I want one

I've had an idea of doing an automated film devver for a while now, it wouldn't be anywhere near as elegant as that though!
 
Behind...... it should be well in front, get a grip man, prioritise. :D
 
I saw this and instantly spent the next few days drawing up plans and writing a shopping list for parts. Trouble is as the next day unfolded I got to a point where I was just thinking 'S@d it, I'll just buy one'
 
If his cost estimate is accurate 2000euro is about £1500, probably a fair price for something that complex and useful.
 
H'mm looks like typical German over engineering and more things to go wrong...keep things as simple as possibe is my philosphy esp bought up in the aircraft industry where mistakes cost lives and engineers and designers tried to avoid "if it can go wrong it will".
 
I'm curious as to what's over engineered in it as it's not obvious to me. The water bath, thermostat, heater and agitation also seem to be necessary. I suppose that the chemicals could be extracted by pipette after use, but a pump seems easier. Isn't that about all that's in it (unless you count the timer and control mechanism).
 
StephenM said:
I'm curious as to what's over engineered in it as it's not obvious to me. The water bath, thermostat, heater and agitation also seem to be necessary. I suppose that the chemicals could be extracted by pipette after use, but a pump seems easier. Isn't that about all that's in it (unless you count the timer and control mechanism).
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I agree Stephen, looks to be built to a good standard but it doesn't seem over-engineered, just fir for purpose.
 
StephenM said:
I'm curious as to what's over engineered in it as it's not obvious to me. The water bath, thermostat, heater and agitation also seem to be necessary. I suppose that the chemicals could be extracted by pipette after use, but a pump seems easier. Isn't that about all that's in it (unless you count the timer and control mechanism).
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So it took 50 years for someone to come up with this invention?
 
excalibur2 said:
So it took 50 years for someone to come up with this invention?
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no - it's just a desktop minilab really... but without the film transport and printing lines.

(okay, I say "just" - that doesn't mean I could knock one up in my back shed, but it's not actually doing anything that "the big boys" haven't been doing for many years - either in automated processing plants or in minilabs)
 
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Well in a digi age he has missed the boat if he wants to sell many units....but I'm sure he will enjoy using his invention, but when film was king there were enough inventors around who thought of ideas like his and you can think of your own reasons why they never came onto the market....probably down to price for the advanced amateur as a pro wouldn't bother DIY and would use his trusted lab.
 
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excalibur2 said:
Well in a digi age he has missed the boat if he wants to sell many units.....
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I dare say exactly the same thing could be said about everyone making large format cameras - but there are still plenty of them around. And given the number of large format photographers there are, and the cost of getting large format film processed (I'm going by the £5 per sheet charged by my local lab) I suspect that this could be a cost effective solution. Particularly if you compare it with the rather higher cost of the less convenient Jobo processor for large format film.
 
Well LF shooters got by for the last 150 years ;) maybe another reason why this invention wasn't put on the market in the past was using it for shooting in places that don't have a decent supply of electicity...but I suppose you could lug it around and use batteries for a while.
Which reminds about keeping things simple when, many years, ago the do gooders thought they were helping out the people in poor parts of Africa by supplying them with machinery from tractors to electrical pumps...but the villagers couldn't afford deisel and had no electricty.......just simple ploughs that can be pulled by people or oxen, mechanical pumps, sickles, spades, forks, machettes and so on, even a clockwork radio (which was eventually invented) would have been more useful and was what they wanted.
 
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We 'got by' living in caves for a million years Brian, but things move on, I have a house now. :)
 
Andysnap said:
We 'got by' living in caves for a million years Brian, but things move on, I have a house now. :)
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Well yes but filmies are up against the digi camera world and expensive inventions are not what most of us film amateur photographers need\want....and am sure were never wanted in the past.
Some things I've wasted money on that I wished I'd kept simple were:- Paterson motorised drum for prints (all eventually broke down and eventually I turned by hand), Paterson digital thermometer (now doesn't display properly and is two degrees out), very expensive colour and exposure analyser for the enlarger that eventually stopped working (it would have been cheaper to do a test print strip than spend £165 about 25 years ago....anyway I'm sure the guys here have regrets as well.
 
To be fair though Brian, the guy who built it has said he doesn't intend to mass produce them. It was a fun project for him that others have now asked for their own copy of.

If people didn't keep experimenting/inventing we'd get nowhere and still be pulling ploughs by hand and making fire with 2 sticks. Not every invention has to change the world though.
 
stevelmx5 said:
To be fair though Brian, the guy who built it has said he doesn't intend to mass produce them. It was a fun project for him that others have now asked for their own copy of.

If people didn't keep experimenting/inventing we'd get nowhere and still be pulling ploughs by hand and making fire with 2 sticks. Not every invention has to change the world though.
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Indeed Steve it's thumbs up from me when\where anyone uses film (y)
What would interest most filmies would be if some guy invented a way of of enhancing the film scanners on the market for a true high resolution...then proposed his design to Plustek, Epson etc and they would mass produce it for about £250
 
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Andysnap said:
We 'got by' living in caves for a million years Brian, but things move on, I have a house now. :)
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Time for the obligatory... amazing Andy, I thought you were from oop north? You have houses now? :)
 
Well... I say a house, it's more of a mud hovel, but the thatch is only 10 years old and it keeps the wolves out.
 
Hovel? You were the lucky ones......
 
Andysnap said:
I say hovel, it was actually just a hole in the ground...... etc. :D
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Hole in the ground, we used to dream....oh never mind we'll be here all day if we start this.

@Woodsy and @nikki_s probably wouldn't get it anyway, waaaay too young and their comedy education is woefully lacking :D
 
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