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Photo Forum / Film Photography / Darkroom / January 2005Makeshift LED based Enlarger alignment tool
http://members.rogers.com/penate/alignment/LEDalignment_tool.html Comments, question, suggestions, all welcomed. Guillermo > http://members.rogers.com/penate/alignment/LEDalignment_tool.html > > Comments, question, suggestions, all welcomed. > > Guillermo Exactly as I do except for the LEDs. The LEDs seem to help a lot. Truly, dr bob. On 1/1/2005 1:38 AM f/256 spake thus: > http://members.rogers.com/penate/alignment/LEDalignment_tool.html ==> Bookmarked. > Comments, question, suggestions, all welcomed. Unnecessarily complex. But way kewl! Psychedelic patterns 'n all ... (How about making an even more kaleidoscopic version?)  SignatureToday's bullshit job description: • Collaborate to produce operational procedures for the systems management of the production Information Technology infrastructure. - from an actual job listing on Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org) On 1/1/2005 1:38 AM f/256 spake thus: > http://members.rogers.com/penate/alignment/LEDalignment_tool.html > > Comments, question, suggestions, all welcomed. By the way, at the end of your page, you say: A professional and accurate tool exists, for information you may want to visit www.zig-align.com. I believe your rig is every bit as accurate as anything commercially available. SignatureToday's bullshit job description: • Collaborate to produce operational procedures for the systems management of the production Information Technology infrastructure. - from an actual job listing on Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org) > On 1/1/2005 1:38 AM f/256 spake thus: > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > I believe your rig is every bit as accurate as anything commercially available. I agree. My only reason in mentioning that site is that my tools is inspired in theirs, so I thought that mentioning would be the right thing to do. Guillermo > Comments, ... I'm tempted to be very blunt when it comes to 'alignment tools' but I won't. I do not wish to incur the rath of that tool industry. I have used the trapezoidal method. Others have used the trapezoidal method. It will produce the most accurate alignment possible. But it does not require the purchase of any equipment. I hope I've not incurred any rath. Dan > I have used the trapezoidal method. Others have used > the trapezoidal method. It will produce the most > accurate alignment possible. But it does not > require the purchase of any equipment. > I hope I've not incurred any rath. Dan Saying about trapezoidal method: "It will produce the most accurate alignment possible" is not correct, IMO. It can probably produce as accurate alignment as other methods but not necessarily "the most accurate". Any method used is better than nothing, that for sure. I haven't used the trapezoidal method, but I have used a bubble level and an inclinometer, but I find that using this LED based tool I can make the "across and along" both at once. Using any other method I have used, making the across the stage alignment affects the along one, and vice versa, so it becomes an almost never ending process to have both directions aligned. As far as purchase, the whole thing cost me 2 bucks or so: 75cts for the LEDs and about a buck for the mirror tile, the 9Vdc battery is the one coming from the annual change of batteries of my smoke alarms, I change them once a year but the batteries still have some juice in them. Guillermo One problem with methods other than the trapezoidal is their dependence on surfaces or surface areas other than those actually used when making enlargments. The trapezoidal method is the real world way to align; a negative in the carrier and projected image below. I used a ruler, square, and necessary screw drivers, pliers, etc. The projected image after alignment is squared and in focus across the entire plane. I'm not sure of the origin of the term 'trapezoidal'. Likely the shape of the unaligned projected image gave the method it's name. I may have reinvented the trapezoidal method. I noticed that my projected image was out of shape. So, out with my tools, I proceeded to adjust. Something of a no brainer you might say. Dan On 1/2/2005 2:11 PM dan.c.quinn@att.net spake thus: > One problem with methods other than the trapezoidal is > their dependence on surfaces or surface areas other than [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > The projected image after alignment is squared and in > focus across the entire plane. I wasn't sure just what was meant by "trapezoidal adjustment", but your reply makes it clear. Having said that, I see now that Guillermo's (and mine and others) method is easier, faster and more accurate. It only depends on one item other than the actual working surfaces of the enlarger under test, and that's the piece of glass which is the upper mirror. The chances of that being anything other than flat (within the accuracy needed for this adjustment) are about nil. And the observed pattern (the receding "hall of mirrors" image) allows for far finer adjustments, far more easily, than your method, which relies on making (and comparing) very precise measurements with a ruler that are prone to innaccuracy (well, at least with *my* eyes). Plus, making the pattern itself (to be placed in the negative carrier) is error-prone. If I didn't have any mirrors handy I'd use your method, but only then. SignatureToday's bullshit job description: • Collaborate to produce operational procedures for the systems management of the production Information Technology infrastructure. - from an actual job listing on Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org) > I wasn't sure just what was meant by "trapezoidal adjustment", > but your reply makes it clear. .... Plus, making the pattern ... Not that clear. There is no pattern to make. Your choice of negative will do as long as the corners are square. I used a square and ruler plus the small handtools needed to make the adjustments. The trapezoidal method is nothing new. Dan You don't need the leds at all, if you are willing to just do some staring into a dim hall of mirrors. Total investment, one mirror tile. See (the following long url...) http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.photo.darkroom/browse_thread/thread/3c9f 948c7849867d/bcbecc0603c2e5c5?q=fateman+enlarger+alignment&_done=%2Fgroups%3Fq%3 Dfateman+enlarger+alignment%26ie%3Dutf8%26oe%3Dutf8%26sourceid%3Dmozilla-xul%26& _doneTitle=Back+to+Search&&d#bcbecc0603c2e5c5 for example. This method was posted over 10 years ago. The main problem is that this method is very very sensitive to minor out-of-alignment situations. Oh, and by the way, the more important alignment is probably film-stage to negative stage. But using leds looks like fun. RJF > You don't need the leds at all, if you are willing > to just do some staring into a dim hall of mirrors. > Total investment, one mirror tile. That's the way I started, but had too much trouble seeing the black dots I made with a marker, I then took a small flashlight and was trying to illuminate the black dots from bellow, when I saw the nice and bright multiple reflexions of the flashlight, that's when I remembered the "Sig-Al-Lhing" using LEDs. > The main problem is that this method is very very sensitive > to minor out-of-alignment situations. Isn't that good? > Oh, and by the way, the more important alignment is probably > film-stage to negative stage. That one is always right on and never needs adjustment :-) I know you meant film/negative stage to lens stage. > But using leds looks like fun. Sure it is, and is easy and very cheap to do. Guillermo > have used the trapezoidal method. Others have used >the trapezoidal method. It will produce the most >accurate alignment possible. But it does not >require the purchase of any equipment. >I hope I've not incurred any rath. Dan And to think that I just use a 30" dowel and a 24" piece of glass. Regards, John S. Douglas, Photographer - http://www.puresilver.org Please remove the "_" when replying via email On 1/2/2005 10:29 PM John spake thus: >> have used the trapezoidal method. Others have used >> the trapezoidal method. It will produce the most [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > And to think that I just use a 30" dowel and a 24" piece of > glass. And how does that work, pray tell? D "puzzled" N SignatureToday's bullshit job description: • Collaborate to produce operational procedures for the systems management of the production Information Technology infrastructure. - from an actual job listing on Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org) > On 1/2/2005 10:29 PM John spake thus: > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > And how does that work, pray tell? very simply... > D "puzzled" N I'm not surprised... >http://members.rogers.com/penate/alignment/LEDalignment_tool.html > >Comments, question, suggestions, all welcomed. > >Guillermo Very nice tool! How did you cut the holes in the mirror? steve > Very nice tool! > > How did you cut the holes in the mirror? Steve, I did them having the mirror immersed in water (for cooling purposes), before doing so, I was doing it dry and just damaging the bits w/o making holes. A dremel was used and some diamond point bits from a very cheap set from HarborFreight Item 40547-1VGA, they also sell a hole saw set (1/2" and 1") that you could use for the center hole. Guillermo > >http://members.rogers.com/penate/alignment/LEDalignment_tool.html > > Very nice tool! > > How did you cut the holes in the mirror? BTW, you could skip the holes and just remove the mirror silvering in the areas the holes should have been. Guillermo >> In article <vtCdnRD8B4Rd8kvcRVn-jQ@rogers.com>, "f/256" ><askme@my.email.pls> wrote: [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >Guillermo DOH! Excellent solution, I don't relish drilling holes in glass, but this is perfect. steve |
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