N
not_ed
Missed you.
D
Don
Which Don? Oh yes, there is only one... ;o)
Seriously though, I've been busy reading Nikon SDKs.
Don.
S
Steven
Hi Don,
Are these SDK's readily available ? I have written code to drive a
Canon scanner but for serious scanning a would like to try a Nikon and
would be much more inclined to buy one if I had an SDK.
-- Steven
D
Don
Hi Steven,
Officially, they're only available to companies, not individuals. Go
to your local Nikon web site (SDKs are only sent locally) and type
"SDK" in the Digital Knowledge Base (Ask Nikon a Question). This will
list all the available SDKs and what you need to do to get them. (Lots
of silly forms to fill in including *multiple* NDAs!)
Other than that, Nikon doesn't provide any developer support. Once you
get the SDKs you're on your own.
So far, so good... However, Nikon took forever to respond and then the
person responsible quit! Long story short, but by the time I got them
several CDs were unreadable so - here we go again... You see, Nikon
insists on putting one set per CD*R*. All of the SDKs I requested came
on some 20+ CDRs but contained only about 70 MB of stuff in total (and
half of that was Japanese versions!).
There are usually two sets of SDKs per scanner. One named "MAID" and
the other "command". MAID enumerates the TWAIN driver interface
routines, while command is a list of (much more powerful) low level
commands - but then you have to do your own communications
programming. MAID SDK has sample C code, while command is usually just
a single PDF or DOC file without any examples. I'd advise to get both
for scanner(s) you're interested in.
BTW (just curious) what is Canon support like?
Don.
D
Dps
I bet minolta is looking the other way when SDKs come in question ?!?
D
Don
I haven't dealt directly with Minolta yet so I can't tell, but I did
have trouble a while back finding even basic info from their web
sites.
On the other hand, even though I've had my share of complaints about
Nikon, I'm certainly glad I have the SDKs because they make for very
interested reading!
Don.
S
Steven
On Fri, 26 Nov 2004 14:38:27 GMT, (e-mail address removed) (Don) wrote:
[snip]
Hi Don,
Thanks for the info. I will investigate. I am interested in the
"command" documentation. Also, I will check "sane.org".
I am in Sydney, Aus. I returned my FS4000 under warranty as it wasn't
working as well as I expected. This is obviously a 'grey' area as Canon
Aus doesn't list any optical accuracy specs apart from 'excellent',
'outstanding', etc.
The scanner spent most of a three month period at Canon and although
they replaced the scanner assembly (most of the innards) it wasn't any
better. Finally they let me test their demo unit (similar performance)
and gave me a service manual. There is no SDK that I know of.
-- Steven.
[snip]
Hi Don,
Thanks for the info. I will investigate. I am interested in the
"command" documentation. Also, I will check "sane.org".
I am in Sydney, Aus. I returned my FS4000 under warranty as it wasn't
working as well as I expected. This is obviously a 'grey' area as Canon
Aus doesn't list any optical accuracy specs apart from 'excellent',
'outstanding', etc.
The scanner spent most of a three month period at Canon and although
they replaced the scanner assembly (most of the innards) it wasn't any
better. Finally they let me test their demo unit (similar performance)
and gave me a service manual. There is no SDK that I know of.
-- Steven.
D
DavidTT
Don said:
I don't own a Nikon scanner, but I'm curious what you expect to get out
of the SDKs.
BTW, I'm quite impressed by the fact that Nikon makes the SDKs available
to ANYONE. It reminds me of a (now out of business) computer company
that supported user modifiable processor microcode. Imagine Intel doing
that!
D
Don
Two things: I wanted to know what the scanner is really capable of.
These days, unfortunately, even tech specs don't seem to go far
enough. And, secondly, I would really like to write my own software
and do things the way I want them.
That is indeed commendable. However, even though Nikon likes the good
publicity they are a bit of a tease when you call them on it. You
know, they extend the hand with the SDKs for everyone to see but then
don't let go. So you have a brief tug-of-war before you wrestle the
SDKs out of them...
I remember the days when a computer (not a kit) came with a full
technical manual - including schematics! These days if you get a
flimsy PDF manual you count yourself lucky.
Don.
S
Steven
Yes, this does make scanning fun. I was annoyed that my scanner and
available software seemed less than wonderful. My results aren't any
better now but someday they may be and it is better trying.
Good luck with your efforts. I found some Nikon info (but not the 5000)
in the SANE files. They look like much more sophisticated scanners than
the FS4000.
-- Steven (who still has his IBM XT manual)
D
Don
What I find most frustrating is when a scanner (or indeed, any device)
is not used to its full potential. Often (actually, almost
exclusively) this is done for marketing reasons which I find just
infuriating.
For example, LS-50 (which is what I have now) "can't" do single pass
multiscanning because otherwise it may somehow "endanger" the sales of
LS-5000. At least that's what Nikon seems to think... Now, that's so
silly because LS-5000 has a twin line CCD array and 16-bits of dynamic
range as opposed to LS-50 with a single line CCD array and 14-bit ADC,
so there is no competition.
I'm not familiar with the FS4000 but Nikon is unique in that it uses
LEDs as a light source. That's both a blessing (increased sharpness,
no need for filters, etc.) and a curse (narrow depth of field, the
sharpness exposes the grain more, etc.).
BTW, if it helps any, there is very little difference between LS-50
and LS-5000 documentation. Other than the LS-5000 twin-line CCD scan
the docs are identical.
Don, who still has his home-made C64 OS ROM (16 KB) and Atari ST OS
ROM (192 KB) disassembly... ;-)