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The return of the dead flatbed scanner

by 5Volt on February 13, 2007

Table of Contents

The return of the dead flatbed scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: The return of the dead flatbed scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Forewords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2: Inside the case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 3: A few more details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

http://www.instructables.com/id/The-return-of-the-dead-flatbed-scanner/
Intro: The return of the dead flatbed scanner
How a dead scanner can return as a printed circuit board UV lamp. Keep that cover closed !

Step 1: Forewords
I made this Ultra Violet bed to make printed circuit boards a few years ago without Instructables.com in mind, so rather than a step by step pictorial description of how I
made it, I'll provide you with a few pictures of the finished work and hints on how you can do the same. Hope this will help anyways.

First of all, safety. Notice that this is a mains powered device so maximum care must be taken in the design to insure that for no reason someone may come into contact
with live parts. If you are not sure about medium voltage (mains) electrical wiring practice ask a friend or someone else whom is.

Image Notes
1. Mains socket
2. Fuse holder
3. Power supply switch
4. In one of his previous lives this was an HP SCSI scanner ...

Step 2: Inside the case

Just a reminder first: 100/220 ac mains can be very dangerous! Oh, I think I already told so.

First thing I did was to disembowel the scanner, after all what I needed was the case with glass and cover. No electrical parts where reused. Of course you may want to
save the motors, belts, screws, head parts...You know, almost everything.

Then I opted for 3 tubes (around 8 Euro each), with ballasts and starters (6/7 Euro for each set). The switch, fuse holder and mains socket I scavenged from somewhere.
For the bottom plane I used a tin sheet. This acts as a sort of mirror/diffuser for UVs.
I used also some scrap aluminum bars from kitchen furnitures, their colour in the pictures tell it. Spacers and screws as required.

Now, the pictures show the electric diagram and the interior of the UV bed.
The circuit is based on three TL5 8W wood light tubes. Each tube is powered by its own ballast and starter . The number of tubes can be increased at will. The circuit is
provided with a safety fuse and a power switch. A power socket (taken from a PC power supply) complements the circuit.

All metallic parts inside that have an external metallic counterpart electrically connect to it, must be earthed i.e. connected to the ground line. This is an important safety
measure: if something goes wrong and the metal inside becomes 'live' the safety switch or fuse you have in your home trips off and no one is injured. Otherwise the
external metallic part may become live without anyone noticing until touched. In my case, since I used a metallic bottom and metallic spacers and screws to hold it to the
http://www.instructables.com/id/The-return-of-the-dead-flatbed-scanner/
case, I bolted the metallic bottom to the ground.

As I am writing I think that I should have bolted to ground the back panel which is metallic and can be reached externally as well. I'll do so.

Image Notes
1. The three starters
2. The third ballast
3. two of the ballasts
4. The three UV tubes

Image Notes
1. One more !
2. Metallic screws connected to the internal metallic plane call for ground
connection of the plane (and screws)
3. Another screw
4. Yes, another one.

http://www.instructables.com/id/The-return-of-the-dead-flatbed-scanner/
Step 3: A few more details
A few details now.

Grommets must be used where the wires cross the metallic plane so as the plastic insulator of the
electric wire does not wear out against the metal plane.

The fuse must be rated for the lamps used. In my case 3x8W 220Vac require a 0.5A fuse.

The tubes, ballasts and starters must be rated togheter. Too high rated the ballast and the tubes
get burnt, too low rated and the ballasts burn. Ballasts are typically rated with ranges e.g. 4-20W.
With different wiring and rating one ballast can serve two tubes. Check with the ballast supplier.

As a second thought, I think I shouldn't have removed the scanner's head. I should have mounted one single tube to the moving head of the scanner and use the stepper
motor and belt to move the head back and forth.
To provide a uniform lighting the head should have been moved with a non-uniform speed (arcsinusoidal, or inverse sin function, I am guessing). Exposure time would be
given by the head-lamp scanning faster or slower as required. But that's another story

One final important notice: UVs are dangerous to the eyes, so do not stare at the tubes when lit.

Ciao

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Each UV tube is mounted on its socket. 1. The fuseholder
2. One of the grommets. 2. Aluminum bar
3. Aluminum bar
4. The green ground wire

Image Notes
1. This is the scanner LED. Unconnected. Could replace with a Ne mini bulb.

http://www.instructables.com/id/The-return-of-the-dead-flatbed-scanner/
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JoeyJunior

Comments
29 comments Add Comment

hamstanz says: Jul 5, 2010. 5:16 AM REPLY

i'm also quite confused as to which type of UV light i should be using. I take it that this is a Black light one, although i see this person
(http://www.instructables.com/id/Pro-lichtbak-voor-weinig-geld-Pro-UV-lightbox-fo/step7/Eind-kosten-final-cost/) using tanning Bulbs. Which one will expose
a board the fastest ? Which one is most suited to this application ? Thanks a lot in advance

hamstanz says: Jul 5, 2010. 2:47 AM REPLY

Was wondering if you could tell me the exposure times for this setup and the exact model of the bulbs thanks

mrgibby says: Feb 19, 2007. 1:57 PM REPLY

good diagram, although where i come from green tends to mean ground, so i might've chosen a diff. color for circuit wiring. Otherwise though nice layout.
Yes by all means ground every metal part that's not part of the conducting circuit.

5Volt says: Feb 20, 2007. 10:42 AM REPLY

Yes, absolutely true. I actually remember seeing in South Africa a wired panel with green ground wires....I made an unfortunate choice of colour indeed !
Thanks for pointing that out. Ciao 5Volt

Foxtrot70 says: Sep 7, 2009. 9:51 AM REPLY

Hi 5Volt, the all green wires remind me of a past employer of mine. In an attempt to "Spend a Penny to save a Pound" one of the geniuses in
engineering sold the idea of changing color coded wire loom to all white with (you won't believe it) the connection info printed on both ends of the
wire. One needed a magnifying glass to read this stuff 24 ga. wire makes for a very small type point regardless of font! The result of the 3 year
exercise was "A Pound was spent including the Penny"! ARGH, management what would we do without them.

12V says: May 19, 2009. 12:55 PM REPLY

why not fit a cutout switch(so lamps extinguish when cover is opened).

jimwig says: Jan 29, 2008. 9:29 AM REPLY

labtech you did think of it. sometimes you just feel as if you were there when the project became reality. eh? ideas float in the air and when someone moves
on making one we all benefit or not. a connectiveness of sorts.

jimwig says: Jan 29, 2008. 9:25 AM REPLY

in the usa

green is ground
white or gray is neutral
black is hot leg or #1 in multiphase
red is " " #2 " " "
blue is #3 in 120?208 multiphase
orange is # in multiphase or a high leg in a Delta
brown is # in

hey its been so long that my brain is in the wrong phase. sorry look it up and be careful.

remember that if you are not grounded shock potential is minimized or eliminated BUT trickle currents can still shock the doggy doo out of you.

stand on a dry insulator if you MUST work on a live mains situation

try not to do work without another person close by

try to learn to give CPR as coronary arrest usually occurs in electrocution

http://www.instructables.com/id/The-return-of-the-dead-flatbed-scanner/
 And generally if in doubt DON'T $#% with live circuits.

BE CAREFUL and BE RESPECTFUL and be SAFE

labtech1952 says: Nov 9, 2007. 2:03 AM REPLY

Great project. The only criticism I have is; Why didn't I think of this?

DillyDog says: Mar 31, 2007. 12:23 PM REPLY

This would be really cool by using a scanner with a transparency hood and having UV tubes in the hood as well. That way, you could expose 2-sided boards
without the risk of accidental movement when turning the bord over to expose the second side. All the the ballasts and starters could be housed in the lower
casing, while just having the tubes in the hood. I think I'll get that old scanner out of the attic and have a go! Thanks for the idea, it had never occurred to me
before.

dpocius says: Oct 8, 2007. 8:38 PM REPLY

Or, if you had 2 identical scanners, you could take the covers off both and hinge them together, face-to-face (with UV tubes in both, of course.) Also, add
an interlock switch to kill the UV when the cover is opened. Also, get a spring wound timer switch like on a bathroom heat lamp to set a repeatable
exposure time.

txtsttoo says: Jun 11, 2007. 11:07 AM REPLY

nice idea, yea. Can someone tell me if i can do this,in an non working scanner ? by using bulb's or floureocent tubes' if there is someone who likes to help,
e- mail me : grrdmngn@yahoo.com thanks to you all Buddies. jerry.

5Volt says: Jun 12, 2007. 1:51 AM REPLY

Of course you can do this thing to a working scanner. Using a non-working one is more cost effective though. Read the full instructable and learn how.
Click on "view all steps on one page". Ciao

5Volt says: Feb 15, 2007. 3:04 AM REPLY

Thank you everybody for the interest shown. I didn't think to an instructable on how to actually make PCBs, Sumguysr summarized well and Googl-ing gives
excellent results. Yes, I read that visible, strong light gives results with PCBs as well. Makes sense as many common light sources do emit in the UV as well.
EEPROMS are hard to find, better luck with EEPROM-based microcontrollers. Not sure about the wavelength required by EEPROMs but I think that these
should be erased just fine, didn't try, though. OSKAY, UVs are reeaaally cool ! But nobody should indulge in staring UVs, the damage is the one you do not
notice until late. After a few seconds your eyes start sending painful signals. Interesting experiments include (wearing wide sunglasses) looking at crystals
and common stones, invisible dust and stains, fingerprints and, well, everything. You'll see a lot of new things. It's like listening to ultrasounds (?) or listening
to Infrared sources (??). Well, on this, sooner or later. For now, just Google around. How about replacing the visible tube of a battery operated portable
camping light with a UV tube ? Not good for PCBs but great for looking at things in a much different way. Ciao e a presto 5V.

Coolbreaze says: Feb 20, 2007. 1:01 PM REPLY

BTW you are confusing EEPROMS with EPROMS. You don't erase EEPROMS with UV Electronically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory You
erase EPROMS with UV erasable programmable read-only memory For optimum erasure time UV light must have a wavelength of 235nm But I'm still
95% sure your box would erase EPROMS since you can leave em outside in the sun to erase em....just takes way more time!

5Volt says: Feb 21, 2007. 1:47 AM REPLY

Not confusing, just mistyping and not reading again! actually EEPROM-based microcontrollers would be slow as a dog ! Ciao 5Volt

Coolbreaze says: Feb 14, 2007. 8:30 AM REPLY

Very nice way of recycling an old scanner for photo resist etching purposes!
You could also use it to erase eproms =)

2 1/2 thumbs up! (where does the half come from? nobody knows!)

sumguysr says: Feb 14, 2007. 7:50 PM REPLY

im afraid it wouldn't work to erase eproms. eproms require near band ultraviolet light, which will not work for exposing photo resist. Who cares though, uv
erasible eproms are ancient.

Coolbreaze says: Feb 20, 2007. 12:56 PM REPLY

I'm like 95% sure it would work since you can erase eproms using the sun light!...leave your eproms outside in the sun for 3 days and they are
erased...so why wouldn't UV lights do the trick over a long period of time? Yes wouldn't be 15minutes like a normal UV eraser but still!

radikaldesig says: Feb 16, 2007. 3:17 AM REPLY

It is a very good idea.
That wavelength has the light of the tubes?
Thanks
radiakldesig.com radiakldesig.com

http://www.instructables.com/id/The-return-of-the-dead-flatbed-scanner/
 5Volt says: Feb 16, 2007. 5:04 AM REPLY
Thank you. I used no brand tubes. Philips common TL5 8W tubes emit in the range 280 - 400 nm Ciao

T3h_Muffinator says: Feb 14, 2007. 6:09 PM REPLY

It seems cool, but I'm not exactly sure how it works. Is there some kind of mask that you put on the board and then gets eaten away when exposed to UV?

5Volt says: Feb 15, 2007. 3:35 AM REPLY

Last minute: makezine links to a number of instructable.com instructables and more on how to make PCBs.
Thanks to Phillip Torrone (of Makezine).
Ciao e apresto 5Volt

sumguysr says: Feb 14, 2007. 7:47 PM REPLY

the photomask process for creating pcbs is basicaly as follows 1. you design a pcb on a computer 2. you print out a film of the pcb, usualy on a
transparency or better yet on tracing paper 3. you coat a copper clad board with photoresist using a sprayer or a laminator and resist film, you can also
buy pre-coated boards 4. you use the film to mask the board and expose it to UV light 5. you place the board in developer 6. you place the board in
etchant, usualy ferric chloride, amonium persulphate, or cupric chloride.

ksjlkdjlddj says: Feb 15, 2007. 2:39 AM REPLY

I bought a second hand face tanner at a flee market for 2â?¬, and use it to expose my PCB's. It works just great and is dirt cheap! It has 4 UV-A tubes with
their starters and ballasts, and even a crude timer (which I don't use). From my experience, it would indeed be better to have the UV light move around, this
would eliminate shadowing at the edges of traces. I avoid this by moving the face tanner a bit after half of the exposure time. Make sure your artwork does
not move in respect to the PCB you are exposing though. Summary: the cheapest source for UV-A tubes are second hand face tanners. www.steeman.be

5Volt says: Feb 15, 2007. 3:25 AM REPLY

It's incredible the number of free or cheap things that can be reused or recycled. Thanks, good hints. 5V.

oskay says: Feb 14, 2007. 10:59 AM REPLY

Brilliant!!!

By the way, I've had excellent luck exposing PCBs with regular fluorescent lamps-- so I don't think that you *need* to use the UV bulbs. (Although they do
look *seriously* cool.) Do they significantly cut down on the exposure time that you need? I remember using about seven minutes per side with regular
fluorescent bulbs.

chaydgb says: Feb 14, 2007. 10:18 AM REPLY

Cool idea, nice job! Shame I've recently chucked a scanner, and I just happen to be looking for a photoresist exposure box too :(

Sergiozal says: Feb 14, 2007. 9:29 AM REPLY

I did almost the same with ordinary daylight lamps - six 20W bulbs - to use it as a light table to view negatives. Works quite nice.

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