Richmond Solarbeam Integrator Question

[sqslabs]

Finally tracked down a new keypad/integrator for my Solarbeam, and its a newer model than the one we previously had but still similar enough that the install wasn't an issue. It's now up and running but the light units are going ridiculously fast, even at the slowest setting (4). So 500LU is less than 30 seconds, and even at the max LU setting we wouldn't be able to get the time required to burn most of our screens. Our previous longest setting was 47LU.

I'm using the integrator that came with the new keypad, and velcro/ziptied it to the old integrator so its probably about 3/4"-1" closer to the light than the old one. Would that little bit of distance make such a drastic difference in the light that gets picked up? I'm not able to try the old integrator with the new keypad as it has a different connection type.

I can take videos/pics of anything if needed.Any help would be appreciated, we haven't had an integrator for a couple months and are looking forward to getting this thing back up and running properly again.

[CGS]

Did the new one come with the dark blue lens diffuser and is it still glued in position over the hole ? 

Also you can try adjusting the angle of the photocell, so it is not aiming directly at the lamp. 

[sqslabs]

Did the new one come with the dark blue lens diffuser and is it still glued in position over the hole ? 

Also you can try adjusting the angle of the photocell, so it is not aiming directly at the lamp.

Not sure on the diffuser, will take some photos in the morning and post them here.  Will also try the angle, thanks!

[sqslabs]

Haven't had a chance to try the angle yet, but here's a few pics of the integrator.

Are there different integrators for different bulb sizes?  Or does one work across the board?

[CGS]

Is there a dark piece a glass on the inside of the hole that is shown on the bottom photo ?

[sqslabs]

Is there a dark piece a glass on the inside of the hole that is shown on the bottom photo ?

Yep, definitely.

Thanks!

[RICK STEFANICK]

Brett, I think your problem may be CELL SPEED. for each channel there should be a cell speed setting 1,2 or 3.. we use 2. that will significantly reduce the countdown speed when exposing.

[sqslabs]

Brett, I think your problem may be CELL SPEED. for each channel there should be a cell speed setting 1,2 or 3.. we use 2. that will significantly reduce the countdown speed when exposing.

Hey Rick, thanks for the recommendation. I've tried all four cell speeds and although we are seeing a difference between them, even the slowest setting runs way faster than would be required to get a proper burn.  This is completely different than our old keypad/integrator in which the light units ran much slower.

[CGS]

another thought... is there a potentiometer on the keypad or board that you can adjust ?

[sqslabs]

another thought... is there a potentiometer on the keypad or board that you can adjust ?

Just checked, and the only adjustment I can find is a switch for 115 and 230. It arrived at 115 and I switched it to the 230 setting before installation. Is it possible that could be the issue?

[sqslabs]

Update: I angled the integrator down so its pretty much parallel with the glass, and it helped a lot. Still much faster than our old integrator, but there will now be enough light units to cover our longest exposure time.

Following the adjustment (and once the bulb is warmed up), we're currently getting 30 seconds per 100LU, as opposed to the 5 seconds per 100LU we were seeing before the adjustment.  This is all at Cell Speed 4, the slowest setting. As a comparison our old integrator was roughly 5.5 minutes per 100LU, so a significant change there.

Thanks much to CGS for the tip on the angle adjustment.

[CGS]

Did you get the new parts from Nexmark by chance ?

[sqslabs]

Did you get the new parts from Nexmark by chance ?

No, I went through Lee's Screen Process Supply. Found them on a google search as a distributor of Solarbeam bulbs.

[Frog]

This may be a kind'a crude suggestion, but assuming that you have to rethink your light units with this new set-up anyway, what about covering part of the sensor? Would that trick the integrator into thinking it needed to increase your times?

[sqslabs]

This may be a kind'a crude suggestion, but assuming that you have to rethink your light units with this new set-up anyway, what about covering part of the sensor? Would that trick the integrator into thinking it needed to increase your times?

Yeah, I think that would probably work. But since we now have more light units available than needed for our longest exposure, we could theoretically dial our exposures in even better due to the smaller increment size. Not that I think it'll make much of a difference in real-world results on a 1.5-3 minute exposure, but in any case, it couldn't hurt either.

I do still think its not running as intended and would like to understand why, but it is working and as long as the new keypad/integrator keeps the unit running as long as the last one did (15+ years) I'll take it as it currently is.