ADVANCED OPERATIONS

SETUP PROCEDURE FOR ZONE-MATCH

Before the VC-SCAN can be used for automatic grey target matching, it must "learn" how to expose for that zone. After it has "learned", choose the spot on the image that you want matched to the grey target and simply scan that spot. The exposure time will automatically be set to achieve the grey target at that spot. The setup is simple and similar to the Auto-Scan setup procedure.

Follow these steps to set up the Zone-Match Mode:

1. Find a good target negative. This negative should be properly exposed with a good sample of the grey value that you want to use for your match (usually Zone VI). You can use a step wedge for this. Refer to the Step Wedge section of the manual for details.
   
2. Make a good print at grade 2, at 8 X 10 for the size, 2 stops down on VC paper. Be sure that some of the area on the print has the desired grey value (usually Zone VI).
   
3. Now, the VC-SCAN will "learn" that grey value. Do not change any of the print settings: grade, time or aperture.
   
   To begin the "learning" process, press the SCAN button (on the VC-SCAN) and the SAVE button (on the VC-CLS) simultaneously. Release both buttons. The light will come on. The display will shoe "Lrn" (learn). The VC-Scan is now ready to learn.
   
4. Locate the target spot on the image and place the sensor under the target spot. Press SCAN, you will now hear a long beep. Hold the button down until you hear two short clicks. Release the SCAN button.
   
5. Press the END button, the VC-CLS will beep twice to tell you the learning is complete.
   

This sets up the Zone Match for grade 2. Due to different density to contrast responses of papers, it is necessary for the VC-SCAN to also learn grades 1 and 4. To do this, change the grade to 1, go back to step 2 and perform procedures 2-5 again. Next, change the grade to 4 and perform procedures 2-5 again. The VC-SCAN has learned how to automatically match any spot of any negative to your target grey value.

It is possible for the VC-SCAN to learn to match more than one grey level. See the Paper Channel and Step Wedge sections of this manual for instruction.

USING THE ZONE MATCH (TARGET GREY) MODE

NOTE: Before you can use the Zone-Matching, you must first complete the preceding Zone-Match Setup procedure.

Follow these steps to use the Zone-Match mode:

1. Place your new negative in the enlarger. Compose the image and set the aperture as usual.
   
2. Select the grade.
   
3. To begin the Zone-Match process, press the SCAN button on the VC-SCAN and release it. The light will come on. The display will show "SCN" (Scan).
   
4. Locate the target spot on the image which you would like to match to your target grey value. Place the sensor of the VC-SCAN under the target spot. Press SCAN. At first you will hear a long beep, keep the button pressed down until you hear two short clicks. Now, release the SCAN button.
   
5. Press the END button. The VC-CLS will beep once. The new exposure time will appear. This is the exposure time necessary to match the spot you selected to your target grey value.
   
6. Notice that the exposure time will blink for 3 seconds, then the VC-CLS will beep twice. You may press CANCEL at any time during this period to restore the old exposure time.
   

Now, make a print.

Should there be any problems during this procedure, please refer to the Trouble-Shooting and Error Message sections at the end of this manual.

ADJUSTING THE AUTO-SCAN SETUP

In the Setup Auto-Scan section, the VC-SCAN "learned" how to make a good print from your reference negative. After you use the Auto-Scan to print a variety of negatives, you may determine that the prints are consistently a little off in contrast or density.

You can fine tune the performance of the Auto-Scan. If your prints come out consistently light or dark, you can fine tune the density up or down to correct this. The density adjusts in Log Density Units; 30 units equals 1 F-Stop. If your prints are consistently too high or low contrast, you can fine tune the contrast in tenths of grades. Note that these adjustments apply only to the VC-SCAN operation. There are separate fine tune adjustments on your VC-CLS for adjusting the contrast and density of each grade setting. (These are for adjusting the VC-CLS for optimal grade separation. It is not related to the VC-SCAN operation.)

First, follow these steps to adjust the density of the Auto-Scan:

1. Press OPTIONS and spin to SCAN. (This reads as "SCAN" on the display.)
   
2. Press ENTER and spin to DENSITY ADJUST. (This reads as "dEnS Adj" on the display.)
   
3. Press ENTER. You will see "dEnS' on the left and a number blinking on the right. This number is the density value that was calculated as a result of the learning procedure. Write this number down so you can restore it later if needed.
   
4. Now, you can adjust the density. Increase the number for darker prints or decrease the number for lighter prints. 30 units is equal to one stop of density. Use the speed wheel to make the change.
   
5. Press ENTER. This completes the density adjustment.
   
   

Adjust the contrast similarly. Follow these steps:

1. Press OPTIONS and spin to SCAN. (This reads as "SCAN" on the display.)
   
2. Press ENTER and then spin to CONTRAST ADJUST. (This reads as "Cont Adj" on the display.)
   
3. Press ENTER. You will see "Cont" on the left and a number blinking on the right. This number is the correct Contrast value that was calculated as a result of the learning procedure. Write this number down so that you can restore it later if needed.
   
4. Now, you can adjust the contrast. Increase this number for higher contrast prints. .1 units is equal to a tenth grade; 1.0 units is a full grade. Use the speed wheel to make the changes.
   
5. Press ENTER. That completes the contrast adjustment.
   

Now, take a few negatives, print them using the Auto-Scan. If the results are satisfactory, you're done. Otherwise, adjust the density and contrast further.

The two numbers you have just modified only affect the Auto-Scan operation, not any of the other VC-SCAN operations. These numbers are only in affect for the paper channel currently selected. See the section on "Selecting Paper Channels" on page 28.

Adjusting the Auto-Scan setup this way is very useful, especially when you want to experiment with different contrast and density adjustments. But be sure to write down the initial values before you modify them. To restore the initial values, simply go back into the Density Adjust and Contrast Adjust options and re-enter the initial values. That's all there is to manually setting up the Auto-Scan mode. It is just as good as going through the Learn procedure. Refer to the Paper Channel section of this manual regarding customizing the Auto-Scan setups for different types of papers and subject matters.

ADJUSTING THE ZONE-MATCH SETUP

After using the Zone-Match, you may find that on some grades the match is a little off. Unlike the Auto-Scan mode, the Zone-Match setup does not have just two values that can be modified. Since the Zone-Match mode uses a multi-point correction scheme to work with any VC paper at any grade, it internally has many values which are set during the Zone-Match setup procedure. The only way to modify the Zone-Match operation, is to over-write or "factory reset" the values in the setup.

After you have done the setup procedure at grade 1, 2 and 4 as outlines in the Zone-Match setup section, you may find that when using grade 0 it does not match correctly. This can be corrected by going through the setup procedure again; this time for grade 0. (Make the print, identify the zone and have the VC-SCAN learn that spot.) This will make grade 0 work also. Similarly, you may wish to setup grade 5 or even the half grades. The more grades you do the setup with, the more accurate the matching will be. You can fix up poorly matching grades this way. You may re-setup any grade as many times as you wish. Each time, the new setup will be incorporated into the multi-point correction values.

When doing the setup procedure be careful to stay on the appropriate paper channel. If the matching is not working properly, it may be that another operator has simply selected a different paper channel. Each paper channel has its' own setup values.

If the Zone-Matching is not working at all, and has been setup at one time, it is recommended that you "factory reset" that paper channel and start over. For example, if you no longer use a particular brand of paper, you should "factory reset" that paper channel so it can be reused. Refer to the Paper Channel section of the manual for instructions on Factory Resetting a paper channel.

SELECTING PAPER CHANNELS

The VC-SCAN system is equipped with 20 paper channels. The main purpose of the VC-SCAN channel facility is to allow the use of the VC-SCAN with many paper types and with different subject matter. Each channel is assigned a number. When using a particular paper, set the channel to the number for that paper. The paper channel is accessed through the OPTIONS menu on your VC-CLS. This way, you can quickly change paper types and have the same precise operation of the VC-SCAN with all the papers.

The paper channels are only used for the Auto-Scan and Zone-Match modes. The Advanced Automatic Exposure Time Correction (A.T.C.) mode and the Density Display mode are not affected by paper variations. These don't use the paper channels.

To select a paper channel, follow these steps:

1. Press OPTIONS.
   
2. Spin to SCAN. (This reads as SCAN on the display.)
   
3. Press ENTER. Now, you will see "PAPr 1" on the display indicating that paper channel 1 is correctly selected.
   
4. To change the paper channel, press ENTER. Adjust the number using the speed-wheel.
   
5. Press ENTER when you have selected the appropriate number. That completes the paper channel selection.
   
   

All Auto-Scans or Zone-Matches will use the setups which were learned for the paper channel you've just selected.

PAPER CHANNELS IN THE AUTO-SCAN MODE

Paper channels have uses other than just for different paper types. In the Auto-Scan mode you can use paper channels for different types of subject matter. For example, if you initially use the Auto-Scan for landscape type of negatives and it works very well, you may find that portrait negatives Auto-Scan with too high contrast. Or, perhaps the density is always a little off. This is a perfect situation for using the paper channels.

You simply need to set up a new paper channel for the portrait work. Continue to use the initial channel for landscape work. All that is necessary is to copy the setup data from the one paper channel to a new paper channel and adjust it slightly for the portrait work. Go into the SCAN menu and write down the density and the contrast numbers. Now select a new paper channel using the previous instructions. Go into the SCAN menu again and enter the density and contrast values adjusting the values for portrait work. Now, the new paper channel is set up for the Auto-Scanning of portraits. Changing from landscape to portraits means simply changing from one paper channel to another.

Similarly, if you have more than one operator using the VC-SCAN and each operator wants the Auto-Scan to yield a particular type of prints to his/her preference, then assign each operator a channel or group of channels and have them set it up to their preferences.

PAPER CHANNELS IN ZONE-MATCH MODE

In the Zone-Match mode, the paper channels can be used for different paper types as well as for using different target grey values.

To set up for different paper types, assign each paper type a number and then use the corresponding paper channel number when using the Zone-Match mode. For each paper type, you will need to go through the full Zone-Match setup procedure, learning at grades 1, 2 and 4. Once completed, simply select the appropriate paper channel when changing paper types.

To use the Zone-Match mode for target grey values other than Zone VI, you need to first assign a new paper channel for the new target grey (e.g. channel #2). Then decide what new grey target you want, say Zone 1 for shadows. Select paper channel #2 and then go to the Zone-Match setup procedure and do the setup using paper channel #2 and Zone 1 (instead of Zone VI on paper channel #1). This way, you can set up many different target greys. Select the target grey by simply selecting the paper channel. Be sure to make records of which grey target is associated with which paper channel.

FACTORY RESETTING A PAPER CHANNEL

At some point, you may need to clear out the data 'learned" by a particular paper channel. For example, if a paper type is no longer being used. This is done by "factory resetting" the paper channel. When a paper channel is factory reset, the Auto-Scan density and contrast numbers and the Zone-Match multi-point data numbers are all erased and set to the factory values. Note: No other paper channels are affected.

To factory reset a paper channel, follow these steps:

1. Select the paper channel you wish to erase by using the Selecting a Paper Channel instructions.
   
2. Press OPTIONS. Spin to SCAN. (This reads as SCAN on the display.)
   
3. Press ENTER. Spin to CLEAR PAPER. (This reads as "Clr PAP".)
   
4. Press ENTER. The display will show "COdE O".
   
5. Spin to 111. Press ENTER. The VC-CLS will beep and the display will show "Clrd" for a moment. That paper channel is now set back to the factory settings.
   
   

USING THE AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE TIME CORRECTION (A. T. C.)

The A. T. C. is an advanced feature of the VC-SCAN. With this feature, you can make matched prints of different sizes from one negative without re-testing. This is very useful when doing multiple size, package type printing. After making a print at one size, the A. T. C. will match that print at any other size. The A. T. C. works by using the VC-SCAN sensor to measure the light density on a particular spot of the image, and to match that value to the same spot at a different magnification. You are not limited to same aperture setting. You can open or close the aperture and the A. T. C. software will adjust for it.

For example, say you have a good print at an 8 X 10 size and now you would like to make an 11 X 14 print. To do this follow these steps:

1. Do not change the size or aperture yet.
   
   
2. Activate the A. C. T. mode by pressing the SCAN button (on the VC-SCAN) and the TIME button (on the VC-CLS) simultaneously. The right display will show "A.t.c." and the light will come on.
   
   
3. Locate an area near the center of the image with little contrast that is also fairly bright (dark on the final print). This will be your reference spot. Place the VC-SCAN sensor under that spot and press SCAN, until a long beep sounds. Release the button. The time display will blink.
   
   
4. With the light on, adjust the magnification to the 11 X 14 size and re-focus.
   
   
5. Place the VC-SCAN sensor under the same spot as in step 3 and press SCAN until you hear the VC-CLS 'click' twice. Release the button. The time displayed will now be adjusted for the 11 X 14 size.
   
   
6. Press END to lock in the new time. If you like, you may adjust open the aperture a bit and go back to step 5. A new (shorter) exposure time will be calculated.
   
   
7. You are now ready to make the print at 11 X 14.
   

Should there be any problems during this procedure, please refer to the Trouble-Shooting and Error Message sections at the end of this manual.

USING THE DENSITY DISPLAY MODE

The Density Display is another advanced feature of the VC-SCAN. With this feature, you can use the VC-SCAN as a precision enlarging photometer to make density measurements of the negative. It can also be used in this way as a transmission densitometer for analyzing film types and tracking process changes.

In the Density Display mode, the VC-CSAN displays the density of the light falling on the sensor whenever the END button is pressed. The density is displayed in log density units. 30 units is equal to one F-Stop.

Since this is an advanced feature that many operators choose not to use, it is not active when you first install the VC-SCAN system. This is to prevent confusion for the beginning user.

To activate this feature, follow these steps:

To zero the density display follow these steps:

1. Press OPTIONS. Spin to SCAN.
   
2. Press ENTER. Spin to "dISP OFF". (Display off)
   
3. Press ENTER. The display will show "OFF". It will be flashing.
   
4. Spin to ON. Press ENTER.
   

The Density Display mode is now active. By pressing the END button on the VC-SCAN, the light density will be displayed on the right display. At the same time, the left display will read "dEnS".

Now, you can put in a negative, press and hold the END button and measure the density of the negative at various points. The density value will be displayed on the right display.
To make the Density Display mode more flexible, you can also zero the density number. This is helpful in reading the density range of a negative. You can find the densest part of the negative, zero the density display and then read the rest of the negative to see the density range.

To zero the density display, follow these steps:

1. Hold down the END button the VC-SCAN.

1. Position the sensor spot of the VC-SCAN under the part of the image you want to call "0" density.

1. Continue holding the END button and simultaneously press and release the ENTER key on the VC-CLS. The density number will now be blinking to indicate that you can change it.
   
2. Use the speed wheel to set the density to 0. (Or, any other value that you choose.)
   
3. Press ENTER to lock in the number. The density display is now zeroed to the reference spot density.
   

   You may wish to un-zero the Density Display for making absolute measurements. Once you have re-entered the display, there is no way to get back your previous setting. You can, however, get back to the factory setting by pressing the RECALL key on the

   VC-CLS while you are holding down the END key. This will allow you to get back to a known absolute setting quickly.
   

   A feature of the Density Display mode is during the Auto-Scan and Zone-Match operations, the density is displayed in the right display as you do the scanning. This can be useful in finding the brightest and darkest areas of the image.
   
   

VC-SCAN OPERATION AND THE A.E.B. MODES IN THE VC-CLS

The A.E.B. mode (Automatic Exposure Balance) is a feature of the VC-CLS which corrects the exposure variations between different grades when using VC paper. The A.E.B.: "Bal" balances the light output so that each grade will print at the same exposure time. A.E.B.: "Hi" keeps the light output at a maximum and adjusts the exposure time as you change from grade to grade. A.E.B.: "OFF" always prints at the highest light output with no correction from grade to grade.

The VC-Scan works in all three of the A.E.B. modes but must "learn" how to make a print independently when using the "Bal" mode. For best performance, select the A.E.B. mode you use the most frequently and stick with it. We recommend "Hi" or "OFF" modes exclusively when using the Auto-Scan. If you use the "Bal" mode as well, you will need to repeat the setup procedure for that mode.

USING GRADED PAPER WITH THE VC-SCAN SYSTEM

The VC-SCAN system was specifically designed for use with VC paper and is optimized as such. Some of the VC-Scan operations can, however, be used with graded paper.

The Auto-Scan operation can not be readily set up to work with graded paper. It is programmed for the non-linear contrast to density response that VC papers exhibit. The Auto-Scan mode will no work well with graded paper.

The Zone-Match mode will work with graded paper. Set up this mode by selecting a separate paper channel for each graded paper. Set the grade to 3. Do the setup as usual. Set the grade to 3 whenever you use the Zone-Match with this paper. When making prints, expose using grade 3 or the "-" grade.

The A.T.C. feature operates independently of paper response so you can use it with any type of paper.

PRINTING TIPS USING THE VC-SCAN SYSTEM

1. When using the Auto-Scan mode, be sure to scan the brightest area (darkest on the print) first. This will ensure the photo sensor is operating at its optimal sensitivity.
   
   
2. If the VC-SCAN generates an exposure time of less than 1 seconds it is recommended you open up at least one stop and scan again. Exposure times of 1 seconds and are too short to be reliable.
   
   
3. The VC-SCAN is specially designed to work with the safelights on. However, use common sense in setting up your safelights. The VC-SCAN can be affected by the safelight if it is shinning directly on the baseboard, and you are scanning large prints. If the VC-SCAN works well with small prints, but produces under exposed or high contrast prints at large sizes, the problem is most likely the safelight.
   
   
4. If you consistently make small prints (8 X 10) and smaller, you may prefer that the spot were smaller. You can reduce the size of the spot by attaching a card with a hole in it over the sensor. Make sure the card is totally opaque and the hole is centered over the sensor spot. You will need to re-setup your Auto-Scan and Zone-Matching modes.

USING STEP WEDGES WITH THE VC-SCAN SYSTEM

Advanced users might want to use transmission step wedges (tablets) for setup and testing of the VC-SCAN system. Here are some recommendations and warnings on their use.

STEP WEDGES AND AUTO-SCAN MODE

We have found that step wedges do not work well for setting up the Auto-Scan to work with everyday negatives. For best results, you should set up Auto-Scan with negatives that are representative of your usual work. If you print step wedges then use a step wedge for set up. If you print continuous tone images, then use a continuous tone negative for set up.

We recommend that if you decide to re-setup the Auto-Scan with a step wedge, select a new paper channel first, so you can get back to the original setup.

STEP WEDGES AND ZONE MATCHING

You can use a step wedge to set up the Zone-Match. A .05d step wedge works best. Most step wedges have .15d steps which are too coarse for accurate grey matching.

Do the setup as described in the Zone-Match setup section. Note that you can choose any target grey that you want, not just from Zone VI. Be sure that you teach it the same grey for grade 1, 2 and 4. Using a step wedge for this setup can be a bit faster since you can quickly get a print with a desired grey tone somewhere on the print.

TROUBLE-SHOOTING

The following are some possible problems you may encounter and their solutions:

1. Nothing happens when the VC-SCAN buttons are pressed. This is probably because the VC-SCAN is not plugged in to the back of the VC-VCLS or the VC-SCAN software chip is not installed.
   
   
2. When starting an Auto-Scan the light comes on a fluctuates slightly. This is normal. The light is stabilizing to precise intensity for scanning. This intensity is slightly lower than normal focus light.
   
   
3. When starting an Auto-Scan there is occasionally a slight delay (up to 2 seconds) before the beep is heard. This is normal. The lamps are stabilizing to the precise scanning intensity. Use this time to study the image and decide which area you want to scan.
   
   
4. In the morning, the message "too Cld" (too cold) appears. Wait for the lamps to warm up and this message will disappear.
   
   
5. When using the Auto-Scan mode, some negatives do not print well, they are over or under-exposed. This is often due to some area of the negative being over or under-exposed in relation to the main subject matter. To fix this, Auto-Scan only the main subject matter. Avoid scanning the area which is misrepresentative of the key subject.
   
6. The Zone-Matching does not work well on all grades. This is due to the variation in the response of the papers. To correct this, go through the Zone-Matching setup procedure using all the grades which do not match correctly.
   
7. The Auto-Scan does not give repeatable contrasts and exposure times. For example, if you Auto-Scan the same image several times, you get different grades and exposure times. This is most likely due to the scanning technique. Slow down and scan the image thoroughly. You are probably missing important areas when you scan too fast. If you scan an image twice, you should get the same grade and the exposure time should be within 10%. NOTE: See the Scanning Tips in the Basic Operations section of this manual.
   
8. The Auto-Scan and Zone-Matching does not work at large magnifications. This is probably due to safelight contamination of the light reading. Reposition the safelight so that less light falls on the baseboard and try again.

ERROR MESSAGES

The following are some of the error messages that you may encounter when using the VC-SCAN system:

1. TOO COLD This reads as "too CLd". This means the lamps have not yet warmed up. Allow some time for the lamps to warm up and this message will not appear.
   
2. TOO DENSE This reads as "too dnS". This means the light falling on the sensor is not bright enough for an accurate scan. This may be due to a very dense negative, a large magnification, or too small an aperture. Cancel out of the scan; open up the aperture and try again.
   
3. ERROR This reads as "Err" (blinking) in the left display. This means that the VC-SCAN calculated an exposure time outside of the range of the timer (.1 to99.0 seconds). The time will show on the display as .1 or 99.9, but it is not accurate. Open or close the aperture, whichever is appropriate and scan again.
   
   

TECHNICAL SUPPORT DOCUMENTS

TSD049 - Replacing the VC-Cls Eprom Software Chip

TSD050 - VC-Cls Tuning Rig Operation Instructions