Air Techniques® A/T2000 Film Processors

by Jim Wisniewski
RPI Product Development Department

An RPI document.

The Air Techniques A/T2000 film processor is the most popular automatic processor on the market today and it seems to be the most abused and the most costly to repair. Here’s a way to help keep the repair costs down and the equipment up and running smoothly.

Let’s start with the bi-weekly and monthly cleaning. After you or your customer is finished draining, cleaning and rinsing the tanks and the racks, be sure to wipe down the heater bar (RPI Part #ATH639). Also note that the o-rings (RPI Part #RPO244) SHOULD BE secure in place – about two inches from the end of the heater. Here’s a warning: Do not turn on the processor without the chemicals in the tanks. An empty tank is the #1 cause for the heater bar to malfunction. The #2 cause is worn (ie. soft or swollen) drain plug washers (RPI Part #ATW638). Worn washers will allow the chemicals to leak down the drain, and that’s lost money right there! In turn, the empty tank will cause the heater to malfunction. So it’s a good idea to leave a package of washers with your customer to replace as needed or for you to replace them every 4-6 months.

And here’s a simple way to test the heater bar (RPI Part #ATH639):

1) Unplug the processor. Remove the base electrical compartment cover and unplug the heater bar connector from the base pc board # J4. Using your ohmmeter, each heater bar should measure about 130 ohms. First test pins #7 (white wire) and #10 (black wire), then pins #8 (white/red wire) and #9 (black/red wire).

If the heater(s) test open or a very high resistance this indicates that the thermal fuse is bad, which means the tanks were left empty without chemicals. At this point, you must replace the heater bar (RPI #ATH639).

If the heaters test fine, then go to the next step.

2) Using your ohmmeter, test the two thermistors for a resistance range of 5000-6000 ohms at room temperature 72degF. Each of the heaters has a thermistor that should drop in resistance. To check this, first test Pins #2 (small black wire) and #5 (small black wire), then Pins #1 (small red wire) and #4 (small red wire). By the way, this would also be a good time to check to see the thermistors drops in resistance. While leaving the ohmmeter leads in the connector of the heater bar, grab a hold of the 90 degree bend of the heater bar and your own body heat is enough heat to cause a good thermistor to drop in resistance. If not replace the heater bar (RPI Part # ATH639).

3) Check for dripping liquids over the base electrical compartment cover of the base PC board (RPI #ATB643). Liquids getting onto or into the board can be costly. One way to prevent this from happening it to make sure that the cover’s foam is in tack and that the cover is installed correctly.