Damned banding in my scanner!

[apocaplops]

Man, I just noticed my scanner is producing banding. Always in the same location, so it's gotta be the scanner, and nothing else. I got our favorite - the Epson 3170. Any ideas what to do? I'd hate to have to send it in or something...

Here's a cropped example:



It's worst at high resolutions, this example is 2400 with levels adjusted to exaggerate the banding.

[mitspooner]

I would get the angry face checked out right away I don't have the epson but I have a canon flatbed and I have found when it's really humid out that I get some banding but when I turn on my de-humidifer on the banding is gone.

[Dean Williams]

My little Photosmart makes a band like the lower one when there is a piece of dust stuck to the lens.  Dust on the film just looks like dust on the film.

[P C Headland]

Make sure you clean the glass round the calibration area (at the top/back), and make sure the opaque plastic on the holder's calibration cutout is clean.  Any dust there, and you'll get banding.

[taffer]

Erich, this seems to be a favorite problem of our favorite scanner Mine has got worse with time so I guess it could be dust getting on the lenses. I'm sure though that if I open to try to clean it it could only get worse. Too impossible to work in a dust free area here, sigh.

Oscar

[derevaun]

Don't forget to turn it off and back on!

[melek]

I took my scanner apart about a year ago. A haze had seemed to develop on the underside of the platen on the top, as well as the bottom.

It didn't do anything to improve my photography, but the scans seemed to be cleaner.

[xvvvz]

Paul's advice often clears up the problem most of the time. The gap area needs to be absolutely spotless. If that doesn't work, another easy thing to try is to tilt the scanner on it side at about 80 degrees. Run a few full scanning bed length scans at high resolution so that the head moves slowly (in reflective mode is fine). The vibration will sometimes vibrate dust specks off the optics. Even if it doesn't completely remove them, it should move them if they are on the optics and at least confirm that is your problem. Then you have to open up and clean things.
 
To create a low dust-in-the-air environment, you can try the following. Scrub down your bathroom very well, then run a nice steamy shower, keep the bathroom door closed and let it cool down on its own for an hour or so, take your scanner and enter the bathroom quickly and shut the door (keeps out any new dust). You should have a fairly low dust environment for a quick attempt at an internal cleaning. If you need help in disassembling your scanner, I have put up links to some "exploded diagrams" here.
 
My $.02,
 
Doug
---
www.BetterScanning.com

[cenelson]

Guys, after breaking my 3170 down several times to chase phantom dust on the lens, I determined a different course. I am almost certain it has something to do with the lighting unit and/or something else electronic. When I encounter this issue now, I first give the hood a good tap (right on the diffuser); then if it persists I unplug the scanner hood from the body, then plug back in; ultimately, powering down the scanner and letting it rest before bringing it back on-line is my tactic. One of those routines usually gets me back on track, though to be honest it MIGHT be dust which gets knocked loose after the steps above, each followed by a test scan to check for banding....

*shrug*


And, Doug - very good to see you here. I don't own your holders, but I hear a lot of good things.

[cenelson]

Regarding tearing apart the 3170, it is very simple to get under the hood. Lock the bed, remove the hood from the scanner, unplug it, etc. Two screws are located in the slots where the hood connects to the body - remove. Note which slot contained the longer of the two. Now, gently work the top off of the body starting at the back end. You will find that the top hangs at coming off the front of the unit. It will come off in one piece, but you have to take your time. It requires a twisting sort of motion, at least in my experience. I won't be held responsible if you damage yours, however.


The underside of the glass does haze - this is due to gassing of the plastics in the chassis. You can clean the haze off with some Windex, etc. The glass on these beds is incredibly easy to scratch. Be warned. Use clean materials.

C.

[taffer]

Gentlemen,

Thank you !

Paul and Doug's advice were spot on. I toroughly cleaned the glass calibration area, as well as that zone in the film holder.

Also ran some full size scans with the scanner tilted a bit less than 90 degrees on its side.

The results overall look quite cleaner, I was having problems mainly in the sky areas that seem to be gone.

http://www.pbase.com/taffer/image/69701570
http://www.pbase.com/taffer/image/69701572
http://www.pbase.com/taffer/image/69701574

Those three, scanned after the 'healing', needed no banding cleaning at all.

Guys, you're the best, hope this workflow helps many 3170 users out there.

Oscar

[josphy]

I second the recommendation to clean the calibration area very, very well.  That has always been the cause of these type of lines with flatbeds for me in the past.  Hopefully that's all it is, and should be easy to fix.

EDIT:  Oh, nevermind.  I didn't see that you had already tried it, and it worked!  Well that's great!

[melek]

Those scans now look excellent. Nice photos too.

[Jordan]

This is great, timely advice. I've been having streaks lately and didn't know why.  I assumed it was a "hot" element in the scanner and never would have thought of dust. I'll give the calibration area a good cleaning.

[taffer]

Truly a very valuable advice, it could be added to that sticky 3170 thread if that's possible