LED rope light for possible darkroom applicaton

Mainecoonmaniac · Nov 17, 2010

I found a cool vendor that sells LED rope lights. They come in various colors and lengths. I'm thinking of using the orange or red one rope lights in my darkroom as safelights. I'm wondering if you could coil them inside an enlarger head as a light source?

Here's the link:
http://www.orangetreetrade.com/shop/

dehk · Nov 17, 2010

Are they safe for safe light? I highly doubt that.
But more interestingly, why do you want to coil them instead an enlarger head?

Wade D · Nov 17, 2010

I can't find the thread but read somewhere not too long ago that someone was using amber Christmas light strings. They claimed that the strings were safe for modern papers. Cheap too.

BetterSense · Nov 17, 2010

The red ones are probably safe for a safelight.

I don't think coiling them inside the enlarger will work.

thisismyname09 · Nov 17, 2010

If they're LEDs they should be fine. the little bulbs in the colored glass may be a different story, though. iirc, LEDs will only give off a certain frequency of light, nothing more. the glass bulb ones are probably just regular bulbs, as in not safelights, with tinted glass over it. Unlike safelights, you don't really know how much light it filters out and at what wavelengths. it really wouldn't be much trouble to test them, though.

pcyco · Nov 18, 2010

hallo

i use a 1watt philips ledlightbukb, in red, as safelight.
tested for 32 minutes -> absolut nothing with kentmere vc and some other papers (mcc etc)

at the weekend i can look for the exact name.

analog greetings

thomas

jp498 · Nov 18, 2010

A common paper like Ilford MG RC Warmtone cuts off hard at 550nm

http://www.ilfordphoto.com/download.asp?n=31&f=2006130207232634.pdf

The red led rope light here has a 630nm peak.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Red-YellowGreen-Blue_LED_spectra.png

shows a spectrum graph of three LEDs including a red one, pretty sharp output that should not pose a problem. I think it's a matter of either testing like Thomas has done or comparing spectrum graphs before purchasing.

http://www.orangetreetrade.com/shop/2-wire-120v-3/8-inch/50ft-rope-light-inch-p-666.html

Mainecoonmaniac · Nov 18, 2010

Thanks for the information

Hi Thomas,

Thanks for the information. I find it useful. I went through a couple of safelights already. They were old fashioned technology of incandescent bulbs and sodium vapor. I got very old Thomas Duplex that safelight that is near the end of it's life. I think the new LED technology is more energy efficient and quieter. My Thomas Duplex hums when it's on. I'll buy some orange rope lights for my darkroom soon.

Best,
Don

holmburgers · Nov 18, 2010

Safe light - probably, enlarger light - heck no. These rope lights get quite warm, and I think if you coiled them in an enlarger not only would the light be of terrible quality, it would probably melt itself into a huge gooey mess.

pcyco · Nov 18, 2010

hallo

there are allways possibilitys if you want

i will try something like this.

there are also grower-lights with leds, i think they "must" emit uv-light

now im going home from the office an have a beer at home

thomas

MattKing · Nov 18, 2010

One advantage of the rope lights would be that they would make it easier to illuminate your entire darkroom. There is nothing quite as frustrating as having a safelight that forces you to stand only in certain places, because otherwise you find that you are blocking the light with your own body.

I note that the amber rope light at that "orangetree" link also features a "most beautiful and romantic warm glow". I can't say that I've ever worked in a darkroom that offered a "most beautiful and romantic warm glow" .

Mike Wilde · Nov 18, 2010

MattKing said:
= There is nothing quite as frustrating as having a safelight that forces you to stand only in certain places, because otherwise you find that you are blocking the light with your own body.
.

I have learned those pitfalls.

I now tend to multiple low wattage units. Two 7.5w and one 5w in the dry/wet darkroom, and 3x 7.5w in the laundry room when I print larger than 11x14 and spill the trays out onto the washer and dryer tops.

All usually OC, but I do have Rubylith gel filters to swap in when I want a brighter look when working with only Ortho materials.

Shawn Dougherty · Nov 18, 2010

MattKing said:
I note that the amber rope light at that "orangetree" link also features a "most beautiful and romantic warm glow". I can't say that I've ever worked in a darkroom that offered a "most beautiful and romantic warm glow" .

I noticed that as well! Nothing says romance like orange light and the smell of stop bath.... =)

pcyco · Nov 19, 2010

hallo

i also was frustrated all the time about the "darkness" but with the 1 watt i can read the newspaper while developing

thomas

Jerevan · Nov 19, 2010

Pcyco,

just remember to get back with the details about that LED light - I am interested.

pcyco · Nov 19, 2010

hallo

today i visit my darkroom.

so i hope, i dont forget.

thomas

michaelbsc · Nov 19, 2010

I don\'t have a bright darkroom. I use a few small 5x7 housings that I\'ve collected cheap over the years to illuminate specific work areas and let the rest of the room be dark if the white lights are off.

Searching the floor is a little hard if I drop something, since there\'s little illumination outside the spots. But I never worry about fogging anything.

Mainecoonmaniac · Nov 19, 2010

I'm a frugal photog too

michaelbsc said:
I don\'t have a bright darkroom. I use a few small 5x7 housings that I\'ve collected cheap over the years to illuminate specific work areas and let the rest of the room be dark if the white lights are off.

Searching the floor is a little hard if I drop something, since there\'s little illumination outside the spots. But I never worry about fogging anything.

The Thomas Duplex safelight was a salvaged from my work place. It was 10 years ago when the university started closing darkrooms at reasearch labs. I also got an Arkay tumbling print washer too.

pcyco · Nov 19, 2010

hallo

im back from the darkroom.

on the ledbulb is only printed:

philips deco led red 1 w 230-240V E9 50-60Hz

--

thomas

Jerevan · Nov 19, 2010

Thanks, Pcyco! Now let's see if I can find one of these...

Is it a E27 screw-in or does have some other configuration? I can never remember if the safelight for orthocromatic papers should be above or below 610 nm? If below, could a green LED with a spectrum of 510-540 nm work?

But I guess dark green is even darker than red, right?

pcyco · Nov 21, 2010

hallo

jerevam: i never thought about this. im a redlightarea-worker

i tried it because a friend of mine got a strip of red lights, which he used as darkroomlight.
it was bright as hell. you were unable to see anything of the negativeprojection on the paper.
these times we were looking which led these were etc. but there were noch chance to find it out.
so i tried the philips bulb.

maybe you can talk to the guy in the shop to test serveral lamps. and give the rest back. and when they all work its brighter

and lets know us which works well -> when you are testing.

thomas

ps.: maybe sometimes we think a little bit to much about everything before we do it.
lets try it!!! and see whats happen. last days i made a papernegative with my plotter on transparent drawingpaper at my work.
a strange look. athers will never try this because of this and that and they will never explore new ways. it will be much more important to write down and comment what happens and tell it to the others so they can do it also.

Jerevan · Nov 21, 2010

Pcyco,

I looked around at the Philips site and think I maybe found the light you are using. I'll have to go to the shop and see if I can order one to test it out.

And yes, you are right - the only way to find out is to try. As a famous writer once wrote: "Try again. Fail again. Fail better."

pcyco · Nov 22, 2010

hallo

"Try again. Fail again. Fail better." great

will you try the green one too???

let me know when it works!!

--

thomas

Irvine_Short · Nov 22, 2010

Green will not work! check out the wavelength.

Red or amber will be fine.

Jerevan · Nov 22, 2010

Yes, I will check back as soon as I get down to it.

As you say, Irvine, the green will not work - it was too late at night when I wrote that, that's my feeble excuse.

LED rope light for possible darkroom applicaton

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