what sort of furniture do y'all use?

[false_dmitrii]

With all the recurring talk of the impact of environmental electrical
noise, optics, and microscopic motor steppings on scan quality, I got
to wondering about the possible impact of the scanner's resting place.
Surely there's some potential for external vibrations to affect the
output detail...is this minimized in most scanner designs? Do any of
you pros make an effort to use or avoid certain materials (metal vs.
plastic vs. wood) or construction styles (hollow cabinet vs. simple
4-leg table vs. shelving vs. solid block of some sort) when deciding
where to set up your scanners, or is it just not much of an issue?

Out of necessity, my flatbed sits on a cheapish, pressed-wood,
*wheeled* but not wobbly VCR cart. There's no visible or audible cart
movement when the flatbed operates, and I detect only subdued
vibrations when I touch the cart. But at higher resolutions, even
that might be enough cause for concern. I'd prefer something more
suitable for my film scanner in any case.

Thoughts?
false_dmitrii

 

[J. Teske]

Two computers with scanners here. The computer in the "nice" section
of the house is on a large and drawerless desk from IKEA. It is 6 feet
wide, 36 inches deep. In the leg area on one side is an IKEA cubicle
on wheels designed for a CPU and on the other side is a roller shelve
where I keep miscellaneous "stuff". Left to right on the back of the
table are the flatbed scanner, the film scanner, left speaker,
monitor, right speaker, and finally an Epson 925 printer. This desk is
solid as a rock.

In the basement, where I build computers, and test elderly ones for
school donation, I have as a base a very old desk, rescued 35 years
ago from a junk heap. The desk surface is a 6"8 x 3 ft exterior door,
very heavy and solid. It originally was for my ham radio station which
has since been moved upstairs when my kids grew up and left home.
The setup is pretty much the same except I don't have a film scanner
there and the CPU is on the desk.

False Dmitrii?????? Are you a fan of Boris Godunov (the opera, not
the Tsar) and are you False Dmitrii I or False Dmitrii II [there were
two of them between Godunov's death and the rise of the
Romanoffs...the so-called "Times of Trouble" in Russian history.]

[ For the benefit of the uninitiated, Ivan the Terrible's last son,
Dmitrii, was killed as a youth under mysterious circumstances in the
town of Uglich. The official version is he accidently killed himself
during a seizure. Upon the death of Ivan's older surviving son, Tsar
Feodor, Russia was without a legitimate heir, so Boris Godunov, son in
law and advisor to Ivan, became Tsar. At the time many thought that
Boris engineered Dmitrii's death (historically considered untrue now)
to get the throne and at least two pretenders arose claiming that
Dmitrii wasn't killed and that they were Dmitrii and the legitimate
heirs to the Russian throne. The machinations of the first of these
Dmitriis is a major plot element in the Mussorgsky opera "Boris
Godunov." False Dmitrii I actually became Tsar for a short period,
but his pro-Roman Polish wife angered the Orthodox. Both were killed,
their ashes placed in cannons and fired toward Poland (who sponsored
him)]
Now that's a bit rougher than Kerry vs. Bush.

Jon Teske

 

[Erik]

With all the recurring talk of the impact of environmental electrical
noise, optics, and microscopic motor steppings on scan quality, I got
to wondering about the possible impact of the scanner's resting place.
Surely there's some potential for external vibrations to affect the
output detail...is this minimized in most scanner designs? Do any of
you pros make an effort to use or avoid certain materials (metal vs.
plastic vs. wood) or construction styles (hollow cabinet vs. simple
4-leg table vs. shelving vs. solid block of some sort) when deciding
where to set up your scanners, or is it just not much of an issue?

Out of necessity, my flatbed sits on a cheapish, pressed-wood,
*wheeled* but not wobbly VCR cart. There's no visible or audible cart
movement when the flatbed operates, and I detect only subdued
vibrations when I touch the cart. But at higher resolutions, even
that might be enough cause for concern. I'd prefer something more
suitable for my film scanner in any case.

Thoughts?
false_dmitrii

If your worried about vibration, why don't you get a little scrap of
granite cut to the size of your cart (or whatever). It should be massive
enough to 'soak' up a LOT of vibration...

Personally, I don't see it being much of a concern... but I think if I
were going to do it, I'd get it cut about the size of the scanner's
footprint... think it would still be massive enough by far, and you'd
know that in the future, if you have room for a scanner, you got room
for your vibration 'sink'.

For the record, my Epson 1670 sits on top of a 2 drawer file cabinet
that has a piece of plywood on top increasing it's size a little... and
I can feel it vibrate a little. 99.97% of my scans are document copy and
small 3D objects, and I've always had great results.

I notice inkjet printers shake desks and tables pretty bad, and have
wondered if a stable surface would improve their print quality. But even
then, my print quality has been great.

Erik

 

[Dorothy Bradbury]

For vibration to be an issue...
o There would need to be backlash on the scanning carriage
---- whilst backlash may exist (at some finite point it does)
---- the CCD is powered along the carriage so uniform position
o The object being scanned needs to be susceptible to movement
---- this is often overlooked re non-vibration, eg, books, media

Overall I'd be more concerned about glass cleanliness and any
optical imperfections in the glass. Have seen a lot of scanners
with dust on the *inside* of the glass, and some lousy glass.

Noise wise, scanner noise varies considerably based on media:
o Soft cushioning will noticeable reduce the noise of scanning
---- a Canon 3200F growls on hard surfaces, near silent on soft
o Scanners also require cooling, cheaper scanners run hot
---- heat is a factor in the life of tubes, among other factors

One irritant is scanners lacking an on/off switch.
o Fluorescent tubes, like laptop tubes, have a finite life
o Typically a tube suffers a 50% reduction in brightness in 30k-hrs

For a powered-on-demand scanner that is an inexorably long time,
but for a continuously powered scanner that is only a few years.
I'll admit Windows/Scanner-maker will have obsoleted it by then,
if by force via no longer producing the driver, but it's a valid point.

So accessibility of a power switch for scanners lacking them is an
idea. There are power strips which detect power load & turn on/off,
as well as ability to mount one to the actual furniture used.

If bothered about vibration/stability, go to McMaster in the USA &
pick up a (thin) sheet of Sorbothane or E-A-R ConFor foam. They are
excellent at absorbing both impact & vibration, although frankly I'd
be more inclined to use them with optical writers or such like.

Adjustability of equipment is important - go do a dig for the various
ergonomic resources, particularly re seat selection. Graphics editing
goes hand-in-hand with scanning and is an intensive operation that
tends to stress the musculoskeletal area around the neck/shoulders.

Good quality desking is worth it - but check the used office equipment
suppliers in every city as you can pick up 400-600$/£ quality stuff cheap.

Physical accessibility of the scanner may be important if repetitive.

 

[GEO Me]

[ For the benefit of the uninitiated, Ivan the Terrible's last son,
Dmitrii, was killed as a youth under mysterious circumstances...

Thank you for the story.

Geo

 

[false_dmitrii]

In the basement, where I build computers, and test elderly ones for
school donation, I have as a base a very old desk, rescued 35 years
ago from a junk heap. The desk surface is a 6"8 x 3 ft exterior door,
?!

very heavy and solid.

I'll bet.

False Dmitrii?????? Are you a fan of Boris Godunov (the opera, not
the Tsar) and are you False Dmitrii I or False Dmitrii II [there were
two of them between Godunov's death and the rise of the
Romanoffs...the so-called "Times of Trouble" in Russian history.]

<snip>

Do I have to pick another screen name now?

Actually, I don't know most of the details of either of their lives
(did enjoy Ivan the Terrible - The Movie, though). I think there were
one or two more FD's even later on...I figured that one more wouldn't
hurt. My claim to the throne is probably just as valid as any other
pretender's.

And there's the added benefit of not being named Dmitrii, so "false
Dmitrii" is entirely accurate.

false_dmitrii

 

[J. Teske]

In the basement, where I build computers, and test elderly ones for
school donation, I have as a base a very old desk, rescued 35 years
ago from a junk heap. The desk surface is a 6"8 x 3 ft exterior door,
?!

very heavy and solid.

I'll bet.

False Dmitrii?????? Are you a fan of Boris Godunov (the opera, not
the Tsar) and are you False Dmitrii I or False Dmitrii II [there were
two of them between Godunov's death and the rise of the
Romanoffs...the so-called "Times of Trouble" in Russian history.]

<snip>

Do I have to pick another screen name now?

Probably not.

Actually, I don't know most of the details of either of their lives
(did enjoy Ivan the Terrible - The Movie, though).

Eisenstein actually made two Ivan movies. Part one is far better
known. Part two was suppressed by Stalin (can't really figure out why,
both are pretty propagandistic) and not shown until after his death.
One of the interesting things is that the first part of this movie
(Ivan Part 2) was shot in the highly contrasty B/W just like Part one.
After WW II, Eisenstein was able to finish the film and the rest of
the film is shot in color, I guess because color film was no longer
scarce.

I think there were

one or two more FD's even later on...I figured that one more wouldn't
hurt. My claim to the throne is probably just as valid as any other
pretender's.

I suspect that there were many pretenders to the throne in the name of
Dmitrii. Two of them actually became Tsar if ever so briefly.

And there's the added benefit of not being named Dmitrii, so "false
Dmitrii" is entirely accurate.

Just think of all the people in the world who are not named Dmitrii.

Jon Teske, now back to scanning