Separated Transfer Gear on CPP-2 Processor

[Mahler_one]

Well, I guess it had to happen one of these days. At any rate, I was in the final washing stage of developing some 4x5 TMAX with the expert drum 3010 on the CPP-2 and suddenly I heard a strange sound; the tank stopped turning. The motor was running, but no tank rotation. I removed the tank, removed the top, and continued to wash the film via a running faucet without problems. However, I noted that the transfer gear on the lift had separated into two parts. The "front white plastic part" was still attached to the right of the lift and was through the hole, but the back plastic part had broken away and was lying in the upper circulating water bath. Both parts seemed to be completely intact, and so I pushed the back part back onto the rear of the shaft of the front part-no good. The back part of the gear engages the cog, but the tank slips and doesn't turn. Evidently, the two parts of the transfer gear are obviously not correctly mated. I called Greg at Jobo USA ( now Omega Satter-very good service by the way ), and he ordered another transfer gear for me. However, I simply cannot see what went wrong-the two parts seem completely fine, and as noted, I was able to push the rear part onto the shaft of the front part. There is adequate grease. What am I missing? Is there yet another part that helps the back of the gear fit into the front part so that the back part of the transfer gear engages the cog and turns the tank?

I hope the explanation was cogent....easy to see, but hard to explain...

Thanks to anyone who can help.

Edwin

 

[Changeling1]

Don't know what happened with the transfer gear but it's good to know that Omega-Satter has someone that's being helpful to JOBO owners.

 

[hka]

Maybe the gear on the motoraxle is loosening. It's happens already some times to me when I run Expert drums.

 

[Mahler_one]

Just as a follow up in case anyone needs to access the information in the future. I mailed pictures of the transfer gear to Greg at Omega. He pointed out that one end of the gear ( i.e., the rear one that fits into the shaft of the front gear ) appears oblong from wear, and such wear probably explains the separation. I'm currently waiting for a new transfer gear which I will install. Hopefully the problem will be rectified. The person from whom I purchased the CPP claims that the previous owner purchased it new, and rarely used the unit. I cannot explain the wear on the transfer gear unless someone is dissimulating, or the gear was defective at inception.

m

 

[Mahler_one]

And finally: The transfer gear was mounted incorrectly in the CPP2! The long piece was threaded in from the front instead of the rear. After some delay the new transfer gear arrived from Jobo. I followed instructions, and so far so good. For anyone in the future who might have a similar problem please feel free to email me. By the way: No one can explain how the gear was threaded incorrectly to begin with, but the frustration and trouble they caused....well, I guess you can surmise what words I am dying to use!

Edwin

 

[bdial]

Congratulations on finding the problem and solution. FWIW, I too have found Omega Satter responsive and friendly toward Jobo owners. I recently bought a lift from the auction thing for my unit. It was complete except for the gear that replaces the magnet on the motor. I emailed Omega, got a response the next day, and I've ordered the missing gear.

 

[Mahler_one]

Great!! Let us know how the unit works after you install the correct gear. Which Jobo unit are you using?

Edwin

 

[bdial]

Mine is a CPE-2, which I bought new eons ago. I'm anxiously awaiting the gear, but it's back-ordered to Germany and they don't expect to receive them until June. I'm hoping that their estimates are accurate. I'm going to have a ton of 4x5 to process, and I'm not looking forward to the lift the drum off, empty, refill, replace on the motor routine.
I'll be happy to report on the progress.

 

[Mahler_one]

I know how you feel-however, at least you can use the system with the magnetic drive. I have no 4x5 tanks other then the expert drums. I used to use the CPE without the lift....actually, not too bad for roll film. Have you had trouble loading 4x5 sheets into the 2 series drums?

Edwin

 

[bdial]

I'm almost embarrassed to say I've not used it all that much. But I've only had problems loading 4x5 because I'm not too practiced at it so far. I tried out the loader thing but gave up on it almost immediately, and I've found it far easier to just load the film by feel. The last batch I did presented no real problems, so I guess I'm getting the hang of it.
The major problem I've encountered was some development uneveness near the reels. I think it was a combination of short development time, and running on slow rotation speed rather than fast. I went to inversion in the 2500 tank for a couple of batches. Then changed to a slower developer and fast rotation, and the last batch came out fine, though the foamy developer I poured out was a bit alarming.

Barry