Hi, > I just upgraded to SANE-Backends-1.0.18 and my Epson 2480 works > better than ever. Thanks! > > I have a question/comment about the scanner lamp. This scanner > doesn't have an on/off button, so it remains on whenever it's > plugged in (I remember a Dilbert strip about this very theory of > design, but anyway...) > > I have noticed that, if I run xsane, then after a few minutes of > inactivity the scanner lamp is turned off (by the firmware, I > assume). However, if I don't run xsane first, the lamp stays on > indefinitely.
You didn't specify which backend you're using. As far as the snapscan backend is concerned, there's no explicit command sent to turn off the lamp. I can only assume that the scanner firmware turns off the lamp by itself. When powered up the scanner only runs a very limited firmware. The real firmware is downloaded once the backend is initialized (e.g. by starting xsane). > I'm concerned about the life span of the lamp. Is there a way to > make it turn off, even if I don't run xsane? Right now my > alternatives are either run xsane everytime I turn the computer on, > or just keep the scanner unplugged most of the time. If you put "scanimage --help > /dev/null" into some hotplug or resmgr script it should also initiate a firmware download. /Oliver
