DisparaTimer.
Your new DIY F-stop timer, 100% free!
* Video in Spanish. Turn on automatic English subtitles.
What is DisparaTimer.
When printing in the darkroom, there are several key aspects to consider if you want to achieve a great photograph. One of them is precision in controlling exposure time, and another is your comfort while working.
DisparaTimer is an enlarger timer that you control from your Android, iOS, tablet, or Mac. Developed by users with years of darkroom experience, it’s accurate, convenient, and easy to use. And the best part: it’s completely free.
DisparaTimer shop.
Buy the components you need to control your enlarger from the app right here. You’ll be giving us a huge boost to keep pushing this project forward 🚀—bringing the advanced features of a €450+ timer right to the palm of your hand.
Why print my photographs?
Digital photography has become about sitting in front of a computer screen, moving sliders, and ending up with thousands of photos composed of zeros and ones buried on your hard drive.
The darkroom offers you the chance to have fun creating physical and unique images in a completely handmade way. The result is secondary; the experience and the satisfaction of seeing your photo appear on the paper is EVERYTHING.
Features.
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With a mobile screen, all the settings are visible and arranged intuitively. Nothing like other timers with 4 or 5-digit screens and buttons with menus and submenus!
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There’s no noticeable delay between pressing the exposure button and the enlarger turning on the light, unlike other apps that use HomeKit or Google Home smart plugs.
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You can work with up to tenths of a second.
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With DisparaTimer, you can increase or decrease your time in f-stop fractions, making printing much more convenient. The available fractions are 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, and 1/8.
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You have several memory slots available to store your exposure times.
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Do you need both hands free for dodging or burning? Set the delay to postpone the enlarger’s light.
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Adjust the number of steps on your test strip and the step fraction between them (from 1/2 to 1/8 for maximum precision).
With its automatic mode, you won’t have to press a button to start the timer for each step of the strip—DisparaTimer will do it for you! You can adjust the time between steps by setting the delay.
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Activate the timer with a Bluetooth foot pedal. You can use a simple pedal or one with multiple buttons.
Fully automatic on iOS. On Android, use the free Key Mapper app.
We explain how to connect it in the DisparaTimer support center.
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DisparaTimer is an app in constant development. We have tons of ideas that we’re rolling out little by little.
Got any suggestions? Drop by our DisparaTimer support center and let us know!
DIY.
For now, DisparaTimer isn’t a finished product—you have to build it yourself. Don’t worry, you don’t need advanced electronics or electrical knowledge; it’s a very simple assembly that we’ll guide you through step by step.
All you need is a Raspberry Pico, a relay, and some common cables and plugs that you can even recycle. You can buy all the components in our online store.
Download the app.
It’s free. We’re excited to see what you do with it.
Newsletter.
Subscribe to the newsletter to stay updated on new releases. We’ll only send you information related to DisparaTimer.
FAQ.
General Questions and Answers. For questions about assembling the device or using the app, visit the guide.
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It’s free; you just need to download it from the Google Play Store or Apple Store.
If you’d like to support the other work we do at Disparafilm, you can make a donation here. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts ❤️.
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You don’t need a very powerful phone. You can use any old mobile you have lying around.
For specific operating systems or devices, please check the Android or iOS manual on the DisparaTimer support page.
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No, you can use it on tablets and even on Apple computers with an M chip.
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No, DisparaTimer mainly displays red and black, so you don’t need to filter your screen. Still, we provide some recommendations in the Android and iOS manuals on the DisparaTimer support page.
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Yes. DisparaTimer is constantly being developed, although since it’s a free app, our dedication isn’t full-time.
You can suggest improvements on the DisparaTimer support page.
We also have a Discord channel where we share experiences and talk about possible improvements. Drop by and join us!
* Our Discord server is in Spanish, but feel free to speak in English—many of our users will be able to help you.
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No. Updates will include new features, but if you like the version of DisparaTimer you’re using and don’t want to update, you don’t have to.
If you want to stay up-to-date, update your app. If this requires updating your Raspberry as well, we’ll let you know. Subscribe to the newsletter (above) and we’ll notify you of any updates, or join our Discord to stay informed.
* Our Discord server is in Spanish, but feel free to speak in English—many of our users will be able to help you.
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You have the DisparaTimer support page with manuals and assembly instructions.
But the most practical way to resolve your doubts is to join our Discord. We have a dedicated channel for DisparaTimer where the community can help answer your questions.
* Our Discord server is in Spanish, but feel free to speak in English—many of our users will be able to help you.
Chechu Disparafilm often does multi-camera live streams on our YouTube channel(in Spanish), printing from his darkroom, where he uses DisparaTimer. Subscribe and hit the notification bell. Watching his live streams is very helpful.
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Technically yes, but remember that color paper is also sensitive to red light, so you need complete darkness. A phone screen isn’t much help in this regard…
Anyway, printing color is something on our roadmap 😉.
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Coming soon…
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Yes, but keep in mind that this code is protected under the GNU GPLv3.0 license, so you need to consider the following.
Anyone can copy, modify and distribute this software.
You have to include the license and copyright notice with each and every distribution.
You can use this software privately.
You can use this software for commercial purposes.
If you dare build your business solely from this code, you risk open-sourcing the whole code base.
If you modify it, you have to indicate changes made to the code.
Any modifications of this code base MUST be distributed with the same license, GPLv3.
This software is provided without warranty.
The software author or license can not be held liable for any damages inflicted by the software.
More info about GPU 3.0 here.
If you have any questions about this or any ideas, please contact us.
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Yes. DisparaTimer is open source, so feel free to experiment and adapt the software to your liking. Just remember to share it with the community, as we have.
Technically speaking: The DisparaTimer code is licensed under GNU GPLv3.0, which means that any software derived from it must also be open source and publish its source code. Check the previous question ("Can I manufacture and sell it?") if you want to know more.
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The Disparafilm community and Club Analógico are groups of analog photography enthusiasts, which is why all the basic features of DisparaTimer are and will remain completely free. This is another small way we contribute to spreading analog photography and making it accessible to people who can’t afford big investments.
And if you feel like supporting everything we do at Disparafilm and Club Analógico, you can subscribe to the club or make a donation here. Thank you! ❤️
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It’s not necessary, thanks to you for keeping the darkroom alive 🙏🏻. But...
We cover all expenses thanks to contributions from the community in the Disparafilm Analog Club.
We also fund ourselves through sales of components, complete DisparaTimers, and merchandise from our online store.
Additionally, we’re developing very advanced features that aren’t essential for printing. Soon, we’ll launch a paid version of the app with these extra features to help fund the project.
And, if you’d like to support all the other work we do at Disparafilm, you can make a donation here. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts ❤️.
Credits.
DisparaTimer was developed by Juan Carlos Viso, Ángel Rodríguez, Nelaco, Juan Sánchez, Chechu Disparafilm and the Disparafilm Discord community.
DisparaTimer is based on FaduTimer idea, a similar app developed by Bob, a user from the British forum Film and Darkroom User. This app stopped being updated in 2021. At Disparafilm, we want to thank those who worked on the development of this wonderful app; we’re taking up your torch!