A DIY Book Scanner In Every Hackerspace /DIY Kit

[daniel_reetz]

That's a pretty awesome take on a treadle.

Ace Monster Toys in Oakland, CA now have one of these scanners built and working.

[jck57]

I try to order the L bracket from McCaster-Carr yesterday...

They don't ship in Canada anymore...What happen with the free trade agreement ????

Yeah, the whole story about why McMaster decided not to ship outside the US anymore is that in the late 90s and early 2000s they shipped parts to some Arab countries who requested restrictions on sourcing due to their anti-Israeli boycott, but did not report the boycott to the U.S. Government. McMaster was fined $8,000 by the U.S. Government for failing to report an unsanctioned foreign boycott. At that point, McMaster gave up shipping outside the U.S., because apparently it was too much work for them to just look at each order to see if there were any requested restrictions.

Yeah, it couldn't have been that McMaster thought the anti-boycott law was bullshit. After all, the anti-boycott law is just the US government trying to protect US citizens from serving the interests of a foreign nation. LOL.

[n9yty]

You're welcome. Somebody (and that would be me) really needs to commend Rob for his incredible work on this machine lately. He's really gone the extra mile making documentation, programming the new artwork, working out bugs AND selling really, really great kits.

Someone is selling kits for this now? I'd be interested, don't have the equipment/tools or skills but would love to have the scanner. I went to Rob's site but didn't see anything there on this. Maybe it is still too much in flux?

[dpc]

Someone is selling kits for this now? I'd be interested, don't have the equipment/tools or skills but would love to have the scanner. I went to Rob's site but didn't see anything there on this. Maybe it is still too much in flux?

See this thread:http://diybookscanner.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=1285

[bonesgeorge]

As you may see, I'm rather new here, but having been reading around, I have some clues what me and a friend of mine will be able to do or get done, what not, and where to start.

We're still not considered whether we'll make the cut on our own or pay a fortune for the CNC works, but I have noticed a few parts in the .bmp format file that is not included in the assembly instructions as needed elements and neither have I found them on any videos taken of the newest prototype.

Could you please tell me -- if there are any -- which are those parts that are not needed to get cut to put the scanner toghether, as cutting them so would put us in unnecessary expanses.

I also saw I few couple of 1:1 paper templates for each parts. I think, for us if we were to cut it on our own not being really familiar with these illustrating and designing programs like AutoCAD, it would be the easiest and the cheapest option for us if we could have these paper templates printed. If you have files for that, would you please send me them, or let me know where I could find them? I would be really pleased.

If I'm mistaken anywhere, and you think I should do something in some other way, please let me know, I'd appreciate any help in our process!

Thank you in advance,
best wishes,
George

[rob]

Well, one major savings would be to choose either halogen lights or an LED light. If you choose the halogen lights, then you only need the light plate with the large round holes in it, plus its two supports with large notches. If you choose the LED light, then you only need the light plate with the square holes in it, plus its two supports with small notches. In addition, if you use the LED light plate, I don't think you need to cut out all three holes, just the center one should work.

There are other parts that you do not need. These are the parts that would be used if you had a single-cable bicycle brake lever, but since we don't accept that solution anymore, you don't need the associated parts (see here). Also in the same place are shown two handle supports, one small and one large. I would just go with the small one. You don't really need the large one unless you find that the small one is uncomfortable.

The PDF files for paper cutouts are here.

Hope that helps!

--Rob

[bonesgeorge]

Sir, you were right to the point, thank you very much, this is gonna help!

Pictures are soon to come!

Well, one major savings would be to choose either halogen lights or an LED light. If you choose the halogen lights, then you only need the light plate with the large round holes in it, plus its two supports with large notches. If you choose the LED light, then you only need the light plate with the square holes in it, plus its two supports with small notches. In addition, if you use the LED light plate, I don't think you need to cut out all three holes, just the center one should work.

There are other parts that you do not need. These are the parts that would be used if you had a single-cable bicycle brake lever, but since we don't accept that solution anymore, you don't need the associated parts (see here). Also in the same place are shown two handle supports, one small and one large. I would just go with the small one. You don't really need the large one unless you find that the small one is uncomfortable.

The PDF files for paper cutouts are here.

Hope that helps!

--Rob

[n9yty]

Thanks to rob a kit on the way to me this week. Can't wait to dig into it. If anyone else is looking to get one all I can say is that he has been an absolute pleasure to deal with and I am sure if there are any issues he will make things right, but I am not anticipating any.

However, having bought what I hope to be the complete supplies list from Lowes or Amazon.com, I'm looking over the online Google Docs parts list and the Assembly instructions and what I don't see in either place is the "clamps" or latches that lock the top and bottom sections as demonstrated in the video. It could be that they aren't needed in the current iteration, but I thought I would ask. Maybe it will be clear when the kit arrives and I see what I have to work with and how it goes together.

The other (very minor) question (because I am not a hardware guy at all) is that the 1-5/8" drywall screws are labeled as #8 in the parts lists, but the hardware store either didn't have a # or they were #6. Even the supplied Home Depot SKU number in the google docs (479666) is for #6 screws. The 3/4" screws are also #6. So do I really need to find #8 1-5/8" drywall screws?

Do you see why I have to buy a kit and am not able to help on the design end of this project? LoL

[rob]

You can use the clamps (I like them), but Dan said they're very expensive, so instead you can just use screws to hold the top part on. If we can find a cheap source of the right size clamps, we'll add them in.

The only difference between #8 and #6 is the diameter of the screw, which means you have to get the right size drill bit. 1/8" might be too big -- just hold the screw beind the drill bit and compare. If you can see the threads on the screw behind the drill bit, then the drill bit will work.

The only other critical thing is that the head on the 1-5/8" screw needs to be bigger than the hole in the bearing. If not, find another screw. Sometimes the heads are irregular, so try a few before giving up on that size.

Hope that helps!

[n9yty]

Great, rob, that does help.

Thinking about the bolts that just insert into the wood to act as supports for the pulley/supports, would it be more solid/durable to use some tee nuts or some kind of threaded insert? Maybe it is not an issue and I'm over-thinking it.

I'll look into suitable clasps/hasps/draw latches - but probably will wait until the unit is assembled to eyeball the available space/mounting/etc. I've seen some online that are in the $1-$5 range, so expensive in comparison to say the price of bolts but not terribly bad at least for a one-off project.