Too good to be true?

[calebarchie]

HMG, my design is using the original heads, so I can do color as well - at least in theory as I still haven't tested the actual workability of this. His solution is just an app for use on any device using the screen and backlight, and I can tell you my design will provide 50% higher resolution than the newest iPhone, as an example. The thing about this type of usage is that the only thing that matters is the resolution of the screen, and so therefore a tablet is no different than a phone if their resolution is the same - except a typical tablet will need the equivalent of a 5x7 or 8x10 enlarger (or camera) to make prints.

Another person did this with a tablet and did contact prints. This is another option, but IMO comes with other issues.

With the usage of some other tech, I am actually aware of a way to retrofit an even better digital enlarger than the DeVere product but the design, prototyping, and manufacture is firstly over my head and secondly not likely to have enough demand to warrant its development. It's a niche use-case.

Bryan,

I expressed interest but you had no interest in sharing. Otherwise I have experience with most of that, too bad.

C

[Corran]

I'm afraid I'm not as selfless as Linus Torvalds. It does not benefit me to release complete design documentation. I also need to either learn or contract out software development and consider design goals (in other words, does it need to have this or that capability, both physical and software).

By all means, shoot me a message or email if you think you would be a good fit for co-designing, development, and production, but excuse me if I'm skeptical of someone basically whining that I didn't just tell them how to do it so they could steal my idea and basic design (doubly so if you are already in the product development space).

[Michael R]

Quite right I was only thinking of ELPs as potential VC light sources for B&W. My “thought experiment” was just a regular enlarger using regular negatives but dispensing with everything above the negative stage as the ELP would be integrated into the top glass of the negative carrier. From a uniformity perspective, seems almost ideal as apparently evenness was good enough for sensitometers (which is what led me to think about it in the first place). From a spectral output perspective, ELPs seem to be largely subject to the same limitations/problems as LEDs. Anyhow these were just thoughts triggered by the thread.

Thanks for mentioning DeVere, by the way. I must admit I had no idea something like this existed. I guess that is more the type of thing you were considering/planning in your project. Definitely way beyond ELP light panels.

It's just a light, you still need a negative or digital carrier system like I've designed. It doesn't display images.

Edit: I spent some time looking for spectrum information, and other data on ELPs but the long and short of it is they are being (or have been) abandoned for edge-lit LED technology. For use as an enlarger light-source, I'd want to see some specifics on the spectrum, know how long it took to go from unpowered to full brightness, and also look at their brightness compared to a typical enlarger lamp/head because apparently they are a real bear to "dim," unlike traditional bulbs or LED bulbs of the proper type. As long as these things are okay, I suppose one could consider them as an enlarger lightsource as long as it was bright enough for the intended use.

[Tin Can]

Agree!

I'm afraid I'm not as selfless as Linus Torvalds. It does not benefit me to release complete design documentation. I also need to either learn or contract out software development and consider design goals (in other words, does it need to have this or that capability, both physical and software).

By all means, shoot me a message or email if you think you would be a good fit for co-designing, development, and production, but excuse me if I'm skeptical of someone basically whining that I didn't just tell them how to do it so they could steal my idea and basic design (doubly so if you are already in the product development space).

[calebarchie]

Actually I just asked you for what technology you were using (something you did not develop). No interest in commercialising or 'stealing' anything from you, market far too small regardless. To jump from that to asking for 'complete design documentation', 'stealing' and 'whining' is a bit silly really, I have assisted various people with their projects just out of curiosity.


I am already invested in too many other projects to get into bed with you at the moment but good luck.

[Corran]

Caleb, you were asking for part numbers and specifics.

Anyway, don't need to derail this any further.