Fiche scanning redux

--- Tony Eros <tony.eros(a)machm.org> wrote: What a cool idea. I've seen them in the stores, but for $100, I've resisted the temptation. That's a lot of work. If I were even going to consider a microscope, I'd also consider a motorized table to move the image around. Bigger optics. I used to work for a company that produced the motor platform, the ISA control boards and the scanning software for a company that made "remote microscopes" - imagine a device that resembles a reflecting telescope, but less than 2' long. It could resolve a 1mm^2 patch into a frame of 512 pixels by 512 pixels and could be moved around in a box several inches on a side. We sold it as an inspection system that could zoom in on defects. Customers used them to inspect hypodermics, optical glass (to map the flaws to cut around them) and more. No, I don't have one - the systems were $30K each. The company I worked for closed when the optics maker stopped paying invoices. We got the layoff notice on Monday evening (called at home); the company closed on that Friday. In any case, a back-lit fiche and a "remote microscope" might do the trick, should you run across one. In the meantime, a scanning frame with mechanical stops might be the simplest thing to do. If you have a broken fiche reader, you might be able to find a way to mount your microscope head where the mirror and screen go, and use the fiche holder and positioning tray as is. -ethan __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Sports - Coverage of the 2002 Olympic Games http://sports.yahoo.com