totally OT - anyone need a parallel port scanner?

Hi Bill,

Why not just buy a $20-30 Parallel to USB adaptor to use the older scanner on a new pc?

Chuck

IMO the umax astra parallel port scanners were as slow as molasses. They don't work with XP.

LOL

as mentioned below, there are no XP drivers for that scanner... and even if there were, the scanner is worth less than the price of the adaptor

work with XP.

VueScan Standard Version: 8.5.28 File Size: 7922 License: Demo Operating System: Windows NT,Windows 2000,Windows XP,Windows Vista,Windows 7

Years ago, flatbed scanners reached a level of quality that made them "keepers." The problem is that many of the manufacturers didn't update the scanners' drivers for newer operating systems, such as Vista, Windows 7, or Mac OSX. VueScan Standard ($40) can make your old scanner work well on whatever operating system you have.

well, I started worrying that someone might actually WANT this thing, so I looked at it more carefully - it's casters up for this baby.... looks like maybe someone plugged in the wrong wall wart - two blown chips and a blown transistor -

It has now donated some plastic to my recycling bin, a few capacitors to my parts stock a nice ground piece of bar stock and some bearings to my metal stock and a stepper and belt to my motor stock. And a piece of glass to my glass stock.

But I do second the recommendation for ViewScan if you need to make an older (well a newer scanner without drivers) work.

this scanner is supported in Linux.

"This page is about a SANE (Scanner Access Now Easy) backend for the UMAX Astra 1220P parallel port flatbed scanner. It applies to the HP3200C scanjet, since it is only a rebadged Umax scanner. It also operates Astra

610P, 1600P and 2000P. Its origin is an experimental test program that has turned into a scanning program, and then was wrapped into a SANE backend. This backend (part of standard SANE package 1.0.18) compiles on as many plateforms SANE do. But it is only usefull on platforms where you have a parallel port. It currently runs on linux and FreeBSD, and should run on OS/2 and other BSDs."

i run across a lot of hardware that was abandoned when XP was rolled out. that hardware that i speak of, works good even in the latest linux distributions & i make good use of it. that way, it does not end up in the landfill.

(...)

Don't stop there Bill!

That lens in front of the CCD is a keeper!

--Winston

kept the lens, kept the face-silvered mirrors (what do you really call those mirrors), and gave away the linear CCD detector element (very cool looking, but probably not operational due to the power "issue")

I guess the good news is that without the case, the pile of parts is MUCH smaller so I have a chance of finding room for it.

now if I can only find someone who needs some of these thousands of resistors that threaten to take over my house ....

(...)

Good on ya.

"First Surface"

--Winston