[sane-devel] Mustek ScanExpress A3 USB 1200 PRO

[Jay Anderson]

I'm trying to get this scanner to work. I'm on Ubuntu 8.04.

lsusb

Bus 003 Device 005: ID 055f:040b Mustek Systems, Inc.

sane-find-scanner -q

found USB scanner (vendor=0x055f [Hewlett-Packard. ], product=0x040b
[USB2.0 Scanner ], chip=SQ113) at libusb:003:005

In my searching I found http://www.meier-geinitz.de/sane/mustek_usb2-backend/.

I found another thread
(http://www.nabble.com/Mustek-ScanExpress-A3-600-USB-Pro-td14698028.html) which
suggested trying the latest backend snapshot
(http://www.sane-project.org/snapshots/) and changing the ProductID and VendorID
to match what this scanner has. I've done that rebuilt and installed (make &&
make install).

After this xsane comes up and can communicate with the scanner. When I preview
the image it comes back with garbage -- multi-colored vertical stripes (when I
scanned an image it also came back with garbage). So it is similar enough to
control the scanner it seems.

Has anyone else had any luck with this scanner?

I'm willing (though I'm not sure how able I am) to spend some time digging
around in the code to figure it out a bit more. I don't really know where to
start so any pointers here would be useful. Thanks.

-----Jay

[Daniel Stender]

Post by Jay Anderson
I'm trying to get this scanner to work. I'm on Ubuntu 8.04.

lsusb

Bus 003 Device 005: ID 055f:040b Mustek Systems, Inc.

sane-find-scanner -q

found USB scanner (vendor=0x055f [Hewlett-Packard. ], product=0x040b
[USB2.0 Scanner ], chip=SQ113) at libusb:003:005
In my searching I found http://www.meier-geinitz.de/sane/mustek_usb2-backend/.
I found another thread
(http://www.nabble.com/Mustek-ScanExpress-A3-600-USB-Pro-td14698028.html) which
suggested trying the latest backend snapshot
(http://www.sane-project.org/snapshots/) and changing the ProductID and VendorID
to match what this scanner has. I've done that rebuilt and installed (make &&
make install).
After this xsane comes up and can communicate with the scanner. When I preview
the image it comes back with garbage -- multi-colored vertical stripes (when I
scanned an image it also came back with garbage). So it is similar enough to
control the scanner it seems.
Has anyone else had any luck with this scanner?
I'm willing (though I'm not sure how able I am) to spend some time digging
around in the code to figure it out a bit more. I don't really know where to
start so any pointers here would be useful. Thanks.
-----Jay

Don't know what this means for the 1200 DPI model, but the state of affairs concerning the ScanExpress A3 600 is that there is a Mustek driver here:
http://www.mustek.com.tw/apprg/countdriverdownloadtimes?LINK=ftp://ftp.mustek.com.tw/pub//driver/A3IIIU2/600DPI/Linux/1LV1019/libsane_1.0.19-1_i386.deb&DRIVERFILEID=447
http://www.mustek.com.tw/apprg/countdriverdownloadtimes?LINK=ftp://ftp.mustek.com.tw/pub//driver/A3IIIU2/600DPI/Linux/1LV1019/sane-backends-1.0.19-2.i386.rpm&DRIVERFILEID=449

These are RPMs (i386) including a customized mustek_usb2 driver (libsane 1.0.19). It was impossible for me to get these drivers running (suspected to
be quick'n'dirty) and also I would like to run other scanners in addition. I've written several time to Mustek to give free the source of their
mustek_usb2 with no reply at all.

Maybe it's a good idea to keep on with the enquiries to give away their source, BTW it has been discussed before on the list
(http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/sane-devel/2008-August/022583.html) that their driver packet injures the GPL of Sane.

Another way would be naturally to make a driver on our own, begin with a USB sniff within Windows and to manipulate mustek_usb2 to begin with. But I
do not have any experiences with that.

Greetings,
Daniel Stender

[robert w hall]

Is this another windows driver that uses usbscan.sys???
Bob

In message <***@uni-bonn.de>, Daniel Stender <***@uni-
bonn.de> writes

Post by Jay Anderson

Post by Jay Anderson
I'm trying to get this scanner to work. I'm on Ubuntu 8.04.

lsusb

Bus 003 Device 005: ID 055f:040b Mustek Systems, Inc.

sane-find-scanner -q

found USB scanner (vendor=0x055f [Hewlett-Packard. ], product=0x040b
[USB2.0 Scanner ], chip=SQ113) at libusb:003:005
In my searching I found http://www.meier-geinitz.de/sane/mustek_usb2-backend/.
I found another thread
(http://www.nabble.com/Mustek-ScanExpress-A3-600-USB-Pro-td14698028.html)

which

Post by Jay Anderson
suggested trying the latest backend snapshot
(http://www.sane-project.org/snapshots/) and changing the ProductID and

VendorID

Post by Jay Anderson
to match what this scanner has. I've done that rebuilt and installed (make &&
make install).
After this xsane comes up and can communicate with the scanner. When I preview
the image it comes back with garbage -- multi-colored vertical stripes (when I
scanned an image it also came back with garbage). So it is similar enough to
control the scanner it seems.
Has anyone else had any luck with this scanner?
I'm willing (though I'm not sure how able I am) to spend some time digging
around in the code to figure it out a bit more. I don't really know where to
start so any pointers here would be useful. Thanks.
-----Jay

Don't know what this means for the 1200 DPI model, but the state of affairs
http://www.mustek.com.tw/apprg/countdriverdownloadtimes?LINK=ftp://ftp.mustek.co
m.tw/pub//driver/A3IIIU2/600DPI/Linux/1LV1019/libsane_1.0.19-1_i386.deb&DRIVERFI
LEID=447
http://www.mustek.com.tw/apprg/countdriverdownloadtimes?LINK=ftp://ftp.mustek.co
m.tw/pub//driver/A3IIIU2/600DPI/Linux/1LV1019/sane-backends-1.0.19-2.i386.rpm&DR
IVERFILEID=449
These are RPMs (i386) including a customized mustek_usb2 driver (libsane
1.0.19). It was impossible for me to get these drivers running (suspected to
be quick'n'dirty) and also I would like to run other scanners in addition. I've
written several time to Mustek to give free the source of their
mustek_usb2 with no reply at all.
Maybe it's a good idea to keep on with the enquiries to give away their source,
BTW it has been discussed before on the list
(http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/sane-devel/2008-August/022583.html)
that their driver packet injures the GPL of Sane.
Another way would be naturally to make a driver on our own, begin with a USB
sniff within Windows and to manipulate mustek_usb2 to begin with. But I
do not have any experiences with that.
Greetings,
Daniel Stender

[Jay Anderson]

Post by robert w hall
Is this another windows driver that uses usbscan.sys???
Bob

How can I check this? I didn't see that file anywhere on the install cd.

[Jay Anderson]

Post by Daniel Stender
Another way would be naturally to make a driver on our own, begin with a USB

sniff within Windows and to

Post by Daniel Stender
manipulate mustek_usb2 to begin with. But I
do not have any experiences with that.

I have the scanner working through windows on vmware on ubuntu. Is there some
recommended software for doing the USB sniff and interpreting the output? Thanks.

-----Jay

[Dmitry V. Rutsky]

Post by Jay Anderson
I'm trying to get this scanner to work. I'm on Ubuntu 8.04.

lsusb

Bus 003 Device 005: ID 055f:040b Mustek Systems, Inc.

sane-find-scanner -q

found USB scanner (vendor=0x055f [Hewlett-Packard. ], product=0x040b
[USB2.0 Scanner ], chip=SQ113) at libusb:003:005
In my searching I found
http://www.meier-geinitz.de/sane/mustek_usb2-backend/.
I found another thread
(http://www.nabble.com/Mustek-ScanExpress-A3-600-USB-Pro-td14698028.html)
which suggested trying the latest backend snapshot
(http://www.sane-project.org/snapshots/) and changing the ProductID and
VendorID to match what this scanner has. I've done that rebuilt and
installed (make && make install).
After this xsane comes up and can communicate with the scanner. When I
preview the image it comes back with garbage -- multi-colored vertical
stripes (when I scanned an image it also came back with garbage). So it is
similar enough to control the scanner it seems.
Has anyone else had any luck with this scanner?
I'm willing (though I'm not sure how able I am) to spend some time digging
around in the code to figure it out a bit more. I don't really know where
to start so any pointers here would be useful. Thanks.

Is there any progress on this? I've got the same device and the same result
with this scanner (on Debian unstable). I haven't got any experience with
scanner drivers, but I'd like to try to tinker with it. It is said in
http://www.meier-geinitz.de/sane/misc/mustek-scanners.html#UNSUPPORTED that
sources for Windows drivers for some of these scanners are available ---
could anybody supply me with that? Any pointers would be useful as well.
Thanks.

[Daniel Stender]

Post by Dmitry V. Rutsky
Is there any progress on this? I've got the same device and the same result
with this scanner (on Debian unstable). I haven't got any experience with
scanner drivers, but I'd like to try to tinker with it. It is said in
http://www.meier-geinitz.de/sane/misc/mustek-scanners.html#UNSUPPORTED that
sources for Windows drivers for some of these scanners are available ---
could anybody supply me with that? Any pointers would be useful as well.
Thanks.

http://www.danielstender.com/granthinam/?p=214

As far as I know no progress.

Greetings,
Daniel Stender

[argolance]

Bonjour,
I sent this mail to Mustek support team :

Bonjour,
I have got your fantastic ScanExpress A3 USB 600 pro. My question : Why
don't you create an easy to use/install and working driver for Linux users ?
Thank you for your kind attention.
Best regards

Here is he answer :
Hi
As we rarely receive such requests driver development is not carried out.
Regards

Mustek Support

... No comment !
Best regards.
Pierrick

[scar]

I'm trying to get this scanner to work. [snip]

hi, i don't understand how this scanner has gone from working back in
2005 for jonathan (he created many scanned images of maps) to not
working in 2008. what happened?

[m. allan noah]

perhaps the A3 USB and A3 USB 1200 models are not the same?

allan

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I'm trying to get this scanner to work. [snip]

hi, i don't understand how this scanner has gone from working back in
2005 for jonathan (he created many scanned images of maps) to not
working in 2008.  what happened?
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Unsubscribe: Send mail with subject "unsubscribe your_password"

[scar]

Post by m. allan noah

Post by scar

I'm trying to get this scanner to work. [snip]

hi, i don't understand how this scanner has gone from working back in
2005 for jonathan (he created many scanned images of maps) to not
working in 2008. what happened?

perhaps the A3 USB and A3 USB 1200 models are not the same?

thank you for the clarification! i did not catch that. pity that it is
not working, although that was back more than a year ago. does anyone
have more recent information? thanks

[m. allan noah]

There is clearly a need for an inexpensive A3 sized scanner which
works with sane. It seems that so far, no one with the development
skills has stepped up to do the needed reverse engineering and
programming. I suppose a group of users could get together a bounty to
spur development. The only problem is that cheap scanners often have
very expensive drivers :(

allan

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA256

Post by m. allan noah

Post by scar

I'm trying to get this scanner to work. [snip]

hi, i don't understand how this scanner has gone from working back in
2005 for jonathan (he created many scanned images of maps) to not
working in 2008.  what happened?

perhaps the A3 USB and A3 USB 1200 models are not the same?

thank you for the clarification!  i did not catch that.  pity that it is
not working, although that was back more than a year ago.  does anyone
have more recent information?  thanks
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[scar]

Post by m. allan noah
There is clearly a need for an inexpensive A3 sized scanner which
works with sane. It seems that so far, no one with the development
skills has stepped up to do the needed reverse engineering and
programming. I suppose a group of users could get together a bounty to
spur development. The only problem is that cheap scanners often have
very expensive drivers :(

since i require an inexpensive A3 scanner, i plan on purchasing one of
these soon, i have not found any other options. Mustek appears to have
a linux driver on their Taiwanese website, although i read reports here
of it not working. if all else fails i will attempt to install Windows
XP in a virtual machine and use the scanner through there, which was
also a possible solution i read on this list.

naturally i would want to help develop a working sane driver. i do not
program but i have a degree in computer engineering so my background
should be adequate enough to provide some help, given there is someone
to provide me with suitable advice on how precisely to help.

[m. allan noah]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA256

Post by m. allan noah
There is clearly a need for an inexpensive A3 sized scanner which
works with sane. It seems that so far, no one with the development
skills has stepped up to do the needed reverse engineering and
programming. I suppose a group of users could get together a bounty to
spur development. The only problem is that cheap scanners often have
very expensive drivers :(

since i require an inexpensive A3 scanner, i plan on purchasing one of
these soon, i have not found any other options.  Mustek appears to have
a linux driver on their Taiwanese website, although i read reports here
of it not working.  if all else fails i will attempt to install Windows
XP in a virtual machine and use the scanner through there, which was
also a possible solution i read on this list.
naturally i would want to help develop a working sane driver.  i do not
program but i have a degree in computer engineering so my background
should be adequate enough to provide some help, given there is someone
to provide me with suitable advice on how precisely to help.

Sure- If you get one of these, we would need you to get a trace of the
windows driver making a small black and white scan, using this tool:

http://www.pcausa.com/Utilities/UsbSnoop/

That should give us enough info to at least tell if the protocol is
similar to other scanners.

allan

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