focomat IIc - 6 questions

[Vickko]

Perhaps try this:

- screw the 100mm tube in, so that the brass threads do not show.
- loosen the three screws on the 100mm cam and move the cam (and follower) until you achieve focus.
- then tighten the three screws.
Now see if the 100mm maintains focus through the enlargement range.

 

[lukas.erba@gmail.com]

dear vickko, i feel really stupid now🙂...do you mean the screws that I show on picture? sorry for my stupid question

 

[Vickko]

Yes, loosen the 3 screws that you show in the photo, that hold the 100mm cam in place.
Then move the cam until you achieve proper focus with the 100mm lens, then tighten the screws.
Then check for autofocus action.

 

[Rangefinderfreak]

When I compare the picture of your Focomat cam to mine, it seems the cams are positioned about right ( The middle screw in the middle of the opening slot) The lens thread in the barrell is WAY OFF... At least 5mm or more too much out. I guess you have to check the bowden, the movement of the sliding lens board and then the focus. I guess somebody has tried to make very small enlargements and shifted the lens exessively to focus near...Don`t touch the cam before you have verified these points first.

 

[M.Hilo]

Lukas, nice puzzle !

I agree with Rangefinderfreak and would not touch the cam before you know what to do with it.

Going way back to your nr. 2 issue: have you pulled that knurled head out? I just noticed that the difference between it pulled out and pushed in is this: when pulled out the 100mm's wheel runs nicely over the cam and the bellows folds out fine. When pushed in this wheel hardly touches the cam and subsequently the bellows hardly moves . . . just making sure.

If you don't solve it, I can call a friend who worked as a repairman for Leitz all his life. He services my Focomats (Netherlands) . . .

 

[lukas.erba@gmail.com]

dear darkroomers, i followed all your advices. As vickko wrote I changed the setup of 100mm cam, loosen 3 big screws and moved with the middle part (i put small green circle on my image above here)...i understand the mechanism now. But as much as i hard tried i never could get proper AF with 100mm lens. I was almost there but it was never perfect. anyhow everytime when i focused i saw the golden thread in barrel.I think Rangefinderfreak is right, its too much way off...when I screw the lens inside the barrel, so i do not see golden thread, i am so much out of focus, that even moving the part (green circle on the picture above) from on side to another cant help. is there way how to put thread in the barrell and have lens focused??? thank 100000x times!

 

[lukas.erba@gmail.com]

dear machiel, yes, knurled head is out as it should be...60mm works just fine so I would guess, that problem is really somewhere between "barrell threads" and "adjusting 100mm cam" to right position.

UPDATE: i just found this picture on internet, so may be, that to see golden barrell threads on lens is ok? the barrell looks very similar to mine when i focus

 

[Rangefinderfreak]

If your "Distance slot" is in the third position from right (0), it is also way off. It is the repro position. My Focomat is using the first (less any frame) or second ( one centimeter frame) position That makes two centimetres difference in the focusing distance...

 

[Vickko]

I suppose one obvious question is:
"Is there an easel on the baseboard? Is it the correct easel?

 

[lukas.erba@gmail.com]

If your "Distance slot" is in the third position from right (0), it is also way off. It is the repro position. My Focomat is using the first (less any frame) or second ( one centimeter frame) position That makes two centimetres difference in the focusing distance...

all the time I had it on third position as someone wrote above...no, i am not using any easel....

now i am solving another issue🙁...yesterday i changed the bulb from 150W to 100W and it literally exploded! so i changed it back to 150W, but it doesnt light🙁((...probably fuse is out..could someone tell me, where the fuse is? is it under the baseboard in the space (behind the plastic cover) where I connected wire coming from main column and wire coming from on/off button together?? thank you...I am getting desperate...sorry to bother you with all this..thank you a lot, lukas

 

[M.Hilo]

If your "Distance slot" is in the third position from right (0), it is also way off. It is the repro position. My Focomat is using the first (less any frame) or second ( one centimeter frame) position That makes two centimetres difference in the focusing distance...

To me, if no easel is being used, the 0 position in the middle seems correct when just projecting on the white ground board.

I have the 3cm Leitz easels and use the slot position on the far right (30mm)

But I can easily be wrong, it has happened many times before 😉

 

[lukas.erba@gmail.com]

thank you for picture! this is what i needed! now just to find the FUSE..

 

[M.Hilo]

thank you for picture! this is what i needed! now just to find the FUSE..

Again I could be wrong, but I do not remember a fuse. Could be that your 150 watt bulb has just died. Try another "any" bulb

If the problem happens again take apart the wiring in the lamphouse, the socket etc. . . . that being the most vulnerable . .

 

[lukas.erba@gmail.com]

i tried another bulb, but no light there...

i will have to take apart lamphouse...thats what i was worried about..

thank you!

 

[Vickko]

There is no electronics or fuse in the enlarger, as far as I　can recall. The wiring is pretty simple, mostly under the baseboard. There is a wire that goes up the column.

Yes, you may need to rewire it.

There may be a couple switches, and with an explosion, the contacts may now be burned, and replaced.

Good luck

 

[lukas.erba@gmail.com]

vickko, machiel, rangefinderfreak, tom A, thank you for your help...when i finish rewiring i will come back with calibration of 100mm lens! i will not give up🙂 thank you one more time..really appreciate it! lukas

 

[Rangefinderfreak]

If there was an explosion, your bulb shorted, that blew some of the wiring or switches. I recommend make a new wire to lamphouse/bulb base and forget all other wiring. that wire you connect to your exposure clock and that`s it !

 

[lukas.erba@gmail.com]

dear rangerfinderfreak, you mention exposure clock. when i open plastic cover beneath the baseboard I find two white sockets (one is for bulb, second probably for exposure clock?) and I have one cable comming from lamphouse/bulb. does it matter which socket i use for contecting wire from lamphouse/bulb? or are they interconnected, so i can you both of them? thank you

 

[Tom A]

The interior wiring in the column is prone to break up with age. I had an old Iic that shorted out in the column - interesting experience! The wiring is probably the old cloth covered one and with age it dries out and "cracks".Just running the wire from the light housing to the timer bypasses the column and you can use modern insulated power cords instead. remember that a dark room is usually a place of high humidity and power tends to look for a way out - and of course the operator is a good target for grounding!
I am experimenting with modern high power LED bulbs at the moment. So far the most powerful are 60 watts- but I am looking for some 100 watt power ones. The LED have a "hesitancy" when turned on - just a split second - but they go on with instant full power and are of course much cooler so you can leave them on without turning the housing hot. I need to test a bit more - finding the correct height of the fixture and also the "colour" of the light. So far I have been using them on the Ic - but onces I have determined what works there, I will start with the Iic.

 

[M.Hilo]

What Rangefinderfreak writes makes sense! The safest (and easiest) is to run a new wire directly to a timer. You can do this bypassing the column, or through the column. The only thing you will lose is the functioning of the switch on the side of the baseboard. But to be honest I have never used that switch. One uses a timer.

Another way to go is to check carefully all the wiring. To me it is still probable that the short happened inside the lamphead's socket. Start by just replacing the wiring from the lamphead to the column. You have a good chance that'll solve the problem. The only other place I would check at the same time is inside that external switch on the side of the board . . .

Here we can buy electrical cord for ironing machines (for clothes) - it is almost the same as what Leitz used for their enlargers . . .