Marc Tsuno

Thanks, that's a lot of good information! Unfortunately, I have limited time (and money) to execute any changes and I can't really develop the system to make it less user-friendly such that it would require speed monitoring. The Retroscan needs to be potato-friendly so most staff can be able to scan/digitize film without becoming experts. There isn't money to fund a full-time AV staff member who could seriously learn how to maximize the systems capabilities. I'd definitely love to install a pressure plate to help with any vinegar syndrome, but I think that would be outside my skill set. However that does seem like the best low-cost upgrade after a new LED, so I'll make a note about that. Again unfortunately, anything with high vinegar syndrome is either going to have to be sent out for scanning/duplication by people with the proper equipment or more likely written off and disposed of. We have over a couple million feet of film amongst other AV mediums, and that generally means we have to pick and choose what we can save. But again thanks, I'll definitely get this all documented so someone in future can hopefully try and follow your suggestions!

That is a really cool setup from your friend! You definitely have my interest piqued. My organization has the same Retroscan, and while it's certainly subpar to what's out there, it was all we could afford. However I would definitely be interested in upgrading the LED. I'm assuming that Roger didn't build enough electrical overhead into the system to just swap in a 50w LED. The power supply we got for it isn't even rated for the volts the LED your friend used wants, and it looks like Roger used a RCA port to power the one he installed? I was thinking about installing the LED on its own line/system instead of trying to tie it into the rest the Retroscan. That would hopefully simplify the upgrade and allow me to swap back to the stock setup if there's a need? I've got a 60w LED driver with sufficient voltage range to match, so I could probably just run it through that. Does that sound reasonable? I would also be interested learning how your friend added speed controls? I have no idea where to start with that, but slowing down scan speed for better quality is something I would be interested in. Speeding it up might also be an interesting option for some applications, though that's less important. It would be great to upgrade the entire system to your friend's machine's level, but unfortunately I don't have the budget to accomplish that - however this seems like a reasonable upgrade that would greatly benefit our capabilities. Thanks in advance!