Help with colorgetter 2

I am looking for all the advice I can get. I just purchased a colorgetter 2 drum scanner on e-bay. It has both the main unit and the controller. It also has 2 drums, mounting station and cables. The seller is down sizing a studio and has not used this scanner in several years. He thinks there is a problem with the power supply but he is not sure. I also found and purchased another colorgetter 2 (main unit with no controller) that has been broken down to sell off as parts. All parts are there but in pieces.

This may be one of the dumber things I have done but I hope it all works out.

So I have lots of questions. I have no idea how to operate a drum scanner. Is there a good book on the subject? Do any of you know of a source for a manual for the colorgetter? I have all pc equipment, do I need a mac and if so which one and how much ram. I know Image print makes a program called colorright. Is this the best way to control the scanner? The controller has a floppy disk in the drive.

I know I will probably have a million more questions, feel free to weigh in with answers to ones I have not asked. Also fell free to tell me this was a knuckle headed move.

Thanks

Actually, it was a pretty good move. It's a good scanner if it is healthy.

Did the seller show you how to hook up the cables? If not, don't try to fire anything up. The control unit gets its power from the scan unit IIRC and things get weird if you hook them up wrong. I've got a diagram somewhere if you need me to snail mail you a copy, but it should be near the front of the owner's manual.

Did the seller give you a stack of 3.5" diskettes? One should say ColorGetter 2 Controller Software (this one lives in the floppy drive of the control unit - it's what the control unit boots from). Another should say ColorGetter 2 Autocal Software. There should also be a Kodak Wratten 96 2.0 neutral density filter. This is a calibration target that is physically matched to the Autocal diskette. Nice to have, but not having the Autocal and matched target won't stop you from scanning.

Did you get any software (ColorRight 5.x) and a dongle? This is Mac only software. If not, it's not a disaster. You can still buy ColorRight Pro 2.0 from ColorByte. You'd want to do this anyway if you are going to scan negatives at all, or if you just want 16 bit file saves. ColorRight 5.x is 8 bit only.

BTW, if you need a used Mac, you might want to look at Baucom Computers. There are other sources as well of course. The problem you'll have is you need the GPIB card for the Mac. The seller doesn't need his anymore, he should have included it in the package he gave you. If you don't have it, ask about it. Can be hard to find used. National Semiconductor sells new ones, but they are pricey.

You might want to wander over to the yahoo group ScanHi-End. These guys know drum scanning, and there's a wealth of information in the archives.

Or you could email me directly if you have problems. I'll do what I can for you. I've been running a ColorGetter 3 Pro for about four years now. I have a small bit of experience with these beasties ;-)

Thanks Bruce, I don't even know what I don't Know yet.
I have not received the unit yet, but I am sure I am going to be missing alot of stuff. there is a disk in the control unit but thats it.
They have not used this machine in a long time so they probably lost the stack of disks you mentioned. I will sak him about all of the items you mentioned. The good news is there are two nice drums and a nice looking mounting station. When I receive the unit I will contact you for more guideance.
I contacted Colorbyte about colorgetter. It sell's new for $1000, I have the Image Print program for my 7800 and love it so I am sure it will be a good way to go.
Thanks again

Hi John. I operate an Optronics ColorGetter Eagle scanner that is quite similar to yours in most respects. These scanners produce fantastic results but as Bruce mentioned there are a lot of parts that have to be there first.

As far as I know there are no books on drum scanning, but the ColorGetter installation and operation manual tells you pretty much everything you need to know. If your controller doesn’t have the floppy you can simply have someone who runs that scanner send you a copy of theirs. I run my ColorGetter using an obscure but excellent software program called TerraTec that works with my Windows XP computer. As far as I know it is not available anymore so you will likely have to use a Mac. You need a GPIB card in your computer to communicate with the scanner. I purchased a high-speed USB GPIB interface from National Instruments that works great. Bob Weber (http://www.bob-weber.com/) sells some of these items and has an Optronics expert named John Angus on staff. Lastly, this website (http://www.bytesmiths.com/ColorGetter/) contains the ColorGetter II maintenance manual, which though not as useful as the installation and operation manual will acquaint you with the innards of your scanner.

Assuming you have all the hardware you need and that everything is functional, you will next need to acquire mounting supplies and learn how to wet mount. Questions on these and any other aspect of drum scanning can best be answered at the Yahoo ScanHi-End group Bruce cited. I’d be happy to offer any individual help as well, limited as it may be. Also, I acquired a Mac G4 with my Eagle that I don’t use since I have Windows-based software, which I’d be happy to sell to you.

Good luck! If you get that scanner working it will be one of the best investments you’ve ever made.

Brett, many thanks! I was not aware of the link for the maintainance manual. At 200 pages it will keep my printer busy for a while. I may contact you about the g4. I am still waiting to see what the original owner turns up.
I really appreciate you guys taking the time to share your knowledge. I will keep you guys posted.

Were you ever able to get them running?

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Originally Posted by Luke LeTourneau

Were you ever able to get them running?

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Nope! They are impressive to look at though. The big hurdle has been getting a computer and gpib card to communicate with the scanner. One of the scanners appears to be functioning fine, the other one I think will be good for parts.

I gave up and bought a Creo IQ2 and have been quite happy with it.

If someone is feeling ambitious about resurrecting this project feel free to contact me.

www.timeandlight.com
www.gladesgallery.com

I realize this is a really old thread but did you ever dispose of ColorGetter parts? I have need for some. J Vee

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Originally Posted by John Brady

Nope! They are impressive to look at though. The big hurdle has been getting a computer and gpib card to communicate with the scanner. One of the scanners appears to be functioning fine, the other one I think will be good for parts.

I gave up and bought a Creo IQ2 and have been quite happy with it.

If someone is feeling ambitious about resurrecting this project feel free to contact me.

www.timeandlight.com
www.gladesgallery.com

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by J Vee

I realize this is a really old thread but did you ever dispose of ColorGetter parts? I have need for some. J Vee

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Hello Every one. I understand this is an old thread. Hopefully some colorgetter owners will look at this. Has any one has a manual for this old scanner. I was given a working scanner recently, but I know nothing of this machine. I use Howtek 4500 . I couldn't pass this free machine. Desperately need to get this working. I think I have all the parts mentioned in the above thread.
Thanks in advance