Durst m601 Europe
 

Hi all,

I am experiencing some problems using the equipment I have brought from Europe here in UK, I have not used my enlarger very often but I have noticed the the timer is getting broken - power switch does not work any more even tough I can hear the 'tic' of its activation - and the light bulbs of the enlarger are blowing up in sequence.

I have also noticed as the enlarger bulb room gets very hot in very short time therefore I am wondering if the UK voltage standard 240V could be the cause of the problem since the Durst as been designed to be plugged in a 220V socket.

The enlarger model is Dust m601, any thoughts ?

Thanks in advance,
Pietro

Hi, Pietro,
I use an M601. The bulb I use is the Phillips Photocrescenta 75W/240V. Mine is the simple condenser setup, so the bulb is connected directly to the timer. I used to use the Durst Tim 60, but am currently using a Beauerle digital timer. I would not have thought the difference between 220 and 240V would be a problem. If there is an issue, it's likely to be your timer. What type is it? Does it have switchable voltage? You sometimes see that on electrical equipment where there is a selector for different mains voltages. The M601 is a really good enlarger. I would think that you should be able to get it working properly, but you may need a replacement timer designed for UK voltage. I hope you find a solution,
Alex.

Since about 1995, the UK and most of continental Europe have harmonised mains voltage at a nominal 230V. Across mainland Europe, most countries run at 230V +6% -10% whilst in the UK the acceptable variation is 230V +10% -6%.

Any single phase equipment designed to operate within the E.U. should therefore be able to run on anything from 207V to 253V - If you are using equipment that is sensitive to voltage fluctuations, then you may want to consider a power stabilising unit.

You don't say what type of head is fitted to the M601 - If it is a colour head using 12V halogen lamps, then it would certainly be worth investing in a stabilised power supply. As for the timer, if it 'tics', but there is no output, then it is possible that the internal relay needs replacing.

I a newbye therefore I am not sure what you meant with 'type of head', I have replaced a 220V 150W Philips bulb with an :

230v 150w E27 PF605E Photocrescenta Enlarger Bulb

Yesterday I have plugged the enlarger directly to the power socket bypassing the timer and it has blown after a single 'shot' long around 30 seconds, it might be a defect of the light bulb itself but I was suspicious after I have realized the timer has got broken too.

I am struggling in finding the power specs for my piece as I did not read anything on the frame and the 'operating instructions' do not specify it.

OK. By the sounds of it, you have a condenser head that uses filters either under the lens or that are popped in a draw above the negative. The bulbs that you are using should operate just fine on UK mains. If they are blowing after a short period of time, then you either have a faulty batch or your supply is outside the acceptable tolerances. To confirm the latter, you'd need to install a meter and log the voltage variations over a period of time. Unfortunately, this sort of equipment is neither cheap or very common - You could contact your energy supplier and ask for a monitoring system to be installed on a short term basis.

I would also check that the bulb holder and the cable have not been damaged. I know that the M601 can use the 150W bulb, but I find that the 75W is adequate, and you don't have the problem of the enlarger heating up so much. If your lamp holder is faulty/damaged, I have seen replacements for sale recently on UK eBay, under enlarging equipment in the Darkroom section.
Alex.

Digital multimeters (and that's all you need to measure mains voltage) are available from Maplin, Screwfix, Homebase, B&Q and others for less than £8. The easiest to use are 'autorange', where you only need to select 'volts AC' or 'V~'. To measure the mains voltage on a British 13A socket, do not try to open the shutter with a screwdriver. Best to use a shaver adapter. You probably have one if you have come from the continent.
220V bulbs will fail early (but not immediately) on 240V but Europe standardised on 230V some years ago - including Britain. It just seems to be taking a long time to implement the change. If you find a source of 75W bulbs with the appropriate fitting (probably E27 if the enlarger is by Durst), buy a couple more - they are fast disappearing from the shelves.

But what actually happened is that we stayed at 240v and the 10% meant that we were still within the new 'standard'!


Steve.

Just to muddy the waters a bit. I use a mains lamp in my enlarger and found that my exposure times appeared to be all over the place, which I eventually concluded was the voltage variation, which may have been due to a fault in their supply and only listened when my electrician neighbour rang them. They arrived at my house within two hours having ignored my complaints for months AND putting in monitoring equipment for some time: I don't know what he said to them but they found a cracked insulator up a nearby pole.
Anyway, at least the house lights no longer dim periodically but I run my enlarger off a 12V Battery and invertor to avoid any voltage problems.
Mike

Sometimes the variation can be quite subtle. I found running a 2kW fan heater off the same ring as the enlarger made up to -0.3 stop change in exposure. The enlarger lamp runs on 12 V and I just had a simple step-down transformer. Changing to a regulated 12 V DC power supply cured the problem.

Thank you alexmuir, I will have a look since the new bulb I've bought just blown again ... do I need to dramatically extend the exposure time using a 75W instead of an 150W ?

I can't believe the equipment is getting broken due voltage difference since it should still be in the standard, anyway I could measure with a meter I have got how much the voltage differs.

Do you see that as something feasible guys ?

Hi. The 75w gives me an exposure of 7-10 secs at f11 for an 8x10 print. I haven't tried a 150w lamp as the 75w has been fine for my work.
Alex