Wade,
Thanks for all the references. Here are a few replies to you comments
Computer controlled stepper motors aren't a particularly big problem, and
the optics could probably be replaced or at least modified.
Agreed,
The packages are hermetically sealed. It would be difficult removing the
glass, the color filters will most likely change once exposed to humidity
and other contaminants�we are talking about 5 micron sq. photodiodes so dust
may also be a problem.
There are ways around this too. The simplest would be to make use of the
higher level interfaces used by the scanner manufacturers. That would be
either the TWAIN <http://www.twain.org/> or the SANE
<http://panda.mostang.com/sane/> interface.
This is a lot of �spoofing� to get the device to do what you may want. The
problem centers around most flat bed scanners actually scan the underside
lip first where they get the information for white balance AND light level
before they read the glass. If the sensor encounters out of range I have no
idea what they do.
Another possibility would be to look into purchasing the CCD or CMOS
imaging element as a component part, and then developing one's own
electronics around this. Sometimes manufacturers will supply chips in
small sample lots for free, or for the more pricey items sell development
kits for engineers to experiment with their products. That might be a bit
less expensive than tearing appart a new digital camera. However, as
scanners and digital cameras evolve and are discarded this will certainly
change.
I do not know of any one that has engineering kits. The other issue is that
the CCD itself can be damaged by only 5KV of static discharge. This is
considered extremely low so any handling of the device or assembly is
hazardous to it�s health.
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