Technical Support Document 009 - 5/97

INSTALLING THE DROP TABLE ENCODER UNIT

The Encoder unit is installed behind the column, using four screws to attach it to the main mounting plate. It's measurement cable is then connected to the moving table itself, so the computer can monitor the table's position.

Note the plate that is attached to the encoder module. The four holes in the module's plate line up with four threaded holes in the main mounting plate, just behind the column. Also note that the encoder module's measurement cable end has a loop terminal on it. The terminal attached to the moving part of the table. A screw may be placed in the terminal when the module was shipped. This screw is for ease of installation only, and will later be discarded. The drawing below, left shows the parts of the encoder module:

Place the Encoder Module on the main mounting plate as shown, above, at right. The measurement cable end will feed through the 1/2" hole in the main plate. The screw in the terminal will allow the cable to be pulled from the other side of the plate after the module is secured.
Screw the Module into place using the four 10-32 x 1/4" phillips screws provided. Make sure that there are no obstructions between the module and the surface to which it is mounted. Tighten all four screws.

Attach the Encoder measurement cable to the movable table. The measurement cable with the ring-terminal end will now be attached to the frame of the drop table.

Identify the encoder measurement Cable Attachment Plate. A diagram of this plate is shown below, in the proper orientation it will be installed, as viewed standing in front of the drop table unit.

Looking over the top of the table, between the bellows and the column, locate the two screws that hold the bellows to the moving frame that supports the table. (Lock the table in position about 12 to 16 inches below the main mounting plate for the best view.) Note that sone Drop Tables use velcro to secure the bellows: these machines should still have two holes in the baseboard frame for installation of this plate. Remove each of these screws and replace it with the 8-32 x 1/2" phillips-head screws provided. These slightly longer screws will allow the plate shown above to be secured at the two notches.
Once the new screws are in place, install the Cable Attachment Plate under the two screws, with the notches pointing towards the table (away from the column). Standing in front of the table, and looking over it, the plate should be in the same orientation as shown above. Fully seat the plate into it's notches, and tighten the screws. Be sure that the bellows are still firmly attached.
Very carefully pull the measurement cable down from the Encoder Module (through the hole in the main mounting plate), using the screw inserted in the ring terminal as a handle. Extend the cable far enough to position the ring terminal at the hole in the Attachment plate. Secure the ring terminal using the small 4-40 x 1/4 inch flat-head screw provided.

NOTE: The Measurement Cable of the Encoder Module is very fragile. Be very careful not to kink or bend the cable while working. If pliers are used to hold the cable, cover the jaws with masking tape. When gripping the cable, do not turn the pliers so as to bend or kink the cable. A bent cable will cause inaccurate operation of the autofocus system. Do not let the cable "snap" back into the Encoder Module: it may break, making the module unusable.

Once the cable end is attached, examine the cable itself, from the hole in the main plate down to where it is attached to the table's frame. It should be parallel to the tensor spring next to it. If it is slightly askew, adjust the position of the ring terminal to bring it straight. If it is very angled, check that the Cable Attachment Plate is installed correctly.
Check the operation of the encoder's cable by moving the table up and down. The cable should travel smoothly and remain taught at all times.

Attach top of bellows to underside of column mounting plate. The bellows that covers the front of the Drop Table column are designed to mask the reflective tensator springs to prevent image interference. The bellows has steel plates at both the top and bottom. The bottom plate was secured underneath the Cable Attachment plate when the Encoder module was installed. The top Plate will now be secured to the underside of the column mounting plate.

Locate the two small holes in the top bellows plate (shown below). Working with only one side to start, place one of the 6-32 x 3/4" screws (10-32 on some models) up through one of the holes, so that it projects up through the hole, as shown. While holding the screw in place, put a spacer over the projecting part of the screw.

Note: This is not necessary on machines that use velcro to secure the bellows.

Insert the screw, while holding it in place, along with the spacer, into the threaded hole in the underside of the column mounting plate. When installed, the spacer should separate the bellows top plate from the column mounting plate. This allows clearance for the heads of the column's mounting bolts. Repeat for the second screw. It will be necessary to move the bellows around a bit to get behind them for turning these screws. When finished, be sure that the plate is straight.
Check that the bellows are lying in an orderly manner, and that they move accordingly as the table is moved up and down.

Hookup the electrical cable from the Encoder Module. The electrical hookup is simple. The cable from the newly-installed encoder module plugs into the small (D-9) connector located on the rear of the Satellite Scanner's Negative stage. This is the connector immediately next to the connector for the keypad/expansion junction box. See below:

Plug in the connector and secure it using the two small lock screws at either end.

Tell the Satellite Autofocus computer that the Drop Table is installed. This is done in the Satellite's Preferences menu as follows.

From the regular operating screen, press the MENU key. Then press [5] or use the Arrow Keys to get to the "SATELLITE PREFERENCES MENU" item. Press ENTER.
In the Preferences Menu, press [9] or use the Arrow Keys to get to the "SET SECURITY LOCK" item and then press ENTER.
The screen will read "SECURITY LOCK ON" on the top line. Press any of the number keys once so that it reads "SECURITY LOCK OFF." Press ENTER. This will disable the security lock, and then return operation to the normal operating screen.
Once again, get into the Preferences Menu, as described above. In the Preferences Menu, press [8] or use the Arrow Keys to get to the "ENABLE DROP TABLE" item. Press ENTER.
The screen will read "DROP TABLE NOT ACTIVE" on the top line. Press any number key once to change it to "DROP TABLE ACTIVE." Press ENTER.
The autofocus system is now capable of reading the position of the drop table. Since the Drop Table Encoder is matched to the other encoders in the Satellite, there is no further setup necessary for autofocus operation.
Since the Drop Table at it's uppermost position is not quite at the same position as the standard bench-top baseboard (if the enlarger is being converted from a bench top model) the lens setups will need to be reprogrammed.
Operation of the Drop Table is fully integrated into the daily usage of the machine, simply move the table to the desired position. The computer will even indicate which direction, and how far, the table should be moved when a change in printsize requires it!