Herkules Pro and Navigator

Prepper

Well-known member
I know this may be a long shot, but does anyone know how I could check the filter, focus and\or intensity of the Herk using Navigator RIP? We used to run Delta and it had a utility for outputting the various tests to check these but now on Navigator I don't see a way to do that?

How can I check to see if these settings we started with 2 years ago are still optimum?

We're having trouble with large gains from film to plate, 12 to 14 points at 50%. Light, vacuum times, etc. check out as okay but burn a Ugra scale and a calibration film that came with our densitometer and we don't get that kind of gain, 5-6%, so it seems to point back to our film. Same film and chemistry we've ran for at least a couple of years now. Was getting around 8 gain earlier this summer but now it's consistently in the 12-14 range. Very consistent though, all our films measure only 1-2 points off what they should be.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Terry
 
Re: Herkules Pro and Navigator

Terry,

Use the calibration manager on the Navigator, you can linearize the Herkules with it as well as create curves to control gain.

I'm about to replace a Delta rip with Navigator to drive a Herk Pro, did you have any problems converting?

Thanks,
Doug
 
Re: Herkules Pro and Navigator

Doug,

I do linearize and use tone curves also for G7 process. We have narrowed down the problem to some differences in our measuring instrument and whether or not reading thru the gum on the plate.

Anyway, on switching from Delta to Navigator, no problems, however, with Navigator you do not get a utility to check focus, filter, or bias (fine light). I really do not know why. When we switched and I installed they said to just record the values we were using and enter those into the Navigator rip which I did but now 2 years later and onto a different film, new laser motor and had no was to re-check those settings!

Just this week I received a trial version of Ink Monitor key setting software from Highwater Designs which also make the Harlequin based Torrent rip and with the stuff that came on the disc, they have a utility that you can use to test the filter, focus and bias. Haven't tried it yet but am hoping it will allow me to double-check those settings while I have this demo version. It does work with their Harlequin rip so I have no idea why Xitron doesn't have something similar, maybe they do now and somebody will let us know here?

Only other thing I miss from Delta is not being able to select jobs and put them on hold and let the rest image. When a job hits the Navigator rip it rips it right then and puts it in the Active Queue and you can't put holds on them within that queue, so if you want to image on job ahead of the rest you have to select it and move it up in the queue, release it to begin imaging and watch close to stop it before it begins imaging the next job, because you can't just put that next job on pause until your're ready to image it.

Terry
 

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