Darkroom Home Automations

Even I am an analog guy, I am not shy to bring new technologies to my darkroom. With the wet collodion process I always try to avoid touching anything unnecessarily. So I build some home automations to assist me with that. Every analog photographer knows the struggle. You work in your darkroom and in this very moment you don’t want to be disturbed. Just imagine, somebody opening the door and your film/paper/plate is exposed to light. For sure, you just can mount a red light on the entrance door and you are safe. But in my case (and I am pretty sure I am not the only one), I have a main entrance to the darkroom and two other doors. One door leads to my studio and the other door to my pouring room. That means if any of these doors are open, it is safe to enter the darkroom. If I just would have a red light on the main entrance door, it would be hard to understand for my workshop participants or sitters if it is safe to enter. Thats the reason I build a solution for that with Apple Homekit (you for sure can build it also with Google/Alex or anything else). But there is more. We all have running water in our Darkrooms. And I think some people will have a water detector. But what if you have to wash something with running water and are not in your darkroom all the time? I used Homekit for that as well. I show you also a solution for measuring time without touching anything. This may be very specific to the wet collodion process, but maybe it may be helpful for others as well. The last topic is about how I feel more safe with my 3D printer.

I looked also for Google/Alexa devices, but most of them are working with wifi instead of low power bluetooth or thread. So I am not sure if I want to recommend any of these, please let me know which ones work great and I post them here.

Works with Homekit: Eve Energy power switch
International https://amzn.to/3BfCqIH Germany: https://amzn.to/3cEAH5s
Eve Door sensor
International https://amzn.to/3J3MV3S Germany: https://amzn.to/3b4PiXu
Eve Waterguard
Inernational: https://amzn.to/3Pxnn1n Germany: https://amzn.to/3POEJHv
Eve smoke is not available right now, I found only this alternative from Netatmo
https://amzn.to/3Ou6T8Z

Works with Homekit and Google/Alexa
Philips Hue lightstrip
International: https://amzn.to/3J7jnlR Germany https://amzn.to/3cGmZzd
Philips Hue Bridge
International: https://amzn.to/3z6bYP9 Germany: https://amzn.to/3cxRdEl
Philips hue switch
International https://amzn.to/3b1NGxY Germany: https://amzn.to/3Ox1kGX