Zone VI Compensating Enlarging Metronome "TikTok"

[Luther Hert]

I have a Zone VI Compensating Enlarging Timer with L702 Photodiode Assembly, a Zone VI foot switch, and a ZONE VI Variable Contrast Cold Light Head and controller. I do not have a Zone VI Metronome. What else might I find to substitute for the Zone VI Metronome, since none are available? Is there a way to configure the Zone VI Enlarger timer to cut off the light, when the enlarging time is finished? How may I solve these problems? I have found one post regarding the issue and it is about moving a lens cap over the lens. I need a more practical means that cuts the enlarger light off automatically, when the time is up. I would hope this would also allow me to use the Zone VI enlarging timer.

[Doremus Scudder]

A Zone VI compensating timer will start and stop the enlarger light if you have it connected correctly; that is its intended function. Check to make sure you have the enlarger lamp circuit plugged into the proper receptacle on the timer. You should be able to start the exposure with the footswitch.

Best,

Doremus

[Luther Hert]

Doremus,

Thank you for your quick reply. I checked the enlarge lamp circuit. From the light head timer receptacle, I have an electrical cord running to the lamp receptacle located on the Zone VI Compensating timer. Another electrical cord runs from the power inlet to the AC electrical circuit. The telephone type cord is plugged into the telephone type jack at the rear of the control box. The three pronged plug for the light sensor coming from the compensating timer is plugged into timer inlet at the top of the light head.

When the power is turned on the light head responds immediately and requires no warm up. It was 58 degrees here this morning. The brightness controls, focus, print, and lamp controls on the control box work. Both lights work in the light head. The light head checks okay.

The Compensating enlarger timer seems to be problematic. It does not emit any sound that it is operating, the timer dials do not work in conjunction with the light head. When I set the dial to what I believe is one second print time, the light comes on and stays on. I cannot use the foot switch or the red timer switch to cut off the light. Perhaps, it is something that I am doing wrong, but I think that seconds would count off on the timer so that I would know when the printing time is up and I should ber able to stop it without hitting the power switch on the timer. I lost on this one. I think the compensating enlarger timer is bad.

[neil poulsen]

I don't see your sensor in the photo. So, I can't compare it to my own. I think the problem is that the sensor is not connected to the timer, or that you don't have a correct sensor. The timer could be fine; you may be experiencing problems with the sensor.

Sensor and head connected to my compensating timer, and all works well. Sensor disconnected w/head connected, and I experience the same that you experienced. Light stays on, and there's no indication (like the beep) that time is advancing on the timer.

To add a little detail, the dimmer the light, the slower time advances on the timer. That's why it's a compensating timer. If there's no light, time doesn't advance at all. (Which is what I think you're experiencing.) An improperly connected sensor could signal the timer that there's no light.

Could your sensor be intended for a Metrolux timer, the other popular compensating timer? If so, there needs to be an adapter to connect a Metrolux sensor to a Zone VI timer.

[Peter Lewin]

Luther: I'm having a little trouble determining from your description whether all the cords are going to the correct places (it sounds as if they are). Here is the text of the ZoneVI instructions for the compensating enlarging timer:
"1. Plug your enlarger's lamp head into the outlet labeled 'lamp' on the timer. Plug the cold light's "thermo" (heater) cord into a normal power outlet. (wall outlet.) Unplug after printing.
2. Plug the timer into a grounded (3-wire) wall outlet.
3. Plug the cable labelled 'cell' into the other connector on your ZoneVI Cold Light Head. If you are using some other lamp head, you must install a ZoneVI L702 photocell.
4. Allow the lamp head to warm up to normal operating temperature. You can sped things up by running the lamphead (use 'focus', with 'lamp' set to maximum) for a few minutes. Then set the timer for a 10-second exposure, set the 'lamp' and 'sound' controls to maximum, set 'dry down' to 0, and press 'start' or the footswitch. The lamp head should light, and you will hear metronome beeps. Now turn the small blue calibration adjustment (on the top edge of the timer, just above the 'C' in the word 'Compensating') until the beeps are approximately 1 second apart. Once you have set this adjustment, leave it alone."

Re-reading your note, it sounds as if you have the switch on the lower right side of your timer set to "focus" so as soon as you turn the power switch to "on" the cold light turns on and stays on. Make sure the focus switch is flipped to the opposite side, which will let the timer circuit function.

Hopefully your timer is fine, and leaving the "focus" switch set to the "focus" setting is causing your "symptoms," because what you describe matches the focus setting perfectly!

Edit: I see that Neil Poulsen posted a response while I was typing, I guess there are several things which would cause the symptoms you describe.

[Keith Pitman]

It's not clear (to me, at least) from your last post whether you have both power cables from the cold light head plugged in. As Peter describes, one should go to a power source that is on all the time while you are working, and the other goes to the timer which switches the light on and off. If you have both power cables, make sure the connections are not reversed. If none of the advice here seems to help, I suggest you post pictures of your whole set-up showing all the connections. The picture of the VC control and the footswitch isn't helpful.

[Luther Hert]

Neil,
The sensor is built into the Variable Contrast Zone VI light heads. Attached to this posting are pictures of the top of the light head, the controller box, and compensating timer. There are two electrical outlets in the top of the light head. The outlet marked timer attaches to the male electrical plug on the left side of the compensating enlarger timer. The other outlet attaches to an ac electrical wall socket or other source. The other plug attaches to a sensor cord from the compensating timer into the third outlet located on the top of the light head. This is where the sensor is installed over the lamps. That is why you cannot see the sensor, but you do see the cords and connections to the sensor, which is located inside of the light head.

Two other persons looked at this today, the controller box, and the compensating timer today, and the light head. They are more experienced with Zone VI equipment than I am. They determined that it is an issue with the Compensating Enlarger Timer. The light head and its controller box are performing as they should. The Compensating enlarger timer does not make any sound (count down noise per second and so forth), it has a noise controller to turn up and or lower this sound, but there is no sound emanating from the timer. The dials that set the time do not seem to be working either.

About your theory with the sensor, some of that may well be true. The cable from the compensating enlarger timer could be loose inside the timer box, but that does not explain why the timer does not do a count down and will not turn on and off with the red start button or a foot switch. The foot switch is a brand new Zone VI foot switch. The problems seem to be isolated to the compensating enlarger timer. There is a person in a nearby town, who has fixed Zone Vi compensating timers before. If the person, from whom I bought it from will work with me, I will take the timer to this person for repair. I am attaching better pictures of the timer, controller, and the light head, which indicate where the wires attach. I thank everyone for their responses. I am leaving this open, in case, I can successfully get it repaired. I will share the information here.

[Keith Pitman]

I think Neil is on the right track. I remember now that the Zone VI timer would not work unless it was plugged in to the enlarger head. I would make sure the sensor cable plug making proper contact with the socket in the enlarger head.

[Luther Hert]

Neil is on the right track. I just got a message from the seller, who said that the diode may not be working or may be wired backwards. He suggest that I open the connector and reverse the diode wires. I suspected the diode. I hope it is wired backwards because obtaining another diode may be very difficult. Later today, I will try reversing the diode wires. I will keep all posted, so this remains documented for others. Thank you.

[cowanw]

You do have BOTH Focus setting buttons off, right?