Input on the best way to build a portable scanner

[ceeann1]

Two things bother me about portable cradle-platen systems. First, where is the lighting for the book is coming from? Second, how are the camera(s) being held? I have been under the impression that both of these are being delt with seperatly from the cradle-platen. My suggestion is, once having built a sufficient book holding sytem, that the lighting system might be a seperate module. A tensegrity tripod is my suggestion for holding lamps(you can look this up online with those search words but I will try to include a picture as an attachment) It would fold up pretty nicely and telescoping rods could be used to make it even more collapseable. The lighting could be as simple as a socket and a reflector type flood lamp pointed down or an led and reflector rigged under the pod like an odd looking umbrella. The umbrella structure would sort of be like a photograpers umbrella reflector. If one used elastic cords of some type (it is a very light structure) one could probably take this little light "tent" up and down pretty quickly. This still leaves me with the way to mount the camera's and I cant seem to find a good way to do so. The tripod does not seem to led itself to doing this. though I think a structure like this might be an answer.

... darn the picture didnt work. Here is a link that shows a tripod of this sort and a lot of other tensegrity stuff
http://bobwb.tripod.com/prospect/prospect.htm

tensegrity tripod.jpg (20.43 KiB) Viewed 7692 times

[daniel_reetz]

Here's a tutorial on converting and attaching images on this forum.

I'll weigh in on some design ideas later...

[ceeann1]

I have been doodling with the idea of making a folding scanner. The ideas are very rough. In gerneral I am working from the idea of a box that folds in on itself. Much like a cardboard box with no top can be cut at the corners and then be made to fold in on the bottom (assuming for a moment the box is of such dimentions that the sides are no deeper than the bottom is wide). If one takes the open box and sets it on the shortest side with the open end facing out, that is the basic model of the scanner scaffold or carcase(nothing new really). The cradle would be made as minimally as possible in the bottom side of the box using slides to allow side to side movement. Much like the new standard scanner. The angled book rack/ cradle would not be permanently set but rather fold flat by making its support struts fold along side the primary rack (no triangles underneath of it). The platen on the sliding rear upright would fold in the opposite way from Danial R.s' 3rd gen platen so that it might fold flat while still attached to the upright. A set of telescoping supports would hold it either flat or in its 90 degree functional form. A hinge at the upright suport to the telescoping supports would allow the flat platen to fold up flat on the back of the "box". Once everthing is collapsed flat the "box" then folds flat. The lighting would be placed on the top and the cameras on the sides in the completed scanner. Cameras to be removed as folding is needed. I believe the whole will fold into a sort of flat portfolio or suitcase. This is a very rough description and I will post 3 dimensional drawings asap. I have started calling this the origami scanner.

[StevePoling]

if you look back a ways, you'll see where someone bisected a cardboard box along the diagonal of two opposite faces, and folded them back, creating a book cradle of the two halves. this is a pretty fold-flat, if ghetto, design. at least for the cradle. one might travel to parts unknown with the intent of scrounging the cradle fixens from a nearby grocery store's dumpster. have i mentioned cardboard-aided design lately?

[ceeann1]

I saw the carboard book cradle awhile ago. I thought it was a nice way to make a fast prototype. CAD design seems to be pretty standard to lots of folks including myself; although, I personally like a bit more permanance in a final project ;-D Though if one needed something while traveling it might be the very thing to womp up on the spur of the moment.

Please note the ... ahem... "clever"... ahem... (LMAO)... use of a cardboard box as a model for further development in my last post.

I have finally gotten my drawings digitized but I am out of time tonight for sizing them to get them on the forum. My flatbed scanner funked out on me at home and I had to take them to work and do it there... sigh... It took to much time. Hopefully, if thanksgiving doesnt get to much in the way, I will post the drawings by the weekend.

[ceeann1]

moved to origami scanner- a folding book scanner thread

[ceeann1]

Move to Origami scanner- a folding book scanner thread

[ceeann1]

Moved to the Origami scanner- a folding book scanner thread

[ceeann1]

Moved to the Origami scanner- a folding book scanner thread

[ceeann1]

Moved to the origami scanner- a folding book scanner thread