Beta Build

[cratylus]

Hi all,

First an introduction... I found this forum a few months ago and was happy to find a community of like-minded DIY-ers. I started scanning books a few years ago with much the same motivation as Daniel... back in school, little money, long commute. Well, after a few failed experiement (most notably with an OptiBook 3600)(horrible service I might add), I started thinking about using my camera. A Google search brought me first to the Atiz website and then here. I've been lurking ever since.

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I've attached the first fruits of a Saturday of construction... I call her "Beta'. I thought long and hard about how to reduce the design down to the bare essentials with a mind toward easily accessible parts and ease of construction. I've given very little consideration to software as I'll be shooting a Nikon DSLR with shutter controls on my laptop (and with full versions of Acrobat and Photoshop). Construction is not complete as I'm still working something up for the lighting, but you'll see I've left the PVC T's open for that attachement. I figure that the cord(s) will snake down and out the interior of the PVC.

Materials are quite simple: MDF panels, PVC slides and fittings, glass platen (epoxied), a few bolts and straps, and a pair of drawer slides. And a spring. That's it. It's still waiting for a handle and some more paint. It's quite stout, moves easily, and breaks down fairly compact.

UPDATED

Parts List.pdf

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I'm interested in any feedback, and I'll be posting progress as it comes. I've attached a materials sheet for the parts to date.

Joel

[cratylus]

I've included a processed page that I sent through a set of recorded Photoshop "actions"... B/W, crop, contrast and exposure adjustments. It was a handheld shot, but I think it looks promising. Maybe tomorrow I can upload my Sketchup modeling efforts if there's any interest.

Test Page_BW_CROP_AC_EXP.jpg (245.52 KiB) Viewed 22729 times

[daniel_reetz]

Wow, that's an introduction! Such a compact, expedient design, very cleverly done! Beautiful presentation, too! I can't seem to use enough exclamation marks here!

The PVC linear bearings are extra-awesome. Is the travel smooth? Does the weight of the platen cause them to bend/sag/wobble?

Edit: I just have to ask, had you seen such PVC bearings before, or was that a flash of inspiration?

Timing of your sharing this design is great, too, IMHO. One of my priorities is to make plans for a scanner that can be built in a single trip to Home Depot or some other big-box, with little custom fabbing. I feel like this design is a long way down that road.

Also, your camera-scan looks great. My first scanner was Photoshop-powered, too. Seriously, though, for that kind of text, give Scan Tailor a shot, just for kicks. You might be surprised at what it can do.

[cratylus]

Hey Dan,

Thanks for the props. It's still a work in progress, but I'm happy overall. The travel on the PVC is quite smooth, especially with the spring-assist. It's funny you ask, because I've been waiting for an application for the curious properties of 1" and 1 1/4" PVC for 15 years! In highschool I used to stock shelves at the local hardware store and discovered the phenomenon then. I actually started this process looking at Thompson linear bearings and was reminded of the PVC. It's quite slippery and stiff, but then, that's the point! As for sag, it's minimal. Originally I was going to drop threaded rod down the slides to a T-nut in the base and tension it at the top to stiffen things. That's why I used tees at the ends. But, given the lack of sag, I'll probably swap the tees out for 90's if I can find them. I think too I'll swap the top nut (for the eyebolt/spring assembly) for a wingnut to ease disassembly... but I'll post pics when it's complete.

And I think I've finally decided to handle camera position with a tripod.

This is funny... at first I broke out my work light trees for test lighting... 1500w of halogen power X 2. Not so good. It was like working on the surface of Mercury.

And thanks for the tips on Scantailor. Am I correct in that it works best for b/w text and not graphics or color?

BTW, I love Build 3. It's quite interesting to see the varied needs this community is serving. I'm in it mostly to stick it to the man, but that's me. And, like you, I've definitely spent more than I intended chasing down an idea. It's chronic.

Joel

[cratylus]

UPDATED
Hi all,

I've now spend the last week with the scanner and I can offer these observations. Sliding action works quite well, although I have nothing to compare it to. That said, it will twist in such a way as to make it difficult to raise if you grab it the wrong way. And that said, it's quite easy to find a workable position. I've added a handle to the front.

I think my next purchase will be a polarizing filter.

I've attached an instructions PDF of sorts (see below). Hope it's helpful to someone.

Beta.pdf

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Here's a sample page.

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I've added a lighting assembly... basically 1/2" galvanized piping up (42") to an elbow and then out (18"), supporting three clip-on type worklamps. Each houses a 120w (equivalent) CFL flood bulb. Works quite well. FWIW, I found that jade plant on the side of the road!

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Joel

[cratylus]

Some thoughts from my build that may or may not be helpful...

PVC can be drilled and tapped. With that in mind, you might be able to simplify the slider assembly by directly threading a bolt through the platen side and to the slider (and thus getting rid of the 'u'-shaped brackets). However, I don't know if Schedule 40 has sufficient wall thickness. Someday, when my wife lets me make sawdust in the kitchen again, I'm going to test it out.

I think that storage could be aided by aligning 1 3/8" holes drilled into the book rest supports that would allow the rear pipes to be unthreaded and then stored.

I AM going to add a small thumb screw that will thread through an insert in the subbase and into an insert in the base that will lock the drawer slides when in storage or transit. I was at one point toying around with the idea of a pulley system for a more lateral or even foot activated lifting mechanism... like one of those old sewing machines. See below.

Ideas.jpg (55.62 KiB) Viewed 22571 times

Joel

[ThatTallGuy]

I was at one point toying around with the idea of a pulley system for a more lateral or even foot activated lifting mechanism... like one of those old sewing machines.

Now *there's* an idea. You might need some more gearing of some sort for that, though -- you don't want to have your foot travel as far as the platen has to lift. But I like it.

Another thought: since your platen comes straight down, you could use it to trigger the cameras. Put a half-second delay in software (I assume you can do something like that; I haven't taken the software apart yet) and your action is reduced to:
tromp
change the page
release
repeat

[daniel_reetz]

I wonder if the pedal were just the short end of a long pivot, if that would offer enough leverage to lift a platen.

The Cratylus Build is full of awesome; I keep thinking to myself that the "Cratylus Kit" has a nice ring to it.

[cratylus]

Another thought: since your platen comes straight down, you could use it to trigger the cameras. Put a half-second delay in software (I assume you can do something like that; I haven't taken the software apart yet) and your action is reduced to:
tromp
change the page
release
repeat

I like this. I think hooking up a switch would be easy enough. Unfortunately I'm not a electronics/programming/circuitry guy. I'll have to rely on the collective intellegence of the forum for the delay. I'm currently using a tethering/preview program on my laptop and triggering with the space bar.

I think too that I'm going to explore gluing felt to the insides of the PVC runners. One of these days I'll get a video up of the sliding action as is. And then again with the felt.

I'm also thinking that the threaded rod and nuts anchor at the top of the PVC posts is a better overall solution for fine-tuning their spacing... sort of like in the "pulley" drawing.

Can anybody tell me what the virtues/vices are of the hinge vs. vertical/sliding vs. whatever else platen systems are? Why Dan, for instance, did you move away from your original hinged raising system?


Joel

[StevePoling]

I rather like the notion of a treadle-operated platen to keep both hands free to tweak the book position. I like it more than having a switch on the treadle fire the cameras when the platen reaches its down position.