Crazy processing ideas

[Jay DeFehr]

For the round tray, you could use some type of turntable with a built in wobble for agitation. You could measure agitation in rpm's.

I was thinking along the same lines, Jerold. Sort of an Open Source Paterson Orbital (given a lightproof lid).

Johhny,

The centrifugal processor is interesting, too. At one time I was thinking about a Wankel Rotary-type arrangement, with soft brushes/ wipers at the apexes of the rotor. The rotor would take up most of the space allowing for minimal solution volume and two sheets, but the thing would be fairly enormous and very complex, with all that gearing, etc.

JP,

It looks like you're the one to do the transducer experiments! I like where you're going. I love the no-moving-parts aspect of transducer agitation, and the easy automation. It seems you'd have to experiment with duration and amplitude (if that's the correct term) to get the optimum agitation. Gives a new meaning to the term "agitation frequency"!

You guys are impressive!

[johnielvis]

HE:Y....what about ultrasonic--like they use ultrasonic to clean tools---THAT can give the best agitation maybe right? seems to do a good job cleaning....just keep the amplitude low enough to keep from cleaning the emulsion off the film--don't they use these for like surgical instruments or something--ultrasonic cleaners....

like a whole stack of trays...very shallow ones....each with independent drains/fills---just tanks...but low chem volume--shallow...the ultrasonic does the agitation...

[Jody_S]

I believe what is needed here is some bio-engineered bacteria, that develop film/paper, live in the dark, and reproduce in some controlled manner (say, reproduce in temps above 26Cwith the addition of sugar, and hibernate in typical fridge temps). Ideally, these bacteria should be engineered to respond to another cue, like varying ph levels, by developing highlights/shadows to varying degrees.

Far as I know this isn't science fiction, it's just a matter of someone being willing to spend a few millions engineering them. Hopefully as genetics advance and equipment costs fall (and labs have surplus gear for sale), this will become possible for the tinkerers among us.


Then again, if we can do all of this (except the self-replicating part) with a few common chemicals, I don't know why we would want to mess around with bacteria. Unless we could use them in novel ways such as multi-dimensional media, or with colors that are not presently possible.