ScanMate drum scanner DIY maintenance, troubleshooting, mods

[philbard]

Hmm, will try Monday when I get back in the studio.

Any idea what causes it to go into this state?

 

[whatsnewsisyphus]

Is there a fix for the stripes in the shadow problem? Even if it involves replacing surface mounted ad chips, that would be easy compared to sending it to denmark.

 

[philbard]

I've only ever heard anyone say that the board has to go to Denmark….

 

[europanorama]

Storz germany fiberoptic light-device(medical)

Storz germany fiberoptic light-device(medical)

Hello everybody!

I have now a really big problem! I wanted to purchase new fibre optic cables from Sensor head to PMT and from transmission bulb to light tube. ABC-Scan told me they have enough to sell me some. When I removed the long one for transmission, I destroyed it, unfortunately. And now ABC tells me, they can´t find any more cables.

Now my scanner is useless! This is a BIG PROBLEM for me. Has anybody an Idea where I can find a new cable or a company that will make me one for a price that does not get into thousands of euros?

Any help and suggestion is very much appreciated

ask storz in germany-they produce fiberoptic light-sources. or the representative in your country.

 

[monkeyfist]

Ok but it requires a "Scanmate monitor program" 🙁
Let alone a "Scanmate monitor cable". 🙁

The cable is standard DB9 To RJ45, they costs like 2-3$ in ebay. Used on routers etc.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cisco-Serial-Of-Console-Cable-Router-DB9-To-RJ45-New-E0Xc-/161162795796

 

[Fernando2]

The cable is standard DB9 To RJ45, they costs like 2-3$ in ebay. Used on routers etc.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cisco-Serial-Of-Console-Cable-Router-DB9-To-RJ45-New-E0Xc-/161162795796

So does this cable work as-is? No need to cut and change the pinout like Jacek said?
Thanks!

Fernando

 

[jzagaja]

I've tried blue Cisco cable and it didn't work.

 

[philbard]

For what its worth, on my continuing problem getting the new 11K to work with software without "Failure to communicate with scanner" errors, after having tried Mac G4/CQ5.3 and WinXP with ColorTrio options, both of which produced these errors, I was able to get reliable scanning from WinXP and ColorQuartet 5.2. Strange as I thought it was always more likely to work with ColorTrio in problematic situations, but maybe version 4 is the problem. Don't have a dongle for the Windows box, may search for one if the scanning continues to be reliable.

 

[philbard]

I've tried blue Cisco cable and it didn't worked.

Guys, I found a simple adapter at Frys.com, that comes with the wires unattached so you can just pin it out the way you want, then plug a standard Ethernet cord in.

Search on: DB9F to RJ45 Modular D-Sub Adaptor Kit

Cheap...

 

[Fernando2]

I've tried blue Cisco cable and it didn't work.

Excellent, thanks monkeyfist, very useful advice... I wonder why people feel compelled to give "advices" without even trying first.

Fernando

PS: thanks Jacek. I'll try another adapter.

 

[philbard]

SM11K Driver Board

SM11K Driver Board

Think I have a blown driver board on an 11K, looking for anyone who has spare parts available….

 

[Netsoft2k]

Hi folks - I recently put down payment to hold a working SM 11000 that I'll be picking up and soon from a 4 hours drive away. Can you please give me tips to what I should keep in mind while packaging and driving with this in my car for 4+ hours? Also, any special steps to check everything before I turn it on in it's new location?

Hope to share and learn from everyone after I get the scanner.

Regards,

Pali

 

[philbard]

I'm aware of an 11K machine on the market that has some issues. What is the location of the one you are buying?

 

[Netsoft2k]

Happy and super excited owner of a new-to-me ScanMate 11000! I have only made one test scan at 2000 DPI and am already blown away with the resolution which is putting my Epson V700 to shame 🙂

Here is the first scan crop comparison between SM1100 @ 2000DPI and Epson V700 @ 3200DPI. Both are dry mounted. Image Link

The Epson is color calibrated and the SM is not. The setup is running on a 300MHZ PowerPC and is on CQ version 4.2. I can tell the monitor is horribly calibrated so calibrating scanner will be hit or miss. My 1st goal is to get this working with a new PC.

Super excited!

Pali

 

[Netsoft2k]

All, going back to the topic - I would appreciate your help with two questions.

1st - I would like to get the scanner working on an older laptop (Thinkpad T42) that I have. It does have a PCMCIA card but I am not sure which one I should get and what cables in particular I need. I would appreciate any help locating the correct adapter and the cable.

2nd - The seller told me that the scanner originally had a flourcent light behind the drum that doesn't impact scanning process. This light has blown in the scanner and I would appreciate if someone can point me to what I need to replace this.

Thanks again for your help.

Pali

 

[philbard]

Bulb

Bulb

2nd - The seller told me that the scanner originally had a flourcent light behind the drum that doesn't impact scanning process. This light has blown in the scanner and I would appreciate if someone can point me to what I need to replace this.

Thanks again for your help.

Pali

Can't help you with the laptop issue, but the bulb is a 24W fluorescent. DULUX L 24 W/954 2G11 or similar by OSRAM, EIKO, PHILLIPS, etc.

Pull the white plastic cover off the light (beneath the drum mounting area), its magnetic. The bulb is underneath, push down on the red tab to release. A little tricky to remove...

 

[Netsoft2k]

Can't help you with the laptop issue, but the bulb is a 24W fluorescent. DULUX L 24 W/954 2G11 or similar by OSRAM, EIKO, PHILLIPS, etc.

Pull the white plastic cover off the light (beneath the drum mounting area), its magnetic. The bulb is underneath, push down on the red tab to release. A little tricky to remove...

Thank you Phil! BTW, the scanner seems to be doing OK but does have significant calibration issues with the green channel. I did get the OK from ABC-Scan that it seemed the issue was calibration/cleaning so fingers crossed everything will be OK soon.

I found this on the net for the bulb - link. Is this the right one?

Pali

 

[Netsoft2k]

I have to come here to publicly thank Jack (jzagaja) for his continuous help over the last few days to help me get my scanner ready. I just performed the calibration steps he has been walking me through and this is my first scan that doesn't suffer from green channel polarization.

Jack - I owe you a beer + more for everything you did for me. This scan is so beautiful straight out of the scanner and I don't even know half of the process yet. I can't believe my eyes!

Full Scan Link (4x5 @ 700 DPI)

Scanmate Scan (downsampled to 850px)



My original Epson V700 scan that I spent several hours on

Notes on my process:

-> Had to clean the entire optical path
-> Cleaned bulb pins and bulb itself
-> Cleaned fiber optic cables
-> Cleaned 2 sets of mirrors
-> Cleaned the aperture plate

-> Bought adapters and cables (from local Microcenter store) to be able to run the monitor program
-> RJ45 to Serial adapter for $6
-> RJ45 Cat5 Cable $4
-> USB to Serial adapter $18

-> Had to use Putty software (Windows Hyper Terminal did not work)
-> Used same settings posted by Jack earlier
-> Performed the aperture calibration

Thank you again everyone and thank you JACK!

Pali

 

[philbard]

I found this on the net for the bulb - link. Is this the right one?

Pali

Yeah, that's the one. Your first scan looks great BTW. Lots of work to get to but it will be worth it ongoing. These machines are top drawer...

 

[Netsoft2k]

Yeah, that's the one. Your first scan looks great BTW. Lots of work to get to but it will be worth it ongoing. These machines are top drawer...

Thank you Phil. I can now fully appreciate the benefit of drum scanning and I'll consider it good luck that I found one that seems to be in relatively good shape overall.

Not sure if this is the correct thread for it but I would appreciate it if someone could help with what is a good drum scanning workflow (DPI / Aperture / Color Profiling etc.) I am scanning with both Focus and Aperture set to Auto because I have no idea what each setting does and how it impacts the scans.

Excellent, thanks monkeyfist, very useful advice... I wonder why people feel compelled to give "advices" without even trying first.

Fernando

PS: thanks Jacek. I'll try another adapter.

Hi Fernando - let me know if you want me to post pictures of the parts I bought. It was very cheap and making the cable took less than 2 minutes. I can also post screen shots of how I got the Putty software to work.

Regards,

Pali