- Joined
- Jun 19, 2015
- Messages
- 1
- Format
- 35mm
SOLD
Hi folks, I'm selling my Howtek 4500. I organized this in Q&A format.
Why are you selling it?
-- I had a kid last year, and I stopped shooting 4x5 so I never use it
-- It's been sitting, covered up in a closet, for about 18 months unused
What's wrong with it?
-- It worked when I last used it (2016-07-24 according to my files), but I fired it up yesterday and it only scanned up to 1000dpi, including preview and detail scans. It generated a 708 or 715 error when attempting to scan at 1333, 2000, or 4000dpi. The error codes were generated during the calibration phase.
-- After trying a different drum and a different surge protector / line regulator, I got several good 4000dpi scans out of it
-- However, in the middle of a scan, it threw error code 719, related to the lamps. I replaced both lamp bulbs with the appropriate Osram units, and while they are brighter, they did not help. The 719 reported the green channel, but also a few times in two channels. It likely needs some work in its optics bench and possibly replacement of the PMTs.
-- It may also need an Optical Alignment or Index Position alignment, both of which can be done by a home user, but both of which require specialty tools that I don't want to deal with borrowing or making myself.
-- I have tried everything else in the service manual including, resetting the scanner (three buttons), turning it off and on, and using the 'remove drum' firmware function back and forth; spindle has been recently greased; replaced the three pads on the drum; replaced the belt; the drum is in good condition with new stickers (and very carefully installed stickers); the drum is clean and no tape is outside the scribe marks; two different drums have been tried; the power going to the unit is conditioned to stay within the unit's power parameters in the manual.
What comes with it?
-- The scanner itself (with latest firmware)
-- Three drums, all in good, clear condition. One is an original 4500 drum which I use. The other two are 8000 drums, which may need to be re-stickered for a 4500 (the stickers are cheap from Aztek). (4500/8000 share the same drum with different alignment stickers)
-- Felt cases for all three drums.
-- Aztek drum mounting station (the modern style, $1,575 new)
-- Drum inner cleaning wand with plastic bag
-- Around ten bottles of either Kami drum cleaner or Kami scanner mounting fluid. Plenty to last a long time.
-- Three Adaptec PCI cards (SCSI). One for older machines up to Win7 32bit and two for newer machines, including Win7 32/64bit, or Win 10 32/64.
-- Two SCSI cables, one of which is an awesome super thick IBM/Amphenol cable with a 90 degree end on the scanner end
-- Ten or so rolls of Aztek tape and/or Tessa tape, for mounting mylar on the drum
-- Two different tape rollers, one big (multi-roll) and one smaller (single roll)
-- A couple packets of Aztek wipes (for wiping down the drum)
-- A packet of Aztek optical mylar sheets (for holding negatives onto the drum)
-- DVD of Aztek Digital Photo Lab (DPL) 7.83 (works on Windows XP/32, Windows Vista/32, and Windows 7/32)
-- USB dongle for Aztek DPL copy protection
-- A few spare drum pads, optical lamps, scanner belts, etc.
-- Original owners manual, as well as multiple PDF manuals including service manual, DPL guide, etc.
-- Original receipt from 1998 or so (this scanner cost ~$28,000 if I remember correctly)
-- (if you want it) A nice sideboard table that holds the scanner and all the gear inside its three drawers and three cabinets. It's about waist-high, the same depth as the scanner, and just long enough to put the drum station next to the scanner (although I recommend mounting drums over a sink or in a tray)
-- (if you want it) My Win7/32 Ultimate, fully up-to-date, on my hard drive so you can install the drive in your PC and dual boot (no need to reinstall DPL, Win7, etc.). It's a WD Caviar Black 7200 RPM 1TB HDD.
-- (if you want it) Training on all of the above.
What if I want to run DPL on Windows 7/64 or Windows 10/64?
You can do that, you just need to buy an updated version of the DPL software from Aztek.
What if my PC doesn't have a PCI slot (note: you need PCI, not PCI-e)?
You can swap out your motherboard for one that does, or you can purchase a used computer, or you can buy a USB dongle from Aztek that will allow the scanner to communicate over USB.
OK, I read all that and I'm interested. Where is it, how much and how do I get it?
It's in Portland, OR. I'm asking $1000 for all of the above OR BEST OFFER. (If I don't sell it after a few weeks, it's going on eBay, and after that, it's going to be parted out.) You can pick it up at my house. I recommend a station wagon and a thick foam camping pad or dog bed to transport it on, along with some straps to secure it.
$1000 for a scanner that needs service?
You can sell the mounting station, drums, and chemicals on eBay or whatever and make up the entire price or more. The drums and mounting station are usable on both the 4500 or 8000. The chemicals, wipes, and mylar are usable on any drum scanner. You could probably also part out this scanner to other Howtek 4500 operators but I can't guarantee it. Also, the last working 4500 I saw sold for $2500 last year, so you can buy it, fix it, and flip it if you want.
Serious inquiries only please -- let me know if you have questions, want photos or sample scans from last year or whatever.
Thanks,
Adam
Update: I've put the PDF files of the various owners manuals here so you can see what you'd be getting yourself into: https://drive.google.com/open?id=17b9V7tfkhbmHc0wc7LXppIY4iXKHUTWf
(updated to fix typos and added new info)
SOLD
Hi folks, I'm selling my Howtek 4500. I organized this in Q&A format.
Why are you selling it?
-- I had a kid last year, and I stopped shooting 4x5 so I never use it
-- It's been sitting, covered up in a closet, for about 18 months unused
What's wrong with it?
-- It worked when I last used it (2016-07-24 according to my files), but I fired it up yesterday and it only scanned up to 1000dpi, including preview and detail scans. It generated a 708 or 715 error when attempting to scan at 1333, 2000, or 4000dpi. The error codes were generated during the calibration phase.
-- After trying a different drum and a different surge protector / line regulator, I got several good 4000dpi scans out of it
-- However, in the middle of a scan, it threw error code 719, related to the lamps. I replaced both lamp bulbs with the appropriate Osram units, and while they are brighter, they did not help. The 719 reported the green channel, but also a few times in two channels. It likely needs some work in its optics bench and possibly replacement of the PMTs.
-- It may also need an Optical Alignment or Index Position alignment, both of which can be done by a home user, but both of which require specialty tools that I don't want to deal with borrowing or making myself.
-- I have tried everything else in the service manual including, resetting the scanner (three buttons), turning it off and on, and using the 'remove drum' firmware function back and forth; spindle has been recently greased; replaced the three pads on the drum; replaced the belt; the drum is in good condition with new stickers (and very carefully installed stickers); the drum is clean and no tape is outside the scribe marks; two different drums have been tried; the power going to the unit is conditioned to stay within the unit's power parameters in the manual.
What comes with it?
-- The scanner itself (with latest firmware)
-- Three drums, all in good, clear condition. One is an original 4500 drum which I use. The other two are 8000 drums, which may need to be re-stickered for a 4500 (the stickers are cheap from Aztek). (4500/8000 share the same drum with different alignment stickers)
-- Felt cases for all three drums.
-- Aztek drum mounting station (the modern style, $1,575 new)
-- Drum inner cleaning wand with plastic bag
-- Around ten bottles of either Kami drum cleaner or Kami scanner mounting fluid. Plenty to last a long time.
-- Three Adaptec PCI cards (SCSI). One for older machines up to Win7 32bit and two for newer machines, including Win7 32/64bit, or Win 10 32/64.
-- Two SCSI cables, one of which is an awesome super thick IBM/Amphenol cable with a 90 degree end on the scanner end
-- Ten or so rolls of Aztek tape and/or Tessa tape, for mounting mylar on the drum
-- Two different tape rollers, one big (multi-roll) and one smaller (single roll)
-- A couple packets of Aztek wipes (for wiping down the drum)
-- A packet of Aztek optical mylar sheets (for holding negatives onto the drum)
-- DVD of Aztek Digital Photo Lab (DPL) 7.83 (works on Windows XP/32, Windows Vista/32, and Windows 7/32)
-- USB dongle for Aztek DPL copy protection
-- A few spare drum pads, optical lamps, scanner belts, etc.
-- Original owners manual, as well as multiple PDF manuals including service manual, DPL guide, etc.
-- Original receipt from 1998 or so (this scanner cost ~$28,000 if I remember correctly)
-- (if you want it) A nice sideboard table that holds the scanner and all the gear inside its three drawers and three cabinets. It's about waist-high, the same depth as the scanner, and just long enough to put the drum station next to the scanner (although I recommend mounting drums over a sink or in a tray)
-- (if you want it) My Win7/32 Ultimate, fully up-to-date, on my hard drive so you can install the drive in your PC and dual boot (no need to reinstall DPL, Win7, etc.). It's a WD Caviar Black 7200 RPM 1TB HDD.
-- (if you want it) Training on all of the above.
What if I want to run DPL on Windows 7/64 or Windows 10/64?
You can do that, you just need to buy an updated version of the DPL software from Aztek.
What if my PC doesn't have a PCI slot (note: you need PCI, not PCI-e)?
You can swap out your motherboard for one that does, or you can purchase a used computer, or you can buy a USB dongle from Aztek that will allow the scanner to communicate over USB.
OK, I read all that and I'm interested. Where is it, how much and how do I get it?
It's in Portland, OR. I'm asking $1000 for all of the above OR BEST OFFER. (If I don't sell it after a few weeks, it's going on eBay, and after that, it's going to be parted out.) You can pick it up at my house. I recommend a station wagon and a thick foam camping pad or dog bed to transport it on, along with some straps to secure it.
$1000 for a scanner that needs service?
You can sell the mounting station, drums, and chemicals on eBay or whatever and make up the entire price or more. The drums and mounting station are usable on both the 4500 or 8000. The chemicals, wipes, and mylar are usable on any drum scanner. You could probably also part out this scanner to other Howtek 4500 operators but I can't guarantee it. Also, the last working 4500 I saw sold for $2500 last year, so you can buy it, fix it, and flip it if you want.
Serious inquiries only please -- let me know if you have questions, want photos or sample scans from last year or whatever.
Thanks,
Adam
Update: I've put the PDF files of the various owners manuals here so you can see what you'd be getting yourself into: https://drive.google.com/open?id=17b9V7tfkhbmHc0wc7LXppIY4iXKHUTWf
(updated to fix typos and added new info)
SOLD
Last edited:
