SANE Support for the EPSON FilmScan 200
I have a FilmScan 200 partially working with a modified version of the
SANE (Scanner Access Now Easy)
epson backend.
Status as of June 2002..
Latest code versions work OK with backends 1.0.6.
Scan performance is OK, not startling, but can work on both slides and NEGs.
It sort of works now in most respects..
There is still a pile of refinement
to do (its a bit cumbersome and slow) but it all seems to work..
You can download the latest version from here if you want
to play with it..
I am playing with xcam, xsane and xscanimage. Primarilly xsane at the moment and
version 1.0.3 of sane with 1.0.6 backends.
I have ended up hacking a lot at the original epson backend and unfortunately
a long time ago (before I started playing) we diverged from the main epson
development line. This version may still work with other epson
scanners, but I do not recommend it. Really it needs renaming to fs200, but
I need to work out how ;-)
Problems
- There seems to be a need for a lot of slow, time-consuming resets
between scans when working with negs.. I think the Epson scanner firmware leaves a lot
to be desired on the mechanical control front
You will probably find you need to do a "CALIBRATE" before a "SCAN" else
it may be reticent to scan the slide. Its the cranky Epson firmware..
- Sane is not well designed to support scanners with variable number of bays..
- I don't have an APS cartridge or any film - so I'm not doing that (at the moment)
- EPSON(UK) are really not interested in providing any help or support
to people working on Linux. I very much doubt I'll be buying any more
EPSON product after the experience with this one.. I had a number of attempts to get info from EPSON.
Generally emails and letters were ignored. Eventually we got as far as
setting up an NDA for the "ESC-I manual for the FS200" and then
discovered that they didn't even have the manual in the UK and couldn't
get it! It probably doesn't exist..
It all leaves me in an odd position of not wishing
to encourage people to buy Epson, but also of having done it myself and having
done the hard work of writing tools without any sensible documentation..
Bring back the old days when EPSON used to ship proper manuals with their
kit..
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