iPhone + $20 Smart Plug Becomes Affordable Darkroom F‑Stop Timer
Problem
Film photographers need an inexpensive, feature‑rich timer for darkroom printing that can handle f‑stop timing, dodge/burn, split‑grade, and paper development, but commercial timers are costly.
Pain points
- High cost of professional darkroom timers
- Low‑contrast red‑black UI makes it hard to read
- Lack of voice or other hands‑free control in total darkness
- Concerns about timing jitter and stability
- Desire to use iPhone camera for automatic exposure measurement
Questions to verify
- Would you be willing to pay extra or subscribe for such functionality?
- Does your current timing solution also suffer from latency or instability?
- Do you need integration of the iPhone camera for automatic exposure measurement?
Evidence
quote · @Author
I am a film photographer and do some darkroom printing and always wanted one of the proper, advanced f-stop timers, but never really wanted to spend a couple hundred dollars on one.
quote · @Anonymous
Very cool. Is it controlling the plugs via direct Bluetooth connection? Or zigbee via a hub, or wifi (direct or via service)? I'd add voice mode for color printing in total darkness.
quote · @Anonymous
I get that red-on-black color scheme is a nod to the red lighting of a dark room, but the contrast is so low I can hardly read the example screenshots.
quote · @Anonymous
I wonder if the iPhone's camera would be able to measure the projected negative and guide exposure time?
Disclaimer: this card is distilled by AI from community discussions as “pain point evidence”. It is a starting point for need analysis and validation, not a “validated market need”. AI has analytical limits; please open the original discussion above to manually verify before key decisions.