CoolScan 5000 : SA-21 to SA-30 conversion!

angeloks

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Ok, I've been using my CoolScan for about 2 years now. I've always been tempted by the SA-30 (the one that allow you to scan an entire roll at once), but the price is way too high...

Then I found that with a little soldering, you could convert your SA-21 to a SA-30 (here). But who wants to disassemble their scanner? After some research, I found this link (here). With a simply wire, you can jump 2 pins in the blue connector! It works flawlessly. It's a charm to scan the whole roll at once!

Sorry if this has already been discussed/posted.
 
Hi Angeloks

I saw those instructions too and thought a long time about making the modification.

When they announced that the Nikon 5000 would be discontinued, I decided not to modify mine and to just by the roll adapter. It works great!

I think you should make up your mind quickly, because soon the roll adapters won't be available anymore. Then you may have to modify the device!

Cheers,

JP
 
That's my website, glad you found the link! I found this technique somewhere else online, can't recall where, but it works perfectly. It's been about a year and I've had no problems, and have scanned around 75 rolls that way.
 
The roll adapter also comes with a large canister catching the film, keeping it dust free over night or so.

Roland.
 
I'm imagining some homebrew solutions to feed and catch the film.

-2x five foot pvc pipes at each end?

-Hamster wheel with microfiber cloth padding?
 
hello,
I found a 4000 ed for cheap last week and I
just hacked my scanner :D
This is so easy to do, and a dream come true !!!

I was seriously thinking about buying a digital camera at last, because developing and scanning takes so much time and I was too busy for the last months to concentrate on this....
 
scanning a full roll with a modified 4000 is so quick and easy. If you use a digital camera and want good results, you have to post process them too, so it is not that much of an adavantage time wise.
 
Just keep in mind that the SA-21 has a less rugged drive to transport the film through the feeder. I did the same conversion for a quick test with my Coolscan 4000ED / SA-21 (works well) but soon bought the SA-30 for the purpose of scanning complete rolls of 135-36.
 
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