Scanning with SCANdal

SCANdal is a graphic interface for scanner drivers in Betascan/SANE standard. It uses MUI and was ported on all Amiga-like operating systems (MorphOS, AmigaOS 4.x, AmigaOS3.x, AROS). The point of its developing was to provide their users a free software that allows them to use scanners effectively and uses advanced functions of new version of the every mentioned operating systems.

Requirements

For proper use of SCANdal you need the following components to be installed in your system:

• MUI (Magic User Interface) version 3.8 or later
• urltext.mcc MUI class

For MorphOS version lower than 2.x

• Update Pack containing jfif.library and png.library as well as an Aboutbox.mcc class
• MorphOS version of this software uses advanced MUI 4.x, so it may not work properly with older MUI versions

Additionally the computer should be fitted with a proper hardware interface (SCSI or USB) to connect your scanner to. You should also have proper scanner drivers for Betascan standard installed. SCANdal as a graphic interface does not give the possibility to scan anything without proper drivers available.

SCANdal Installation

SCANdal is ready to run right after decompressing the archive in destination directory and doesn't copy any files into any other directories. For proper working it requires Betascan drivers in #?.device form to be present in any directory on you hard drive.

Usage

Device preferences

Current scanner communication system with SCSI devices is based on two device files (#?.device). First is basic device performing sending and receiving data from and to scanner on a low (hardware) level. In MorphOS for example, in case of using SCSI card, symbios.device is created in memory. For Poseidon USB stack communication using usbwrap.class, usbraw.device is created. For older Blizzard 1230 cards device is called 1230scsi.device.

Name of the device you are using, has to by typed in Device field in device preferences. You can select proper file if that's the form your device exists, or select one from the list of devices present in memory. In that case, you have to tick the Show devices in memory option and select proper name.

After selection the device, you have to select the unit, which usually is a device number on SCSI bus, or user-defined number in Poseidon USB stack preferences, for usbwrap.class (when we use older 68k EpsonUSB.device).

NOTE: For USB scanners drivers is not necessary to determining the number of unit as well as low-level device name.

Next you have to select Betascan driver file, by filling the Scanner driver' Some of the drivers require and allows you to set scanner's preferences in configuration files #?.conf. In older drivers, these files are placed in the S: directory, in the newer files are placed in the SYS:Data directory. If the directory does not exist you should create it. Refer to the SANE documentation for information about the configuration files.

SCANdal opens the device and begins the communication during first scanning process. From version 1.3 icon tooltype (AUTOCONNECT = TRUE) has been added, which initiates the communication with the scanner when you run the program. In addition, you can connect to the scanner by clicking on the Connect button in the Info tab. If device preferences are changed when program is running, communication with old device is closed, and program will use new device from now on. Possibility of using multiple scanners at the same time will be added in future. After proper scanner configuration, you can save the preferences using Settings->Use or Settings->Save options from menu items. Restoring previous settings is possible by using Settings->Load last saved menu item.

FAQ

Authors

Main code

Michał 'rzookol' Żukowski

email

rzookol at poczta.onet.pl

rzookol at brain.umcs.lublin.pl

rzookol / #morphos / #ppa freenode.net

Additional code

Gianfranco 'ShInKurO' Gignina

Icons

Maciej Żukowski