Apple Watch Warning

[Jim Noel]

Never, NEVER wear your Apple watch while handling sheet film in the dark. It has a habit of flashing on at the most inopportune times.
I just proved it.

[Tin Can]

Ditto with the damn iPhone although I find my SE if laid face down on a very flat surface i is safe, but i usually cover that with a film holder.

What I want is a voice activated smart timer that rings and doesn't light up. Audible countdown would be nice.

I have been experimenting with Alexa, but she's still too dumb...

I do have an electronic metronome with an option for no flashing red light. But mostly I just count seconds silently.

[Keith Pitman]

Never, NEVER wear your Apple watch while handling sheet film in the dark. It has a habit of flashing on at the most inopportune times.
I just proved it.

Yes, found that out. Also, if you use an Apple Watch to time an exposure, the screen will blank out in the middle.

[ic-racer]

I set my iPhone so three taps of the button makes the screen red so I can use it when printing.

[j.e.simmons]

The same with a Fitbit. I fogged a sheet of film with mine.
For a timer, I use an Everlast - yes the boxing equipment company. It can be set to use two different length timers and it has a good, loud boxing bell sounding alarm. It also alarms when you start it, so you know it started.

[Tin Can]

Looks good, but there is an app for that...

http://www.intervaltimer.com/create/custom-interval-timer


The same with a Fitbit. I fogged a sheet of film with mine.
For a timer, I use an Everlast - yes the boxing equipment company. It can be set to use two different length timers and it has a good, loud boxing bell sounding alarm. It also alarms when you start it, so you know it started.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Someone tell me of the virtues of this Apple watch thing.

[Greg]

Last year was tray processing 2 sheets of 11x14 FP-4 +. At the end of the film being in the developer, my iPhone went off. It was in my t-shirt pocket with its screen facing out. The film was ruined. Now don't even take my iPhone into the darkroom...

Akin to the time I was in the darkroom processing 4x5 sheet film and the director of our department opened the outside access door (who knew he had the key to the door's lock) to show a tour through the department.

[Bob Salomon]

Someone tell me of the virtues of this Apple watch thing.

Convenient, tells the weather, times cooking, measures pulse rate, tracks excercise, functions as a phone, gps while driving and lots more!

[jp]

Someone tell me of the virtues of this Apple watch thing.

If someone sees it on you and recognizes it as an apple watch, they know you are both moderately affluent and nerdy. Nerd fashion. I gave up wearing a watch when I got a pager in 1995. But I would totally wear a nixie tube watch, but I don't spend money on watches.

If i have my phone in the darkroom, it goes in my back pocket which is big enough for a film holder and the phone does not shine out of it. I do have a laptop in the darkroom for watching youtube while developing film (daylight combiplan tank)

[Winger]

When I'm loading or unloading holders, my Apple Watch stays out of the room. If I'm printing, I have one of the faces set up as just the time in red. I learned with my Fitbit to leave it out of the room. I didn't fog any film, but it came very close.

As for the virtues of it - I get messages about the progeny's sports, scouts, and school stuff during the day. Some need to be responded to fairly quickly. Women's jeans do not have pockets that can hold my phone (and the phone isn't even a plus version). Since they're both on the house wifi, I can leave the phone in the kitchen in my purse and still know what's going on. I have mine set so I see the local temp and it works well to time things (though I haven't tried voice activating that). And it keeps track of my activity - steps, heart rate, etc..

[Two23]

I figured out pretty fast I need to take my FitBit off and stick it in my pocket. As for timer, I have a Gralab 300 with luminous dial. My plan when I start trying tray developing is to point it away from the plates/film.


Kent in SD

[MartinP]

I admit to having used an Android tablet interval timer app to regulate agitation for sheet film, but I took the precaution of keeping it in one of the black bags paper comes in and giving four extra minutes so that there was time to get the film hangers out of the light-proof changing-bag, prior to actually dunking them for the first time. The thing that did spook me when I first noticed it, was seeing the amount of light that is produced by pulling the tape off a 120 roll. Luckily that didn't seem to cause an actual problem, but I did it much more slowly after that.

[Jim Noel]

I have been very interested in the responses to my posting. Each person has their own way of dealing with the problem. I use my phone for many of the ideas mentioned, plus few. In my darkroom i have an electronic metronome which beats, and never flashes. I also have my sisters old, 1930's, windup metronome, and a metronome built into my large darkroom time which has glowing digits. The large timer is about 3 feet above where i process film in open trays and it has never caused a problem. The one thing I do not have is a clock to give me the time.

[Tin Can]

I have 'light flashes' inside my closed eyes.

They are very disturbing but do not seem to fog film.

I have a large clock with a safelight on it for paper wash times.

[Jim Noel]

Randy I used to have those flashes.I hope you have seen an ophthalmologist about them.

[Tin Can]

I see one every 3 months. I have an eye surgeon

In the last 10 months cataract surgery, lens implants, laser cleaning, many tests and now daily drops.

Next exam March 11, I am worried.

Thank you!


Randy I used to have those flashes.I hope you have seen an ophthalmologist about them.

[Christopher Barrett]

I set my iPhone so three taps of the button makes the screen red so I can use it when printing.

How do you do that?

[Jim Noel]

I see one every 3 months. I have an eye surgeon

In the last 10 months cataract surgery, lens implants, laser cleaning, many tests and now daily drops.

Next exam March 11, I am worried.

Thank you!

Randy,
I hope all goes well and that you really have nothing to worry about, but i understand your concerns. Good luck.
Jim

[Tin Can]

Thanks Jim.

I didn't get glasses until I was 7 despite extreme myopia of -8 diopters which affected my schooling. The blackboard was a magical device I could not figure out. They even put me in classroom rear as I was squawking.

Once i got my glasses all became too obvious.

They are working on remedies. Here's an EU conference that spells out way more than any Dr will share. https://www.fundacionimo.org/en/40-myopia-sufferers-more-8-dioptres-run-risk-disorders-centre-retina

I still squawk but no longer care if I annoy the complacent.



Randy,
I hope all goes well and that you really have nothing to worry about, but i understand your concerns. Good luck.
Jim

[Winger]

How do you do that?

This should work (haven't tried this myself)
https://ios.gadgethacks.com/how-to/keep-your-night-vision-sharp-with-iphones-hidden-red-screen-0173903/