4870 ... on its last legs ?

removed account4 · Mar 16, 2013

more than a handful of years ago i bought a 4870 perfection/photo scanner from epson
it wasn't new, but refurbished and the price was right ( about 1/2 off ) so i figured why not ...
it has a large transparency light in the lid, so i can easily scann 5x7 film, and i like that.
never gave me issues until yesterday ..
i had just scanned a contact sheet ... and was getting ready to scan something else
and all of a sudden the red light started to blink and it made some sort of terrible noise.
i called epson and he had me lock and unlock the lid and bed travel locks.
then he gave me the number of a repair facility near me ( about 2hours away round trip )
when i called it was about 90$ to look at it, and 45$ / half hour after that ... so i ventured to
attempt to fix it myself ..
i took off the lid, and unscrewed the base and removed the glass and separated body.
the geared toothed belt seemed to be fine
the scan-head ( is that what its called? ) seemed OK, so i pushed it back to the top of the scanner
since it seemed to be stuck at the bottom.
i put the lid back together
and plugged it in.
no red light, just green.
i have scanned a few things since then but i am just waiting to see if something else happens...

has anyone else had this problem before? did i inadvertently do more damage ?
and ... what would a current scanner be if i had to replace this?
i don't have a new computer, but run cs2 and use G5 / power pc system software
( maybe something newer / mac in the future though ).

thanks for your suggestions !

john

Doug Fisher · Mar 17, 2013

If you got it going again, my first suggestion would be that the rails on which the scanning head slides are needing lubrication. You want to use something that you apply to a towel and then wipe on (do not spray anything) and that will produce minimal fumes/fog. Some people have tried a light machine oil or quality white lithium grease.

Doug

removed account4 · Mar 17, 2013

hi doug

thanks !
i will look into lithium grease, it sounds like just what the doctor ordered ..

john

Pioneer · Mar 17, 2013

There may also be some spacers/bushings and one or both may have worn enough to allow the scanning head to be slightly out of alignment. The lubrication may help for a time but it may be worth locating a parts guide or repair manual to check if some alignment parts are worn, broken or missing.

Doug Fisher · Mar 18, 2013

I have put them up here:

How To Dismantle Epson Scanners

Doug

MVNelson · Mar 19, 2013

John I have the same scanner and as yet have not experienced a problem but now you have me nervous ... Keep us posted .... IMHO , IF repair cost get into the range mentioned its time to get a new one with warranty . OTOH, IF you can do a self repair that may be worth it .

removed account4 · Mar 19, 2013

thanks guys.
i haven't had a chance to
get the lithium yet .. but i will
probably do that today ...
i hear clunky-noises from time to time
and it is kind of freaking me out

i'll post back to this thread if anything 'exciting' develops !

john

Doug Fisher · Mar 19, 2013

Personally, I think I would try for a light machine oil or sewing machine oil first and putting on a really light coat is probably going to be important.

Doug

removed account4 · Mar 19, 2013

hi doug

i must have been channeling you this afternoon.
i never made it to the hardware store, but i did have some
sort of light oil .. and put a smear on the metal rod
and the square doohickey on the left side. i carefully pulled at the scanner-head
and did behind it too ...
i screwed it back together again and scanned a few things
the preview scan made a softer clunk, then by the 4th preview not much noise at all.

many thanks for your suggestions !

my fingers are still crossed though. 6 years seems like a long life for a scanner.
i'm guessing the scanner years to people years "age conversion factor" is 1 people year is 15 scanner years ..
so its like 90years old ... hope all i need at 90 is a smear of light oil

john

Pioneer · Mar 19, 2013

John, you can have all the oil you want. When I hit 90 I am going to be looking for a large glass of whiskey and several beers.

removed account4 · Mar 20, 2013

Pioneer said:
John, you can have all the oil you want. When I hit 90 I am going to be looking for a large glass of whiskey and several beers.

good point, BUT if i don't use the oil, i won't be able to move me-arms to get the drinks inside !
unless i'll be hooked up to a funnel or a large straw

Pioneer · Mar 20, 2013

That's when you hire some pretty young thing to help you pour it in.

pellicle · Mar 25, 2013

Hi

I sorta agree with Doug ...

Doug Fisher said:
If you got it going again, my first suggestion would be that the rails on which the scanning head slides are needing lubrication

you'll need to be sure that whatever lubricant you use is very fine or it will act like an oil damper. I would wonder if the original uses machine oil or a silicon lube? There are some light silicon lubes I use for things and they don't go 'gummy' like machine oils use.

Be careful that you don't do a fix that works for 2 months then leaves you progressively pushing more gunky stuff as the oil changes character.

definately spray onto a lint free rag first then apply to the rails

removed account4 · Mar 31, 2014

well,

it has been over a year, by a few days and i thought i would report back to this thread ...
since i put lubricant on the guide / rod it hasn't made any noise, no lights have blinked and i have
scanned hundreds of things.

i took the scanner apart this morning and did a bi-yearly clean the glass too. im not sure what it is inside
scanners, but schmutz finds itself on the underside of the glass ( if this one and a different one i had ) from time to time.

john

removed account4 · Oct 16, 2014

its been a years and 1/2 since i posted this thread
and i just wanted to report the scanner still seems to be
working fine ... i had to get new drivers for it, but aside from that
bit of weirdness all is well

RalphLambrecht · Oct 21, 2014

a simple screwdriver can often save you from a $100 repair billbut, it may take $300 to repair the damage the screwdriver4 did.

removed account4 · Sep 17, 2015

hi ...

i figured i would mention no problems ... still, and just scanned a bunch of things last night.
i've digitized a boatload of stuff wtih this scanner, to be honest i am surprised it lasted this long ..

4870 ... on its last legs ?

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