Contex A2 FLEX50i

Regular scanner maintenance is a sure way to minimize costly downtime. The three routine maintenance procedures cleaning, camera alignment, and calibration will improve image quality and reduce service costs.

These three maintenance functions are closely entwined and they should all be performed in a single maintenance session, starting with cleaning the scan area and ending with calibration. The reason for this is simple. If you clean the glass or adjust the cameras then you will have changed conditions in the scanning area and will need to calibrate in order to readjust black and white. This works the other way as well – scanner calibration must always be preceded by cleaning and camera alignment to get reliable calibration results.

Note: It is imperative that the scanner is connected to a dedicated power supply. Performance can be dramatically affected if this is not adhered to.

CLEANING THE SCAN AREA

OPEN THE SCANNER COVER

Flip the cover upwards to expose the scan area.

GENTLY WIPE THE GLASS PLATE

Clean the glass with a lint-free cloth and a mild, streak-free, glass cleaner. Dry the glass completely using a separate clean, dry lint-free cloth like the one provided with the maintenance kit.

CAUTION: Do not use abrasives, acetone, benzene or fluids that contain these chemicals. Do not spray liquids directly onto the scanner glass plate or anywhere else in the scanner.

CLEAN THE WHITE PLATE

The white scanning area background plate is on the backside of the pressure plate. Wipe the white area with a lint-free cloth and a mild, streak-free, glass cleaner. Apply the cleaner to the cloth and first wipe the plate’s white area. Dry the plate completely using separate clean, dry lint-free cloths.

CAUTION: Do not use abrasives, acetone, benzene or fluids that contain these chemicals.

CAMERA ALIGNMENT & CALIBRATION

Before you align and calibrate the cameras, make sure that you have gone through the first C of scanner maintenance – Cleaning the scan area. An unclean scanning area will give you imprecise calibration results. The camera alignment is fully automatic. Users only need to insert the single pass Scanner Maintenance sheet, activate the process through the maintenance wizard and let the rest take care of itself. The Scanner Maintenance software and the scanner hardware work together to evaluate camera alignment on your scanner, and make the corrections necessary for perfect alignment (height and stitching) on your cameras.

SCANNER SHOULD BE WARM

Make sure that the scanner has been turned on for at least five minutes prior to camera alignment and calibration. Slight light intensity changes and camera shifting can occur just after turning the scanner on and the warm-up time will ensure that light conditions and camera heights have stabilized.

START THE SCANNER MAINTENANCE UTILITY

Select Programs ⇒ Scanner Maintenance to start the Scanner Maintenance Wizard. The Maintenance Wizard will guide you step by step through the maintenance process - Camera Alignment, Stitching and Calibration. Click the Next button in the welcoming dialog to proceed.

INSERT THE MAINTENANCE SHEET

The wizard will ask you to insert the Maintenance Sheet that came with your scanner. The sheet’s printed side must be inserted face down. Align the sheet to the top left portion of the scanner’s glass. Click Nextto continue.

THE WIZARD PERFORMS CAMERA ALIGNMENT & STITCHING

The program immediately analyses the alignment and stitching status of the cameras. If the cameras are unaligned, the program and scanner will automatically move on to Basic Calibration of your scanner.

THE WIZARD PERFORMS BASIC CALIBRATION

After Camera Alignment, the Scanner Maintenance program will automatically move on to Basic Calibration of your scanner. Basic Calibration ensures stable and clean scans by reducing noise and unwanted effects caused by dust particles.

THE WIZARD PERFORMS COLOR CALIBRATION

After Basic Calibration, the program will automatically proceed to Color Calibration on color scanners. Color Calibration uses the ANSI IT8 standards to ensure stable and predictable colors every time. The wizard will inform you when calibration is complete.

WRAPPING UP

Calibration completes the maintenance process. Remove the Scanner Maintenance Sheet from the scanner. Return the Scanner Maintenance Sheet to its protective cover and then place it in the storage folder. Store the folder in a dry place and out of direct light.

SCANNER MAINTENANCE

The WIDEsystem software provides the information and calibration tools necessary to maintain the quality and life of the scanner. It contains the Status of the scanner, general Information, an hour Log, and a Timer.

STATUS

To view the scanner and maintenance status:

Double-click on the icon in the System Tray. The WIDEsystem window appears.
Click the Status tab.

INFO

To view information about the A2 Scanner, such as firmware version, and serial number:

Double-click on the icon in the System Tray. The WIDEsystem window appears.
Click the Info tab to view the scanner information.

Click OK to close the WIDEsystem window.

LOG

To view information about scanner activity, such as number of scans performed, and total time that the scanner has been turned on:

Double-click on the icon in the System Tray. The WIDEsystem window appears.
Click the Log tab to view the scanner activity log.

Note: It is recommended to change the lamp after 8000 hours of use.

Click OK to close the WIDEsystem window.

TIMER

The life span of the lamp can be significantly improved by setting a timer. This will ensure higher scanning quality by controlling the length of time that the lamp is in use. To set the A2 Scanner timer:

Double-click on the icon in the System Tray. The WIDEsystem window appears.
lick the Timer tab to begin timer setup.

Place a check mark next to the days designated to turn the scanner ON or OFF.
Enter times to turn the scanner ON and OFF using the keyboard or the provided arrow keys.

Note: To facilitate this process for a regular workweek, the Link Monday to Friday checkbox may be used. This will set the ON and OFF times of the scanner for the entire workweek to remain the same as the ON and OFF times of Monday.

Click OK to save the changes and close the WIDEsystem window.

CLEANING, CALIBRATION & MAINTENANCE

The table outlines the recommended frequencies for the replacement and maintenance of key components:

* Replacement of key components is dependent on usage and should be verified by an Authorized Technician prior to replacement. The Authorized Technician may recommend replacement prior to the number of days specified if required. In addition, the Authorized Technician may recommend additional maintenance on the scanner as required.

** Performed Under Global Vision Service Contract by an Authorized Technician.

SCANNER CONDITIONS

This table outlines the optimal conditions for the scanner: