Canon FS4000US Film Scanner problems????

[carlo_lombardo]

I am thinking about purchasing this scanner. Even though most of the

reviews are really good, not too many reviews are from users who

owned it for more than 1 year. I only saw 1 reviews that had said

that the gears that move the film holder in and out grind after while

cause of the weight of the tray. It does not do this if the weight is

supported. Anyone elso who owns this scanner have this problem?

[umd]

Check <a href=http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=006fZw>this</a> and <a href=http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=006gm9>this</a>.

[chris_eve]

My FS4000 is now over two years old. It's scanned several hundred films ... NOT individual negs, 24 & 36 exposure films. It got noisy, I cleaned and lubricated it, it went quiet ... no problem ... takes about 10 minutes to do.

 

Do keep the edges of the film carrier and it's associated guides in the scanner itself clean. This can be done from the front of the unit without any disassembly.

[CrimsonFlash]

I know this is quite the old reply, but I wanted to post this in the chance that someone else has come across the same issue. I have this same scanner, and the gear would grind upon initially putting in the carrier OR if it was trying to pull in the carrier after a full preview of a strip. I would have to give it a firm push to help it along in order for it to grab. This would also cause misaligned scans if I pushed too hard or not enough.

The track on the carrier wasn't damaged, and the gear had no damage to its teeth.

carlo_lombardo

Quote

That the gears that move the film holder in and out grind after while cause of the weight of the tray. It does not do this if the weight is supported.

This was the clue that I needed, as I didn't initially see what the problem was! There are two metal springs at the top of the scanner bay. These put downward pressure on the carrier to grab onto the gear. I gently pried them down with a slotted screwdriver, taking care not to scratch anything in the scanner.

I guess over the years, they had lost their spring. Prying these down has made enough downward pressure that it works as good as new.

Hopefully this helps anyone else with the same problem.