Epson scanner connection problem

A

Adam Addis

Registered
Since buying a new eMac Combo last November, I've been trying for quite a while to connect my old Epson GT-9000 scanner to it. After a series of melodramatic struggles that make Wagner's Ring cycle look like a limerick, I've got a collection of cables and adapters that enable me to connect the two machines physically. However, the CompuCable driver software that came with one of the cables doesn't work. The CompuCable instructions say I need two things called SCSI Manager Set 4.3 and USB Software 1.3, neither of which is on my computer. Anyone know where I can get these? Or does anyone have any other ideas on connecting the eMac and the GT-9000?

Buying a new scanner doesn't seem to be the answer. I've tried some of the cheaper ones and they don't seem to work properly with Mac. Also I need a scanner with a perfectly flush top for scanning large objects (many over A3). Very few scanners meet my needs and the ones that do each cost several arms and legs.
 
[font=Comic Sans MS, Arial] Epson
[/font][font=Comic Sans MS, Arial] Epson 1000 ICS
ES-1000C / GT-8500
ES-1200C / GT-9000
ES-6000HS
ES-8500
Expression 636 / GT-9500
Expression 800 / GT-9600
Expression 836XL / GT-12000 / ES-8000
Expression 1600 / ES-2000
Expression 1640XL / ES-8500
Expression 1680 / ES-2200
Expression 10000XL / ES-10000G
FilmScan 200 / FS-1300
http://www.hamrick.com/vuescan/vuescan.htm#epson
[/font]
 
My opinion (FWIW), your 'collection of cables and adapters' to hook a SCSI scanner to a USB port, is what is not working. This is probably never going to work without an actual SCSI connection at the computer, either through a logic board port (not going to happen) or connecting through a PCI SCSI adapter card (also not going to happen on an eMac)
 
Plan B: Can anyone suggest how I can get my old Mac (Powermac 7500/100) going again? If it worked I could use it for scanning, and use the new one for everything else. All that's wrong with the old Mac (as far as I know) is that the screen stays dark when I turn it on.

It was still working (however slowly) when I bought the new one. The cables are connected, power is getting through to the monitor, I've checked the monitor's own on/off button, I've twiddled the brightness and contrast controls, I've reset PRAM a hundred times, I didn't drop it (or the processor) when I moved them to make room for the new machine...so what's wrong with it?
 
The easiest thing to try: Replace the battery.
Some older Macs won't start the video unless the battery is good. I'm not sure about the 7500, but if it helps, it's worth the 10-15 bucks for that.
 
What battery? The manual for the old Powermac doesn't mention a battery, except the clock battery. Is that really what you mean?
 
Calling this battery a 'clock battery' is a little bit understated. Apple's service manual calls this simply a battery, although one of its functions is to maintain the time and date. It also serves several functions related to the CUDA chip on the logic board, which has vital system functions such as:
•Turn system power on and off
•Manage system resets from various commands
•Maintain parameter RAM (PRAM) (includes display and video settings)
•Manage the Apple Desktop Bus (ADB)
•Manage the real-time clock
 
OK, maybe that could be the problem. Now, how do I change the battery (assuming I can find a new one)? I've looked at the inside of the computer and I can't see where the battery is, let alone any sign of how to get it out or get a new one in. Do I really have to get an Apple engineer to come out (assuming I can find one who knows about prehistoric Mac models)? (By the way, I'm in England, so please don't tell me things that apply only to the US, or US and Canada.)
 
It'll be about the size of a dime, tho' a little thicker. It'll be inside a black or brown plastic housing that either has pressure clips to hold the battery in, or has a removable cap. It'll most likely be soldered onto the main board in such a way so that the battery stands vertical. Look for a small black or brown plastic tower that's roughly 1/4" x 3/4" standing roughly 3/4" high. The battery (big watch-type battery) should be inside it. Pop it out and get the *exact* same type. There is a globally standardized numbering system for batteries (with several regional variations well documented with cross references). Most of these are of a very common type and can be found at Walmart, Radio Shack and other reasonably well-stocked stores that sell consumer electronics.

In some cases the casing may be soldered on so it lays down, but typically not as this wastes space on the main board.

Hope this helps. If you have trouble, see if you can post (or email me) a decent picture of the main board and someone here can point it out for you.
 
chornbe, I guess you haven't changed batteries on many desktop Macs. What you describe is what you would look for in a typical PC, not a Mac.
Until very recently, the desktop Macs have never used anything similar to a watch battery. The battery in a PowerMac 7500 is on the logic board. If you remove the upper case and pull up the drive chassis, you can see almost the entire logic board. If you look behind the area where the front power button is located, you will see that battery. It IS NOT flat, and not soldered in place, just held in position by a black cover. It sits horizontally in a black battery holder, and is called a 1/2 AA, because it is about 1/2 the length of a standard AA flashlight (torch) battery. The battery should measure about 3.6 volts DC.
 
I've got the old battery out (it's exactly the type you said, DeltaMac - take a bow) but the shops near me haven't got one. I've had to order one online. We will all now hold our breath until the dear old Royal Mail get around to delivering it - probably about August...

Of course even if I can get the old PowerMac going again, I'd still be interested in any ideas anyone may have about (a) getting the old Epson GT-9000 to work with the eMac Combo, and/or (b) finding a new scanner with a completely flush bed-and-surround; genuinely (not just allegedly) Mac-compatible; and affordable - say not more than about £200/$400.
 
Adam Addis said:
...finding a new scanner with a completely flush bed-and-surround; genuinely (not just allegedly) Mac-compatible; and affordable - say not more than about £200/$400.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what "flush bed-and-surround" means, but I can say do not buy another Epson if you are worried about "alleged" compatibility. They make crappy OS X drivers.... I've had problems with multiple Epson printers/scanners since having OS X and will never buy another one of their produts.
 
I went thru' 2 epsons before I got the Stylus Photo RX500. It works wonderfully. the "Perfection" series seems to be a waste of time.
 
I have now got the new battery. I have cleaned the contacts. I have installed the new battery. I have checked the polarity. I have connected the cables. I have reset PRAM. I have checked and double-checked everything. Guess what. It still doesn't work. The screen still stays dark. No more just now - I have to chew the carpet for an hour or two.
 
Only just seen Tommy WillB's message - carpet-chewing temporarily suspended. 'Flush bed-and-surround' means that the scanner bed and the surrounding area have to be on the same level to allow objects larger in area than A4 (most of them larger than A3, as it happens) to be scanned in sections.

Hello, chornbe - I've been looking at a photo of the RX500 on some site or other. Are the bed and the surrounding area really dead flush? Difficult to make out from the pic, but it looks as if there's probably a difference in level of about 1/8 inch, which unfortunately would rule it out for my purposes. If you've seen the HP Scanjet 4670, it has the 'flushness' I'm nattering on about. Unfortunately the Mac software that comes with it is nightmarish. (I bought one last December and had to send it back.)

Now back to that carpet.
 
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