Enlarger with LED light source

I have just finished an adaptation in a Durst Laborator 1000, condenser head, and changed it to a diffuser head using LEDs. I am very much surprised with the results. First, it is incredibly fast, that means, a lot of light power output compared with the former lightbulb I was using. A few seconds with lens stopped down to f/32 is enough for a 2x magnification from 4x5. Second, as it uses a micro-controller (Arduino family) to mix green and blue light in order to get contrast control, it makes very easy to use different contrast in different areas of the same print (more troublesome with filters). Attached is an image with high contrast at foreground and low contrast for sky and background. Attachment 169945

Details about the project can be found at https://apenasimagens.com/en/enlarger-head-using-leds/

and I also uploaded a video: https://youtu.be/k_boebctZp8


For those of you who have thought or considered LEDs, I would like to say: go for it, it is really a step change.

Very good video. I'm definitely going for it now. I'm working on an 8x10 enlarger and have been doing a far about of reading about different light source. I have been leaning towards led but just wasn't sure. Seeing this video makes me a believer. Now just to read and understand how it was built. I'm sure I will have question but thanks for posting about your build. I am excited to start build my own led vc lead.

I know enough to follow what you've done but not actually design it myself, so it's great reading!

Great idea and execution!! Thank you so much for sharing.
How hot do the LEDs get?

Radii, I put a thermometer inside the enlarger, right above the LEDs and the maximum temperature I got was 35c (95F). I think that is so low because the use of an enlarger is always intermittent and not continuous. In the case that it would get much hotter I would install a CPU fan and I believe that it would solve the problem. But notice that I installed some heatsinks on each LED, just aluminium pins across the printed circuit board and touching the back of the LEDs. I don't know what would happen without it but for sure it helps.

Read the blog post and watched the video. Great work! I will have to do this eventually.