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Thread: Another DIY Rotary Film Processor

  1. #1

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    Another DIY Rotary Film Processor

    I finally put this project together after moving on to shooting 8x20 and could not bear manually rotating the drum.
    Basiclaly it is made up of a roller base with 4 Rigid Wheels, a motorized arm with 2 wheels and a Arduino Uno box.
    More details on the parts and components at http://sgwetplate.com/2016/10/diy-ro...ilm-processor/




    The roller base with 4 Rigid wheels
    I connected the 2 pieces of plywood using 2 brass rails (they were from a forsaken camera project). They are locked down using 1/4" bolts and nuts. This will allow me to adjust the distance between the 2 rolls of wheels for catering to drums of different diameters. At this point the drum should rotate smoothly and evenly by hand.


    The motor and the shaft coupler
    For now I am using a 12V 30 rpm motor. To mount the 3/8" threaded rod (again another piece I have sitting around) , I use a flexible shaft coupler which has a one 6mm hole what will fit the motor shaft while the other end is a 10mm hole that fit the 3/8" rod.

  2. #2

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    Re: Another DIY Rotary Film Processor

    Very neat and simple. Good job!

    Kumar

  3. #3

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    Re: Another DIY Rotary Film Processor

    That's an elegant solution for a dry roller. Do you get much slippage from the skate wheels? These little microcontrollers and the interface boards make motor control so much easier these days.

  4. #4

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    Re: Another DIY Rotary Film Processor

    Quote Originally Posted by Graham Patterson View Post
    That's an elegant solution for a dry roller. Do you get much slippage from the skate wheels? These little microcontrollers and the interface boards make motor control so much easier these days.
    Thanks!
    The wheels has good contact with the drum. The drum tends to move forward(to the left as seen in the first photo) as it got rotated so I will have to get a barrier on the left to make sure it does not go too far off.

  5. #5
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: Another DIY Rotary Film Processor

    Maybe I missed it. Does it reverse or not?

    Nice DIY!
    Tin Can

  6. #6

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    Re: Another DIY Rotary Film Processor

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Moe View Post
    Maybe I missed it. Does it reverse or not?

    Nice DIY!
    Yes.. the Arduino code will make change the direction of rotation every 30 seconds or so. I may finetune this along the way.

    Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

  7. #7

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    Re: Another DIY Rotary Film Processor

    You will need to be careful about leveling the drum (not just the base). You need to keep the depth of the chemistry constant. It's something you have to watch with Jobo processors, too.

  8. #8

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    Re: Another DIY Rotary Film Processor

    Quote Originally Posted by Graham Patterson View Post
    You will need to be careful about leveling the drum (not just the base). You need to keep the depth of the chemistry constant. It's something you have to watch with Jobo processors, too.
    It's also a good idea to always put in a little more chemistry than called for just for "insurance" against things not being completely level. I've always added an extra 30-50ml and never had an issue, even though my Jobo isn't levelled to an exacting degree.

  9. #9
    Jac@stafford.net's Avatar
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    Re: Another DIY Rotary Film Processor

    Quote Originally Posted by Graham Patterson View Post
    You will need to be careful about leveling the drum (not just the base). You need to keep the depth of the chemistry constant. It's something you have to watch with Jobo processors, too.
    One of my rotary units rocks slowly left and right which takes care of subtle leveling issues.

  10. #10

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    Re: Another DIY Rotary Film Processor

    I use a 6"/150mm woodworking bubble level. Takes only seconds to check. I move my Jobo when it is not in use, so a check is advisable.

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