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CHDK Book Scanner?

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Offline ethereal

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CHDK Book Scanner?
« on: 27 / May / 2009, 11:08:48 »
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Hey! I don't know if this is wayyy too much to ask, but is there any possibility anyone could write up a simple program to have two cameras attached to a rig like this:

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-High-Speed-Book-Scanner-from-Trash-and-Cheap-C/

... and have it spit out PDF's on the other end?

I'm working on a project to preserve digital copies of books of different languages in my country. It'd help to have a much tighter setup on the software end.

Also, I should mention that the person who made that particular instructable, had someone draw up a program to output PDFs (check steps 78 and 79). It needs to use MATLAB to run, and is currently in alpha stages. The rig above uses two Canon Powershot A590 IS cameras.

CHDK and the book scanner's lovechild would be formidable, and flexible, as CHDK support might allow for many more cameras. It's much needed, especially with the advent of ebook readers and whatnot, that are only going to get cheaper with time. Larger areas would allow for archiving newspapers and stuff, and I imagine it'd be used regularly at academic institutions for archival and digitization purposes. Plain spitting out PDF's is enough for now.

I suppose future features might be auto white balance to keep the paper white, and being able to fix the colors by using a reference in shot. possibly a credit card sized gretag macbeth color checker card, and being able to read page numbers to check to see if everything's been done in order.

EDIT: If anyone's going to consider pursuing this seriously, I'll try and raise money for the venture. It seems only fair. If you do feel financial assistance is necessary, I'd be grateful if you could post up a cost breakdown for the tools/software needed. i.e., PDF SDK, scanner rig, etc.
« Last Edit: 27 / May / 2009, 11:12:35 by ethereal »
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Offline Microfunguy

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Re: CHDK Book Scanner?
« Reply #1 on: 27 / May / 2009, 11:18:20 »
Quote from: ethereal on 27 / May / 2009, 11:08:48
CHDK support might allow for many more cameras.


That project uses SDM which has been used to control up to 30 cameras !


David
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Offline ethereal

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Re: CHDK Book Scanner?
« Reply #2 on: 28 / May / 2009, 17:05:38 »
:-/ well microfunguy, I'm a commoner. I didn't really know. does it seem robust enough to use full-time, in your opinion?
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Offline Microfunguy

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Re: CHDK Book Scanner?
« Reply #3 on: 28 / May / 2009, 18:22:11 »
Quote from: ethereal on 28 / May / 2009, 17:05:38
does it seem robust enough to use full-time, in your opinion?

I do not understand the question.
Is what robust enough ?
'Robust' in what way ?

Certainly, the creation of the PDF's will have to be done on the computer.
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Offline fudgey

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Re: CHDK Book Scanner?
« Reply #4 on: 29 / May / 2009, 12:23:44 »
Quote from: Microfunguy on 28 / May / 2009, 18:22:11
Quote from: ethereal on 28 / May / 2009, 17:05:38
does it seem robust enough to use full-time, in your opinion?

I do not understand the question.
Is what robust enough ?
'Robust' in what way ?

I believe that means if you think it's sturdy & reliable enough to work for a decade in an office scanning stuff all day long.
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Offline Microfunguy

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Re: CHDK Book Scanner?
« Reply #5 on: 29 / May / 2009, 13:17:12 »
Quote from: fudgey on 29 / May / 2009, 12:23:44
I believe that means if you think it's sturdy & reliable enough to work for a decade in an office scanning stuff all day long.


In that case, I do not know.

Nobody does.

At least the shutter on a point-and-shoot camera is tiny, moves a very small distance and is operated by an electromagnet that consumes very little power.

I don't think the more complex digital SLR would last as long.

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Offline ethereal

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Re: CHDK Book Scanner?
« Reply #6 on: 01 / June / 2009, 16:34:47 »
microfunguy i meant to ask whether it'd be a stable, reliable way of scanning things. I won't be able to see a PDF from the middle, while it's being made, for example. my question was more about the software than the hardware. the hardware seems good to me. it's the processing that i was asking about. I suppose i should have used the word "stable" instead of robust.

i don't, for example, want to spend a buncha money to have something crash on me 90% of the time. i'm just not any sort of authority on the subject, so i can't figure out whether it'll be buggy or not. Or whether it'll need constant troubleshooting. don't shoot me for being nitpicky though. :P
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Offline Microfunguy

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Re: CHDK Book Scanner?
« Reply #7 on: 01 / June / 2009, 17:18:11 »
Quote from: ethereal on 01 / June / 2009, 16:34:47
i don't, for example, want to spend a buncha money to have something crash on me 90% of the time.


Well, detecting the USB signal and triggering the shutter is all that it is doing in your proposed application.

If that does not work we have problems.

Anyway, you can try running  a script to trigger  the shutter every five seconds for many hours.

You can then prove it does not crash.

Remember, some people have had this capturing time-lapse frames for weeks on end.

If anyone is an authority on how reliable it is I guess they are.


David
« Last Edit: 01 / June / 2009, 17:19:48 by Microfunguy »
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Offline E^3

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Re: CHDK Book Scanner?
« Reply #8 on: 17 / January / 2011, 02:24:12 »
Quote from: ethereal on 27 / May / 2009, 11:08:48
Hey! I don't know if this is wayyy too much to ask, but is there any possibility anyone could write up a simple program to have two cameras attached to a rig like this:

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-High-Speed-Book-Scanner-from-Trash-and-Cheap-C/

... and have it spit out PDF's on the other end?

I'm working on a project to preserve digital copies of books of different languages in my country. It'd help to have a much tighter setup on the software end.

Also, I should mention that the person who made that particular instructable, had someone draw up a program to output PDFs (check steps 78 and 79). It needs to use MATLAB to run, and is currently in alpha stages. The rig above uses two Canon Powershot A590 IS cameras.

CHDK and the book scanner's lovechild would be formidable, and flexible, as CHDK support might allow for many more cameras. It's much needed, especially with the advent of ebook readers and whatnot, that are only going to get cheaper with time. Larger areas would allow for archiving newspapers and stuff, and I imagine it'd be used regularly at academic institutions for archival and digitization purposes. Plain spitting out PDF's is enough for now.

I suppose future features might be auto white balance to keep the paper white, and being able to fix the colors by using a reference in shot. possibly a credit card sized gretag macbeth color checker card, and being able to read page numbers to check to see if everything's been done in order.

EDIT: If anyone's going to consider pursuing this seriously, I'll try and raise money for the venture. It seems only fair. If you do feel financial assistance is necessary, I'd be grateful if you could post up a cost breakdown for the tools/software needed. i.e., PDF SDK, scanner rig, etc.

Hello ethereal,

I think  you can try a Canon Powershot  G1X and use the decapod , it has a good BW(which options you wanted) features with in.
And you can visit my blog
http://cobecoballes-linux.blogspot.com/2010/08/decapod-for-robook-scanner.html

Note :
Canon has released not to support remote control to G11 and its next power shot model 

Thanks

E^3
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Offline ChrisJames

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Re: CHDK Book Scanner?
« Reply #9 on: 04 / April / 2013, 00:30:45 »
check this out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2p_Nt2WQE0
Come company is doing it
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