Deluxe Scanner Camera

From MAKE Magazine

From MAKE Magazine

This project first appeared on the pages of MAKE magazine.

Mod a flatbed scanner to take photos that deconstruct time and motion.

  • Add Note x

Photographs taken with the Simple Scanner Camera typically feature heavy vignetting, where brightness drops off farther away from the center. Also, the scanner’s lamp can add undesired interference to a shot’s lighting.

If you’re willing to mod your scanner and dedicate it to camera use, you can get higher image quality and greater flexibility. Once you make these modifications you won’t be able to use it as a normal scanner. And if you mess things up by working too quickly, you run the risk of rendering your scanner permanently and totally useless. Assuming you’re still with me, read on.

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Relevant parts
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Add Note Edit Step 1 — Build the baseboard.  ¶ 

  • Cut a piece of black foamcore that fits exactly over your scanner’s glass bed, then cut a 7" square hole out of the center. This will be the baseboard for your camera.

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Add Note Edit Step 2 — Make the boxes.  ¶ 

  • Make 2 boxes that slide together for focusing. Using cardboard and glue, make a 7"×7" inner box with both ends open, and then an outer box with a lid on top, slightly larger than the inner box, so that they nest snugly together. Line all box edges with duct tape.

  • Cut a 3½"-diameter hole in the lid of the outer box.

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Add Note Edit Step 3 — Make the lens board and aperture cards.  ¶ 

  • Remove the lens from your magnifying glass and cut a hole in the center of a 6"×6" cardboard square to hold it. Tape the edges of the lens securely into place on the cardboard. This is your lens board. Out of heavy cardstock, cut a set of covers for the lens, with different-sized holes in the middle.

  • These are the aperture cards, which you’ll tape over the lens to control how much light gets into the camera, just like an iris in a regular camera.

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Add Note Edit Step 4 — Assemble the camera.  ¶ 

  • Fit one end of the inner box into the baseboard and duct tape it in place from the inside.

  • Slip the outer box over the inner box and make sure you can slide it back and forth. Tape the lens board to the outer box with the lens centered over the 3½" hole.

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Add Note Edit Step 5 — Take some photos.  ¶ 

  • Your scanner camera is ready to go! To focus it, tape

  • a piece of tracing paper over the hole at the back of the baseboard, then point the lens toward a brightly lit scene. Slide the outer box back and forth until the image comes into focus on the tracing paper. With my 2½" magnifying glass lens, I needed a focal distance (distance between lens and image) of about 7" to 12" for objects in the same room.

  • Tape the camera to the front of your scanner and start up your imaging application. Use the Preview button for fine-tuning the focus, and when you’re ready, click Scan to take a picture. To adjust the image brightness, try different lens aperture cards.

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Add Note Edit Step 6  ¶ 

  • Simple scanner camera photographs: Traffic study at Notting Hill Gate, London; Moreen and Rowan, Brighton; traffic study at Queensgate, London.

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Add Note Edit Step 7 — Deluxe Scanner Camera — Install the software.  ¶ 

  • First you need to install open source drivers from the SANE project (Scanner Access Now Easy) that allow your scanner to skip the calibration step and take scans even after being hacked. Download the latest version of the TWAIN SANE interface at http://www.ellert.se/twain-sane and follow the installation instructions.

  • You should be able to access your scanner via the SANE-TWAIN plugin from any TWAIN-compliant imaging application.

  • With the software installed and the scanner plugged in, you should see a new SANE item in your Mac’s System Preferences. Open it up, find “plustek” in the driver list, and click its Configure button. This will open the preferences file for the back end of your scanner, where we’ll need to change a few lines:

  • On line 105, change option skipCalibration 0 to option skipCalibration 1

  • On line 111, change option skipFine 0 to option skipFine 1

  • On line 116, change option skipFineWhite 0 to option skipFineWhite 1

  • Click OK to confirm the changes. Your scanner software is now ready to use with a modified scanner camera.

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Add Note Edit Step 8 — Open up the scanner.  ¶ 

  • Remove the lid from the scanner; you won’t be needing it anymore. Two gray rails run along the long sides of the scanner and are held in place with tape. Insert the tip of your hobby knife under each rail and gently pry it up until it detaches. Remove the rails, then lift off the glass plate. Set the glass and rails aside, and try not to touch the glass more than you need to.

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