Daniel's 5th Generation DIY Book Scanner

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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daniel_reetz
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Daniel's 5th Generation DIY Book Scanner

Post by daniel_reetz »

I did finish the"waterjet cut" scanner that I'd previously started, and it traveled the world and scanned a bunch of important stuff. I just wasn't satisfied with that design, though.

I am going to start building a new scanner. I will be targeting waterjet and laser cutting equipment for most, but maybe not all parts, and I will really be focusing hard on making it so it can be torn down easily and thrown in luggage or a closet.

I am hoping this is my best scanner yet. It will be released as Open Source hardware when it is complete.
univurshul
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Re: Daniel's 5th Generation DIY Book Scanner

Post by univurshul »

...Yes! At this rate, every book on earth will be scanned before we make it to Mars.

I have this interest in the waterjet process. And cnc/milling, etc. Wondering what's the most accessible way to manufacture components without compromising the uniqueness and precision-ness of the 'part'.
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Re: Daniel's 5th Generation DIY Book Scanner

Post by daniel_reetz »

The big problem so far seems to be that my favorite materials are not well loved by laser and waterjet people.

Aluminum is not good for lasering -- it's waaaay too hard to cut. I got it done last time with the help of a very good shop, but they weren't happy about it.
Plywood is not well liked because the edges darken and it smokes -- bad for the shop. Also bad for waterjetting, 'cuz it's wood. Many waterjet shops will do it but they won't guarantee no warpage.

I'm sort of counting on a near-future where some of these issues go away -- either an online service opens up, or a new process shows up, or I meet a shop who doesn't mind.

In any case, I'm already running into trouble on this design. I want it to be able to scan books for DonnaA's project, but the base of the triangle formed by the cradle is 28" across -- a part too large for carry-on luggage. This is the part where the solutions start getting interesting.

Univurshul, what's your best advice on glass mounting in platens?
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daniel_reetz
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Re: Daniel's 5th Generation DIY Book Scanner

Post by daniel_reetz »

I'm building it at 40% size first, anticipating building it using 1/2" plywood at the end. Trying to meet the super-long books that DonnaA is after makes this quite a task... I wonder if the end result will be generally useful...
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Re: Daniel's 5th Generation DIY Book Scanner

Post by daniel_reetz »

Couple of Notes To Self here.

1. Maybe the base can come apart into two or three parts but still be relatively sturdy. Thinking something... interleaved?
2. The total left-to-right excursion of any book cradle is nothing more than the width of the thickest book it might scan... in this case 2.75", not much.
3. The sliding mechanism need not be rigid, it could be ball casters, teflon, drawer slides, screen door wheels.
4. No matter what, it's probably going to have to be clamped to a table.
univurshul
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Re: Daniel's 5th Generation DIY Book Scanner

Post by univurshul »

daniel_reetz wrote:Univurshul, what's your best advice on glass mounting in platens?
Right now, I'm working with a system of self-made glass-standoffs that will hopefully eliminate the traditional glass frame. So, if you can imagine kind of a small aluminum bracket that have very small tapped threads to allow varying gauged thicknesses that sort of bite the glass with dense rubber grips sandwiched in between:
1.jpg
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It's very rough, but if it can fly, oh man, it'll be sweet. Spam and I were throwing around ideas about finding a way to support the weight of 1/8 double strength glass, which is the heaviest.

Gorilla Glass is still the best I've tested. Corning appears too busy to return calls to the small guys for orders. This is one reason why I havden't motivated to develop this platen frame. Another detterent is that I need to ante up and order these tooling devices I've been looking at....

I'm also considering hardware methods with buckypaper, carbon fiber and bamboo fiber. There's even this kind of sustainable-use goo that is light, and can be strengthened with random natural fibers....we can make molds of this stuff that make interesting platen frames.
daniel_reetz wrote: I'm sort of counting on a near-future where some of these issues go away -- either an online service opens up, or a new process shows up, or I meet a shop who doesn't mind.
Yeah, I need a milling device for aluminum and some ultra sweet drill press vises, etc.; nothing too outrageously big, though. The more I work on these projects, the more custom I want to go, the smaller the parts I seek, and the more precise I demand them to be.
daniel_reetz wrote:...I'm already running into trouble on this design. I want it to be able to scan books for DonnaA's project, but the base of the triangle formed by the cradle is 28" across -- a part too large for carry-on luggage. This is the part where the solutions start getting interesting. ?
Which goes back to the platen: they're the most cumbersome, hard to fit and delicate parts to the scheme. I'm still thinking along the "folder-like, fold-up" design. You know, Dan, I had this idea with the 2mm G.G.: silicone only a small segment to the two outside perimeter edges on the V-base; leave the book gutter adhesive-less. Guages under 2mm might cause bow. But I have no testing results on this yet. (Might be toward the end of the year when I have something concrete to contribute.)

Maybe that 28" component could be 2 interlocks.
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univurshul
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Re: Daniel's 5th Generation DIY Book Scanner

Post by univurshul »

The cradle is rad, BTW.
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Re: Daniel's 5th Generation DIY Book Scanner

Post by spamsickle »

univurshul wrote:I had this idea with the 2mm G.G.: silicone only a small segment to the two outside perimeter edges on the V-base; leave the book gutter adhesive-less. Guages under 2mm might cause bow. But I have no testing results on this yet. (Might be toward the end of the year when I have something concrete to contribute.)
I have been thinking along similar lines, but haven't yet mustered the nerve to try it with my reflection-inhibiting glass. Here's the acrylic platen I'm using now:
platen.jpg
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Obviously the wood could be slimmer (I used what was in the scrap box for this), and if I do try it on the glass I'll probably extend it to the tops of the "V"s, but this has worked fine for the half dozen books I've scanned with it so far. I went with overlapping the two sheets of acrylic as though I had cemented them together, but I don't think that's necessary (though I also don't see any advantage to be gained by going the other way). I was impressed with the way silicone sealer held the acrylic to the wood in my previous (a little too small) platen, and thought this might also work for holding the platen itself together.

While this was conceived as a fold-up design, I ended up using an angle instead of a hinge, primarily because I'd want the wood slimmer anyway if I was going to fold up the platen, and secondarily because it's one less complication until such time as I'm actually planning to make something portable. Replacing the angle with a hinge at this point should still make it foldable. The brace is bolt-on rather than screw-in, but the angle is currently screw-in. I'm not sure if it would be stable enough if it was a hinge, as even with the angle the two pieces of the platen separate some when it's raised.
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Re: Daniel's 5th Generation DIY Book Scanner

Post by univurshul »

Dan,

not sure what your timeframe is to have build this up, but if you're trying to get a proto model up and running for this project, I think the best stuff right now is Makrolon/Lexan hard coat w/aluminum torsion frame. (mobile system, that is)

After using it myself on my own scanner, I wouldn't travel with any glass under G.G. grade. So, although the life of MR10/Makrolon hardcoat isn't as mar-resistant as glass, it has a intermediary purpose to fill the void that has occurred from every industry known to man waiting on corning's G.G to get licensed for other fabricators.

I have 16"x16" squares of Makrolon Rhino Scratch-Resist. Let me know.
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Re: Daniel's 5th Generation DIY Book Scanner

Post by daniel_reetz »

First off, thanks for all the advice, I think you're spot on. Much appreciated.

Since I have to deliver this in early December if it's going to help Donna, I'm going to take your advice and run with Makrolon in an aluminum frame. Unfortunately 16x16, while good enough for almost any other task, won't fit the 18x12 size of these crazy books, so I'll have to find some locally. Fortunately, with enough effort it is possible to find anything in LA, so I suspect I'll have some real soon.
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