Preserved Topic: What Do You Do With an Old Scanner?

OK, so my scanner (Umax 2400S) was producing this thin line right down the middle of the bed. Logic insisted that there was a speck of dust on one of the optics. Well, I dismantled the whole thing and gave it a thorough cleaning. The line moved. Cleaned again. The line moved again. After a couple more tries, it finally went away.

The next day it showed up again. I tried two more times to get rid of it and it refused to budge. Now it's stuck in one place. And something I did this last time now results in a haze along one edge of the bed.

I'm not asking how to fix any of this. It's futile. And with scanners as cheap as they are now, I may as well just buy a new one.

The question is: What do you do with an old scanner that still kind of works? I have a problem just tossing electronics in the dumpster unless they're totally dead.

The transparency scanner I can probably dump on eBay. But, can anypne think of a way to cannibalize the scanner? Or at least an interesting stunt to pull with it?

Well, if you were to get *realy* frustrated and break the darn thing, I'd love a high resolution scan of the broken glass. Certainly the transparency lid will still have some good value, but the scanner itself? Hard to say. I find myself wondering what the depth of field on something like that might be, I had one old scanner once that actually did a decent job on 3D objects, the depth of field was so deep. (It might have been a Umax, now I think of it.) I wonder if you could hang it on the wall, with a narrow shelf underneath it, then you could place small objects on the shelf and take scans of objects, that could be cool.

Your pal, -doc-

Is it fast ? Scan people who come to the door maybe ? Blind friends with the light. Slyly replace it for a good one on display somewhere.

I dont think there is much you could do with it BTW

maybe donate it to a local charity/organisation that may have use for it in its latter years? Think of it as putting it out to pasture.

How about doing really strange things like soak in water and let dry for three days to it, and then see how it scans - may turn out a cool special effects machine. And if not it´s at least totally wasted so you can throw it away without a bad conscience.

Well... Me??? I would make a bomb, and put it in teh scanner and blow the bloody thing up.... after ya try what doc was saying.

And take pictures for US!!

. . .

use to scan creative textures like dirt.

Throw it out.

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cheers.jay

*SMACKS JESTAH*

:shrugh:

If it's not doing it's job and your going to replace it, whats the point of keeping it around? Same goes for women too.

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cheers.jay

jestah - if you've got something that could be of possible value, and you can find an alternate use for it, why not keep it?
same goes for women.

wes
...use it as backlighting on a fish tank - i reckon it'll really mess with them fishies!
...or a portable, plug in, butt-heating seat! "this time, let the light shine INTO your ass!"
...or a portable solarium
...or a novelty fake security doormat! just have a sign on the door requesting the visitor to take off their shoes and step on the PrintReader(tm) for identification, see how many suckahs visit you.
...use it as a personal outlet. let the scanner be your own metaphor for modern technology, and whenever your pc frustrates you beyond mere oral vents, target your rage at the scanner. You'll find that your scanner actually comes equipped with an "instrument of damage" carry cord - simply attach your own choice of implement (hammer, knife, blowtorch, etc) to the grey cord with three prongs at the end to have it handy at all times!
...use it as a home defence instrument. if the 'stun' setting does not work, you'll find that this object's weight and sharpness of corners makes it quite the projectile. alternatively, you can wrap the power cord around the victim's neck, and then throw the scanner off a cliff, pulling your hapless victim with it.
...or, you can use it to measure the height of buildings (single use only). Simply drop the scanner off the top of the building, and time how long it takes for the scanner to hit the ground. the height is then 4.98 * (time taken)².
...the scanner also functions as a hip, modern, chopping board. bringing the latest in technology into food preparation, the smooth glass surface is perfect for dicing and slicing those vegetables! impress your friends - send them pictures of your meals from the perspective of your chopping board! (seriously, this is a cool idea!)
...paperweight. need i say more?
...the silent alarm clock! simply strap the scanner to your head before sleeping, connect it to a time delay power supply, and you can control the timing of your own personal 'sunrise'!
...upside down, it makes quite a delightful flower press!

ok, i'm finished.


- - r e i t s m a - -
(tifkab)

[This message has been edited by reitsma (edited 04-02-2002).]

LOL@ ^^^^

hahahahahahahahahaha... and on into the night.....

Ummm...what kind of cleaning fluid did you use to clean the scanner? For such jobs, you need a special cleaning fluid...just ask your local computer support.

As for alternative uses...one hell of a fly-swatter....

All good suggestions. (I especially like the foot scanner idea.)

If I get the time, I might try dousing it in water and seeing what happens. Otherwise, I'll just get rid of it. Been trying to clean out a lot of stuff I never use, anyway.

Bury it in the backyard and give it a tombstone.

Then you can have a wake for it. Yay, yet another excuse to get dunk!

What to do with an old scanner?

Take a sledgehammer and crush it up into interesting looking bits.

Buy a new scanner.

Scan the interesting looking bits.

Make a wallpaper and call it "RECYCLE"


heh...its been a while since i've sat down at the asylum and eaten any black pills...


[dis]contempt+[.org]

quote:

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yet another excuse to get dunk!

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I love unfortunate typos. (Saw a documentary today with more than one subtitle containing "Univeristy.")

<Next Thought>

Feed the old scanner to the new! A little digital cannibalism, I love it.

This could be the time to use it to scan parts of your body you wouldn't normally place on a scanner - might also help eliminate those unsightly tan lines. . . .

~We're not here for long, we're here for fun~

Yah, I had another thought on this. I had a friend in university who did an art project, something he called the "Flayed TV Set". It started as an old console TV, but as he was moving it into his flat they dropped the thing coming out of the truck and the big wooden case just crumbled, although oddly enough, the TV still worked! He used a variety of clamps and hooks and mounted thescreen to the wall. Then he took all the bit and pieces and stretched them by their wires as far out as they would go and mounted *them* too! The whole TV ended up covering about 8 feet of wall space, and the darn thing still worked! Quite the conversation piece.

Your pal, -doc-

wow doc, that would be worth having a photo of!


- - r e i t s m a - -
(tifkab)

scan your cat
www.cat-scan.com

hahahaah.... did he put a sign that sayd "DO NOT TOUCH"???? hehehe....

. . .