Topic: DIY - Digital Elarger Timer

[LeonY]

Ahoi all. My old analog enlarger timer gave up its ghost/I broke it trying to fix it..So I decided to make my own!

I posted a full write up with Schematics, parts list and Arduino code on my blog http://www.elec-tron.org/?p=107. You need a bit of electronics experience and some Arduino knowledge, but all up its pretty easy and cost about $160AUD in parts.
You can connect any enlarger that has a standard power socket.

[Francois]

That's a pretty sweet build.
All it needs now are professional looking decals!

(just print them on regular paper, cover with clear packing tape, put double side tape on the back and trim to size. I've been doing this for years and it always turns out fantastic.)

[tkmedia]

I'd just use a embossing dymo.

[Francois]

Dymo punch tape definitely always looks good

[LeonY]

That's a pretty sweet build.
All it needs now are professional looking decals!

Any recommendations for decals?

[Alan]

Brother P-Touch System >

http://brother.com.au/products/labellers/p-touch-labellers

some of the handheld machines can be got very cheap.

DYMO also have a similar range >

http://global.dymo.com/enAU/Home/default.html

[Francois]

As I said, for some projects like that I actually make my own.
If you don't have a label machine, it's the cheapest way and it really does look professional.

Label machine wise, I'm not the best reference since I own more of them than is reasonable.
I have a Brother P-touch that uses M-Tape. These are great. Fast to use, handheld and reliable. One of the things I like is that you don't waste a piece of leader for every label.
I also have a Brother P-touch printer (connected to my computer) that uses TZ-Tape. It's great except that it wastes a piece of tape for every individual label you print. To avoid this you have to bunch up a series of stickers and print them all at once.
Also, Brother M-tape and TZ-tape is a bit expensive. You can get it at a fraction by trolling ebay for cheap Chinese knockoffs. I do that and the tape works just as good as the original for less than 1/4 of the cost of a single cartridge here.
I have many Dymo punchtape machines. These are classical and great. Pretty much foolproof and no batteries required. Tape is also cheap. They made them in various width too. The regular model that holds the tape in the handle is pretty much all you need. They did make some with the tape on the side but they're not that great. I also have an industrial model that can punch aluminum tape. This one is a bit overkill for most uses.

But if you don't want to spend, do like I said and DIY. All you need is a printer (inkjet, laser or even dot matrix), some packing tape (dollar store), thin double sided tape (craft store) and a bit of patience. You can design your text either using a word processor or a drawing program like photoshop or better yet inkscape (it's a vector drawing program, use it only if you're ready to face a pretty steep learning curve). Draw your panels so that they fit within the width of the packing tape. Print. Apply the packing tape to the front. Apply the double side to the back. Trim everything. Peel the back and stick.

If you want to get an idea of what it can look like, check out this contraption http://www.filmwasters.com/forum/index.php?topic=4249.0

[Bryan]

Another method that I have used is printing on Avery mailing labels.  When I make labels for my home brew I print it on the clear label paper because it's like a plastic material that holds up well when you get condensation on the bottle.  I also make sure to print them with a color laser printer, the ink holds up much better than inkjet ink.  I think it takes a lot longer to fade as well.  If you're like me and don't have access to a color laser jet just take it to a copy store like Kinkos to print it.