Darkroom Process Timers ?

[hjoseph7]

During the winter months, the temperature in my walk-in closet Darkroom averages a cool 72 degrees Fahrenheit, almost perfect for B&W developing. For the rest of the year it averages about 77 degrees, so this is the best time for me to get some work done.

I was thinking about getting a Darkroom Process Timer. I saw a couple of nice analog ones on eBay, mostly made by JOBO, but now they have Apps you can download to your phone that do the same thing. Back in 90's I was actually in the design phase of a Darkroom Process Timer, but then came Digital. 

In any case, a Darkroom Process Timer is a special timer that can count down the time it takes for each step in the development process of film, or paper such as C41, E6, RA4, Cibachrome etc. You can program each step 1-4, or 1-6 by entering the amount of minutes/seconds it takes for that step to complete, then the timer jumps to the next step.  Of course you can always use one of those Darkroom GRALab clock/timers with a buzzer which I have, or even a stop-watch,  but I saw this Youtube Video, where the host was using  a Darkroom Timer phone App and it looked pretty cool. 

I'm not sure what App he was using, but it actually dimmed the readings on the phone once the lights went off. Then the readings would brighten up when the lights were on. Digital Truth sells one for $8.95 for Android or iPhone. https://www.digitaltruth.com/apps/darkroomlabtimer/  , but I'm not sure if that's the one I saw ?

Does anybody here use a Darkroom Process Timer when developing whether analog, or phone-app and can explain its virtues ?          

Edited December 5, 2022 by hjoseph7

[Gary Naka]

I used a Gralab.  Simple and easy to use.

A phone app would be too clumsy for ME to use.  And I would NOT want to get chemicals on my phone.

[rodeo_joe1]

When I first started printing colour, it had to be done in total darkness and there were no commercial process-timers available at anything approaching an affordable price. 

The solution I came up with was to record timed verbal instructions on tape and play them back to myself for each print. Instructions like - "immerse print... now", " get ready to remove print from developer.... now", etc. 

It's even easier to do that these days using a phone voice-recorder app. With no tape rewind time either. 

You could just record a countdown or elapsed time commentary. More flexible than instructions for a specific process. 

Oh, and put the phone in a ziplok bag to keep chemicals off it. 

Edited December 4, 2022 by rodeo_joe1

[Gary Naka]

I have to experiment to see if the touch screen on my phone will work through a ziplok bag.
I think it will, because the various screen protectors work.

[JessieJim]

I don't use it, but now I'm also interested in. 

[jose_angel]

I use the one from Digitaltruth for film processing. Clean work and light-proof tanks so that contamination is not a problem. This app has two "safety light" screen modes, green or red. They are not real security lights, but they might work, it should be tested with your materials.

At first, I set up the app with the films I used to use, it was kind of tedious because I have too many processing variations and too many film types and formats. I then simplified to the most used ones, and I modify them on the fly if needed for more specific purposes. The application lost data several times (don't ask me why), so now I use a couple of standard stored routines that I modify on the fly for the film I'm developing.

The app is good so my advice is to go this route, although as mentioned I find it a bit of pain to set them up. I try to remember that there were two options, the basic and the premium, I have the basic one. I would like to have the option of a computer connection to set the data and then to save or download it to the phone. Another thing I miss is having better advice tones, the "before" is too soft for my taste and the "end" is too loud.

In the end, it is the timer that I have used the most.

For tray sheet development, as Rodeo says, I use the voice recording app on my phone (previously a mini cassette recorder), but just as a basic time reminder (30 seconds....one minute...two and a half minutes... etc.), mainly to avoid the endless boredom of the task. But I rarely use this method because I usually develop sheets in tanks (rotary or not) where I use the timer app.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by jose_angel

[glen_h]

14 hours ago, Gary Naka said:

I have to experiment to see if the touch screen on my phone will work through a ziplok bag.
I think it will, because the various screen protectors work.

I use a more ordinary kitchen timer, though that has three different timers.

But as the above notes, I keep it in a zip-lock bag.

I believe phones now use a capacitance sensor, but the thin plastic might allow it to work.

Don't get too thick a plastic bag.

[hjoseph7]

12 hours ago, jose_angel said:

I use the one from Digitaltruth for film processing. Clean work and light-proof tanks so that contamination is not a problem. This app has two "safety light" screen modes, green or red. They are not real security lights, but they might work, it should be tested with your materials.

At first, I set up the app with the films I used to use, it was kind of tedious because I have too many processing variations and too many film types and formats. I then simplified to the most used ones, and I modify them on the fly if needed for more specific purposes. The application lost data several times (don't ask me why), so now I use a couple of standard stored routines that I modify on the fly for the film I'm developing.

The app is good so my advice is to go this route, although as mentioned I find it a bit of pain to set them up. I try to remember that there were two options, the basic and the premium, I have the basic one. I would like to have the option of a computer connection to set the data and then to save or download it to the phone. Another thing I miss is having better advice tones, the "before" is too soft for my taste and the "end" is too loud.

In the end, it is the timer that I have used the most.

For tray sheet development, as Rodeo says, I use the voice recording app on my phone (previously a mini cassette recorder), but just as a basic time reminder (30 seconds....one minute...two and a half minutes... etc.), mainly to avoid the endless boredom of the task. But I rarely use this method because I usually develop sheets in tanks (rotary or not) where I use the timer app.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks jose_angel, good advice...