[sane-devel] Artec AM12S - DMX 3191 PCI to SCSI card - Red Hat 7.2

[Peter de Groot]

Just a file note for the mailing list archive for the next poor
slob :-)

A driver DOES exist for the PCI scsci card that is bundled
with the recent Artec AM12S scanners.  The card is a
Domex 3191D ( DMX 3191D).

The driver is bundled with at least Red Hat 7.2.

It driver is not normally installed with the default kernal
installation.  Thus you will have to install the module
BEFORE trying start any scanning programs.

This is done by typing (as root) in a terminal window

           insmod  dmx3191d

Suggest that you do a 

             sane-find-scanner 

to find the appropiate sg device file in the /dev/ directory
Recommend that a link is then made to /dev/scanner, to save
fiddling with some more config files.

A word of warning when scanning ....

BE PATIENT !!!!!!!!  If you try another operation before the scanner
has settled back from the previous operation.  For instance, a preview......
your machine will HANG !!!  Completely !!   DEAD !!!!

What is worse ... is that a simple reboot/poweroff will not bring the 
card/scanner back to life..... it will hang ALL the time.

The only fix that I managed to use, apart from waiting overnight, was
to unplug the PC, while the machine is still ON.  That is right, just
pull the power cable out.  Do not turn the power off using the power
switch on the PC hardware.

Pull the plug on the scanner as well. Turn the scanner back on and
then restart the PC.

I am not absolutely sure of the reasons for this, but I suspect that
it has something to do with the way that PCs handle their on/off,
boot on modem ring or something.  Pulling the plug with the machine
on makes sure that the capacitors or something in the power supply
gets discharged.

Would love to hear some theories.

Having said that ... it would be really nice if scanning did not
hang the machine.  It does not happen under windoze.


Another problem I had was that using the Red Hat 7.2 bundled (rev ?) sane software, 
the resultant image had REAL colour problems.  All of the bits where in the 
right place, but the colours were rubbish.... also had vertical white lines 
through the image.  Looked like a wrap around or something.

Anyway ... I downloaded the latest rev  1.08 ??  Front and back ends.
Re-compiled it and it worked a treat.  Still with the hang problem though.

Last night, I was gimping my way through a full colour, 600x600 scanned
A4 image.  A snip with the .pnm file at 100 Meg :-)  I could see the weave
in the paper and the colour dithering from the printout :-)

Good work chaps.... keep up the good work.

Thanks also to Max Vorobiev <pcwizard at zelmail.ru> for his help.


Cheers
Peter


______________________________________________________________

              PDG Technical Services Pty Ltd
                      ABN 25077936933        
 Peter de Groot                             P.O. Box 10349   
  08) 90916817                              Kalgoorlie 6430  
 pdgtech at kalnet.com.au                      Western Australia
______________________________________________________________