LPL 4550XL + Heiland LED Explainer?

[sperdynamite]

So now that my lamp is acting up in my 4550XL one thing I'm considering is adapting my enlarger to the Heiland system. Probably not splitgrade since I have an Analyser Pro. I'd be interested color printing and B&W, but I'm curious to know how exactly how the system integrates with the LPL...


Stop me where I'm wrong. It looks like you install the LED and it takes the place of A. The Halogen and the fan. B. The diffusion box. & C. The filter module aka VCCE or Dichro set. Instead of using the filter module you use Heiland controllers to modulate the colors of the LEDs to make grades or dichro filter levels.

Do I have this right?

I'm at the point where if I can't find a tech to repair my power supply, I can spend about $600+ on a new one, or spend nearly $2k on a whole new Heiland LED system. Any advice for me here?

[Oren Grad]

You might try contacting George Brown (seller "apogeebee" on eBay) to see whether he works on enlarger power supplies. He does work on heads - a few years back he CLA'd my 4500II dichroic head after the filter mechanism gummed up, and for much less than it would have cost to send it to KHB in Ontario.

[Sal Santamaura]

...Stop me where I'm wrong. It looks like you install the LED and it takes the place of A. The Halogen and the fan. B. The diffusion box. & C. The filter module aka VCCE or Dichro set. Instead of using the filter module you use Heiland controllers to modulate the colors of the LEDs to make grades or dichro filter levels.

Do I have this right?...

Those sound like reasonable conclusions. Why not contact Jürgen Heiland and ask him directly? He can be reached at

infoheilandelectronic.de

and was very helpful when I had him adapt his 4x5 LED source to my 23C a dozen years ago, long before he'd developed specific models for numerous different enlargers.

I'd write Herr Heiland myself, but am afraid of how elegant his LED solution might be for my LPL 4500II. It's working fine with the halogen source, and I prefer not to be tempted by something as expensive as 1590€, even if I could use my existing Splitgrade controller, now that I'm retired.

[Luis-F-S]

Those sound like reasonable conclusions. Why not contact Jürgen Heiland and ask him directly? He can be reached at

infoheilandelectronic.de

What I would do! However, the LPL 45 series enlargers are so well made, I can't see what could be gained with an LED head that the Dichroic or VCCE head would not provide. You also could buy a used power supply at auction. I bought a 250W light module and power supply for my LPL 4500-II for $78 at auction.

[Sal Santamaura]

...I can't see what could be gained with an LED head that the Dichroic or VCCE head would not provide.

Lack of heat and, therefore, the ability to use a glassless 4x5 carrier without flatness issues. This is a big advantage with films having very glossy emulsion sides, such as TMX and Acros, that can cause Newton's rings when in contact with glass carriers' plain bottom glass.

[ic-racer]

Heat is transmitted a number of ways. One is by electromagnetic radiation which originates from either LED or incandescent. If one thinks a high power LED enlarger light source won't heat a negative, then one has never measured it.

[sperdynamite]

My understanding is that the other advantage is that I will essentially never have to replace the bulbs and that they will be consistent throughout their lifetime. Not that $12 dollar Halogens really break the bank. For sure there is no sensible economic argument to the upgrade. I'm spending a lot to get the convenience of not having to replace modules or bulbs. But also those that have made the upgrade seem to rave about the results so there must be something to it.

If I go forward with it I will likely sell my VCCE and Dichro modules so that reduces the 'hurt' just a bit. I will miss thee VCCE, as I hardly knew ye. But if the LED completely replaces it then there you go.

[Sal Santamaura]

...If one thinks a high power LED enlarger light source won't heat a negative, then one has never measured it.

I've never placed a thermocouple at the negative plane to actually measure it, but have been using my Heiland LED head for more than a decade and found no sensible heating or deformation/popping of negatives during long exposures. As noted in post #3, this is a 4x5 head. It has a quite substantial heat sink on top (like those seen in Heiland's current Web site illustrations), which also never becomes warmer to the touch than very, very slightly above ambient.

I'm not sure what "high power" means in this context, but whatever the Heiland 4x5 head dissipates, it dissipates well, and negative heating ain't much.

[Luis-F-S]

Lack of heat and, therefore, the ability to use a glassless 4x5 carrier without flatness issues. This is a big advantage with films having very glossy emulsion sides, such as TMX and Acros, that can cause Newton's rings when in contact with glass carriers' plain bottom glass.

Heat is not a problem with LPL!

[sperdynamite]

Aside from heat are there any other advantages that are significant over a halogen set up?