 

[Ed Sukach]

And I was going to tell you about this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/Jobo-Omega-Lici...906QQihZ017QQcategoryZ629QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Oh well, maybe someone else here can use it.

Hey, thanks, for the attention, anyway.

The thought of "cornering the market" in ColorStars has crossed my mind. Certainly Fuji and Kodak are supporting an "amatuer market" with materials... and knowing the problems in the struggle to print without an analyzer, I can see a small, but well-established and growing demand for these puppies, or something similar, with *NO*supply - whatever. Sooner or later, *every* analyzer out there will bite the dust ... and my "mini-quest" will be repeated, probably to a "major" level, with less and less chance of success.

I once knew an Electrical / Electronics Engineer, who was nearly magical. I've seen him, time after time, LOOK at unfamiliar, complicated circuits for ten seconds or so ... and reply, "Oh, I get it". He would then pick up a pencil and create a schematic circuit diagram, complete with Integrated Circuits ... and what waveforms at ... wherever, should look like. Phenominal engineer.
I just might pry this dead ColorStar apart, and look him up...
I doubt that the ColorStar is on the level of "rocket science" ... and that WAS the level that Phenominal Engineer was working on, day-to-day.

 

[Ed Sukach]

Well, gang, help is no longer needed.

First an apology: I was more or less panicked by the apparent loss of my ColorStar 3000. Without it, setting he dichroic head on the enlarger, especially for a color negative exposed with a lighting source FAR different from "daylight" is an extremely difficult task to do by "eye" .. so activity in my darkroom, consisting of producing color prints for a model's portfolio, as promised, was effectively shut down.

I contacted Omega-Satter for help. Unfortunately, the transition from JOBO USA to Omega-Satter obviously was a complex process... and the new distributors, understandably, are in a learning curve ... translation: do not have all of the answers.

I have written before about being trained, formally, in "Dealing with Difficult People"; I did not realize at the time, that *I* had become a difficult person. Things with Omega-Satter became sort of "heated" and I wound up discouraged... replies from different independent repair outfits, essentially, "We won't touch that thing with a ten-foot pole" did not help my frame of mind, either.

I talked with Greg Blank, at Omega-Satter; I had taken his "I'll check and get back to you", as an avoidance of my problem. I was *WRONG*!!

Grag had perservered in contacting the supplier, LICI, in the Netherlands. I have heard that communication with them is NOT easy. Greg got through to them and called me .. ACTUALLY CALLED me!!! He obtained my e-maill address and sent me a partial copy of the LICI ColorStar 3000 Service Manual .. with enough information to CORRECT the ColorStar problem.

I am indebted to Greg ... it takes a special, dedicated person to continue to deal with a "difficult person". If he had taken the "easy way out" and ignored me, my original ColorStar (I now have a working backup, with the help of "DKT" here) would probably have been scrapped by now.

The information from the ColorStar Service manual was *VERY* helpful ... and I would imagine ... of great use in "aligning" the ColorStar. I will write an article containing the information and post it here, in the "articles" section.

Information: A display of "E..." does NOT indicate a complete system error; it indicates an EEPROM programming error, and there is a process that will correct the error.

 

[Nick Zentena]

Greg is good. Would be nice to see him posting here. IIRC he's a long time Colorstar user.

 

[pentaxuser]

Well, gang, help is no longer needed.

First an apology: I was more or less panicked by the apparent loss of my ColorStar 3000. Without it, setting he dichroic head on the enlarger, especially for a color negative exposed with a lighting source FAR different from "daylight" is an extremely difficult task to do by "eye" .. so activity in my darkroom, consisting of producing color prints for a model's portfolio, as promised, was effectively shut down.

I contacted Omega-Satter for help. Unfortunately, the transition from JOBO USA to Omega-Satter obviously was a complex process... and the new distributors, understandably, are in a learning curve ... translation: do not have all of the answers.

I have written before about being trained, formally, in "Dealing with Difficult People"; I did not realize at the time, that *I* had become a difficult person. Things with Omega-Satter became sort of "heated" and I wound up discouraged... replies from different independent repair outfits, essentially, "We won't touch that thing with a ten-foot pole" did not help my frame of mind, either.

I talked with Greg Blank, at Omega-Satter; I had taken his "I'll check and get back to you", as an avoidance of my problem. I was *WRONG*!!

Grag had perservered in contacting the supplier, LICI, in the Netherlands. I have heard that communication with them is NOT easy. Greg got through to them and called me .. ACTUALLY CALLED me!!! He obtained my e-maill address and sent me a partial copy of the LICI ColorStar 3000 Service Manual .. with enough information to CORRECT the ColorStar problem.

I am indebted to Greg ... it takes a special, dedicated person to continue to deal with a "difficult person". If he had taken the "easy way out" and ignored me, my original ColorStar (I now have a working backup, with the help of "DKT" here) would probably have been scrapped by now.

The information from the ColorStar Service manual was *VERY* helpful ... and I would imagine ... of great use in "aligning" the ColorStar. I will write an article containing the information and post it here, in the "articles" section.

Information: A display of "E..." does NOT indicate a complete system error; it indicates an EEPROM programming error, and there is a process that will correct the error.

Ed I did notice that there is a small paragraph in the 3000 manual on re-setting the 3000 after getting an E reading but the service manual is required. As you will know I am trying to get to grips with a 3000 and having difficulties which Nick Zentena is doing his best to resolve. As there seems to be very few of us in APUG with a colourstar 3000 then anything you can do in the way of articles to help those who have one would be much appreciated.

Glad to see that your oringinal 3000 is still serviceable.

pentaxuser

 

[Fotohuis]

LiCi has gone over to Spectrostar B.V. and this company has been involved with Advantes:

http://www.avantes.nl/

That's the new website and in Eerbeek it seems to be possible to get some information about the coloranalyzer products. In case there are people who need some support for these analyzers.

Glad that the instrument is working again, Ed.

Best regards from the Netherlands,

Robert

 

[Ed Sukach]

Progress

I am now the proud owner of three (3) ColorStar 3000 Color Analysers. This is somewhat involved - my original ColorStar displayed the dreaded "E" error, and locked. In contact with Omega-Arkay, the initial response was not encouraging.

I visited eBay, and found one listed. I entered a bid... and won! After a battle with the infamous "phishing" scam - that looked SO authentic, but I did NOT give them my bank account numbers!! - everything went well, and I received delivery - everything in good shape.

While waiting for the "final" from eBay, "DKT", here, directed me to "Peace Camera" ... where they had one for sale ... too attractive to pass up ... so that one was purchased... again, in good shape.

Then ... Omega-Arkay sent me the information from LiCi necessary to re-do and recover my original unit ... from the ColorStar Service Manual ... and everything WORKED. The original unit is now as good as new!

After all this, I have information that is VERY valuable to all those who own ColorStar 3000s. I am writing an article to be posted here on APUG, dealing with recovery from the "E" error and ways to double-check the calibration periodically.

As in every procedure that I write, I take the initial draft, and follow it step-by-step (super nit-picking) to eliminate as much inaccuracy and confusion as I can. That is where I am now... "wringing it out".

Stay tuned, gang ... It will be here as soon as I can post it with good conscience.

 

[saulius]

Then ... Omega-Arkay sent me the information from LiCi necessary to re-do and recover my original unit ... from the ColorStar Service Manual ... and everything WORKED. The original unit is now as good as new!

After all this, I have information that is VERY valuable to all those who own ColorStar 3000s. I am writing an article to be posted here on APUG, dealing with recovery from the "E" error and ways to double-check the calibration periodically.

So, does anyone know how to reprogram ColorStar 3000 from the "E" memory error?
Unfortunately, we can't ask Ed about that procedure, but maybe Ed told someone how to do that?
The reset procedure is in the service manual, but no service manuals are available online.