Will a Nocon timer work with a De Vere 504?

[Nasir]

I've just bought a Nocon timer at auction with the hope of using it with a De Vere 504 enlarger but now I'm wondering if it's even possible. The Nocon timer was wired into a Leitz Focomat IIc enlarger but the connecting cord was cut to offer it as a separate lot. My De Vere 504 has a multigrade head and as the Nocon timer doesn't allow you to select grades I'm stuck. Information on this timer is hard to find and certainly not for this model.

Any help would be much appreciated. Pic attached of my unit.

 

[Malcolm Stewart]

If I recall correctly, the special feature of the Nocon timer is that it offered factorial exposure times rather than simply linear seconds. I've got his book (Photographic Printing by Gene Nocon), and the timer is supposed to make it easier to adjust tonal adjustments from print to print, and I suppose if you're clever, it could help with dodging. As I understand it, it's simply a timer but with a facility to adjust the exposure in factorial half-stops etc. rather than by simply adding an extra 5 seconds, or whatever. That's why the keyboard has +1/2 and -1/2 labelled buttons etc.
I don't know the De Vere 504 so can't comment on its suitability with this timer, but if it uses a standard halogen or tungsten bulb, I can't see any problem.

 

[Nasir]

Thanks, Malcolm. That makes sense. Thinking about it now, if I can get my Nocon timer to work with my De Vere 504 I will still need some other way of changing the paper grades for multigrade paper. The control panel that came with the enlarger is a timer and has paper grade control in 1/2 grade increments all in the same unit.