Pira.mx – Darkroom Helper

PIRA – Darkroom Helper

An all-new film processing device that makes developing at home easier than ever

Innovative magnetically-coupled agitation keeps the tank stationary and upright for mess-free developing!

Built-in heater maintains the right temperature throughout the process

Fully programable cycle duration, temperature, agitation times and frequency

Almost finished! The workshop is still under renovation
but we’ll be back in production in the coming weeks.

Get notified once V2.0 is in stock!

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Small footprint

Measuring just 140x200mm (5.5”x8″) the PIRA – Darkroom Helper is barely any bigger than the tank itself, so it’s easy to store away when not in use.

Develop all types of film

Make no compromises. Thanks to real temperature control, there’s no need for complicated software compensation routines or tables. Develop virtually any film with any chemistry by just following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Black & white (including stand development)
C-41 Color negative
E-6 Slide film
ECN-2 Movie film*
Sizes: 35mm, 120 and 4×5

Compatible with Paterson tanks

Tank #1: 2×135 / 1×120
– or –
Tank #2: 3×135 / 2×135 + 1×120 / 2×120

Low cost

When buying directly on this website you cut the middle man (distributor or marketplace platform) so that all the savings go back to you. Make sure to take advantage of the special introduction price!

Safe to use

Low voltage supply, internal thermal fuse and an inherently safe design prevent exceedingly high temperatures.

*ECN-2 developing needs an extra remjet removal step, this requires very vigorous initial agitation and is best done by hand, the rest of the process with normal agitation can be done with the machine.

Not just a film agitator

How does it work?

There’s four basic elements that need to be under control for consistent film developing:
– Process temperature.
– Agitation.
– Correct timings per step: Developer bath, bleach, fix and so on.
– State of chemicals: Fresh or exhausted.

Here’s how the PIRA – Darkroom Helper assists with each one of them.

Temperature

Keeping the temperature stable is critical for consistency.
In order to maintain the right temperature, an internal heating sleeve is integrated into the base, acting like a “dry” water bath without all the added complications (tubing, draining, re-circulation pump, etc).

This also works with the larger 2×120 Paterson tank. The internal agitation and overall larger volume of chemicals ensure that temperature stays on target despite the taller shape.

The heater radiates just enough heat to prevent the internal contents from cooling down and can be calibrated by the user to compensate for diverse ambient temperature conditions.
Note: Due to safety reasons, and to keep the cost of the device reasonable, this is a low power heater. In order to bring the chemicals up to working temperature an external solution like a sous vide is needed.

Agitation

The unique agitation concept implemented in the Darkroom Helper is the reason why the “dry” water bath design described above is possible: It allows the tank to remain stationary while the reels inside are rotated.

This is achieved with the help of six pairs of neodymium magnets.
One set is located at the base of the device driven by an electric motor:

And the other magnets are embedded into a thin disc that sits inside the tank at all times:

This disc is designed in such a way that it doesn’t interfere with the normal assembly and operation of the tank: filling/removing chemicals, closing the light-tight lid and so on.
All the user needs to do is slide the disc on the tank core (center column) before inserting the reels.

The default motion is to intermittently rotate the reels back and forward in an upright position.
However, for those who prefer constant motion a second agitation mode is also available: Continuous rolling

In this mode the motor will rotate continuously and if desired the tank can be placed on its side with the lid on. The magnetic coupling ensures that the tank doesn’t slip out of place.
The user can set the speed and how long it takes to switch directions (for example to reverse spin every 10, 20 or 30 seconds).

Timings

Every chemical bath can be customized with the desired length of time.
Additionally the user can choose the number of steps, for example if you want a stop bath, final rinse, blix or separate bleach + fixer and so on.

Once the time has finished for that step an audible alarm goes off and the LCD screen displays what chemical to pour next.

State of chemicals

Most color developing kits are designed to be reused a certain number of times, however the manufacturer will often recommend to extend the developing time depending on how many rolls have been processed already.
With the Darkroom Helper there’s no need to manually keep track of this since the internal memory saves how many rolls are developed in each session (the user selects this prior to start) and it will automatically increase the developer time accordingly.

Furthermore, you can select exactly how to compensate: By increasing a percentage amount or by adding time in seconds, for example: Add 2% on each additional roll or Add 5sec on each additional roll.

Note: If using one-shot developers (like Rodinal) automatic compensation can be set to zero.