Max's Cool Beans
How can this be possible?
Clive Maxfield
7/2/2012 2:54 PM EDT
Following my Our society is doomed blog, we ended up with a series of comments about the price of cables.
For my part, I noted that cables can be a mega-rip-off – especially for those consumers who don't know what they are doing. Even a little 6-foot USB-A to USB-B can cost you an arm-and-a-leg in the wrong store.
I also noted that I'm fortunate in that there's a little computer repair and recycling shop called TechStars just around the corner from my office in Madison, Alabama. All of the services and parts they offer are really reasonable price-wise. For example, they charge only $2 for a brand-spanking new 6-foot USB-A to USB-B cable.
I know this price is current, because I purchased just such a cable only last week. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about...
The thing is, while I was waiting for the guy to ring me up, I idly glanced around the shop, and I saw something that I simply couldn’t believe – a wall-size display of brand-new standalone scanners for just $5 apiece. I was so blown away that I took a picture of one of the boxes with my iPhone as shown below:
These are billed as 36-bit true color, hot plug-and-play, suitable for use with PCs and MACs, and driven and powered by USB. I took a look at one and it really was rather tasty – an A4 scanner about the size of an old telephone directory (but not quite as thick).
Looking at the box we see that it says "Windows 95 / 98 / 2000", so I'm guessing that these are old units, but I have no doubt that they would work with a modern computer.
Only $5!! … I had to fight myself not to purchase a bunch of the little rascals to give as gifts to friends. The only thing that stopped me is that everyone I know already has a combined printer / scanner / toaster / microwave / whatever (I can’t keep track of all the functions these things offer these days).
But only $5!!! … Give me strength!!! … I cannot wrap my brain around this. I mean to say, if I decided to create a product … any product … it would cost me more than $5 to create the box and packaging, let alone the cost of shipping the thing around the world, and that would be for an empty box without an actual product.
I really don’t know what to say (and that's not something you hear me say very often)…
If you found this article to be of interest, visit Programmable Logic Designline where – in addition to my Max's Cool Beans blogs – you will find the latest and greatest design, technology, product, and news articles with regard to programmable logic devices of every flavor and size (FPGAs, CPLDs, CSSPs, PSoCs...).
Also, you can obtain a highlights update delivered directly to your inbox by signing up for my weekly newsletter – just Click Here to request this newsletter using the Manage Newsletters tab (if you aren't already a member you'll be asked to register, but it's free and painless so don't let that stop you [grin]).
For my part, I noted that cables can be a mega-rip-off – especially for those consumers who don't know what they are doing. Even a little 6-foot USB-A to USB-B can cost you an arm-and-a-leg in the wrong store.
I also noted that I'm fortunate in that there's a little computer repair and recycling shop called TechStars just around the corner from my office in Madison, Alabama. All of the services and parts they offer are really reasonable price-wise. For example, they charge only $2 for a brand-spanking new 6-foot USB-A to USB-B cable.
I know this price is current, because I purchased just such a cable only last week. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about...
The thing is, while I was waiting for the guy to ring me up, I idly glanced around the shop, and I saw something that I simply couldn’t believe – a wall-size display of brand-new standalone scanners for just $5 apiece. I was so blown away that I took a picture of one of the boxes with my iPhone as shown below:
These are billed as 36-bit true color, hot plug-and-play, suitable for use with PCs and MACs, and driven and powered by USB. I took a look at one and it really was rather tasty – an A4 scanner about the size of an old telephone directory (but not quite as thick).
Looking at the box we see that it says "Windows 95 / 98 / 2000", so I'm guessing that these are old units, but I have no doubt that they would work with a modern computer.
Only $5!! … I had to fight myself not to purchase a bunch of the little rascals to give as gifts to friends. The only thing that stopped me is that everyone I know already has a combined printer / scanner / toaster / microwave / whatever (I can’t keep track of all the functions these things offer these days).
But only $5!!! … Give me strength!!! … I cannot wrap my brain around this. I mean to say, if I decided to create a product … any product … it would cost me more than $5 to create the box and packaging, let alone the cost of shipping the thing around the world, and that would be for an empty box without an actual product.
I really don’t know what to say (and that's not something you hear me say very often)…
If you found this article to be of interest, visit Programmable Logic Designline where – in addition to my Max's Cool Beans blogs – you will find the latest and greatest design, technology, product, and news articles with regard to programmable logic devices of every flavor and size (FPGAs, CPLDs, CSSPs, PSoCs...).
Also, you can obtain a highlights update delivered directly to your inbox by signing up for my weekly newsletter – just Click Here to request this newsletter using the Manage Newsletters tab (if you aren't already a member you'll be asked to register, but it's free and painless so don't let that stop you [grin]).
|
|
|
|
|
Navigate to related information
Duane Benson
7/2/2012 4:03 PM EDT
Your local store probably got a pallet of them off ebay or some other surplus place for $10.00. I'd be surprised if something designed in the era of Win95/98/2000 would work on Win7, but for $5.00, I might have picked one up just to see if it would work. I don't know what I would have done with it, other than satisfying my curiosity.
Sign in to Reply
David Ashton
7/2/2012 9:58 PM EDT
You may plug it in and find it just works with a built in windows driver. If not, you may be able to find up to date drivers on the net. For $5 it's worth the gamble.
Sign in to Reply
Paul A. Clayton
7/3/2012 12:29 AM EDT
This brief review (http://reviews.cnet.com/scanners/artec-ultima-2000/1707-3136_7-2064516.html [hurray for Google]) from 2000 indicates that the original price was $99 and said "its scan quality and speed are disappointing compared to that of similarly priced scanners such as the Umax Astra 3400."
My guess would be that selling such for $5 is less expensive than disposal and could bring in additional business.
Sign in to Reply
seaEE
7/3/2012 1:59 AM EDT
About 10 years ago or so, I bought a scanner for $29. $29, that is, after the mail-in rebates. It actually worked pretty well, and there is a piece of software that came with it that I still use at times. However, as for the scanner itself, one day I dropped it slightly on its end, just enough evidently to jar it beyond its shock and vibration spec. After that I don't think it ever scanned in full color again. Alas poor scanner, I knew you well.
Sign in to Reply
dneves
7/3/2012 3:04 AM EDT
I would buy a bunch of them just for parts, and try to build a simple cnc machine or a plotter out of them...
Sign in to Reply
Max the Magnificent
7/3/2012 9:09 AM EDT
I must admit that I had thought about this myself -- but they I thought about all of the "stuff" I already have and I thought "Let's not get any more" :-)
Sign in to Reply
rkiessling
7/3/2012 10:32 AM EDT
Just buy 10 of them, and rip off the steppers!
Sign in to Reply
Battar
7/4/2012 4:39 AM EDT
Many years ago I bought a MUSTEK scanner for about 100$. Worked fine until I upgraded to WIN-7, as the operating system decided that this scanner doesn't exist. Good luck finding a driver for that scanner that works on your computer.
Sign in to Reply
Max the Magnificent
7/5/2012 1:46 PM EDT
Keep your fingers crossed -- I bought 4 of them -- just haven't had the time to plug one in yet...
Sign in to Reply
elektryk321
7/6/2012 7:43 AM EDT
I fell same pain. I have USB scanner from HP, still more then 5 years! It has some problems under Windows XP but with some tricks it was working. After upgrading to Windows 7, I cannot use it anymore. Now I plugged it to Linux Server and use phpSANE, works perfectly.
Sign in to Reply
ReneCardenas
7/5/2012 6:36 PM EDT
Something told me in the back of my mind, this is not possible that the magnificent Max will pass an opportunity like that and explore this item.
Please let us know if the stepper is worth bragging about. For $5 you can go wrong, even as parts for other cool projects.
Sign in to Reply
Max the Magnificent
7/6/2012 9:24 AM EDT
You are right -- I couldn't pass it up -- I went back and bought three for a friend and could not resist buying one for me ... I mean, $5 ... what can you say ... I just haven;t had the time to plug it in yet...
Sign in to Reply