[filmscanners] RE: SS4000 gone south - help please!

["Thomas Maugham" <TMaugham@yahoo.com>]

Jim, here's some information that was posted to the group some time ago.  I
haven't tried it so can't tell you if it is of any value.

Now that you have the cover off have you tried to operate the scanner to see
where the problem might be? Keep in mind that you only need a very small
piece something to jam the mechanism.

Please let me know what you find as I have as SS4000 to and may someday have
the same problem.

Regards,

Tom Maugham

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---

Summary of SS4000 cleaning discussion.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY SCANNER NEEDS CLEANING? By opening the unit and
examining the optical mirror.  Or, if you want a preliminary idea of how
dirty the mirror may be before taking this step, look at the amount of dust
underneath your scanner.  If you do not use a dustcover, this is likely to
be a good indicator of how much dust may be on the optical lens and mirror.
(this is because the scanner has open holes and serves as a dust collector,
unless you have a dust cover)

HOW DO I OPEN THE UNIT FOR EXAMINATION AND CLEANING?  First, get the scanner
unplugged from the computer and out on a clear well lit table where you can
work on it.  Turn the scanner upside down, you will see four plastic catches
on the bottom sides near the corners.  A small flat screwdriver can be used
to pop open these catches.  Be careful not to break them.  Once you have
released the catches and have slid the top off, you will see the mechanism.
The top cover and main chassis will, of course, still be connected by
various wires. Connect the power cord to the unit and press the power button
on.   The scanner will attempt to go through one cycle.  Be observant, at
one point the optical mirror will be perfectly revealed.  It may take a few
tries to see how it works.  As soon as the mirror is perfectly accessible,
pull the power cord so it freezes in that position.

HOW DO I CLEAN THE OPTICAL MIRROR?  With compressed air.  Air comes in two
forms, a compressor or a can of dust-off available from camera stores, etc.
If you have compressor, set to about 40 lbs of air pressure.  I recommend
you use a medical compressor because it does not have oil pistons.
(Regular air compressors sold for general machine or airbrush use have oil
pistons, so make sure your compressor does not emit tiny oil droplets out
the nozzle)  If you use the canned air, remember not to hold the can at an
angle because some of these squirt a liquid out if held at angles other than
generally vertical.  Perhaps you can put the scanner on it's side while
blowing the dust away.  Another suggestion for canned air is to put a
downward bend in the tube that is used to extend the nozzle, you can do this
while slightly heating the tube with a match.  Blow off the mirror and lens
real good.

WHAT IT THE MIRROR NEEDS FURTHER CLEANING?  Then you need denatured alcohol
available from hardware or paint stores (which is NOT drugstore isopropyl
alcohol).  Use lens cleaning tissue, and put a little denatured alcohol on
the tissue.  Fold the tissue over and drag it across the mirror using no
pressure.  Do not get the alcohol on plastic parts or let it get behind the
mirror, or let it drip all over everything.  Use each tissue only once and
discard.

WHAT CAN I DO TO KEEP THE UNIT IN GOOD CONDITION?   make a plastic
dustcover.  Or, put it in a plastic bag when not using it.  Anything to keep
dust from getting into it is a good thing.

This is not authorized factory service information.   I am not qualified to
do anything, I have no education, I don't know anything.  These are
practical suggestions for do-it-yourselfers and are based on my personal
experience of doing it.  My remarks about cleaning the mirror come from
questioning a life-long camera repairman.   I have no factory training or
information.  There are many people on this list who are scanner scientists
and mechanics and can probably offer better information, so let's hope to
hear from them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----Original Message-----
From: filmscanners_owner@halftone.co.uk
[mailto:filmscanners_owner@halftone.co.uk]On Behalf Of JimD
Sent: Saturday, January 25, 2003 11:55 AM
To: TMaugham@yahoo.com
Subject: [filmscanners] Re: SS4000 gone south - help please!


I have had the cover off and the internals look fine.
I was hoping that the problem was the sensor that the
Polaroid dust brush cleans but that all looks pretty good.

I also see that the front surface mirror for the optics
is pretty dusty. I've had the scanner for ~3 years and have
been careful to keep it covered but it clearly needs to have
the mirror cleaned. Getting to that looks like a pretty involved
dis-assembly process.  I'm reluctant to dive in there for
fear of affecting some critical alignments/adjustments.

Has anyone here taken their SS4000 apart? Did you get it
back together? Did it work after that?

I need the 'pros from Dover', actually I don't know of any
scanner repair pros in Dover or anywhere else for that matter.
Where do I send this machine for repair?

-JimD
Now I'll just be forced to get a Canon ds1 and abandon film
scanning.

At 06:54 AM 1/25/2003, Thomas Maugham wrote:
>I've got the ss4000 also.
>
>It sounds to me that the carrier mechanism is jammed.  Try removing the
>cover, there are four tabs on the bottom, and see if anything is clogging
>the mechanism.  Could be part of the slide or film carrier (check them
>carefully for missing pieces) or part of a negative or slide mount.  It
>wouldn't take very much to cause it to jam.
>
>If you need more info on taking the cover off contact me off-list.
>
>Good luck!
>
>Tom
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: filmscanners_owner@halftone.co.uk
>[mailto:filmscanners_owner@halftone.co.uk]On Behalf Of JimD
>Sent: Saturday, January 25, 2003 1:42 AM
>To: TMaugham@yahoo.com
>Subject: [filmscanners] SS4000 gone south - help please!
>
>
>My trusty Polaroid SS4000 has flaked out.
>All I get is the blinking yellow light when I try to use it.
>It is also making a noise like 60 cycle hum. I tried the
>little brush that Polaroid supplies for resolving the blinking
>light problem but no joy.
>
>I'd welcome any suggestions for what else I might try.
>
>Also does anyone here know of any repair shops in the
>San Francisco/San Jose area that deal with the SS4000.
>
>Thanks,
>JimD
>Santa Clara, CA., USA
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
>------------
>Unsubscribe by mail to listserver@halftone.co.uk, with 'unsubscribe
>filmscanners'
>or 'unsubscribe filmscanners_digest' (as appropriate) in the message title
>or body
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------
>Unsubscribe by mail to listserver@halftone.co.uk, with 'unsubscribe
>filmscanners'
>or 'unsubscribe filmscanners_digest' (as appropriate) in the message title
>or body


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------
Unsubscribe by mail to listserver@halftone.co.uk, with 'unsubscribe
filmscanners'
or 'unsubscribe filmscanners_digest' (as appropriate) in the message title
or body

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe by mail to listserver@halftone.co.uk, with 'unsubscribe 
filmscanners'
or 'unsubscribe filmscanners_digest' (as appropriate) in the message title or 
body