Mathesonmd's build

Built a scanner? Started to build a scanner? Record your progress here. Doesn't need to be a whole scanner - triggers and other parts are fine. Commercial scanners are fine too.

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mathesonmd
Posts: 5
Joined: 04 Mar 2014, 00:52

Mathesonmd's build

Post by mathesonmd »

Here is my first attempt at a scanner. I spent a good part of the day yesterday getting it put together. I looked at every post about every build on this site before starting, and decided on this design, so thanks first and foremost to everyone who has contributed. First, I went with the drawer slides on the sides. This intuitively seemed the most stable to me and it seems to move very well without a hint of binding at the sides. This is helped by attaching the slides to the platen in a pretty solid manner, avoiding hinges or that sort of thing. It does limit the travel of the shuttle from side to side, but I was able to compensate for this. I don't intend on scanning anything more than 2 inches thick. I went with plexiglass for the platen. The camera mounting poles are ripped out of two aluminum crutches I picked up at Salvation Army for $2. I found the mini-ball heads on Amazon for $1.95 each (plus $7.95 shipping, gotta love that). I have two SD 1100IS cameras, which are really small and sit nicely on these mounts. The lighting is obviously just S40 PVC pipe with a T and elbow acting as the holder for a small socket (the tag said phenolic? something or other). I drilled a small hole in the PVC socket holders and used a set screw to squeeze the sockets in place. I'm just finishing up the USB switch. I plan to mount the button on the base rather than the handle to eliminate dangling cords. The only visible wiring will be the USB cords to the cameras and the plug out the back from a power strip I'll hide underneath. I'll try to post a few more pics once it is 100% complete. The individual pics are on my flickr photostream, linked below.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mathesonmd ... 804269731/

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rob
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Re: Mathesonmd's build

Post by rob »

Wow, looks great! One thing I was wondering, though, since I'm halfway through building mine, and I haven't gotten up to attaching the platen to the rails on the sides yet... Looking at your build, do you think the cameras would work if they were somehow mounted to the side rails so that they go up and down with the platen?

--Rob
The Singularity is Near. ~ http://halfbakedmaker.org ~ Follow me as I build the world's first all-mechanical steam-powered computer.
mathesonmd
Posts: 5
Joined: 04 Mar 2014, 00:52

Re: Mathesonmd's build

Post by mathesonmd »

You certainly could mount them to the platen. It would be heavier and they may get jostled as they go up and down if they aren't rock solid. Also you'd have to set them up so they didn't cast a shadow on the page. It would make the whole apparatus more compact.

I finished the wiring and here's a shot of the bottom. I used Jman's USB trigger recipe, substituting his hand held button for one mounted in the base. I had to add in that short extension cord because the different orientations of the various plugs all in the surge protector wouldn't fit and allow the base to sit flush (I used 2x3s, not 2x4s for the base, so the cavity underneath is a little more shallow).

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