Problem with Saphir Ultra II

[Stefan Lungu]

Hello everybody,

I'm kind of desperate here. I got myself an old Saphir Ultra II scanner, for scanning 4x5. I have a SCSI controller in my PC that is seen by Windows XP. Now, I connected the scanner to the PC, powered the scanner up and then the PC. The power LED on the scanner is on, the middle one starts blinking and the scanner seems to do something ( you ca hear the motors running ). After a while, the third LED gets on, but the middle one is still blinking. In the mean time, the computer is running windows, but the scanner is not recognized by XP, nor by vuescan. After a while the scanner starts to sound bad, that is as if the motors are trying to go past end. At this point I am turning the good thing off. Does anybody have a user manual for this scanner that tells what the LED's are telling me, or have any idea how to get this work under XP ?

Thanks, Stefan

[Jon Shiu]

It sounds like the scanner is not initializing properly. It makes a kind of musical sound when it powers up. Check that the mechanical lock is in the unlock position.

Jon

[Keith S. Walklet]

I don't know about your scanner not being recognized, as I use Macs, but that was the first flatbed scanner I owned. I bought it because I was familiar with the software, Linocolor which was the same software used to drive the TANGO.

Mine went belly up when the stepper motor in the transparency lid froze. It also made a grinding noise before quitting, which I believe was the ribbed belt slipping on the toothed drive. It is really dry here in Idaho, and I think whatever lubrication existed in the lid mechanism ceased to function so the scanner wand for the transparency unit seized up.

If you had never used it successfully before, I'd check to see if the shipping lock on the lid and the base have been released.

If the locks are in the open position and the noise continues, you may have a problem similar to what I experienced.

Good luck.

[Stefan Lungu]

Well, the two locking devices on the lid and the big one on the main body are in unlocked position. Other than the strange blinking LED's that don't tell me nothing, I have no way to know what the little guy is actually doing. Is there something to be taken care of when powering on the scanner and the computer ?
Regards, Stefan

[erie patsellis]

Stefan, the scanner has to totally power up, with 3 green lights before the computer will recognize it. If it's been off for a while, it may take a bit, my Powerlook III (same basic scanner) takes almost 5 mins from dead cold to finally init correctly. My Opal Ultra can take as long as 15 mins.

[Ben Hopson]

From your description of the sounds the scanner makes, I would closely look at the possibility that it may be somehow still locked. I had a similar experience with my Eversmart Supreme. It turned out a screw on the lock shaft that holds the lock plate in position came loose. When the lock screw was turned to the unlock position the plate inside the scanner lid did not turn and the carriage remained locked. Just a possibility to consider.

Good luck,

Ben

[Stefan Lungu]

Well, it seems as if the problem comes from the lid, since disconnecting this one results in only two LED's on ( power and ready, of course no TA ), but nothing is makeing any crazy sounds anymore. Now, the scanner is not seen without the lid on the bus, but since the only reason to have this scanner was scanning LF film, I will try to first look into the lid problem and only after that see what happens on the SCSI bus. Thanks for your helpful advice -I will try to report back so that there is some documentation just in case somebody runs into the same problems.
Regards, Stefan

[Stefan Lungu]

Kind of found the problem I had - at least one of them. With the lid off, I found that the lower carriage would not move at all. The ready LED would blink, unless you set the scanning part close to the front of the scanner, so the optical barrier thinks it is in place. Now I need to see what the motor is doing. I could not move it at all, so I think it is stuck and probably needs replacement.

[seawolf66]

Stefan Lungu: below is a ebay seller for Linotype hell saphir ultra 2 Parts.

http://stores.ebay.com/WebBanksNY_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsxQ3asstQQtZkm

I have used them ,they are help full on the fone and via e-mail good luck :

There are three locks on that scanner when you lift the cover near the top there are two locks opsit each other and one on the base where the base glass is :