Ultra Lost Cost Scanner

[nightshift]

I'm trying to put together an ultra low cost book scanner.

Budget is approximately 20USD, this means I'm going to be scrounging most if not all of my supplies from what I have around the house. I have a smart phone and an old-ish Canon Powershot available for the camera, but no tripod. Tool wise, I don't have any woodworking type tools, just your basic hobby supplies. No left over PVC/ABS pipe, there are some wood scraps but no way to cut them down or fasten them really. I do have several cardboard boxes, and randomly a couple sheets of black foam core (the type of thing used for school project displays). I did find a pane from a removed storm window that looks to be large enough and in good enough condition to use as a platen, if I can figure out how to free it from it's frame. Most of the books I'll be scanning have loose enough bindings that they can be forced flat if they don't already lay flat anyway, but being nice to them one side would need to be raised slightly.

Requirements:
What ever frame/cradle/stand must be able to break down for storage when not actively working on a scan
Single camera system
Must be able to handle odd/textbook/oversized books (some are approximately US Letter sized closed, some are smaller, I've got one that is nearly 11" square and a few others that are larger than US Letter but still approximately the same proportion)
Must be able to work for both paperback and hard cover
Scanning speed can be sacrificed for easier mounting of whatever camera I use
Anything that does have to be purchased must be available in town of my rural area

First design considered was https://www.instructables.com/Document- ... Easy-Free/ as is, works fine for loose-leaf and spiral bound, not so great for actual bound books (add a cradle and use vFlat or other cellphone book scanning apps to improve? problem is, if you add a platen, the top of the box would get in the way of turning pages even slightly efficiently. would also need to adjust the dimensions for larger books). Bonus points on this, it uses a smart phone, so, no real need to worry about buying or building a remote.

Second design considered is the cardboard box v-scanner. Biggest issue here is the lack of a tripod. Pricing things out online, I can get a tripod OR a piece of glass/acrylic for a platen (less problem if I can get that storm window pane out of it's riveted frame that lets it run in the track when used as a storm window).

Third design considered is mashing together the document scanner with Mohib's design (using a cardboard/foam core "table" to support the camera and using the book positioning and work flow - if I use CHDK on the powershot I think I could even rig up a foot activated shutter remote), there's still a problem of a handled platen.

Regardless of what I end up trying, I need to find out how high off the platen/page the camera lens will need to be.

[Konos93a]

check this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR2TQOHEDYc

u need a glass and a window .
what camera do u have , what smartphone

[nightshift]

Sorry for the delay.

I have a Powershot SX400IS and a Galaxy S20 available for capturing images. I was able to salvage a window pane, not large enough for your forced flat double page upshot scanner (also, no real way to check alignment for an upshot scan.

As such, my only real issue is coming up with something that isn't a tripod for holding the camera or phone. I COULD buy a tripod fairly cheap, but I'm trying not to (for reasons)

[BillGill]

If you have something firm to attach it to you can mount a camera using a 1/4 X 20 bolt. Just drill a 1/4 inch hole through the mount and run the bolt through it. It will screw right into the base of the camera. If the bolt isn't quite the right length I use an extra long bolt and then thread a wingnut on it backward. Hopefully you can understand the attached picture of the head end of the bolt with the wingnut. Then you can screw the bolt all the way into the socket on the camera and then tighten the wingnut to hold the camera firmly.

This is a view of the back side of my KISS scanner.

[Konos93a]

u need a window with glass that can flat the pages of the book u wanna scan . if u know or want to how to cut wood and glass u can do that or any neighbor with with less than 4 dollars in materials .

i would prefer camera than your smartphone even if u can use them both to digitize.

install chdk and u have to learn how to make an electric trigger or buy one and have liveview simultaneously .
u dont need a tripod to scan on a flat scanner .

[nightshift]

My quest to scavenge up a camera stand of some sort failed (found plenty of scrap wood in my garage, lack the tools to cut and drill, and I would have had to have a complete plan to take to a neighbor - not close enough to them to be hacking around just trying things or do a "i think this piece needs to be this big" and come back later because I was wrong), so I took most of my budget and bought an inexpensive tripod - it'll be usable for other projects eventually when I've gotten everything scanned i want scanned.

I'll be using chdk on the actual camera and will be hacking the power bank version of the shutter release remote they have (plugging the USB cord into a charger brick on a power strip and turning the power strip on an off), at least until I can use the rest of the budget - plus a little more - to order the battery holder and momentary switch for the more refined remote (I don't think i have the necessary cable or software to run liveview AND remote trigger the shutter - there's no port just for a shutter release, have to work with the sole USB port). I was able to scavenge a piece of glass for a platen.

With all that I've been able to put together, I've settled on the cardboard box cradle, but I'll be making it out of foam core (bonus, some of it is already black, at least enough for the parts that will potentially be visible in the non-cropped captures) that I had on hand from another project that didn't happen. Since I'm building it instead of just taping up and cutting apart a box, I'm wondering though, if I should plan for adding an additional triangular support in the center of each side.

[Konos93a]

for the flat scanner u dont need a tripod .

if u cut a wood with something like a rectangle and u put a glass upon is enough. u can find a scrap glass .

put the window between 2 chairs or tables and u are good . use a lamp also

[nightshift]

for the flat scanner u dont need a tripod .

if u cut a wood with something like a rectangle and u put a glass upon is enough. u can find a scrap glass .

put the window between 2 chairs or tables and u are good . use a lamp also

I'm sorry, I think I was probably unclear on what materials and tools I have available to work with (a couple sheets of foam core board, LOTS of cardboard, tape, tools appropriate to cutting cardboard and a salvaged pane of glass - wood wise I have a few scraps of stuff appropriate to frame but not close in a house or shed however I lack the tools needed to cut it down or even drill a hole). To avoid buying a tripod, I would have needed a way to build a camera support out of cardboard.

I've now got my cradle "built", a tripod purchased and I'm working towards getting everything set up. I managed to find a spot in my house with good lighting, so it looks I don't need a lamp (yay! Worst case, there is a thrift shop I may be able to buy one from for cheap if that proves necessary). The one thing I'm not totally sure on - it's ok to use the zoom (as long as I stay in optical?) to frame the book, right?

[BillGill]

Yes, you can zoom the camera to fit the page to the frame. That is the normal way to do it.

Bill

[nightshift]

So, here it is. After salvaging the glass from an old storm window, cardboard from the recycling pile (town requests that you limit how much cardboard you put out each week, so we've been slowly making a dent in it post move), foam core that I actually had for something else that I never followed through on, the washer that I used as a weight for other stuff (I've got more if I end up needing them), and some black cardstock I've had for over 10 years, I spent about $15, for the tripod, plus a little for the black duct tape. I already had the chdk compatible camera.

The design is based on Daniel Reetz (uh, probably messed that up) cardboard box scanner, but I modified it slightly to build out of foam core instead of cutting apart a box, and adjusted the measurements to maintain the roughly 100° angle while slightly increasing the size of the book that could be scanned (I can support a 12x14", but turns out nothing I want to scan is quite that big). I also modified it so that it could be taken down and put away between scan sessions (hence the cardboard frame that the two cradle pieces sit in).

I don't actually use a remote control for shooting as my camera doesn't work well with the bicycle brake type releases (has a top pop up flash) plus I didn't have a brake line. Also, I didn't have the supplies needed for the chdk usb cable remote - I did try a modified version of the power bank remote, was clunky and slow), instead, I made a custom script for chdkptp (script sets zoom and focus, I have several settings on the camera already set, then calls the single image remote shoot for a white balance calibration shot followed by the interactive remote shoot, with a subscript that modifies the command to shoot to use just the enter key, if I had a single large key macro keypad, I could make this foot activated).

If I had it to do over, there's a few things I'd change. The 100° angle doesn't work well in this setup - but I was already committed to it when I found out all the successful single camera systems use a 90° angle, I'd change the measurements to allow the 90° cradle. I'd also make sure my foam core was closer to even thickness and not warped. When I planned out all the measurements, I'd intended bevel joints/folded into place, but lack of a bevel knife and uneven thickness of the board made that not work out, and I failed to properly trim down, so, the cradle halves twist a bit.

Yes, I'd potentially get better results with an extra light, but I tested what I have available and nothing is improving things (at some point I'll be getting a floor lamp that has the chance to help, and it won't really be included in cost as it'll be for other uses when I'm not scanning), for now, I shoot in raw (dng) format and will use a raw developer to adjust lighting issues further.