I just received engineering samples of some contact image sensors today
that I have been trying to get for two years.  They are 300 DPI sensors
which are made in such a way that it should be possible to join them in
a custom-built case to form a sensor that is over 16" long.

I have been buying CIS samples and devices containing them for over two
years and have not found a suitable device until now.  They should be
applicable to the Stibbons scanning method as they are electrically
similar to the ones we are now using.

They are also made to much more rigid standards than the ones I have
previously used.  Microscopic examination shows much better alignment
of the active elements.  They are also capable of being clocked at a
pixel rate of over 5 MHz.  Although the Stibbons method has a hardware
imposed limit well below this, others who are capable of building
custom clocking and driving circuitry could use these sensors at
scanning speeds well over the safe speed for paper travel.

I will probably be able to get one more set of samples before my
welcome wears out with the manufacturer.  They are interested in
contracts for thousands of units per month and I consider myself
very lucky to have gotten the attention so far.

I know that there are people who are interested in scanning Violano,
T-100 and organ rolls that are not covered by the standard A3 format.
If anyone has a need for these large format sensors, I would consider
building several of them once I prove my methods.  I am interested in
determining interest levels at this point as I will probably have only
one more chance to order samples.  I am only interested in discussing
this with people who are truly committed to a project.  I will only
respond to serious inquiries regarding this subject.

The construction of this sensor will require micro-surgery techniques
and contracting of precision machining.  It will not be inexpensive.
It will also take time to align and calibrate the units.  Even the cost
of the samples is surprisingly high, but I am committed to this project
and consider it worth pursuing.

Spencer Chase
http://nt.mcn.org/spencer/