sandip@oddjob.UUCP (Sandip Chakra) (07/09/85)
One of my professors is curious about the ThunderScan which scans a picture inserted in the imagewriter and produces the picture on the mac screen. Is there anybody who has any experience with a thunderscan? Will you also comment on the comparison between this thunderscan and the digitizing the image which requires a camera? Thanks in advance. Sandip Chakra
che@ptsfb.UUCP (Mitch Che) (07/12/85)
In article <845@oddjob.UUCP> sandip@oddjob.UUCP (Sandip Chakra) writes: >... Is there anybody who has any experience >with a thunderscan? Will you also comment on the comparison between >this thunderscan and the digitizing the image which requires a camera? >Thanks in advance. > > Sandip Chakra The Thunderscan allows you to feed a page through the Imagewriter to produce a digitized data file, to use in MacPaint, for example. It's relatively cheap and does a good job, BUT... It's pretty slow. It can take you up to 12 minutes to digitize an image. If you don't have to do a hundred images, though, you're not going to find a much cheaper way of digitizing 2-d images already on paper..(cost is about $199.00) The camera (VCR-type) approach is a lot more flexible and much quicker. The major problems are: cost (unless you have a VCR camera already), and resolution. Most of the lower cost systems like Koala's product (software and connection box) are strictly TV quality images, i.e. don't expect to read in a page of standard text... I've seen some higher resolution systems, but it's going to be relatively expensive. There's also a product (name anyone?) that looks like a lens on a small tripod. This is supposedly able to record very good images but I haven't used it... Mitch Che Pacific Bell --------------------------------------- disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer, too (415) 823-2438 uucp: {ihnp4,dual}!ptsfa!ptsfb!che
dennisg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Dennis E. Griesser) (07/23/85)
In article <197@ptsfb.UUCP> che@ptsfb.UUCP (Mitch Che) writes: >There's also a product (name anyone?) that looks like a lens on a >small tripod. This is supposedly able to record very good images >but I haven't used it... It sounds like you mean the "Micron Eye". This device originated in a "Circuit Cellar" article in Byte. About 2 years ago sounds right. It is available in kit or assembled form from "The Micro Mint", or another company ?Micron Technology?. Look for ads, or the Byte article. Versions are available for IBM-PC, Apple II, and others. It should be easy to interface to anything since it talks serially to your computer. The bad news is that the pickup is a RAM chip with the top pried off. It works, but the resolution is poor and the aspect ratio is non-standard. On top of it all, there is a blank strip running down the middle of the display. (The RAM's sense amplifiers, etc.) [standard disclaimers apply]
sandip@oddjob.UUCP (Sandip Chakra) (08/19/85)
Thanks to all of you (about 15) who mailed me praising thunderscan. It has been bought and is really wonderful.