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Plustek 6x6 negative carrier


EoinC

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I'm not sure if the negative carriers are shared across the Plustek range, but I have some small trouble with the 6x6 carrier on my Plustek 120.

First off, I think the carrier design and structure are excellent - The carriers hold the negative very flat, and work perfectly with 35mm negatives. With the 6x6 carriers, though, I struggle to get the spacing to work. The frames are not 6x6, so the horizontal bars cover parts of the adjacent frames. The best I can do is scan 1 frame at a time of a 3-frame strip, and adjust spacing each time for the frame being scanned. This means previewing, ejecting, adjusting spacing, previewing again...

I'll have a play with it this weekend, and see if I can mark the carrier for best placements, but was wondering if anyone else has the same issue.

I am open to being revealed to be a numpty. I really like the scanner, and it works well with Vuescan software (I haven't tried the Silverfast that came with it).

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You may be a numpty but I definitely am. The 6x6 carrier should do all three frames without any problem, mine does, except when I used the 6x9 carrier instead (or was it the 6x4.5?). Either way I was scratching my head for a bit before I realised I'd picked the wrong one up because you can use it for scanning one frame, but the frame bars overlap the next.......

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You may be a numpty but I definitely am. The 6x6 carrier should do all three frames without any problem, mine does, except when I used the 6x9 carrier instead (or was it the 6x4.5?). Either way I was scratching my head for a bit before I realised I'd picked the wrong one up because you can use it for scanning one frame, but the frame bars overlap the next.......

Thanks, Steve. I'll stop trying to multitask, and pay attention. I like the design of the carriers (and the whole scanner).

 

Cheers,

Eoin

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The usability of the multi image carriers of the Plustek 120 also depend on the camera used to shoot the images. I scanned a lot of negatives from a Rollei 6006 and a Mamiya 6. Negatives from the Mamiya could be scanned three at a time. Negatives from the Rollei are much closer to each other at the beginning of the roll compared to the negatives from the Mamiya. My films with 12 negatives are cut in four parts of three negatives each. For the first two parts I had to scan the first image alone. Then I adjusted the part in the film holder and scanned the two other negatives of the part. The last two parts could be scanned with three negatives at a time.

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I'm not sure if the negative carriers are shared across the Plustek range, but I have some small trouble with the 6x6 carrier on my Plustek 120.

First off, I think the carrier design and structure are excellent - The carriers hold the negative very flat, and work perfectly with 35mm negatives. With the 6x6 carriers, though, I struggle to get the spacing to work. The frames are not 6x6, so the horizontal bars cover parts of the adjacent frames. The best I can do is scan 1 frame at a time of a 3-frame strip, and adjust spacing each time for the frame being scanned. This means previewing, ejecting, adjusting spacing, previewing again...

I'll have a play with it this weekend, and see if I can mark the carrier for best placements, but was wondering if anyone else has the same issue.

I am open to being revealed to be a numpty. I really like the scanner, and it works well with Vuescan software (I haven't tried the Silverfast that came with it).

I have exactly the same problem. I just live with it.

Pete

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I have exactly the same problem. I just live with it.

Pete

Thanks, Pete. I must admit, it is a very small issue (actually, a laziness issue). I like everything else about the scanner and the carriers. With only 3 frames to look at per run, not being able to batch scan is not a huge problem.
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  • 2 weeks later...

I have the exact same issue using Hasselblad E12 backs.

Even when I do get lucky enough to have all three frames fit the carrier (a rare occurrence), the actual batch scan still cuts off parts of each. (I use Vuescan)

 

Scanning just the 2nd or 3rd frame tends to crash the process with the carrier ending up stuck at the back of its run (so I have to take it out from the back of the scanner.)

 

I gave up on ever getting 3 complete 6x6 frames. Any solution would be welcome. I too like the scanner/carriers (aside from this issue.)

Edited by coogee
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  • 5 weeks later...

My Plustek 120 decided today that it no longer wants to play ball, despite having had a fairly light workload over the 3 months since I bought it. The transporter has parked itself down near the back of the unit, and just emits a continuous noise (motors spinning but not engaging sort of noise), and goes nowhere. I am, at this point, an unhappy camper. I love the output of this scanner, but there's not much point in loving that if there is none. I would happily pull it apart, as it all looks fairly simple, and the drive engagement is likely to be a very small issue, but that voids the warranty, making for a likely lengthy round trip from Malaysia for repairs.

 

I'm not sure why, but I do expect a USD $1,800 brand new scanner to manage more than 3 months of 2-3 hr / week usage.

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

My Plustek 120 decided today that it no longer wants to play ball, despite having had a fairly light workload over the 3 months since I bought it. The transporter has parked itself down near the back of the unit, and just emits a continuous noise (motors spinning but not engaging sort of noise), and goes nowhere. I am, at this point, an unhappy camper. I love the output of this scanner, but there's not much point in loving that if there is none. I would happily pull it apart, as it all looks fairly simple, and the drive engagement is likely to be a very small issue, but that voids the warranty, making for a likely lengthy round trip from Malaysia for repairs.

 

I'm not sure why, but I do expect a USD $1,800 brand new scanner to manage more than 3 months of 2-3 hr / week usage.

 

Eoin

Mine did the same mate. What I did was unplug it and wait long enough to get a beer out of the fridge and some cheese and crackers. After that I plugged it back in and bobs your uncle it popped the tray out and I was back scanning again.

Now on the issue of the spacing. I'm in the same boat as you but what I do is first of all get the middle frame in the non-movable centre frame as best as centre as possible, after that you can adjust the first and last to get them 100% correct.................. I say 100% correct, one of my A12 backs is all fu@ked up and the spacing is terrible so I don't use that I just use the other two that I have.

I hope this helps??

 

Neil

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Eoin

Mine did the same mate. What I did was unplug it and wait long enough to get a beer out of the fridge and some cheese and crackers. After that I plugged it back in and bobs your uncle it popped the tray out and I was back scanning again.

Now on the issue of the spacing. I'm in the same boat as you but what I do is first of all get the middle frame in the non-movable centre frame as best as centre as possible, after that you can adjust the first and last to get them 100% correct.................. I say 100% correct, one of my A12 backs is all fu@ked up and the spacing is terrible so I don't use that I just use the other two that I have.

I hope this helps??

 

Neil

Mine was a bit past that, Neil. The transporter is jammed down the back (It accepts and ejects carriers quite happily). I finally got a human at Plustek in Taiwan, and it's on its way back over there now.

The spacing issue is a Hasselblad one. One of my A12 backs is all over the place with its spacing, while another is fairly regular.

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My Plustek 120 decided today that it no longer wants to play ball, despite having had a fairly light workload over the 3 months since I bought it. The transporter has parked itself down near the back of the unit, and just emits a continuous noise (motors spinning but not engaging sort of noise), and goes nowhere. I am, at this point, an unhappy camper. I love the output of this scanner, but there's not much point in loving that if there is none. I would happily pull it apart, as it all looks fairly simple, and the drive engagement is likely to be a very small issue, but that voids the warranty, making for a likely lengthy round trip from Malaysia for repairs.

 

I'm not sure why, but I do expect a USD $1,800 brand new scanner to manage more than 3 months of 2-3 hr / week usage.

 

It's a software problem not the machine itself. Mine does the same thing from time to time and I think it's something to do with the speed or sequence the driver is installed. If it occurs and I get the gear whirring noise I start again and open Vuescan first then switch on the scanner, or visa versa. Works every time and the scanner behaves normally from then on. My problem started after a day updating graphics card drivers, Vuescan, Silverfast, various system updates etc. all the annoying things I usually put off. So my suspicion is that one of them introduced a small bug that needs to clear itself. Alas if we had known that all three of us had a similar problem it could probably have been narrowed down.

 

Steve

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In my case, it appears not to be software, as noted by Plustek support. I had already reloaded the driver, as part of their initial advice, but it made no difference, with or without Vuescan or Silverfast. In fact the same issue is in place without a computer connected.

The scanner is currently enjoying a stopover at Taiwan's Customs, who want to charge it food and board.

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Scanning just the 2nd or 3rd frame tends to crash the process with the carrier ending up stuck at the back of its run (so I have to take it out from the back of the scanner.)

Well, I'll tell you what mine does and it might be the same for yours. With the 2nd frame of the 3 frame 6x6 carrier, the carrier is drawn into the scanner and the 2nd frame is scanned. After the first pass the carrier needs to be spit out of the front of the machine again but it gets stuck on the two-way door of the scanner and cannot be pushed back out. When scanning the first frame the two-way door rests on top of the carrier so the carrier doesn't get stuck so nothing impedes the reversal of the direction of travel. With the 3rd frame, the carrier passes all the way through the two-way door so when direction of travel reverses, the two-way door can function as intended. It is only the 2nd frame's scan which is problematical because that two-way door jams against the end of the carrier. I stop this happening by following the carrier in with a finger to hold open the door lifting it off the carrier. As soon as I feel the carrier direction reversing I pull away my finger by which time the door rests atop the carrier no longer impeding it's travel.

Pete

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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

F@ck that digitizeing mate. Bloody nightmare

Give silverfox a go....... I'm preferring it over the veiwscan

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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F@ck that digitizeing mate. Bloody nightmare

Give silverfox a go....... I'm preferring it over the veiwscan

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm happy with Vuescan. I have Silverfast, but don't use it. Neither of them are much use to me at the moment, though, with no scanner.
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Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS

I'm happy with Vuescan. I have Silverfast, but don't use it. Neither of them are much use to me at the moment, though, with no scanner.

my view scan leaves a vertical line right down the middle. When I use silverfast no line....... amazing
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  • 2 weeks later...

A follow-up on the repair of my Plustek OpticFilm 120 - Plustek in Taiwan have been excellent to deal with. After a bit of a rough start dealing with the USA helpdesk ("do-not-reply" type e-mails), I made direct e-mail contact with a helpful Plustek representative, and got passed to the people in Taiwan. They have been very responsive, and have now repaired the unit FOC, and are sending it back to me.

 

Assuming that it arrives back functioning, I really like what they have done, and the way they have communicated with me. I hope that they sell many more scanners, so that image traffic on Doc Henry's "I like film.." thread overloads the LUF servers - Sort of no-tech collateral hacking...

Edited by EoinC
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