my Beseler 810 VXL is not workign with my Gra Lab 451R perfectly.........why?

my Beseler 810 VXL is not workign with my Gra Lab 451R perfectly... after every 3-4 expourses or sometimes i switch to focus, timer won't shut off t he light... how can this happen? something wrong with my timer? when i use Gra lab 300 with 810VXL....it works perpectly.... when i use Gra lab 451R with my D2 head...it works perpectly...

if i have need to get a new timer....which one should i go?

thanks.... question is silly and i feel sucks after spent lots money ....beacuse of this ti mer..../_

I'm sorry I don't have any ideas about your problem, but I know just how you fee l. I used to print with a Gralab (digital, not a 300) and was sorely tempted to kill it on several occasions. I bought a Kearsarge digital that works great with the Zone VI coldlight on my D2. I've also used it on the 8x10 enlarger with Aristo coldlight head. I bought it years ago because John Sexton recommended it at his workshop in Maine. It's never let me down (knock on wood), and has many convenient features, will take a foot switch, dims the display, etc.

Hope this helps,

Bill

Digital timers don't get along well with coldlight heads - they appear as an inductor in the circuit and some timers donn't like that. I've never had problems with my 450 - but who knows? Call Aristo and discuss it with them.

Replace that Gralab with a Beseler timer and a foot switch. Your troubles will be over. Both of the Beseler timers (either analog, or digital)will handle the voltage surge from your Beseler enlarger head with ease. The foot control is great to use. Try Midwest Photo Exchange (mpex.com). Ask for Jim. He may have a used one, or can sell you a new one at a reasonable price.

You may want to call Gralab as well...a similar thing happened to us years ago with a 545 timer and an Aristo D2H head. We fried the timer out after about a year of use....both companies said we needed to use a "contactor" with the coldlight...we replaced it with another 545 and a Model 1200 Contactor from Aristo...it's been more than 7 yrs now and no problems yet.....

The "contactor" is probably nothing more than a relay and a low voltage power supply - you could easily build one yourself. You just need to keep the voltage spike from entering the timer by interposing a controlling switch or relay and keeping the circuits separated. The contactors show up on Ebay from time-to-time if the cost of a new one is too steep.