Author Topic: Filmomat automatic film processor (Read 8593 times)

Indofunk · « **on:** December 07, 2015, 01:34:10 AM »

! No longer available

I don't know anything about it, just saw it pop up on my Facebook feed because Ferrania shared it. I'm assuming it's too expensive for me to even consider buying

everydaylanre · « **Reply #1 on:** December 07, 2015, 02:49:04 AM »

Xmas gift anyone?

Adam Doe · « **Reply #2 on:** December 07, 2015, 07:22:32 PM »

We could chip in on one, and it could reside in North Carolina since North Carolina is neither here nor there, therefore North Carolina must be conveniently located between everywhere.

Bryan · « **Reply #3 on:** December 07, 2015, 07:30:14 PM »

Quote from: Adam Doe on December 07, 2015, 07:22:32 PM

We could chip in on one, and it could reside in North Carolina since North Carolina is neither here nor there, therefore North Carolina must be conveniently located between everywhere.

Let me guess, you live in North Carolina? So we would send you our film for processing?

I wonder how much he would charge for one of these? I'm pretty happy with the way I develop film right now so I would not likely want one.

Adam Doe · « **Reply #4 on:** December 07, 2015, 07:50:36 PM »

Quote from: Bryan on December 07, 2015, 07:30:14 PM

Let me guess, you live in North Carolina? ...

Only coincidentally.

Terry · « **Reply #5 on:** December 07, 2015, 08:25:12 PM »

That is probably the coolest thing I've ever seen.

irv_b · « **Reply #6 on:** December 07, 2015, 09:24:54 PM »

Woah! surely we have to badger Francois to biuld us one each

Fluminian · « **Reply #7 on:** December 07, 2015, 09:49:40 PM »

Dibs!

Francois · « **Reply #8 on:** December 07, 2015, 10:06:41 PM »

I must admit that it's pretty neat. I especially like the way the water bath circulates.
I'm surprised they choose to agitate with air... I know it's often done for sheet film in dip and dunk lines but they usually use nitrogen to avoid oxidation of the chems. Personally, I would have gone for a magnetic agitator.

It's also a nice way to use an Arduino microcontroller.

But still, it does look extra nice, a bit like some high-end stereo or something.

tkmedia · « **Reply #9 on:** December 07, 2015, 10:28:05 PM »

seems tricky to reprogram using a single dial. Needs more dials or maybe a CLI batch script!

Indofunk · « **Reply #10 on:** December 07, 2015, 10:56:55 PM »

Quote from: Francois on December 07, 2015, 10:06:41 PM

I'm surprised they choose to agitate with air... I know it's often done for sheet film in dip and dunk lines but they usually use nitrogen to avoid oxidation of the chems. Personally, I would have gone for a magnetic agitator.

I thought the same thing actually...

Quote from: tkmedia on December 07, 2015, 10:28:05 PM

seems tricky to reprogram using a single dial. Needs more dials or maybe a CLI batch script!

Phone app!!

Francois · « **Reply #11 on:** December 07, 2015, 11:05:48 PM »

They could have used a touch screen and a raspberry pi...
This is fast becoming an option with the new pi zero that was just released...
For those not in the know of computer geek stuff, the Raspberry Pi Zero is a full featured computer that runs Linux and that costs a whopping 5$...

Adam Doe · « **Reply #12 on:** December 08, 2015, 01:47:16 AM »

I'm not much of a maker/builder/electrician/plumber so I found watching the whole process pretty fascinating. For those of you with more buildy know-how, now that you've seen what it does, how hard do you think it would be to build something like this? Seems like wizardry to me.

jharr · « **Reply #13 on:** December 08, 2015, 02:20:15 AM »

It seems like it is only bringing 'gadgetry' to the table. It isn't really making the process much easier. All it is doing for you really is agitating and that probably pretty poorly. I like getting my hands into my creative process. If I wanted it done for me, I'd send it off to a lab.

Indofunk · « **Reply #14 on:** December 08, 2015, 02:31:25 AM »

For me, the water bath and temperature regulation is the big thing. Plus the coolness of mechanical automation

I'd still do B&W myself

Francois · « **Reply #15 on:** December 08, 2015, 02:16:57 PM »

But this one has a bonus element: it looks cool enough to put in the living room!

Mike (happyforest) · « **Reply #16 on:** December 08, 2015, 08:14:55 PM »

Could he not have agitated simply by draining and refilling the tank, a sort of non inversion agitation.?

Francois · « **Reply #17 on:** December 08, 2015, 08:29:41 PM »

He could have done that too. The main thing is that the chems that are in contact with the film are replaced. But repeatedly draining and re-filling the tank might be too slow for even development.

Indofunk · « **Reply #18 on:** December 08, 2015, 08:50:42 PM »

Building in a rotation feature would have been great. I assume even keeping the tank vertical and rotating it about the vertical axis would be sufficient?

Francois · « **Reply #19 on:** December 08, 2015, 08:56:51 PM »

The thing is that rotating things with washers needs to be very finely engineered.
If it was my design, I would have used a magnetic stir rod at the bottom of the tank and possibly have made the tank a permanent part of the device. Just load the film of the spools, put the spools on a spindle and insert directly in the machine.

Indofunk · « **Reply #20 on:** December 08, 2015, 09:14:49 PM »

Quote from: Francois on December 08, 2015, 08:56:51 PM

The thing is that rotating things with washers needs to be very finely engineered.
If it was my design, I would have used a magnetic stir rod at the bottom of the tank and possibly have made the tank a permanent part of the device. Just load the film of the spools, put the spools on a spindle and insert directly in the machine.

Good points. I like the idea of a magnetic stir rod. But I'd prefer keeping the tank removable, so I can do all the loading in a dark bag and the rest in the light.

macfred · « **Reply #21 on:** December 08, 2015, 09:33:51 PM »

Another nice machine from Lukas : http://youtu.be/JvKzQ5Rw28Y
--

He also has a blog about photography : http://silver-image.blogspot.de/

Indofunk · « **Reply #22 on:** December 08, 2015, 09:48:59 PM »

Like a high-tech, alcoholic soda gun!

Francois · « **Reply #23 on:** December 08, 2015, 10:19:40 PM »

I kinda like the film processor better...

jharr · « **Reply #24 on:** December 08, 2015, 11:29:58 PM »

Does the film processor have a German robot voice too? Cuz, that is all kinds of awesome!

Nigel · « **Reply #25 on:** December 09, 2015, 12:51:10 PM »

It is brilliant. The coding would be the problem for me, I think the rest of it would be fairly straightforward.

I agree with François I'm not too keen on the air agitation system, but you can see why they've done it.

If only I had more time.

Francois · « **Reply #26 on:** December 09, 2015, 02:20:35 PM »

And money...

I wonder if he uses multiple pumps or a single one with a series of sprinkler valves and a manifold?
I also wonder if he uses a reversible pump or a single direction model with a check valve to change the direction of the flow?

Indofunk · « **Reply #27 on:** December 09, 2015, 02:33:22 PM »

Quote from: Francois on December 09, 2015, 02:20:35 PM

And money...

I wonder if he uses multiple pumps or a single one with a series of sprinkler valves and a manifold?
I also wonder if he uses a reversible pump or a single direction model with a check valve to change the direction of the flow?

I didn't understand any of that, so I'm going to throw you a flower foul.

Francois · « **Reply #28 on:** December 09, 2015, 09:04:39 PM »

Oooh! Flowers in December!

Indofunk · « **Reply #29 on:** December 10, 2015, 12:04:03 AM »

Quote from: Francois on December 09, 2015, 09:04:39 PM

Oooh! Flowers in December!

SoCal, this aint

Francois · « **Reply #30 on:** December 10, 2015, 03:27:29 PM »

Definitely not

jharr · « **Reply #31 on:** December 10, 2015, 04:10:28 PM »

You mean the cacti aren't blooming where you are? That's weird.

Francois · « **Reply #32 on:** December 10, 2015, 10:10:23 PM »

Though with the crazy unusually warm weather we have, the grass continues to slowly grow... and is still green!
And the larch trees haven't lost their leaves yet...

Author Topic: Filmomat automatic film processor (Read 8593 times)

Terry