Dive into the HP ScantJet 4C
[Shelby] of Tech Tangents recently entered into a project/obsession to get an old HP ScanJet 4C, run it on a PC and put it through its paces. After nearly five years, three scanners, and countless SCSI cards and drivers later, he finally made it. The first big problem was getting a working scanner. These don't hold up well in shipping, and one arrived with broken mirrors. And when he finally found one that worked, fixing SCSI controller and driver issues was surprisingly complicated, but ultimately successful.
The HP ScanJet 4C was launched in 1995 and stood out for its scan quality, resolution (2400 dpi interpolated / 600 dpi optical), and retail price of under $1,000. Except for the spare parts issues, specifically the custom assembly of the tripod fluorescent bulb, it would still be a very competent scanner today. For this reason, [Shelby] will not be using it as a daily use scanner.
Three Line DIP Sensor Once everything has gone well, it performs a series of test scans at different settings and compares them to scans made with a real modern 2400 DPI scanner. The verdict seems to be to ignore the built-in interpolation and scan at 600 DPI resolution. He goes on to show the scanner running under modern Linux on a PC with a PCI slot. The nearly hour-long video ends by going over some of the interesting design features, like the crazy optical path and the scanner's three-line CCD built into a DIP package. To learn more, see this article in the February 1997 HP Journal that describes the scanner's design.
Even if you don't plan to restore an HP 4C, and [Shelby] advises against it, this video contains a lot of interesting and useful information about scanner technology. Don't let the runtime scare you off, it's quite engaging - as one reviewer said, "How the hell did you make me watch a nearly hour long video on a 30 years. Congratulations". Do you still use a scanner these days? Let us know in the comments below.
[Shelby] of Tech Tangents recently entered into a project/obsession to get an old HP ScanJet 4C, run it on a PC and put it through its paces. After nearly five years, three scanners, and countless SCSI cards and drivers later, he finally made it. The first big problem was getting a working scanner. These don't hold up well in shipping, and one arrived with broken mirrors. And when he finally found one that worked, fixing SCSI controller and driver issues was surprisingly complicated, but ultimately successful.
The HP ScanJet 4C was launched in 1995 and stood out for its scan quality, resolution (2400 dpi interpolated / 600 dpi optical), and retail price of under $1,000. Except for the spare parts issues, specifically the custom assembly of the tripod fluorescent bulb, it would still be a very competent scanner today. For this reason, [Shelby] will not be using it as a daily use scanner.
Three Line DIP Sensor Once everything has gone well, it performs a series of test scans at different settings and compares them to scans made with a real modern 2400 DPI scanner. The verdict seems to be to ignore the built-in interpolation and scan at 600 DPI resolution. He goes on to show the scanner running under modern Linux on a PC with a PCI slot. The nearly hour-long video ends by going over some of the interesting design features, like the crazy optical path and the scanner's three-line CCD built into a DIP package. To learn more, see this article in the February 1997 HP Journal that describes the scanner's design.
Even if you don't plan to restore an HP 4C, and [Shelby] advises against it, this video contains a lot of interesting and useful information about scanner technology. Don't let the runtime scare you off, it's quite engaging - as one reviewer said, "How the hell did you make me watch a nearly hour long video on a 30 years. Congratulations". Do you still use a scanner these days? Let us know in the comments below.
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