I've given up on the photo copy stand - found a 11" x17" all in one instead

While the copy stand functioned OK, none of the camera and lens combinations I had were perfect and the lights on the stand needed to be replaced. Just to buy replacement lights would cost at least $100 and I'd still have to figure out how to mount them and get them to light various sized items evenly. Getting a new camera or even new lenses is not in the budget

Meanwhile, my old Epson color inkjet printer has been giving me problems (I think the printer heads are going bad) so I went looking for a replacement. I happened on an Epson Workforce WF-7520 - wide format, scans and prints 11" x 17" (in fact, it can print up to 13" x 19"!). The specs were decent, maybe not as good a photo printer as my old Epson R380 but the ability to scan 11x17 was appealing.

The price - $299 list - was not appealing. While searching for more reviews and better prices I found the Workforce WF-7510. It's the same printer but with only one paper tray, sells for $50 less. But last week Staples had it on sale for $180. With more hunting, though, I found the WF-7510 for only $150 from Epson - refurbished. Then I found the 7520 also refurbished from Epson for $180 with free shipping. I went for that extra paper tray - I can leave plain letter size in one and put specialty papers in the other.

As a multi-function, this thing also has a document feeder, faxes, duplexes, can act as a copy machine without a computer, and the scanner is amazing. Right now I am scanning 12x16 pages from a 50 year old scrapbook. I scan the entire page (the 12" dimension includes the binding part so I am not losing any of the actual information) then select the various items on the page to scan at higher resolution. There is no worry about uneven lighting, the old warped pages are flattened by the scanner lid and I can easily handle these fragile pages without damage. I can also immediately make sure the scans are perfect and not have to pull a memory card, download the images to check, then have to pull the page back out to re-shoot if they are not sufficient quality.

Aside from my dislike of the Epson scanning software (I have Vuescan for my Epson photo scanner since the Epson software will NOT scan to the full ability of the scanner and will not let me scan my antique odd size medium format negatives even though the scanner CAN) the only complaint I have is that this thing is massive. I have a kitchen utility cart and ended up putting the AIO on it so I can move it out of the way when I am not using it.

All in all, since I am much more used to scanning than specialty photographing, I am very pleased with this scanner especially for the prince. I haven't yet tested the large format printing - I don't have a pressing need for it - but do want to check out all the features.

I did not mean this to be a promo for this machine. But if anyone needs a large format scanner/printer it's worth a look, especially at this price. A tip - the Epson Store does not provide a direct link to refurbished products. I googled the model and the refurbished link showed up in the sponsored links on the right side.

Is DU having server problems? The response rate is really, really, really slow right now for me.

I just checked the speed with my ISP and the general speeds are what they should be.

Thanks!

Bard Owl Seranade

I just finished listening to an extended song fest of a large group of barred owls, probably five or six of them carrying on for over fifteen minutes solid with a few arias that began and closed the concert.

It was lovely! Barred Owl Bards, for sure.

This time of year we often have the windows open at night and get to hear the owls, the birds the owls wake up, and the grey foxes that are mating down the hill. During the day when it is cool enough - it was near 90 today - I listen to the bluebirds, mockingbirds and all the other songbirds. But the nighttime serenades are my favorites.

Scored a photocopy stand! Need help on the bulbs for it and maybe rewiring

It's one my Dad had and used to copy historic photos and documents. I need it for the same purpose and also to copy large needlework.

This thing is old - originally made for using with a Polaroid Land camera - it's a Polaroid 208 Copymaker. But it has a good solid base with a gauge plate for squaring up the item to be copy, lights at 45 degree angles on both sides for even lighting, and a solidly mounted adjustable stand for the camera. My Dad adapted the camera mount for a standard camera screw mount and also added a taller post so the camera can be raised significantly.

One very similar to mine is at http://www.josephfazzio.com/polaroid-208-copymaker-115vac-20watt-afh242

First major problem - the timer for the light on one side is inaccurate and very noisy. I'm planning to rewire the thing to bypass this timer. I will always need both lights on at the same time and as it stands, the light on one side switches on, the one on the other side only comes on with the timer.

Second problem - the bulbs. Both currently work so I'm good for now, though I would rather have full spectrum or daylight rather than the cool white bulbs on there now. They are Sylvania Cool White 3W F3T5/CW z458 12" straight tubles. So far I haven't found replacements, though I have only started looking.

I'm wondering if I have to rewire the thing if I should look for replacement fixtures with easier to source bulbs?

UPDATED: Problems with my SATA DVD burner - it is not burning!

UPDATE: It seems to be fixed. I think it was a combination of bad media (the decade old cheap CompUSA DVDs) and a messed up installation of the DVD burner.

Got home with the new DVDs, test burned with IMG Burn, and it failed. But then I realized I had "woken" the computer up and not given it any time to finish it's process, so I tried again with Windows burning program - it worked and at the speed of the DVDs (previously nothing would burn faster than 4x). I had uninstalled CDburnerXP so I re-installed it and tried again. No problem.

The only annoying part is that the verification part is still very slow, especially now that I'm actually filling DVDs with data!


Original Post:
Windows 7 64 bit, LG GH24NSB0 DVDRAM on SATA bus.

I had always used CDburnerXP and installed it on this computer, but hadn't needed to burn anything. since I got the new computer.

At first I thought the problem was the old DVD-R discs I have, but then it wouldn't burn CDRs and those are brand new.

So I went to the forum on the CDburnerXP site - there was discussion the program doesn't work with SATA drives. Then one thread said they updated the firmware for their burner (not a LG) and it worked. Off to the LG site, downloaded the firmware released in the last month, flashed it successfully. Tried again, CDburnerXP failed again.

Then I tested it with Windows 7 built in burning software. After one false start, I did some more research and found that Windows has to have the SATA bus set to EIDE mode in the BIOS. Once that was done I managed to make the four copies of DVDs of family photos to share. I thought the problem was solved.

No such luck. Tonight I tried to back up a collection of downloaded data with the Windows burner program. Failure.

Tomorrow I will get some new DVD discs, but since I have managed to burn a number of good copies with those older discs, I am not sure they are the problem.

Anybody have any suggestions for what to try next?

One of my crowns fell off while I was eating dinner!

It's weird - it doesn't hurt at all. The only reason I knew it came off was that I bit down on it.

Of course, it wouldn't happen on a weekday so I can get into the dentist fast. The most annoying part is what's left of the tooth is really, really ragged.

Dang.

So now that Obamacare is a sucess, can we force the House to vote

50+ times to re-authorize unemployment benefits for those who have been out of work for extended periods?

Or 50+ times to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 or better?

I'd be happy if the Democrats would force the Republicans in the House to vote over and over and over on really NEEDED things rather than trying to take good stuff away from the American people!

The Annual Guinea Pig Festival in Peru ***WARNING*** Could be offensive to some!

Seriously, if you are sensitive, DON"T read the linked story and pictures to the end - STOP at the guinea pig with the Santa hat! If you have a perverse sense of humor, read on.

"The March" - PBS show about the 1963 March on Washington

Excellent program. I just watched it and recommend it to everyone.

I was too young in 1963 to really understand what was going on that day, though I remember the trepidation of white people in my little Southern town about what might come of that march. They expected riots and violence, since their experience was based on the treatment of civil rights marchers by Southern law enforcement.

I don't think the white people I knew really listened to the words said that day or learned what they should have from the people who gathered in Washington that day. If they had, we would not still have the racism and the subjugation of people we do today. Instead they were waiting for the expected violence. They lost a chance to make this country better and stronger.

Watch the program if it is shown in your area. Here, it will rerun Sunday evening.

City of Tallahassee releases "Footsteps to Freedom" Documentary