A Konica SRX-101A came up for sale in my area. I wonder if I can adapt this for either RA4 or RC B&W processing? It's a bit limited in it's control...
You can set it to 90, 120, or 180 cycle times, and it will accept temps between 84-99F.
On the other hand, it has a lot going for it...runs on 120 power, will accept 14x17 sheets, integrated wash and dryer, and auto replenishment with tanks. I know some people swap gears to change processor speed, there is also a section in the service manual that addresses a timing belt adjustment... I'm a little handy but I could use some guidance here.
It's 2 hours away, and $100.00. Do I make the trip?
I don't know anything about converting this processor. But I do use a Fujimoto CP-30 with dryer unit. A few general details to keep in mind... The Fujimoto uses three baths in the main unit (developer, Blix and wash 1) and a 2nd wash bath in the dryer unit. For RA4, it's ideal to have two washes before going into the dryer. Each bath in the Fujimoto needs 45 seconds time for the developer and Blix assuming you're using Fuji RA4 chemistry. You can control the roller speed very accurately. In terms of amount of chemistry, the Fujimoto uses two liters per bath. While I do have a replenisher unit and don't use it at the moment. I hand replenish the developer and it will easily last me for a day of making work prints. Temperature control is highly accurate and maintains 35C. The unit is light enough that I store it on a shelf, empty, in-between printing sessions. I set it up in my darkroom sink when I want to print. It only needs 2lt of chemistry per bath and prints up to 11x14. That's the Fujimoto CP-30 for comparison.
Scanning over the Konica, it is unclear to me if the baths that would contain the Blix and water wash would get the same amount of time as the developer? The developer bath looks twice as large as the baths marked as "fix" and "wash." That would concern me. Also, one less wash might mean prints will not be fully washed when they hit the dryer. I couldn't tell if you could control the temp at 35C? The unit might work better for B&W RC. Still, would prefer two water baths in the B&W case. I'm not a fan of how much chemistry the Konica requires (4lts per bath). That's a lot for shorter term printing sessions. Check the size and weight of the unit. Weight and bulk will impact moving it around and cleaning the unit. If you check it out in person, make sure to check the rollers. They can get gunked up if not cleaned regularly in the past. If it looks pretty clean, it might be worth tinkering around. I would think you'd need to be quite motivated to make it work for either RA4 or B&W RC.
I haven't seen this processor discussed before in this forum. Maybe Photrio might have some info.
Thanks for that. After doing a lot of research I've decided against it. It maybe convertible to do the job but the prints would need a 2nd wash step and all the fuss is probably not worth it. The search goes on.
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