zone vi compensating enlarger timer

[mitch brown]

my beloved wife purchased a zone vi compensating enlarging timer and cold light head off of ebay as a gift for me . i hooked it up and at first all seemed well. however it has started acting very erratic. by this i mean i will be using second or what ever exposure times and all the sudden it just stops Waite's a few seconds then resumes. when it is stopped the lamp is out but the timer is still lit up and the beeps stop also. at other times when it stops it will not restarting i turn the power off and then back on. does anyone have any idea whats going on ? i am going to call calumet when they reopen and ask about repairs i just hope someone on here has this timer and might know whats wrong. or can tell me if the cold light head might be at fault.
thanks
Mitch

 

[resummerfield]

.....and all the sudden it just stops Waite's a few seconds then resumes. when it is stopped the lamp is out but the timer is still lit up and the beeps stop also. at other times when it stops it will not restarting i turn the power off and then back on.....

First, an additional question..... When the timer is counting down, does the enlarger lamp extinguish before the timer is at "zero"? If so, I suspect the problem is in the enlarger head. Perhaps a loose connection to the bulb? The Z6 timer has a light probe connected to the head, and will adjust the timing to the lamp output. If the enlarger lamp quits, the timer will probably slow to a stop, and then resume when the lamp comes back on. When you reset the power, perhaps that also resets the enlarger lamp?

One other question..... Is the head a Zone 6 head? and if so, what model.... 2-tube or one tube?

The Z6 is a very nice timer. You will enjoy it when everything works right.

 

[mitch brown]

hi
yes it goes out before it is at zero . it might go beep go out for several sec then beep and finish. or sometimes start counting down the lamp go out and just stop. it is a single lamp zone vi head.
mitch

 

[ChuckP]

Have you tried the lamp without the timer or using another timer? You can see if it works properly or turns on and off during exposure.

 

[Neil Poulsen]

The timer works only if it's receiving light. If the light goes off, the timer stops.

I wanted to use the timer for a condensor head and had to install a sensor in the head for it to work.

 

[ChuckP]

Also I suppose you can operate the light without connecting it to the timer but leave the timer photocell connection in place. If the lamp doesn't drop out but the timer does the photocell or timer is the problem.