January 18, Mr. Lakshman One School of Engineering Science Simon Fraser University Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6

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1 January 18, 2003 Mr. Lakshman One School of Engineering Science Simon Fraser University Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6 RE: ENSC 440 Project Proposal Dear Mr. One Attached you will find the document Proposal for the Darkroom Automation System which outlines our project for ENSC 440 this semester. We plan to create a kit that would digitize an older and failing enlarger device used in large format photography. Please keep in mind that this kit can be applied to almost all such devices since their principles of operation are extremely similar. The purpose of this proposal is to present you with an overview of the product, several design considerations, a complete costs and funding analysis, our expected project scheduling, and finally a description of the company staff. This document will also include alternate forms that this product can take and analyze our market potential. Photography Solutions Inc. consists of four innovative, experienced and hard working engineering students: Roham Bazarjani, Marijana Cosovic, Hans Johnson and Mustapha Lansana, whom are most committed and enthusiastic towards tackling this design project and making it work. Sincerely, Hans Johnson Hans Johnson President and CEO Photography Solutions Inc.

2 Proposal for the Darkroom Automation System Project Team Roham Bazarjani Marijana Cosovic Hans Johnson Staphae Lansana Contact: Hans Johnson Submitted To: Mr. Steve Whitemore ENSC 305 Mr. Lakshman One ENSC 440 School of Engineering Science Simon Fraser University Issued Date: January 20, 200 Version: 1.2 Copyright 2003 By Photography Solutions Inc. 2

3 Executive Summary Progress in today s world is inevitable and fast paced. If one does not welcome change and adapt accordingly, there is no doubt they will be left behind. For example, ask yourself how many computers you ve gone through since your first PC. Disposal of used computers is an obvious problem in today s society. In general, in this day and age, people like to take on the out with the old and in with the new viewpoint. This is not totally unreasonable because if we don t keep up with the changes, we will surely be left in the dust. This way of thinking does however lead to disposing of perfectly good units due to the failing of only one or two components. We would like to take on the in with the old, we make it new perspective. We are proposing to develop an upgrade kit for an enlarger used in large format photography. This upgrade kit would enable this photography enlarger (built in the seventies) to compete with most devices available in the market today. This is achieved by replacing non-working light sensors, adding a few motors along with two microprocessors to analyze commands and feedback algorithms. We then create a user interface that will communicate directly with the head unit, and enable the user to have full control of the unit through a keypad. This after market upgrade takes the advantages and capabilities of the already existing and working equipment and combines it with a new and sleek user interface of the new century. Not to mention that it turns an old, mechanical and failing unit into a digitally revolutionized one, and for the fraction of the price of a new one. Due to the similarities of most enlargers, these exact modifications can be made on many older models as well. This way, we save you money, while still giving you the digital performance of the newer models and lastly, we revive an old unit and give it a second chance instead of throwing it away. Photography Solutions Inc. consists of four clever and gifted employees, keen on bringing this project through all necessary stages and finally into life. We will simply settle for nothing less as failure is not an option. We have estimated our project to take approximately three months and we have an estimated budget of close to $500 (CDN) for this particular project. Copyright 2003 By Photography Solutions Inc. 3

4 Table of Contents Executive Summary... 3 Table of Contents Introduction System Overview Other Design Solutions Beseler Universal 45 Lightsource Future Modifications Development Process Control Enlarger Elevation Control Baseboard Light Sensor Proposed Design Solution Budget and Funding Budget Funding Schedule Company Profile Team organization Conclusion References: Copyright 2003 By Photography Solutions Inc. 4

5 1. Introduction Considered by many to be the greatest art and pastime of the 20 th century, photography is growing in every way imaginable. This means more people now than ever are in darkrooms, all over the world. As you can imagine, when inside a darkroom, it is not exactly convenient to be turning and pressing all sorts of knobs and buttons. This has pushed modern enlarger devices towards the more digital world and advanced the type user interface. The principle of operation for enlargers has not changed for many decades and is not expected to. So how come there are new units out ever year? It has very little to do with basic operation and almost everything to do with a high tech user interface. If one could implement a creative user interface for an older machine, and replace the minor failing components, it would prove to be extremely cost effective for the consumer. Rather than to buy another unit due to a few failing parts, one could save over three thousand dollars upgrading their already existing equipment. Not only does this benefit the consumer but also it would help solve many environmental waste issues. The objective of our project is to save older machines made as far back as the seventies, which could be upgraded to have almost all of the functions of the new aged and high tech machines of today. We will provide the user with an interface unit to the machine, which has a keypad and a LCD. By adding motors and new color sensors (which are the top failing components in an enlarger) we enable the user to have full control of the previously manual filter knobs (which control the color balance) by simply entering some values on the keypad. Our user interface unit will have other functions, for example it will contain an on board timer which will stop the enlarger on time. It will also enable the user to save catalog filter settings on board, making the task of remembering previous filter settings a much easier task. This document will provide you with an overview of our project, along with complete costs and funding analysis, project scheduling, and finally a description of the company staff and its staff. It will also discuss some future upgrades and additional functionality that could be added to this unit (can be made possible given we had more time, funding a more specific goal). Copyright 2003 By Photography Solutions Inc. 5

6 2. System Overview The Darkroom Automation System provides full digital control of the Beseler 45S and Computerized Color heads. As part of this, it eases the work of the photographer in producing prints of their art. It will: Provide closed loop control of the filter, compensating for the effects of an aging bulb. Maintain a library of filter settings, with one entry for every negative printed. Ease the mundane tasks of creating ring around sheet and test strips. Allow the photographer to manipulate in a manner that was not previously possible. The system will consist of two major components: an electronics pack installed in the enlarger head, and a separate, wired remote control unit to provide the user interface, this is illustrated in figure 1 below. Figure 1. Block Diagram Of System Overview Slave Microcontroller Colour Sensor Filter Pack Lamp Light Mixing Chamber Filter Control Motors Shutter Enlarger Head Master Microcontroller Liquid Crystal Display Hex Keypad Remote Control Copyright 2003 By Photography Solutions Inc. 6

7 3. Other Design Solutions 3.1. Beseler Universal 45 Lightsource Beseler currently sells a different enlarger head called the Universal 45 Lightsource. Unlike the 45S and the computerized color head, this design uses 3 separate, filtered bulbs to generate the correct color balance for printing the negatives. There are a number of advantages to this design, most notably that the control of the light mix is much more precise. However, this system costs approximately $3000 USD, and its functionality is still limited by the colour curves of the lamps used. 4. Future Modifications Given the nature of the system, there are several additions that could be made Development Process Control One of the other key processes in the darkroom is the development of the prints once they are exposed. In some respects, this is the most sensitive part of the whole operation as the amount of time that the paper spends in the various chemicals is heavily dependent upon the temperature of the chemicals. In the case of RA-4 (The standard colour process), a difference of 5 degrees Fahrenheit can mean a difference of around 20 seconds in development time. If the system had a temperature probe, and control over the mixing drum, it would be able to calculate the optimum processing time for the paper, based on the temperature of the chemistry used Enlarger Elevation Control Another feature that would be useful, and relatively simple to add, is giving the system the ability to control the elevation of the enlarger head. Currently, the 45M chasis already has motor to do this, and adding a set of relays to drive the motor should not be all that difficult Baseboard Light Sensor Another useful addition to the system would be the creation of a baseboard light sensor. This sensor is a small, handheld unit that is placed on the baseboard of the enlarger (where the paper sits) and it is used to calibrate the exposure settings of the print. Thus, the system can automatically compensate for changes in the f/stop of the lens, and the height of the enlarger head. Copyright 2003 By Photography Solutions Inc. 7

8 5. Proposed Design Solution Our system consists of two major components: user interface console and the integrated electronics inside the enlarger head. User interface will serve a number of different functions: - Timing: provide the usual timing functions that one would expect any timer to provide. - Data Storage: The remote unit would be able to store and catalogue filter settings for a whole library of negatives. The data would be stored internally, although provisions would be made to enable the export of data. - Dark Usability: The remote unit will be designed to be highly usable in the dark. This includes both an appropriately backlit keypad and LCD, with variable intensity, and an audible metronome. - Advanced Functionality: Once the basic functionality is down, we will be looking at adding some advanced features, such as macros to automate the creation of test strips and "ring-around" sheets, scripting split filtering, and so forth. Integrated electronics in the enlarger head: The user interface unit described above (master) will control the microcontroller in the enlarger head unit (slave). The main tasks that the slave will perform are: - Closed Loop Filter Control: Replace (or add) the light sensors in the diffusion chamber, and provide for real-time display of the filter values. In the case of the 45 Computerized Head, it will re-use the LED display on the unit, otherwise they will also display on the remote control unit. - Motorized Filter Control: this will allow the remote control to command the enlarger to a given filter setting. This should greatly simplify tasks such as split filtering, as well as semi-automated "ring-around" sheets for color processing. - Electronic Shutter Control: The timing for the exposures will be controlled by a shutter located somewhere in the lens assembly, eliminating the ramp up/down effects of the lamp. This, combined with the filter control, will again ease split filtering, as the light output can be set, and measured, without exposing the paper that may already be on the baseboard. Copyright 2003 By Photography Solutions Inc. 8

9 6. Budget and Funding 6.1. Budget The budget for our project is broken into four groups and is shown in Table 1 below: Table 1. Forecasted Budget Group Quantity Min Cost ($) Max Cost ($) Internal Electronics Rabbit Micro Controller Pic Micro Controller Color Sensor User Interface: Hex Keypad LCD PCB Manufacturing: 4 layer Board Miscellaneous Components Total: Funding The proposed budget above is just an estimation of what we believe our costs will resemble. Our main source of funding will be a few Amateur Photographers who would like to have their equipment upgraded. Another possible source is the Engineering Undergraduate Student Society (EUSS). We are also in the process of communicating our ideas to a few local colleges such as Emily Car Institute of the Art and Design who could potentially benefit from such a project. If an interest in our project arises we would expect some funding from them as well. Photography Solutions Inc. will provide the rest of the funding. Copyright 2003 By Photography Solutions Inc. 9

10 7. Schedule Figure 2 below shows our project scheduling. Figure 3 below shows our project milestone timeline. Figure 2 Project Scheduling Figure 3 Project Milestones 2003 Time Line January February March April 20 th 12 th 2 nd 1 st 10 th Project Proposal Functional Specification Design Specification Project Demo Documentation Copyright 2003 By Photography Solutions Inc. 10

11 8. Company Profile Photography Solutions Inc. is comprised of four engineering students from Simon Fraser University, two of which are in fourth year, and two in their fifth year of the program. The team consists of Hans Johnson (President and CEO), Roham Bazarjani (COO), Marijana Cosovic (CFO) and Mustapha Lansana (CTO). If there has ever been a recipe for success, we ve got it. Our company has experience, along with innovation and charisma. The staff has enormous respect for one another, which creates a wonderful working environment. All opinions and suggestions are heard in meetings, and always considered. Only in a good work environment, could a group of talented individuals make dreams come true, and bring this project to light. Photography Solutions is a focussed company comprised of a determined management team that will ensure success in today s market. Photography Solutions will be driven by the vision of providing the market with a high-quality kit that will save consumers money along with tackle some of the issues regarding waste. The company will constantly update and monitor its marketing position to provide the best of customer satisfaction and care. Copyright 2003 By Photography Solutions Inc. 11

12 9. Team organization Photography Solutions Inc. Photography Solutions Inc. was formed in January 2003 to undertake the Darkroom Automation System Project for ENSC 305 and ENSC 440. Our headquarters is located at Simon Fraser University s Burnaby Mountain Campus. Hans Johnson - President and Chief Executive Officer Hans Johnson, originator of the project and 5 th year Computer Engineering Student, is a self-confessed gadget nut. He has been working with computers since the XT, and has been online since As part of his job at Alcatel, he was responsible for desiging complex test systems using a variety of disused components. He has experience working in C, C++, TCL, and PERL, as well as in VHDL and Verilog. As an avid amateur photographer, he also brings his knowledge of the photographic process to aid in the development of the Darkroom Automation System. Roham Bazarjani - Chief Operations Officer A fourth year Electronics Engineering student at Simon Fraser University. His first co-op was with Wind River Systems Inc. located in Calgary Alberta, where he worked as a Hardware Developer configuring and experimenting with numerous hardware reference platforms (Stompad, PPC, MIPS, HITACHI). His experience hardware experience and his great attitude and people skills are a great asset to this company. Marijana Cosovic - Chief Financial Officer A fifth year Electronics Engineering student at Simon Fraser University. Has participated in several projects through her co-op experiences and the courses offered at SFU. The analog electronics design is one the field that interests her the most. Besides her technical interests she has a genuine interest in marketing. She was part of the team that was awarded first place in 'Ken Spencer Business Plan Award'. With her course and work experiences we are confident that she can contribute a lot of knowledge and expertise to this project. Mustapha Lansana - Chief Technical Officer Mustapha Lansana brings a significant amount of experience to the group, specifically in embeded systems design. As a 4 th year Systems Engineering Student, he has had significant experience working on embedded control systems. As Chief Technology Officer of Photography Solutions Inc., he has the knowledge and vision to bring the project to reality. Copyright 2003 By Photography Solutions Inc. 12

13 10. Conclusion Photography Solutions Inc. was formed for one purpose and one purpose only, and that was to succeed. We will embrace failure no doubt, but only because one must first fail before they succeed. With this caliber of talent, expertise and knowledge that we have on our team, we leave no room for error and there is no reason why this project would fail. Our members are very committed individuals. Committed to this organization, one another, and also committed to bringing this idea to life. With their incredible attitudes, comes a friendly and loving working environment that makes success the only option. Our product not only benefits the consumer (money wise) it also benefits the environment because in a sense, it is another form of recycling. We say NO to throwing away old equipment, just because a minor component doesn t work right, or because there s fancier models out. We will revolutionize your old equipment, to be just as flashy, and make sure it works right for you. At Photography Solutions Inc. our motto was best spoken by the Captain of the K-19 submarine who said We will not fail!. Copyright 2003 By Photography Solutions Inc. 13

14 11. References: Martin Knowles (Port Moody, BC) Laser Components ( Lakshman One (Burnaby, BC) Copyright 2003 By Photography Solutions Inc. 14