Nova Print Processor, any other similar setups?

abruzzi · Sep 4, 2018

I finally got enough stuff together to give enlarging a try, and was successful. The one issue is my space is cramped, and 8x10 trays take a lot of space, and 8x10 paper is somewhat challenging getting in and out of 8x10 trays. I was looking online and found the Nova vertical tray system, and given my limited space, may be just the ticket.

I’ve seen positive reviews of these, before I spring for one, are there any other similar solutions out there? The Nova is only sold in one shop in the UK that I can find, and I don’t know what shipping will cost to the US. (It’s also kind of annoying that the heated model doesn’t work with and can’t be adapted to 60hz power.)

https://www.theimagingwarehouse.com/Products/Nova-Print-Processors

Alan9940 · Sep 4, 2018

I have a 16x12 Nova Monochrome that I'd be willing to sell, and I'm in the US. PM me, if interested.

bdial · Sep 4, 2018

My darkroom is tiny, I highly recommend the Nova, very pleased with mine.

jbrubaker · Sep 4, 2018

I have a 12x16 thermostatic heated model that I bought about 15 years ago. It came with a standard 2 prong 110 volt plug and works fine with USA current. Since I no longer plan to do any color printing, I would be willing to sell it if you're interested in it. Send me a PM.

AgX · Sep 5, 2018

Jobo once offered oblique slit-tanks. Both as stand-alone version and integrated into their Duolab processor.

Kawaiithulhu · Sep 5, 2018

The cheap alternative to slot trays is to stack your regular trays vertically in a rack. That still takes up more space than slot trays and is generally messier, though.
I went with the 8x10 version of the slot processor, it fits nicely on a bathroom sink counter top and the only tradeoff is the tiny edge marks left by the paper holder(s).

tezzasmall · Sep 5, 2018

I can't remember his name, but on youtube he does a lot.

He showed himself using a set of three stationary draws in a unit, to develop paper in. So you would only need about a foot square area to put it on.

Anyone know who I mean?

Terry S

pentaxuser · Sep 5, 2018

tezzasmall said:
I can't remember his name, but on youtube he does a lot.

He showed himself using a set of three stationary draws in a unit, to develop paper in. So you would only need about a foot square area to put it on.

Anyone know who I mean?

Terry S

Is that Ted Forbes, Terry?

pentaxuser

revdoc · Sep 5, 2018

if space is an issue, you could try single tray processing. I switched to to that technique a while ago and found it works well.

CMoore · Sep 6, 2018

pentaxuser said:
Is that Ted Forbes, Terry?

pentaxuser

No, definitely not Ted Forbes.
I saw the same video.....very clever.
The guy bought a Stack...3 or4... of plastic drawers...like you would buy at Target, Walmart, Office Depot.
Very ingenious and worked VERY Well for the guy in a small space.
PLUS.....the drawers are easy to remove for Filling, Dumping, Cleaning.

BMbikerider · Sep 6, 2018

abruzzi said:
I finally got enough stuff together to give enlarging a try, and was successful. The one issue is my space is cramped, and 8x10 trays take a lot of space, and 8x10 paper is somewhat challenging getting in and out of 8x10 trays. I was looking online and found the Nova vertical tray system, and given my limited space, may be just the ticket.

I’ve seen positive reviews of these, before I spring for one, are there any other similar solutions out there? The Nova is only sold in one shop in the UK that I can find, and I don’t know what shipping will cost to the US. (It’s also kind of annoying that the heated model doesn’t work with and can’t be adapted to 60hz power.)

https://www.theimagingwarehouse.com/Products/Nova-Print-Processors

The 'shop' as you call it is actually the manufacturers on site outlet. They are available from a good many places elsewhere in UK but where you are it would be better to buy direct from them. I have used NOVA for almost 20 years and have no issues with them. Utterly foolproof and the chemicals so pong as they as replenished regularly (100cc developer/stop/blix per 800 sq inches of paper) the solution can remain active for many many months, even with long periods of inactivity. I find that it is better to cover the top of the slots with kitchen film (Cling film in UK) as this stops any evaporation which can occur, and to some extend preserve the developer against absorbing oxygen which will cause the developer to 'go off''. The 12x16 tanks are supposed to hold 2000cc of developer, but in practicality I have always found that they always have 100cc left over from a 2000 mix.

tezzasmall · Sep 8, 2018

Hurrah! I found an initial youtube entry in my history and traced back to 'Reversal Print Processing - Part 2 by Joe Van Cleave'. I've watched a few of his vids in the past and when searching for what I wanted I discovered a trove of others that he's done, so I to may be viewing a few more as well.

Anyway, the first link that I can find where he uses the plastic stationary drawers is below, and in the video (drawers use starts at 2m 20s) he uses two sets, to give him six drawers / trays. for a startup for B/W, one set of three is more than enough. Look at it as a cheap unheated Nov unit.

Happy watching!

Terry S

klownshed · Sep 8, 2018

I love the space saving aspect of my Nova but the features that make it so indispensable for me are the temperature control and extended chemical life. I can keep the chemicals in the processor and with the ‘lids’ in place they last for quite a while which suits my way of working.

Trying to fit in printing around family and work, etc. means I don’t get much time and being able to get whip off the lids and get everything back up to temperature and ready to go so quickly makes a big difference.

Mine also has a washer slot so saves me even more room.

It’s a perfect piece of kit for my (makeshift) darkroom.

logan2z · Jan 28, 2019

Apologies for bumping a year-old thread, but I've been thinking about ways to improve my darkroom setup as it's pretty small and the trays take up a lot of space. In addition, I'm looking for ways to speed up the startup time for printing sessions - getting all of the stuff together (my darkroom isn't permanent) and mixing the chemicals at the start of each session is time consuming. So I've been looking at the Nova print processors as a way to solve some of these issues. However, I'm in the US and it doesn't seem that there's a suitable processor for fiber paper that will work here. It appears as though the products that will work in the US are only designed for RC paper. Am I overlooking something obvious?

abruzzi · Jan 28, 2019

The doesn’t-work-in-the-US part is the temperature controlling electronics. I’m kind of surprised that the FB unit has temp control. Is that common in FB paper development? If you don’t need temp control, don’t plug it in, though the electronics jack the price up quite a bit. I’m genuinely surprised that there is no US products, or that Nova doesn’t redesign their electronics to be voltage independent.

logan2z · Jan 28, 2019

abruzzi said:
The doesn’t-work-in-the-US part is the temperature controlling electronics. I’m kind of surprised that the FB unit has temp control. Is that common in FB paper development? If you don’t need temp control, don’t plug it in, though the electronics jack the price up quite a bit. I’m genuinely surprised that there is no US products, or that Nova doesn’t redesign their electronics to be voltage independent.

Right, there's a pretty significant premium charged for the FB model with electronics. Hard to justify paying the premium and leaving the unit unplugged. I also don't think the temperature control for BW FB paper is a big issue - I don't know many people who temperature control their chemistry when printing on FB papers.

If it is too costly to redesign the electronics for the US market then it would seem simple for Nova to offer a processor that is suitable for fiber prints but doesn't have the electronics . That would greatly reduce the cost and make it suitable for US customers. Seems like a no-brainer.

Pieter12 · Jan 28, 2019

If you can wait, and if they can get funded, there is the equally-expensive Optima12 processor: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1375513803/optima12-photographic-darkroom-printandfilm-proces

bdial · Jan 28, 2019

There is no issue with processing fiber paper in the "rc" processors. I have a US market Nova quad with the temperature control, I have it set close to its minimum setting so that the temps don't fall below 68/20 degrees. It's a handy feature, but not essential, and probably not needed at all in warmer places than here.

Pieter12 · Jan 28, 2019

I don't think there is much of a market right now for them to produce US versions of the heated units, the electronics need 50Hz. There is no US distributor that I am aware of and shipping an individual unit across the Atlantic can cost $ hundreds. If you do decide to buy a Nova, you can get the non-heated unit and make sure they discount the VAT.

logan2z · Jan 28, 2019

bdial said:
There is no issue with processing fiber paper in the "rc" processors. I have a US market Nova quad with the temperature control, I have it set close to its minimum setting so that the temps don't fall below 68/20 degrees. It's a handy feature, but not essential, and probably not needed at all in warmer places than here.

What exactly is a US market Nova quad? Is that a processor that was available when Nova had US distribution?

I'd be more than happy to use an RC processor but Nova's own web site seems to discourage it . Not exactly sure what it is they think makes the RC processor unsuitable for FB paper or why it's important to angle the slots for fiber. I've dropped them an email and hopefully they'll respond soon .

Also, out of curiosity, is the Nova suitable for a non-permanent darkroom? I've read that it's not recommended to move the processor when it's full of chemistry . If that's the case then I'd need to empty the chemistry after every printing seesion, which would seem to nullify one of the processor's primary advantages.

Pieter12 · Jan 28, 2019

I have been using a Nova Monochrome (not heated, 3 slots) for fiber for about a year now. Two things come to mind: the clamp that holds the paper leaves a small mark about 1/16" from the edge of the print. I assume because RC paper has a harder finish, the tiny perforation shows less. The other is that I have noticed an accumulation of fibers floating to the top of the fix slot after a few months of use. I'm guessing that would not happen with RC paper. It may have also been because I was printing a bit on Ilford Warmtone Art paper, that seems to be softer and more textured. I know the emulsion is quite delicate, having started to peel at the edges after washing.

Do not move the processor when it is full of liquid! I was washing it out and carried it over to dump out the water when I dropped it, half-full, on my foot. Here is the aftermath--I was wearing sandals at the time (Hey, I'm in So Cal).

The Nova did not suffer any damage.

AgX · Jan 28, 2019

Pieter12 said:
US versions of the heated units, the electronics need 50Hz.

Do they? Which electronics today, other than clocks, are frequency dependant in that range?
The issue would be the voltage instead.

Pieter12 · Jan 28, 2019

AgX said:
Do they? Which electronics today, other than clocks, are frequency dependant in that range?
The issue would be the voltage instead.

This is what it says on the website: "USA & CANADA Customers - Unfortunately, this product is unsuitable for use in the USA & Canada owing to highly sensitive electronic microchip controls which require a 230 volts 50Hz electrical supply. Although a step up transformer can be used to create 230volts from 110volts, the standard frequency of 60Hz also has to be converted to 50Hz in order for the unit to work. You can use a frequency converter but they tend to be expensive."

AgX · Jan 28, 2019

I thought such microchips today had their own inner clock, independant of mains frequency.

Pieter12 · Jan 28, 2019

It may be an older design...I'm sure they don't sell enough of them to warrant investing in an upgrade that might affect a minute percent of their (potential) market.

Nova Print Processor, any other similar setups?

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