John Layton
24-Apr-2015, 12:35
Suddenly the high contrast tube on my Zone VI Type 2 VC head pulsates when set at anything over about 40 percent of its maximum brightness (actually the #4 setting on the rheostat, so likely much less than 40 percent of actual output) - and this setting is too slow (I do split-grade printing, and like to set this tube to full output), not to mention the new unknown this condition presents: as in - is this an indication that the tube is about to die?
I've tried leaving it on for extended periods, wiggling contact wires, etc. Not much change, except that maybe wiggling the telephone type wire which connects to the rheostat makes things worse.
At any rate, I've got lots of printing to do in a short amount of time, and so am in kind of a panic. I'm already aware of many issues others have had with this setup, but cannot find anything relating specifically to the "pulsating" behavior of my HC tube. Prints actually seem to be repeatable, but I'm not all that confident that the compensating timer can accurately adjust for the pulsations, nor that things won't get worse.
The output from this lamp seems to be more and more of a moving target (as it is, obviously, for many other users)...and I'm getting a bit fed up.
Sorry to be so long winded so I'll get to the point: Does anybody service these lamps? I'm fairly good at the DIY approach - so is there anything I might try myself to fix this? And if not...Is there any currently reasonable means of acquiring an equivalent replacement - one which is consistent and reliable, and possibly a bit less expensive than what I might score from the likes of Heiland? Speaking of LED VC heads in general...I've heard others state that the high contrast channel led's are not as contrasty as their neon equivalents - can anybody out there verify this?
Sorry this is turning into a rambling rant. While I do embrace this (Zone VI VC) enlarging setup in theory...in practice I'm just wanting a bit more consistency and reliability. The unit itself fits beautifully into my working space...so I'd like to try to keep it. While I might otherwise go hunting for a Durst 138 - the prospect of the time it might take (to say nothing of logistics) to cobble together something close to complete is a bit daunting. Thanks!
I've tried leaving it on for extended periods, wiggling contact wires, etc. Not much change, except that maybe wiggling the telephone type wire which connects to the rheostat makes things worse.
At any rate, I've got lots of printing to do in a short amount of time, and so am in kind of a panic. I'm already aware of many issues others have had with this setup, but cannot find anything relating specifically to the "pulsating" behavior of my HC tube. Prints actually seem to be repeatable, but I'm not all that confident that the compensating timer can accurately adjust for the pulsations, nor that things won't get worse.
The output from this lamp seems to be more and more of a moving target (as it is, obviously, for many other users)...and I'm getting a bit fed up.
Sorry to be so long winded so I'll get to the point: Does anybody service these lamps? I'm fairly good at the DIY approach - so is there anything I might try myself to fix this? And if not...Is there any currently reasonable means of acquiring an equivalent replacement - one which is consistent and reliable, and possibly a bit less expensive than what I might score from the likes of Heiland? Speaking of LED VC heads in general...I've heard others state that the high contrast channel led's are not as contrasty as their neon equivalents - can anybody out there verify this?
Sorry this is turning into a rambling rant. While I do embrace this (Zone VI VC) enlarging setup in theory...in practice I'm just wanting a bit more consistency and reliability. The unit itself fits beautifully into my working space...so I'd like to try to keep it. While I might otherwise go hunting for a Durst 138 - the prospect of the time it might take (to say nothing of logistics) to cobble together something close to complete is a bit daunting. Thanks!