Looking for information darkroom timers

[Ian David]

Does anyone know if GraLab made European (220/240V) versions of their timers?

Mike

B&H sells European versions, Mike.

Ian

[Ian David]

Have a look at the RH Designs Process Master II. I got one recently and am very pleased with it.

Ian

[jglass]

Mike

What are you doing? Your GraLab 300 is the best processing timer I've ever used. It beats any digital timer hands-down. Easily set and easily changed (even mid-stream). They can be operated single-handedly. You can see (and read) it from any distance and in the dark, and they can switch up to 600W of equipment (Jobo). You can even turn them into an f/stop timer (see picture attached). They are great timers. Don't do it!

Ralph: I have an old time-o-lite that is fine but has the same defect the GraLab 300 has: it cannot time to .10 seconds. So I cannot do flashing times for determing whether my safelights are safe and to do pre-flashing. You MUST use a more sophisticated timer for the kind of sophisticated printing you do, right?

[Mike Wilde]

I pre flash/ post flash with a 7.5w bulb with a rosco diffusion taped to the front that is hung from the ceiling over my head so that it lights the baseboard and the enlarger head does not create a shadow. It is activated with a 'knee switch' and is not automatically timed. A mental one one thousand, etc count. Most flashes are at least 5 seconds as counted by me long.

I have new and old Gralab 300's The newer ones have a rheostat to turn the buzer down to a soft hum. The ones without this feature almost always scare the life out of me when they go off. Get inside yours and add a potentiometer to the buzzer circuit; you won't be sorry once the work ahs been done.

[RalphLambrecht]

I only use them for process timers, not as an enlarger timer.

They are good reliable timers, I don't like the loud buzzer (one of them can be heard a block away), and the fact they have to be reset to the same time each time.

Petty I know.

Mike

You can turn the buzzer down or off.

[RalphLambrecht]

Does anyone know if GraLab made European (220/240V) versions of their timers?

Mike

They did, I have two, but they stopped it, because they were not willing to change the design to satisfy CE requirements.

[mikebarger]

On mine it's either off or on. On is really on. I might try to figure out a way to tone them down.

Mike

[RalphLambrecht]

I use this timer:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ing_Timer.html

It's not a process timer is it? Looks like an enlarger timer.

[RalphLambrecht]

Ralph: I have an old time-o-lite that is fine but has the same defect the GraLab 300 has: it cannot time to .10 seconds. So I cannot do flashing times for determing whether my safelights are safe and to do pre-flashing. You MUST use a more sophisticated timer for the kind of sophisticated printing you do, right?

He is looking for a process timer not an enlarging timer.

Anyway, printing down to a 1/12 stop is all one ever needs. Using a base exposure of at least 16s (which you need for successful dodging & burning), this calculates to a minimum increment of 1 second. You don't need 0.1s in an enlarging timer. On the other hand, a timer allowing for 0.1s increments from 1 to 9s and then jumps to 1s increments from 10 to 99s creates a problem. It is not fine enough in the 10s range.

[Rick A]

Does anyone know if GraLab made European (220/240V) versions of their timers?

Mike

Yes they make their timers in a 240v/50hz as well as 120v/60hz, as per DimcoGray web site.

Rick