2 safelights.
It is a room with partitions and a tub surround and a cupboard that the enlarger and cart needs to be partially in.
A safelight near the enlarger doesn't illuminate the tray areas and doesn't effectively illuminate the paper cutter.
The safelight that illuminates the paper cutter and tray areas also illuminates near the enlarger - I need it to turn off while I am focusing and dodging and burning during printing.
How about a separate safelight for the enlarger.
Does the following item exist:
1) "a "base" unit that plugs into the enlarging timer's safelight outlet, and
2) a "satellite" unit that plugs into the other wall unit, and has the safelight plug into it, that turns the safelight on and off when the timer tells the "base" unit to turn on and off.
Something like this?: https://www.busybeetools.com/products/switch-i-vac-vacuum.html
Matt King, didn't you work in industrial woodworking sales?
I designed something similar for dust collection for a customer. Rather than string, it was flat steel stock. Opened one shutoff, closed another. All in an attic space above his shop. While not to code (running dust collection in an attic space is a no-no, hobbiest or commercial as he was) it worked.Hear me out. I use X10 but it’s not “fast” so I wouldn’t rely on it for what you’re trying to do.
But here’s the solution:
Flap, string and pulleys.
Run a string to a flap that covers your safelight when you want it covered and opens it when you want the light.
In my darkroom I have a computer running CompnTemp in the rafters behind some Amberlith but you could have a safelight there.
Tied at the end of the string is an X10 remote that I use to turn on and off the white light.
When I lift the string and put the remote in the pocket I made in the curtain… the flap drops and I can use the timer to develop film. With the flap open I can time prints.
View attachment 327205
Not me!
I wonder if @Nicholas Lindan has encountered a solution in his enlarger timer manufacturing journey?
Matt, just for my clarity, do you want the safelight to go off when the enlarger is turned on? Any reason it can't stay on all the time?
Amazon - "remote light switches." The ones with a key chain dongle or a remote control might be convenient. Didn't see any that work as slaves to another outlet - not sure there would be much demand over the remote control models.
You could build a relay 'thingy' that would simulate button presses for the remote control. But I think that would be well past the point of diminishing returns.
I need some help finding something that I expect exists out there, but I've not been able to locate.
In my temporary bathroom/darkroom, there are only two power outlets, and they are somewhat separated. In one corner, I place my enlarger and timer, on a rolling cart.
My safelight is great - a 16' red LED rope light that is mounted up against the ceiling. It is over top of both the counter and the tub/shower enclosure, where the trays reside. Onre end of the safelight is within a short extension cord length from the power outlet across the room from where the enlarger is. I currently have a switch on that cord.
My problem is that I would like to have the safelight controlled by the enlarging timer, which has a power outlet for that purpose, but I have no practical way of running the safelight power cord to that corner of the room.
Does the following item exist:
1) "a "base" unit that plugs into the enlarging timer's safelight outlet, and
2) a "satellite" unit that plugs into the other wall unit, and has the safelight plug into it, that turns the safelight on and off when the timer tells the "base" unit to turn on and off.
I wondered if there might be something that is mains powered and designed to remotely control outdoor lights or somethin similar.
I don't want a smart phone controlled switch - I want the enlarging timer to do the controlling.
Cost is important. If it isn't cheap, I'll stick with manual operation of the switch.
Any suggestions?
When it is on, it makes it more difficult to see the image on the easel, which makes a number of things more difficult:
1) adjusting magnification and cropping at the easel;
2) focusing;
3) dodging and burning.
For the first two, I can leave the enlarger on, so it isn't hard to step/lean across the room and manually switch the safelight off, and then later back on.
But for the third step, it is a challenge, because if I leave the safelight on until I'm set up to start the exposure, it is hard to see the image to do accurate burns and dodges, and if I leave it off it is a bit challenging to position myself to accurately start the exposure, plus the difficulty of getting across to the switch to turn the safelight back on after the exposure, for the purposes of moving the print from the easel to the trays.
It is the "remote light switches" that made me think it would be possible.
Is there a reason you couldn’t have a second small safelight closer to the enlarger that would be connected to the timer?
Matt,
I have been looking for exactly the same thing (same reason and application) and so far have come up with nothing.
If you find something, please post it, I promise to do the same.
the time lag to boot the processor and negotiate the wireless connection is noticeable and intolerable.
If actually doing it I would be inclined to set up the transmit end to be powered ahead of the enlarger timer (heh, one could even implement a new enlarger timer with the microcontroller) so the transmit end was always ready and just sensing the safelight receptacle output with a plug (and some signal conditioning -- and maybe an opto-isolator). But those worries would be superceded by the amount of "engineering" required to put together a complete system and package it to look respectable and be reliable (and handled in the dark).A problem with trying to use the switched outlet to control a second switched outlet wirelessly is that the transmit device you would plug into the enlarger timer needs to issue the switch command nearly instantly after being powered on. I'm sure a few tenths of a second would be good enough for enlarging work. But the idea of plugging some little device in, like "get an Arduino, plug it into the timer, and then have the Arduino issue a wireless command to the wi-fi controlled switched safelight outlet" ... forget it. You could easily spend a while hacking such parts together and then discover that the time lag to boot the processor and negotiate the wireless connection is noticeable and intolerable. There's a reason people use wired control for reliable connections.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?