Repair Microtek Scanmaker E3 Scanner

Date: 2011

Problem:

This solid SCSI scanner from 1998 lasted over a decade, one day it powered on without the lamp light, hence it cannot scan.

Diagnosis:

The fuse is normal. The lamp is likely bad.

Repair:

Lamp was replaced with an equivalent wattage florescent bulb. The original bulb was an NEC T5 8-watt 12-inch. Florescent bulbs come in several color temperatures which can affect the color accuracy. A cool white is preferred, a multi-coating or tri-phosphorous coat is better than the single-coating. They are also rated with a color range index, the higher the rating, the better color accuracy. For practical purpose a CRI value of over 50 is sufficiently good.

Result:

After the replacement of bulb, the scanner powers on with the lamp and resolved the problem.

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