What to do with a stray PCS-130 enlarger head?

[digital_archivist]

Somehow, I’ve ended up with a Philips PCS-130 enlarger head, with no baseboard, column or control unit. I’d like to set it up as a contact printing light source; I’m not adverse to building a power supply and control unit. But how can I mount the head without a column? Would there be some other clever use instead? Should I just put it up for sale/trade?

I’d be using it in my Ilford pop up tent.

 

[ic-racer]

The PCS-130's 150W lamp needs no power supply and is driven right from the mains.

 

[AgX]

Yes, it is a basic enlarger with an opalised houselhold-bulb-shaped lamp.

Though it can be upgraded to the 3-lamps additive system, and then needs the respective control-unit/power-supply. By this uograde it would be turnded into the PCS 150.

 

[albada]

For contact printing, I've found that a little LED around 20 inches or 50 cm above the paper works fine. An indicator LED is bright enough; a high-power LED is not needed. Such a device would use much less space in the tent.

 

[digital_archivist]

Good point about the LED - thanks!

And it is a PCS-150; I just misremembered the model number. We used to sell both back in the early ‘80s, when we had the rental darkrooms in Pittsburgh.

 

[albada]

Good point about the LED - thanks!

I just remembered another important facet of LEDs: Color.
If printing onto VC paper, the LED's color will determine contrast.

green --> grade 00​

white --> somewhere around grade 2​

blue --> between grades 4 and 5 (depends on LED's dominant wavelength and width of spectrum)​

You can also expose with both green and blue, controlling brightness of each (and thus contrast) with resistors. But that's probably more complex than you'd like.

 

[bdial]

You might be able to build a workable column with aluminum T-slot extrusion aka “80/20”

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