Looking for a count up timer for use with film development

[Eric Woodbury]

This should be trivial to find, but not the case.

When developing film in an open tray, I'd love to have an LED count UP dimmable timer. I can't seem to find one that isn't a project.

I don't want DOWN, because you must set the time. Just a button to set to zero and it counts up. Must be dimmable so I don't have to hang an old neg or some ND in front of it.

Is this too much to ask? What are you all using for such purposes?

I have Burke and James clock timers -- nice but can't see in the dark. I have the old GraLabs, but the glow is too bright at beginning and too dim at the end. They make great kitchen timers. I have an old alarm clock that I modified to count in minutes and seconds, but it is a pain, too bright and only counts to 10 minutes.

Thanks for the tips.

E

[Keith Pitman]

The Zone VI compensating developing timers count up. You don’t have to use the compensating feature.

[JMO]

If you have an iPhone, consider using the stopwatch function. I don't know if you might even be able to make it show red numerals on the black background (which I'd think would be perfect for you when using near open trays), but mine shows the time (counting up) in whitish numerals on black background and you can adjust the brightness of the overall screen to quite dim levels. I use a JOBO and 3010 Expert Drums, and time with my iPhone's stopwatch, so I don't need to worry about the phone screen fogging the developing film. If the iPhone stopwatch feature doesn't allow you to make the numerals red, I suppose there might be apps available that will.

[Ethan]

If you have an iPhone, consider using the stopwatch function. I don't know if you might even be able to make it show red numerals on the black background (which I'd think would be perfect for you when using near open trays), but mine shows the time (counting up) in whitish numerals on black background and you can adjust the brightness of the overall screen to quite dim levels. I use a JOBO and 3010 Expert Drums, and time with my iPhone's stopwatch, so I don't need to worry about the phone screen fogging the developing film. If the iPhone stopwatch feature doesn't allow you to make the numerals red, I suppose there might be apps available that will.

iPhone can be set to only output red light, but would that be too much light for working with film?

[peter schrager]

This should be trivial to find, but not the case.

When developing film in an open tray, I'd love to have an LED count UP dimmable timer. I can't seem to find one that isn't a project.

I don't want DOWN, because you must set the time. Just a button to set to zero and it counts up. Must be dimmable so I don't have to hang an old neg or some ND in front of it.

Is this too much to ask? What are you all using for such purposes?

I have Burke and James clock timers -- nice but can't see in the dark. I have the old GraLabs, but the glow is too bright at beginning and too dim at the end. They make great kitchen timers. I have an old alarm clock that I modified to count in minutes and seconds, but it is a pain, too bright and only counts to 10 minutes.

Thanks for the tips.

E
I believe Catlabs is selling a timer that will do hat you want except they are pricing it around $300
I use a zone vi timer without the compensating feature....my favorite!

[peter schrager]

Catlabs CET01....$368 with footswitch....not even sure it counts UP!!
someone needs to make a simple timer like the zone vi for a reasonable price....
exactly who wants to count down?? not me...

[Tin Can]

if no timer

i silently count up seconds into minutes

and check myself with audible timers

[Willie]

Record music you like with a voice over giving each half minute. Works well and you can enjoy listening as you agitate the negatives in the chemistry. Easy to do and you can always make more than one so you have some musical variety.

[Jay Wolfe]

The lack of precision in your suggestion is ridiculous. Look at the other recommendations. There are plenty of other options that will be more accurate. Maybe with your 14k responses, you should back off and let more informed members offer more useful information.




if no timer

i silently count up seconds into minutes

and check myself with audible timers

[reddesert]

I use a couple of free iphone apps (called Develop! and Darkroom Clock) that have countdown, not count up, timers, but you can preset a sequence (like 10 min dev, 1 min stop, 4 min fix, etc) and just press start. And store multiple sequences for different films. There may be another app that counts up. Both of these apps can be set to red and dim the display BUT that is intended for paper. I wouldn't trust a phone display to be dim enough or monochromatic enough for film, unless you put some extra filtering over it, which you wanted to avoid. I use them for developing in daylight tanks.

[Jeroen]

I wrote an applescript (MacOS only) that says how many (half) minutes have passed. I can bring my laptop INTO the darkroom since it blacks out the screen. It also has a countdown function so you can feel your away around in the dark before the actual development starts.

[Tin Can]

Thanks for your most useful comment

What is the exact accuracy possible dipping sheets in trays

I do use programmed timers on my Gas Burst covered tanks and relax in the light while processing

Usually

but sometimes I really do count and look under safe light while processing very old films and plates one at a time

an old method called process by inspection

perhaps you know it

or not




The lack of precision in your suggestion is ridiculous. Look at the other recommendations. There are plenty of other options that will be more accurate. Maybe with your 14k responses, you should back off and let more informed members offer more useful information.

[rdenney]

The lack of precision in your suggestion is ridiculous. Look at the other recommendations. There are plenty of other options that will be more accurate. Maybe with your 14k responses, you should back off and let more informed members offer more useful information.

Why? Ansel Adams used the same method with a metronome. The person you responded to said “if no timer” and not everyone expects or needs results consistent with a high level of precision (noting the distinction between accuracy and precision). I suspect that with my musical training I could count in my head within 10-15% one way or the other. Are your shutters that accurate?

Rick “this is not the forum for posts with personal attacks—okay?” Denney

[Nodda Duma]

Digital Truth’s Lab Timer app for iphone counts up. You can set it to output red light which, combined with the ability to set a low light filter (Google for how to do this) on the phone makes it sufficiently dark for darkroom use. I set it on the floor when I tray develop so there’s no direct path to the plates in the tray.

That app allows very detailed processes to be set up and stored. I use it mostly for E-6 and C-41. Multi-purpose apps are the best.

There’s also this, which counts up and down. You’ll want to cover it in rubylith and tinted film to dim it down.

https://www.amazon.com/DreamSky-Adjustable-Magnetic-Operated-Operation/dp/B07HGN7F58/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=red+led+stopwatch&qid=1599565920&sr=8-11


There’s also this version, which has an LCD display and is therefore not lit.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YXL1J18/ref=vp_m_pb_TIER4_cmlr_lp_B07HGN7F58_pd

[Keith Pitman]

Here’s another option: http://www.curtpalm.com/Software.html

I don’t know whether he has kept the software up to date.

[Paul Ron]

amazon is your friend.

[Tin Can]

I bought and tried a $20 timer for the blind from a online store for the blind

Total crap

[Peter Lewin]

The Catlabs darkroom timer looks very much like a modern copy of the ZoneVI compensating timer, one of which has lived in my darkroom for something like 40 years. The ZoneVI is a count-up timer, and personally I love the compensating feature which I use both in tray developing sheet film, tank developing 120 and 35mm (I put the sensor in a beaker of water the same temperature as that in the tank), and printing. Since the ZoneVI is no longer made, I cannot judge whether the Catlabs price of $333 is fair or not.

[Doremus Scudder]

The lack of precision in your suggestion is ridiculous. Look at the other recommendations. There are plenty of other options that will be more accurate. Maybe with your 14k responses, you should back off and let more informed members offer more useful information.

Not so imprecise... I can easily count seconds, without a metronome, up to 5 minutes or more and miss by only a few; an error in the 1-2% range. I do this with long exposures all the time, since it's usually easier than bothering with my iPhone.

FWIW, I developed sheet film in my makeshift darkroom in my apartment in Vienna for more than 20 years, counting seconds with a metronome. No problems at all, and precise to the second. Normal developing times were from 9 to 14 minutes.

The suggestion is neither ridiculous nor superfluous.

I now use my Zone VI compensating developing timers for both film and paper development, but I still print with a metronome. I'm fairly confident in my accuracy.

Best,

Doremus