Easiest way to scan massive service manuals
 

Howdy,

I've got a ton of service manuals for mostly Panasonic VHS units from over the years. Unfortunately, my scanner can't fit the pages.

Does anybody know of some easy ways to get this guys "digitized"?

Thanks

What kind of scanner do you have?
What maximum page size?
Does it do automatic double sided and is it auto or only manual feed?

The Panasonic service manuals I have are a combination of normal 8.5x11 pages, double sided and some a number of large fold-out pages containing mostly schematic diagrams.

Most scanning services are reluctant to do copyrighted material.

One approach is to carefully cut the bindings to create single sheets.
- Scan the normal size pages to PDF (an automatic feed can do this if the pages are not damaged)
- scan the oversize sheets by:
- high resolution photography and then save as a pdf file, or
- fold the pages to fit on the scanner bed, scan to create a tiled image,
and then piece teh scans together to get the full drawing on a single oversize PDF
- Then order the individual pdf pages in the proper sequence.

.

Thanks for the response.

I have a Canon CanoScan LiDE 400. It's manual-fed.

I don't want to damage or modify the original, I'm afraid.

...Also do you know how to change a profile avatar? I can't seem to figure it out. All I can see in the "edit avatar" section is to "don't use an avatar", but I can't find a way to change to a different one.

If you cannot take the manual apart then getting a good, flat scan of a page will be problematic. It will be a one page at a time process, and could involve using some clear glass to hold pages flat while photographing them on a copy stand. Then convert to pdf. Need to work lighting carefully to avoid reflections.

Good luck with the project. But check some of the online manual services first. They might already be available for download (maybe purchase) as a PDF.

Not sure if user selected avatars are an activated options, check with the sysops.

I've looked for the ones I've got online, but to no luck.

I've heard there's a way to photograph each page with a DSLR. Have you ever tried that before?

Are you able to see a way to change your avatar? I've sent a message to the admin but I'd rather save them the trouble if you're willing to do that.

Yes, using a copy stand, using an improvised copy stand, and using a dedicated book scanner (not a cheap device, made for use by libraries).

The following might work for you with a DSLR if you do not have a copy stand:

Mount the camera on a sturdy tripod. Aim it at the floor.
Place the object to be copied under the camera.
Flatten the page of interest, a flat piece of glass works
Light it uniformly from the sides, say at a 45 degree angle, not from directly above
Zoom and focus to fill the frame
Check for unwanted reflections and eliminate them
Adjust exposure so white is white and black is black.
Take the picture - a remote shutter release may help prevent some motion blur.
Repeat for each page.

As I said, a sysop will have to help you with avatar change. I cannot do it.

Can you list the manuals you have?

There are apps that actually do a really good job of using the phone camera to create PDFs. I use Genius Scan myself.

Sure, I have an AG-170 service manual, PV-6110 + others in the same booklet, and an AG-7400 service manual.

I actually just got one of those free phones from AT&T after my Galaxy S4 wouldn't charge anymore. It's like 1 mp for the camera and it looks awful. I have a Nikon D3300 though.

There are book scanners where you don't have to flatten the manual more that 90 degree and they can scan two pages in the same go but they are very expensive. If not get one of those handheld scanners that they can follow the page curvature. But as far as speed, this is going to be a page by page process since you want to keep the manuals intact.

If they were looseleaf pages, or you were willing to chop up the manuals, I use the Epson FastFoto FF-680W for all my photo scanning projects. I put a stack of photos in it and walk away. They always come out fine. If not, as stated above, your quickest and cheapest option is to use an image to PDF mobile scanning app.