Hello,
Here is an update of my experience with the Epson Perfection 636U USB scanner using SANE and linux, just in case anyone ever wants this information, or comes back to it.
Computer:
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Sony VAIO 505TR (1249$ at http://www.ubid.com )
Kernel 2.2.14 with the usb-2.3.50-1 backport code patched in.
SANE version 1.0.2 with epson patches from http://www.khk.net (version 20000306)
Scanner:
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Epson Perfection 636U USB Scanner (99$ at http://www.ubid.com )
Epson Automatic Document Feeder (60$ at http://www.ebay.com )
Notes:
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-Everything works.
-Using kernel 2.3.99pre1 failed. [ident] error
-Using the usb-2.3.99pre1 backport to 2.2.14 code failed. [ident] error
-The parameter '--source Automatic' to scanimage works perfectly, but must use with '--batch' parameter.
-Karl Kremer (http://www.khk.net) was immediately responsive and helpful, many thanks!
-The automatic document, when spitting paper out onto the receive pile, has a tendency to push the bottom sheets halfway off the receive tray, so they hang precariously. I wish the receive tray was longer, or had more of a slope. :) Note this is because I'm scanning papers with 3-hole punch, and the papers are catching at the lip of the middle hole.
-I think I read that the ADF holds 50 sheets, but I can get about 100 sheets in at a time no problem.
-scanimage seg faults if the epson printer returns a message, out of paper. This is annoying if one paper gets stuck or crooked.
-scanimage batch mode always seems to start scanning at "out1.pnm" and will overwrite any "out1.pnm" that may already be in the directory, this drives me nuts because I cannot continue scanning a consecutive document, and have it also be consecutively numbered.
-the scanner carriage does not move during the scan, actually, the ADF rolls the pages across the scanhead as it sits still. I would guess this puts more strain on the ADF, so the scanner should last longer, but don't know for sure.
-the dimensions options -x -y to scanimage don't seem to have any effect, but using the '--quick-format Letter' gets me what I want. Otherwise, the scanner scans 11.7" instead of 11".
-it doesn't seem that the options '--auto-eject', '--sharpness', and '--threshold' have any effect on scanner operation.
-the scaling (or zoom) by a certain percentage doesn't work at all.
-if I remove the USB connector while scanimage is running, it will start spitting stuff to the screen in an infinite loop, and I can't stop it, I can't change VT's, I have to cold boot the computer (yuck!).
-scan quality is impressive, I'm scanning penciled notes on light green paper engineering paper (which is blank on one side with a dark green graph-paper grid on the other). It picks out the pencil no problem, and doesn't "see" the graphing grid on the backside, even though the paper is very thin. It did take a little while to get this effect, though (high brightness, 0 gamma correction)
-the purple tab on the front left of the scanner matches my sony VAIO purple plastic perfectly. :)
-the green one-touch-scan button on the scanner doesn't do a thing
Conclusion:
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Overall, I'm very impressed with how things are working out. I was a little put off by the size of the scanner in the pictures I had seen on the web, but it is nowhere near as oppressive as the HP's I saw at the store, and with the ADF, it is not as large as I was expecting. I can pile a stack of paper in the scanner ADF feeder tray, and leave. In no time, a large stack of documents is in my laptop, ready for travel. If you are looking for an USB scanner with working document feeder for use under linux, this would be an excellent choice.
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Mar 23 2000 - 10:21:53 PST