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

digital_archivist · Nov 6, 2022

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 · Nov 6, 2022

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

AgX · Nov 6, 2022

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 · Nov 6, 2022

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 · Nov 6, 2022

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 · Nov 6, 2022

digital_archivist said:
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 · Nov 7, 2022

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

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

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