Crowdfunded darkroom timer

[fiddle]

I hope they can make this project go forward. The RH Designs is the only other available (not DIY) f-stop timer I know of and it costs GBP319 and up. The interface for the RH takes some getting used to, this one looks like it might be a bit more versatile. RH does have an analyzer option but that's much more expensive.

That was a question I had for him as well, as far as the analyzer. Said he had already started to investigate, didn't think it was a difficult accessory to make and implement, but that would be secondary to finalizing the timer itself.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

How many amps can this thing handle?
Zone VI enlarger head cooked the receptacle on my old Gralab 505 electronic ...

Short answer is ANY as timer only controls relays and relays can be had to fit a need. And if it is 10 AMP, then most heads will be covered, perhaps with exception of some old large light sources.

 

[bardamu]

how do one can get in touch with the guy?

 

[AgX]

I believe I remember it saying he’s using 10 amp relays for the power block?

To my understanding the typical US mains sockets are designed for 15A, thus the current hardly would have "cooked the receptacle" but rather the internal switch.

 

[lantau]

To my understanding the typical US mains sockets are designed for 15A, thus the current hardly would have "cooked the receptacle" but rather the internal switch.

You can 'cook' the receptacle when you have a high inrush current into a power supply. Perhaps you saw the light from an arc when plugging in a device. It can also trigger the house fuse.

In this case the switchable powerswitch would need to have an internal 10 amp fuse if it cannot handle more than that. If you have a clock radio with internal power supply, ie. it is plugged direktly into the wall socket, then it will have an internal fuse because nothing in there is rated for 16 amp. And the house fuse will only trigger when reaching 16 amp, at which point your clock radio would be on fire already.

What kind of enlarger would take 2kW or more? A room sized 8x10 (or larger) model? I've seen a cinema projector with xenon arc lamp in operation. Normal sized for an ordinary ciname, that is something I wouldn't use it with this device.

 

[AgX]

Any current would be limited by the house fuse and the common mains connectors are designed for that current. Thus there would be no chance on burning such connector. Even contact arcs have not harmed any connector I worked on.

 

[lantau]

Any current would be limited by the house fuse and the common mains connectors are designed for that current. Thus there would be no chance on burning such connector. Even contact arcs have not harmed any connector I worked on.

I meant the inside device itself. The cable would be fine.

However, I've seen burn marks a long time ago on a socket strip, after plugging in a device.

The sockets, and their plugs, that you see on devices like a desktop computer are only rated for 10A, BTW. (IEC 60320 C13/C14, Kaltgerätestecker)

 

[Deleted member 88956]

how do one can get in touch with the guy?

I think you need to get in before you can. He may have a FB account but am not sure. I'm in so can communicate directly.

 

[Ai Print]

Cool to see people exploring options. It looks like it might be a nice option for those who are not already well setup and well versed in the outstanding RH Designs platform like I am.

I say *might* because I can’t really get any solid info out of the absurdly produced video, it’s all show and no substance.

As for crowdfunding, I don’t do those anymore so I will wait to see how folks get along with these initial offerings.

 

[punkzter]

I do wish that I could get more out of the videos. But, to be fair, the RH Designs videos are just as bad. I tried watching those videos to get a sense of how the product would be to use, and it is just as difficult. I did write to ask about an instruction manual, and that is coming, but probably not before the end of the campaign. He did say that me might add some more videos.

So, in light of that, I'm curious what we could ask for that might make the videos better. I'd be happy to pass on any solid suggestions. I'm not sure, yet, what exactly I'd want to see. I'm currently backing the black model, but I'm on the edge about it.

 

[fiddle]

Have you seen the videos of him using the timer in the darkroom? I think those show it in actual use better. As far as contacting him, I believe there is a message me button on the indigogo campaign.

 

[punkzter]

I have seen those. I think that what I'd love to get is a sense of how intuitive it is or how difficult it is to figure things out. He's so familiar with all of the features that he just flies through it. But I absolutely understand that what I'd love to see isn't easy at all to show in a short video .

 

[punkzter]

Oh, you can only message him if you are a backer.

 

[fiddle]

I don’t think you have to be a backer. Signed in to indigo go yes, but you might be able even if you haven’t backed the project.
I might be wrong.

 

[CropDusterMan]

Anyone who is making something with new technology to support film photography, I want to support.
I've struggled to keep my Leica Focomat V35 operational, as Leica USA was no help. I bought new guts
from a guy parting one out. Same goes with my Beseler 45XL and associated electronics.

 

[punkzter]

Oh, maybe, that would be great if that were the case.

 

[fiddle]

I have contacted him. He said he would make a video showing the menu structure of the timer. Sent him a link to this thread so he can see people’s questions/concerns.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

Cool to see people exploring options. It looks like it might be a nice option for those who are not already well setup and well versed in the outstanding RH Designs platform like I am.

I say *might* because I can’t really get any solid info out of the absurdly produced video, it’s all show and no substance.

As for crowdfunding, I don’t do those anymore so I will wait to see how folks get along with these initial offerings.

"absurdly produced videos" ??? I have no comments.

 

[Chan Tran]

I build my own timer. It works the way I want, no more, no less.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

I don’t think you have to be a backer. Signed in to indigo go yes, but you might be able even if you haven’t backed the project.
I might be wrong.

You could be right. I was no member of that site and all I saw was something like: when you pledge to a perk you can communicate with project originator.

 

[Ai Print]

"absurdly produced videos" ??? I have no comments.

I’m a professional photographer, I have also directed some video content for ad campaigns. If I handed over a video like that one to a client who is trying to sell a product as involved as a multi-task darkroom timer, the future of my career would seriously be in question.

I want to know what the timer does, so a better approach would be to make it less showy / artsy and more informative. The product also needs a website that will help potential customers explore all the features of the product.

I apologize if this offends you but your posting history in this thread seems to be that of someone who is oddly defensive?

 

[fiddle]

I build my own timer. It works the way I want, no more, no less.

I wish Tran. I have researched some of the diy timers online, and although I have built a few raspberry pi projects myself and have some hardware and coding knowledge, the lack of time to learn new stuff outside of work hinders me from tackling a new project.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

I’m a professional photographer, I have also directed some video content for ad campaigns. If I handed over a video like that one to a client who is trying to sell a product as involved as a multi-task darkroom timer, the future of my career would seriously be in question.

I want to know what the timer does, so a better approach would be to make it less showy / artsy and more informative. The product also needs a website that will help potential customers explore all the features of the product.

I apologize if this offends you but your posting history in this thread seems to be that of someone who is oddly defensive?

I'm not offended, the video is NOT absurdly produced, you should have worded it differently perhaps, but are entitled to own opinion. But calling it that is a bit far out there, that is all IMHO.

 

[logan2z]

Although I understand the criticisms of the quick-cut overview video, there are some very detailed videos of the developer actually using the product that make it's usage fairly easy to understand. It's a pretty full-featured timer so I'm sure there will be a learning curve, but probably no worse than the products from other vendors like RH Designs (I have an Analyzer Pro and it's actually pretty easy to use once you get the hang of it).

All in all a pretty impressive effort, IMO. I particularly think that the burn and dodge action settings are quite clever - particularly the way the unit allows one to visualize where those actions should be carried out on the print. I also think that the industrial design is quite elegant - it looks much more slick than the typical darkroom product.

I already own an RH Designs Analyzer Pro so won't be backing the Maya project, but I'm very happy to see that products like this are still being designed/developed in a digitally-dominated world. Best of luck to the developer, and I hope to hear real-world impressions of the product once the backers on this forum start to use it.

 

[fiddle]

Hm. I know is probably too early to ask for new features, but I just thought if the memories could be saved offline somehow, that would be pretty cool.. need to reprint something at a later time, dump the memory for that print back in, done. Times are set, burns etc..