User:Jdittman8063/ENES-100/project 0

Team Page Scanner Hack

Week0 Preferences
This first week I located and read through the user manual for the HP Scanjet 4300C. Drivers for the scanner are available from HP for Microsoft Windows 95, 98, 2000, ME, and XP. Searches for a wiring diagram for the scanner have so far proved unsuccessful.

The drivers can be found here: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/DriverDownload.jsp?prodNameId=20512&locale=en_us&taskId=135&prodSeriesId=25272&prodTypeId=15179



Week1 Narrative
''Link to any CDIO documents you are working on that need to be considered for project points. Compare your task with what you actually did.'' Link to associated /CDIO/ documents.

I located HP's diagnostic page for the 4300C scanner at [Diagnostics] I tried to run the diagnostic and found that the light turned on, but that the motor did not run.

To disassemble the scanner, the top cover must be removed, the bottom plate and connections must be removed, and the top and bottom pieces of the plastic housing separated. To detach the bottom plate, phillips head screws were removed and set aside for later. The plate then slips off from the housing and the three connections can be removed.

Next the top cover was removed by pulling straight up from the rear hinges where they are inserted into the plastic housing. They come free with little effort as they are not physically connected to the scanner in any way.



To separate the top and bottom portions of the scanner housing, several small tabs around the edge must first be located. These tabs can be separated by inserting a small flat head screwdriver between the two pieces and using it as a lever to pull the tabs apart. Be careful not to break off the tabs, as they are fragile and will snap if forced apart roughly. I found this out when I broke one that was stuck.



After the housing pieces have been separated the top section with the face plate can be set aside to be further disassembled later. Within the lower portion observe how the various parts fit together and where they are attached to the housing. The flat rail can be removed by unscrewing two more phillips head screws. At this point it was found that all mounting screws in the scanner are identical and can be collected together. By lifting the round rod out from the front and then sliding it forward, the scanner head and belt can be removed. The belt is held in place fairly securely on the scanner head and does not need to be removed.

This is as far as disassembly has progressed thus far. It will be completed later in the week, followed by mounting of the pieces together onto a plywood base.

Week2 Narrative
The rest of the scanner has been disassembled as far as necessary for mounting all pieces externally. The motor and tension piece for the belt were both unscrewed and put aside. That completed disassembly of the lower portion of the scanner. The face plate with the digital readout and input buttons was unscrewed from the upper housing. At this point it slides easily out of place and the cover for the buttons can be removed or left on to identify their functions. The glass plate was left attached to the upper section of the plastic housing as it will not be needed for this project. If it were to be removed then great care would need to be taken to avoid cracking the glass.



For mounting the scanner pieces onto a plywood base some additional materials are necessary. For the structure I used scrap pieces of 1/2" thick MDF and 1" screws from previous projects. A drill and 3/32" bit were used to drill pilot holes and a screwdriver to actually connect the pieces. A phillips head bit could be used with the drill but I was concerned that the MDF would crack too easily. A table top bandsaw was used for all cuts and a ruler for marking locations of precise cuts.

The first step I took was to lay out the various scanner pieces on a large section of wood and cut the wood to fit the parts comfortably. The next step was to construct two small pillars for mounting the flat rail. Because of the depth of the scanner head, the rails needed to be elevated 1.5" above the base. After constructing the two pillars, the flat rail was mounted onto them and test fit next to the other scanner components on the base. Satisfied that everything would fit appropriately, I attached the two pillars to the base from below. The rear board for the scanner was then screwed in alongside the rear pillar.

The next step was to construct mounting points for the motor and tension piece. These mounting points should not yet be attached to the base. The next step is to devise a method of securing the round rail in a way that it does not interfere with the motor or belt operation. The two methods considered for this are to use metal brackets and attach them vertically off of the previously constructed mounting points, or to drill a hole into each of two wood sections and fit the ends of the rail into these holes. If that were to prove insecure when the scanner head is in motion then set screws could be added to apply vertical pressure and hold the rail in place.



Week3 Narrative
None.

Week4 Narrative
None.