I use one and it works fine. The only problem I've had is one side getting ahead of the other so I use a t-square to keep scanner going straight. It does take a little technique as far as the speed you move it at.

I have a VuPoint. It's the 900 DPI version. You don't need to scan at that resolution, but I figure it will have a better quality at the lower resolutions.

don't wand scanners warp the image depending on hand speed? Anyone try motorizing one to keep consistent speed?

DOXIE Flip, great portable scanner and it's not a wand. It also comes with stitching software for multi images into 1 image.

http://www.getdoxie.com/product/flip/

I've never had a problem with that. There is a sensor inside the VuPoint that senses how fast you are moving and alerts you if you're going too fast or slow. I have seen skew when you move one side faster than the other, but as I said I use a t-square to solve that issue.

I like the DOXIE flip, but it only does a 4x6 area.

It could take hours to scan a cabinet or playfield.

Interesting. I might have to pick one up on amazon. I have the HP4600 transparent scanner, but I think the CCD is starting to fade (not getting clean scans) because it's so old and I don't think they make them anymore (not to mention it's not supported on windows7). Plus I like the idea of only doing 3-4 continuous passes on a playfield versus 18 individual scans on a playfield. Lining up just rows is much better than letting software trying to line up rows and columns.

It works on 7 and 8. Not sure about 10.

20 mins for an entire playfield

Can't seem to find an up to date thread on scanners? Playfield/Cabinet...what have people used in the last 6 months?

Does anyone have examples of using the Doxie flip in terms of backbox / cabinet scans?

I bought a Flip, but haven't really used it too much yet. If you want me to try something specific just PM me.

The stitched and single photos are too big to upload but here is one scan @ 600dpi and re-sized by 1/6. 14 scans to do the head. I sent them to Jeff @ PinballPimp and he said it matched his Bally template perfectly.

Doxie_0138_(resized).png

Awesome. Thank you very much.

Is the auto-stitch software pretty spot on or do you need to manually stitch for better picture quality?

I bought a wand scanner and it stretches or sqeeezes the image too much. just do yourself a favourt and get a epson v39 scanner you can flip it upside down and scan

I tried using a flatbed and found there is a raised bezel around the glass that prevented the scan from being flat to large objects so it was out of focus. Does the Epson v39 have that problem? Sounds like a great substitute if not. Plus I see it is the same price on Epson.ca as in the US so bonus!

Hey another Middletonite. Howdy!

600DPI portable scanner. Works surprisingly well.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042802H2

512pmD8Wj2L_(resized).jpg

FYI, it may be cheaper to get the memory card separately.

8gb cards are like $5. Not sure if this model is sold without one. But they do sell them without cards under used for $33. Worth a search if anyone is interested. It's not bad for $65 either.

It is--just select the $33.42 option below the shipping info.

That's for used. And looks like only one available at $33. Maybe try ebay?

I was pretty sure new ones were available a little while ago. Maybe they sold out?

Usually pretty good if you scanned in order, same orientation, not too much overlap. The software is not the greatest as there is no manual stitching and you cannot stitch an already stitched pic.

Apparently another model that can scan 900dpi for 52$ Amazon Prime.

and another that is 1024dpi and has a LCD for $85 Amazon Prime.

I have not used either of these. Just the 600DPI I listed previously. But if I had to buy a new one. I would got with the 1024DPI. The LCD is nice, you can see if you messed up your scan or not. With these portable scanners you have to slide the scanner over your content very straight and steady. If you are able, I would recommend clamping down a guide that you can hold against the scanner as you slide it. That way it is a perfect swipe. Granted, even if you have a shaky hand it still manages to get a good scan.

As for stitching images together. You will want to use Photoshop. Typically the edges and the start/end points can be a little distorted "sometimes". So in photoshop you cut out the good area and build a clean image from your cropped scans.

http://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics%C2%AE-Handheld-Document-Portable-Selection/dp/B00B9A0HNA/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1

Believe me guys the wand is good for some things but not all things. The wand will distort the image if you go even a slight faster or slower on each pass. Then wehn you want to stich it ll up in photoshop you will be swearing like crazy and it make the job nearly impossible. You are best off getting the Epson V39, lay it upside down and scan and then stitch. If you want to scan a speaker panel then the wand does a good job. If you want to scan a full cabinet get the Epson scanner.

I should know. Just finished a full WCS cab restore. I tried the wand..and lost hours of my time.

I've been considering a wand scanner to be able to scan small areas of populated playfields to help repair small areas on games I'm working on.

There's simply no way I can use the HP 4670 on someone else's game while it's fully populated.

The 600dpi scanner above. I scanned the head of TSPP without much of a hassle and I did not use any guide. I even scanned right over the bolts. I also used it to scan playfields to make a decal.

That Epson V39 that flashinstinct mentioned looks like a great option. Assuming the bezel isn't too tall and cause blur. I just ordered one to try out. $60 on Amazon right now. flashinstinct--do you have any problems with blur due to the bezel not allowing direct glass contact?

Mike

It would be simple to do. Just build something similar to a cnc plasma table. If I did lots of scans of cabinets or playfields this would be a big time saver.

The blur was small. I scanned at 900 dpi and then squeezed everything down to 600 to regain some of the sharpness. All scanners are not entirely flat. while I will agree that the wand is krisper. To try and scan a full cabinet like WCS was impossible. I will however try to modify the scanner at a later date. Wondering if just adding a sheet of glass on top of the glass would work or if it would cause distortion or refractions.

Last year there was an article in Make Magazine where someone mounted a DSLR on a XY servo frame for scanning large art.

The image will still be out of focus no matter how much glass is stacked up, because the focal plane is still the surface of the 1st sheet of glass.

You would need to adjust the focal point of the optics.

Or belt sand down the bezel. You laugh. As cheap as this scanner is I might try that. We'll see how bad it is first.

Mike

I just thought of removing the upper casing

FYI. Bought the Adesso EZscan 310 (can scan at 1200 dpi).

Image was crisp but each time I scanned would distort the image ever so slightly (especially circles-makes the circle look oblong).

Will be returning and trying the Epson V39 - can't really beat the price point on that - will see what I can do in terms of the raised bezel. Would it make sense to put marine weatherstrip around the bezel to have tight seal when scanning or do you really need to touch glass to art medium?

Too far from the glass and the image size won't be 1 and will also be out of focus.

Damn. Well, will try first as is then may remove top portion of plastic.

Best Buy has sale on Epson V39 right now, $59 plus free shipping.

I find after merging photos, the final image is never quite 1 anyway. I usually crop right to the edges, and scale (in both x and y axis) to the physical size of whatever I'm scanning.

The scans I've done with an hp 4670 have been 1.

When you're merging the images, be sure to only specify the option to reposition and not the auto option.

What do you guys use to merge images? I've used PS in the past, but was wondering if ya'll recomend something else.

I have the HP 4670, and that thing rocks, honestly - easiest way I've ever scanned my PFs before.

I've tried Microsoft ICE and got decent results:
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/ice/

It's too easy in PS

File>Automate>Photomerge

flashinstinct. Did you wind up removing the upper casing?

I am getting my V39 in the mail tomorrow and will attempt.

I didn't because most of the elements on the WCS cabinet had to be redrawned anyways. But I will remove the casing next time. I don't really care if the scanner ends up being butt ugly as long as everything is crispy clear when I scan. Currently it's a clear for bigger shapes but little dots get a bit blurry. in the long run I doubt that it will make a difference I'm picking up my decals sometime next week from the printer.

Open source software called Hugin. It's a photo stitching software that can make a bunch of geometric and exposure corrections to pictures that you may want to stich into a panorama for example. You dont need all the corrections for scanned images as they are not deformed in anyway and exposure is usually the same for all scans. So you have to lock down many options in the sorftware. So the first time is quite tedious but eventually it becomes quick. And so far, i have had flawless results.

Cabinet art stiched from 10 scans:
https://goo.gl/photos/WuGKsurVCdMpxNh97

Playfield stiched from 10 scans:
https://goo.gl/photos/WHK9uQDGUqB77LU28

Schematic stiched from 20 scans:
https://goo.gl/photos/MCnBasW5GRVq45yD9

I don't scan and stich very often so I actually wrote a small guide so I don't reinvent the wheel every time. Happy to share if anyone wants to try.

I never tried Photoshop stitching tool cuz I don't own Photoshop, but if you do, I'd try it first and if happy with the process and results, stick with that.

Started working with the Epson V39 this weekend. Nice little scanner. There is a slight blur due to the glass not being in direct contact with the playfield, but for what I'm doing it is fine. I attempted to disassemble the scanner, which is pretty easy: 5 screws and some double-sided tape holding the side trim pieces to the glass. Once the trim pieces are removed the glass is free to fall out. My plan was to use some electrical tape to secure the glass to the remaining frame and try a scan so that the glass is in direct contact with the PF. Couple of problems doing this. First off the scanner would throw an error every time it was powered on without the trim piece located at the scan head "home" position, which when installed raised the glass about 2mm. On this particular trim piece (the one that covers the buttons) there is a white piece of plastic that somehow is needed for the scanner to clear it's initial power on test. I tricked it by temporarily holding this piece in place while powering on and this cleared the error and I was able to scan with the glass directly on the PF-- However the scans after this point looked like crap. Multiple streaks and a bit over exposed. I cold not figure out why this was happening. No binding parts or light sneaking in from the sides. So not sure why the crappy scans. Bottom line is this scanner does not work well if you attempt to get the glass directly on the PF. After putting it all back together it scanned fine, but with a slight blur. I just wanted these scans as reference as I'm recreating some of the text from scratch, so not a big deal in this case. Picture is from the scanner right out of the box--glass about 2mm above the PF. Just thought I'd let everyone know my experiences with this scanner.

Mike

img003_(resized).jpg