Can a scanner become "too hot"?

[LaFoto]

Today I scanned a whole lot of pics, just because I could (the power supply for my own computer arrived today and got installed again and it works again and with it the whole periphery can be used again, among it the scanner). I use an HP Scanjet 3770 flatbed scanner and scanned PRINTS, not negatives (it no longer knows how to convert them ).

The first came out all right, but towards the end of the long (hours!) scanning process there appeared a red strip on all my scans. All of them.

Any idea what can have caused it?
The scanner is going on three years...

 

[ladyphotog]

Could be that it got too hot or you could have dust in the scanner. I would turn it off and clean it really well then try again. If it keeps happening it may need a in depth cleaning or you could have a imaging problem. Keep trying different things and keep a record of when it performs correctly and when it doesn't, that should give you a better clue as to what is going on with it.

 

[Jeff Canes]

That sounds more like the cache or RAM being full, I have seen the similar.

More common problem for me is prints stick to the glass when it’s warm for a lot of use.

 

[LaFoto]

Hang on, where is the cache for the scanner???
And yes, there is one "stick point" that I have known for long now, and that, too, begins to show in the last many of the big batch. I think I might rescan those that get the worst of the red strip this morning, after the scanner's had a good night's rest.

 

[Alex_B]

Hang on, where is the cache for the scanner???
And yes, there is one "stick point" that I have known for long now, and that, too, begins to show in the last many of the big batch. I think I might rescan those that get the worst of the red strip this morning, after the scanner's had a good night's rest.

I the red stripe is always exactly in the same position on your images .... well .. prepare for it's death then I would guess .. even if it is realtes to the heating up

 

[LaFoto]

Well, to show you the problem I will do something I would not normally do: I will show you totally unprocessed scans, just like they arrived in my computer from the scanner, and you see that the red line is always in the same place (but only developed in the course of time of my yesterday's scan session, the first scans don't show this line):

No hope for my scanner then????
My husband suggests I first of all de-install the entire scanner software and re-install it to see if that help. I will try to rescan these last 36 pics from the film I had in the Leica last Wednesday and see if they look any better when the scanner has had a rest of many hours.

Other than that though?
What could be your "verdict"?

 

[Alex_B]

OUCH! So the stripe is THAT wide ... *shivers* I though it is more a thing of a few pixels, but that is ... impressive!

That is a flatbed scanner? Problem with the light source then maybe?

I doubt that is a sorftware problem .. and not a problem with your screen either as I can see the stripes too

I would not guess there is any dirt on it as that part of a flatbed is usuually sealed from anything bad.

.. but I am not an expert on flatbed scanners.

 

[LaFoto]

It is a flatbed scanner, and I cleaned the glass over and again yesterday, but the red stripe is something that developed in the course of time and ... may now no longer be there. I must still test that - and by the look of things (despite the delicious smell from the kitchen) our trout is not yet ready ... so I might want to test it NOW!

 

[Alex_B]

OK, I'm off, running in the forest, the weather is just too nice for typing here.. will be back later and have a look at the latest scans then

 

[LaFoto]

Newest report then: re-scanning the worst of yesterdays scans worked fine. No red line this time.
Seems like (old) scanners CAN indeed become "too hot" ... :scratch: ... a sign of their imminent death????? Aargh! Right now, when I have finally made myself use the Leica more?!?! Bad timing, scanner, very bad timing !!!

 

[Alex_B]

well, maybe things are not all that bad. maybe it is a slow death! *keeps his fingers crossed*

 

[Jeff Canes]

Ok that looks different from that what I have seem before, what I was talking is when your computer’s temporary working space is full or low and it has problem process, but when that happen all you need to do is reboot the computer to clear it out.

 

[LaFoto]

"Different" means "NOT NICE", doesn't it?
Well, I was quite miffed when it happened yesterday but am consoled that re-scanning these pics worked ok today.

 

[Jeff Canes]

what I had was a solid vertical red bar maybe 4-8mm wide with a thin green and white/yellow ones next to it

For you maybe something expanded a little from heat and caused some small effect on light spectrum, who knows for sure