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I Built the Ultimate Darkroom Timer (and Finally Finished My Dream Film Space)

Welcome to my film photography sanctuary — a custom-built darkroom with a DIY ESP32-powered development timer at its heart. In this video, I’ll give you a full tour of the space I spent years dreaming about and months building.

You’ll learn how I designed my flush-mounted darkroom timer, built a custom epoxy-coated sink, and organized a fully functional 5x10 darkroom with ventilation, water, and light control — all tailored for black & white film and paper development.

▶️ What you'll see:

  • My DIY light table and Besseler enlarger setup
  • A walkthrough of the ESP32-based development timer
  • A web-controlled interface for film timing
  • How I built and plumbed my own development sink
  • Tips for efficient darkroom layout and storage
  • STL file links for 3D printed parts (below)

Whether you’re a fellow film shooter, a DIY tech enthusiast, or just here for the satisfying build footage — you’re in the right place.

🛠 All STL files & resources available in the description below.

📸 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and check out the rest of the John Builds Things channel for more film photography and DIY tech builds.