Devere 504 Transtab + Jobo Colorline 5000 Analyzer?

[jbmia]

Here's a curve ball for those darkroom dwellers interested in taking a bat at it... This all revolves around printing color RA4 prints using a Colorline 5000 analyzer and a Devere 504 (Dichromat 500, the tan/brown one). On a side note, my 5 year old roll of chest freezer Endura Premier is printing super nice. Nice blacks, albeit a pretty high contrast, but I'm attempting to mitigate that via lens choice and a few other methods...

Backstory:
I've got a functioning Jobo Colorline 5000 Analyzer which is calibrated and works fine with my Leica V35.. you plug the V35 power cord into the Colorline power cable (which kind of piggy backs on top of the Colorline power 120v (mains) plug) and as you use focus and expose the Analyzer will function like a timer and turn the enlarger light on and off... all good, no problem.

So, I took a trip this summer and shot some Ektar 100, Portra 400, and Gold 200 in 120 and thought I'd print some medium format prints... yay!

Issue:
The Dever 504 Transtab power supply has both the (mains) power and the Bulgin 8 pin connector/plug... I normally use the 504 with an Ilford 500 Head, an RH Designs Analyser and use their cable (from Secondhand Darkrooms Supplies) connecting the RH Designs Analyzer 500 (not to be confused w/ the Colorline.. this is a B&W analyzer) to the Devere Transtab.. this setup works fine, with the fan running independently of the lights in the head.

So, I attempted to connect to get the Colorline working w/ the 504/Dichromat500/Transtab combo and noticed the following:

a) When nothing is plugged into the Bulgin connector, with Focus and Power on the Transtab turned on, and the Devere (mains) power plug, plugged into the the Colorline power plug (piggybaced), the lights and fan turn on and off as focus & expose buttons are pressed on the Colorline Analyzer unit. Not ideal because the fans turn off with the lights, but it kind of works...

b) If the Transtab mains plug is plugged into power and the power cable coming from the Bulgin plug is pluged into the Colorline Analyzer plug (using the RH Designs cable.. (which admittedly is designed for the RH Designs Analyzer & Stop Clock units)), I get lights and fan no matter if the Colorline is turned on or off, no matter if the Colorline expose/focus buttons are pressed, and no matter whether the Focus switch on the Transtab is turned on or off...

So, what I'd like to see is the Colorline 5000 controlling the lights with the Transtab keeping the fans runnings as it normally does with the RH Designs units... I do have a Bulgin plug on order in hopes I can just wire it up differently to achieve my goals.. I also have the 504 manual and it does indicate the pin outs for the Bulgin plug and the idea of creating a shorting plug. Does anyone have any tips on how to wire the Bulgin plug differently to control the Dichromat head lights without turning the fans on an off (with the lights).. I can temporarily use option (a) above, but I'm sure it's not ideal to power the fans on and off as the lights go on and off (heat)...

Appreciate any pointers.

Thanks.

John

[interneg]

So, what I'd like to see is the Colorline 5000 controlling the lights with the Transtab keeping the fans runnings as it normally does with the RH Designs units... I do have a Bulgin plug on order in hopes I can just wire it up differently to achieve my goals.. I also have the 504 manual and it does indicate the pin outs for the Bulgin plug and the idea of creating a shorting plug. Does anyone have any tips on how to wire the Bulgin plug differently to control the Dichromat head lights without turning the fans on an off (with the lights).. I can temporarily use option (a) above, but I'm sure it's not ideal to power the fans on and off as the lights go on and off (heat)...


If in doubt, ask Odyssey Sales (De Vere's successor) - they offer/ offered the Colorstar 3000 wired to replace the timer (i.e. wired to the Bulgin plug). I suspect you won't be the first person to ask about wiring in the Colorline. The wiring diagram for the 504 has instructions on both a shorting plug and for wiring in non De Vere timers to the Bulgin plug. What's confusing me somewhat here is that you seem to be expecting that components meant to operate the MG500 head/ timer/ transformer have cross-applicability to the regular Transtab/ dichroic colour head system - they're very different.

That being said, analysers are not as much use as people want them to be - their main real use was for production speed, not necessarily quality.

[pitotshock]

This is a timely question as I was going to be hooking up my Colorline 7000 to the DeVere 504 later this summer, just haven't tried it yet. I have the 'generic timer' cable from KHB Photographix on the DeVere right now. I thought the setup with the generic cable would behave the same as the setup as using it with the Omega D series I have the colorline on right now. Fan continuously running, with the lamp toggling on and off with the timer. I am guessing you are controlling the complete power to the unit using the timer, as opposed to just controlling the lamp circuit.

cable: http://store.khbphotografix.com/De-Vere-3845-120V-Timer-Interface.html (I'm not associated with them...)

[jbmia]

Thanks to both of you for the replies.. I did send a message inquiring on the best way to wire a bulgin plug on Odyssey's site but haven't heard anything back...

Pitotshock, Yes, I'm hoping to achieve the same thing.. fans controlled by the Transtab independently of the light, which should be controlled by the Colorline... and yes, today, I'm controlling the complete unit fans & lights on and off, as opposed to just the lamp circuit.. ( I actually haven't had the occasion to use it again, yet).

I did attach a pic of the pin out of the Bulgin receptacle below... ( I have a Bulgin plug on order in hopes I can make a cable..)..
Here's the pinout:
1. (E) Earth, I'm assuming (Ground)
2. not used
3. (N) Neutral, I'm assuming
4. (L) Line? (Hot?)
5. not Used
6. (L) Line? (Hot?)
7. not Used
8. not Used

230109

So, it's basically just the power connections.. with an on/off switch between pins 4 & 6 I believe.. Not sure though.. I'm not an electrician and can barely read a circuit diagram, but that's what I take away from the diagram.

The Colorline controls the enlarger by just plugging the enlarger power cord into the back of the it's power cord.. I'm assuming it just turns power on and off to the plugged in cable.. Seems pretty basic.. My concern now after experimenting with the RH Designs cable (which I shouldn't have), reading Mr. Interneg's comment above, and thinking about it a bit more is that I don't want to blow up the Transtab.. It's already been over to KHB once and I'd hate to damage it by experimenting with wiring configurations... Anyway, that's where I'm at.. Let me know how your generic cable works out..

Anyone out there with electrical skills want to comment on the pin out here.. 1 & 3 are pretty obvious, but I'm a bit confused about 4 & 6... If I have 3 prong plug I'm wiring to these pins, would I attach line (Hot?) to pin 6 only? to pin 4 & 6?

I'm in the US, so I'm working with a NEMA 5-15P connector.. Here's the diagram (this is the receptacle of course, not the plug, but's the same diagram)..
230110

[pitotshock]

If you get the generic timer cable I linked to above, there is no thinking to do, just plug it in and go


230141

[jbmia]

Good to know.. the only thing that just kills me with with that idea is 240CAD (approx $185) for something that cost maybe $40 in parts... I have all the parts, just need to know how to wire it up. Nothing yet from Odyssey.. I suppose I'll pick up the phone tomorrow and see if I can reach anyone.

[pitotshock]

240CAD (approx $185) for something that cost maybe $40 in parts... I have all the parts, just need to know how to wire it up.

I hear ya, kinda crazy expensive. But KHB really have a niche market with the DeVere stuff. For myself, I had the Transtab but no timer at all, so I didn't have the donor plug/cable for that socket. I was kinda stuck buying one and I convinced myself that I got the DeVere 504 for free, so spending some money getting this calibre of machine up and running was worth it. LoL

BTW. I set my Jobo Colorline up and fired it up to take that picture, works good...

[jbmia]

I hear ya, kinda crazy expensive. But KHB really have a niche market with the DeVere stuff. For myself, I had the Transtab but no timer at all, so I didn't have the donor plug/cable for that socket. I was kinda stuck buying one and I convinced myself that I got the DeVere 504 for free, so spending some money getting this calibre of machine up and running was worth it. LoL

BTW. I set my Jobo Colorline up and fired it up to take that picture, works good...


Yep, I get it.. Just this week I paid $85 for a used Mamiya G 50mm lens hood. Niche stuff.

I did end up speaking to John at Odyssey this morning. He told me not to worry about the fans with color given the typical short exposure times. He said it's more of an issue with really long exposure times. He just said to plug the mains plug into the analyzer and let the whole thing, lights and fan, cycle with the Analyzer controls. I'd still be curious if anyone has an idea on how to wire this up to control the light independently of the fans like the RH Designs cable does, but at least it's okay to run as is for now.