Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 ED / LS-5000 ED service and repair notes
Placed here are some of the compilations of modifications, service and repair procedures I found over the years on Internet as well as those I developed myself. You are welcome to use them, but with following disclaimers:
Disclaimers
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I am not affiliated with Nikon or any other photography/optics/scanner company.
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I will not assume any responsibility for any damage that may occur to your scanner if you try to follow the procedures posted here. I may be able to help you if you mess up, but I will not do this for free.
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Some of the procedures listed here were not developed by me. I found them on the web, in some cases modified them. I am not trying to take any credit for them, I am reproducing them here as a compilation of all service/repair protocols and modifications in case they disappear from the original forum boards etc. I had tried to cite the original sources I used, but I may have missed some inadvertently.
After I created these pages, I had many requests of service/repair.
1. I do perform repairs on Nikon Coolscan scanners.
2. I have taken accurate measurements of most plastic parts that are prone to breaking in Nikon Coolscan scanners and had them 3D-printed.
do not share the models , but can sell you the
replacement parts. If interested, write to me
.
There is a Nikon Coolscan group on Facebook, if you have more questions, you may consider posting there.
Getting Nikon Super Coolscan scanners work under Windows 7 (including x64), 8, and 10
This is a re-write of the procedure I had found here. I run all my Nikon Coolscan scanners using Windows 7 (x64) computers. The software (Nikon Scan) was released to work under XP but a simple modification will make it work under Windows 7. It also works for Windows 8 and 10, but you would need to do another trick to install "unsigned driver". See more details here. If all fails, as well as for Mac users, I would recommend using VueScan.
These scanners are very well built. But after many years of service some things may break. Many failures are repairable.
Disassembly of Nikon Super Coolscan LS-4000 and some repair tips
Disassembly of Nikon Super Coolscan LS-5000 and some repair tips
Nikon LS-4000 and LS-5000 scanners are very well built and are extremely reliable. They very rarely need service beyond imaging mirror cleaning.
1. Cleaning the mirror in Nikon Super Coolscan LS-4000 and LS-5000 scanners
A dirty mirror in the scan head will result in degraded scan image quality. In extreme case the scanner will stop working - it will report a hardware failure because the light-source self-test will fail. Another symptom - sometimes the scanner may report failure to perform autofocus. These all may be caused by failing LED (see the next topic below), but more likely it is just a dusty/dirty mirror.
I would recommend cleaning the mirror every 10,000 scans or so and/or if the scanner was stored for a while in the dusty environment. Luckily, the mirror cleaning procedure is fairly straightforward.
It had been shared before, for example by Pearson Imaging.
I think even simpler and faster procedure (less disassembly), presented here, works well.
In the case you have a mirror degraded by fungus (or you messed up and scratched the mirror while cleaning :), you can order a replacement (you will need a mirror with dimensions 24mm x 20mm x 3mm) here (I have no agreements with this vendor):
http://firstsurfacemirror.com/
2. Power Supply repair in Nikon Super Coolscan LS-40 (IV), LS-4000, LS-50 (V) and LS-9000 scanners
Power Supply PCB for Nikon Coolscan LS-40, LS-4000, LS-50, and LS-5000 scanners are switching power supplies with 3 outputs: +5V, -12.2V, and +15.5V (+/- 5% tolerance). The power supply for all these scanners have the same ratings and dimensions and are interchangeable.
Two most common problems with these power supplies are:
1. The ON/OFF switch stops latching n ON position. The scanner can be powered ON and operated but you have to keep the power button pressed by hand. Not a good way to scan. The power switch is ALPS SDL1P-D manufactured in Japan and sometimes you can find it on Ali Express and other second-hand retail sites, just google "ALPS SDL1P-D switch tip foot". It can be replaced fairly straightforwardly.
2. Another frequent problem (in the power supplies manufactured by SANSHIN, I only saw those in LS-9000 ED units) is a bad control IC in the inverter section, the part STRW6756 manufactured by Sanken. The replacement is also straightforward.
3. Replacement of LED source in Nikon Super Coolscan LS-5000 and LS-4000.
The scanner may report a hardware failure upon initialization (fast blinking upon power-up). Unfortunately I had not found a way to decode them, so you just have to inspect everything and try. If the scanner reports a hardware error (and Nikon Scan reports an error at start-up), but then allows you to make scans, then most likely you have a dirty mirror. The procedure for cleaning the mirror is presented above. In the case the mirror cleaning does not help, you may have a degraded LED source. I had replaced the LED sources in both LS-4000 and LS-5000 - this is straightforward and the great news is that this source is the same for LS-40 (aka IV), LS-4000, LS-50 (aka V), and LS-5000. So just buy a working LS-40 on e-bay for spare parts.
In the case of Nikon Coolscan LS-4000 (and LS-40) you will follow the steps 1) through 15) of the Nikon 4000 disassembly procedure. At that point the LED source (black part labeled PC-GF20) is exposed and can be replaced.
4. Replacement of the Firewire IEEE-1394 controller IC on the motherboard of LS-4000.
This seems to be a relatively common failure of LS-4000 scanners. The typical symptom is that scanner passes power-up initialization fine (no fast blinking), but is not recognized by a computer (in Windows - Device Manager does not see it), the scan software reports that it cannot find a scanner. Disassembly is fairly modest, but the IC repair is elaborate. The good news that the IC itself is cheap and readily available from Mouser, DigiKey and other standard suppliers.
Also, even if you do not think you have tools/skills to perform the IC replacement, you may be able to find a good electronics shop to do this for you...
5. Failed USB communication repair in Nikon Super Coolscan LS-50 (V) and LS-5000
This seems to be a relatively common failure mode of Nikon Coolscan LS-50 (V) and LS-5000 ED scanners. The typical symptom is that scanner passes power-up initialization fine (no fast blinking), but is not recognized by a computer (in Windows - Device Manager does not see it). The scan software reports that it cannot find a scanner.
I had long been stymied by USB communication failures in Nikon LS-50 (V) and LS-5000 scanners. I initially thought that the ESD probably kills USB controller ISP1581BD. But replacing it did not fix the problem...
Graeme Hardie at LincolnScan in UK (https://lincolnscan.co.uk/Coolscan.html) investigated this and came up with a work-around. So far every LS-50 or LS-5000 motherboard that came to me with USB communication failure came back to life after a repair per Graeme's recipe.
Disassembly and repair are fairly modest.
I have seen this failure few times in Nikon LS-5000 ED scanners.
There are two different typical symptoms:
1. Scanner stops working with SF-200 / SF-210 batch loader adapters. I saw this failure occur after the drive motor fails in SF-200 / SF-210. Even when the motor is replaced - the scanner still fails to operate it properly. When you insert SF-210 into the scanner - the power light blinks few times but no motor sounds occur. The scanner reports failure to load film. I think when the motor in SF-200/210fails in a way that coils becomes short-circuited, this kills the driver IC on the scanner's motherboard. That IC is U119, made by NEC: D16805 (Monolithic H-Bridge Driver).
2. Scanner does not work with SA-21. When SA-21 is inserted it makes a loud grinding noise, see here:
SA-21 has a stepper motor which is driven by a stepper motor driver U120 made by NEC: A1603C. I would check/replace that first.
However, I have also seen SA-21 "grinders" where replacing
A1603C did NOT solve the problems, and actually replacing D16805 fixed the
problem.
As I think now, it was a bit of a coincidence. My theory now is that in those
cases D16805 was damaged by a bad motor in SF-210 / SF-200, and then failed
D16805 pulled down the supply line that is shared by D16805 and A1603C. I do not
have a proof, just a guess.
7. Replacement of main scanner step motor in Nikon Super Coolscan LS-5000 and LS-4000.
Most frequently, the scanner may show one of the following problems:
- The start-up without adapter inserted into a scanner completes properly. However, when you insert MA-20/21 (or any other adapter), you will hear (at the end of adapter initialization) a loud high-pitched whirring sound. See this video. If you power up the scanner with the adapter inserted, the scanner (main stepper motor) will make a loud high pitched whirring sound at the end of startup, see here. Sometimes the scanner will blink fast after the loud whirring sound, sometimes not.
- The scanned images are offset along the long axis.
Both of this are indicative of the main stepper motor failure. For some reason this failure is prevalent in late production number (SN4XXXXX) LS-50 and LS-5000. The replacement procedure is fairly straightforward, the problem is a replacement motor. I could not find a suitable motor, so I have to scavenge older (cheaper) models for these.
8. Scan-head gear repair in Nikon Super Coolscan LS-4000 and LS-5000.
This is a fairly common failure of LS-4000 and LS-5000's. The scan head is moved by a worm gear. The worm shaft is held in place by a steel plate on one side and by a plastic part from another side. That plastic part may break if the scanner was not handled gently during shipping etc. Significant disassembly is required - follow the steps of Nikon 4000 disassembly procedure (or Nikon 5000 disassembly procedure ) all the way to the end. The good news is that this part is the same for LS-40 (aka IV), LS-4000, LS-50 (aka V), and LS-5000. Again, just buy a working LS-40 on e-bay for spare parts.
Unfortunately, sometimes the little gear that ties the scan-head to the worm drive breaks. Replacing it is no more difficult than replacing the small support part above. The problem is that the worm shaft pitch is different for LS-40 (aka IV), LS-4000, and LS-5000 (do not know about LS-50), so no cheap source of replacement parts for LS-4000 and LS-5000.
9. Fixing "stretched scans" Nikon Super Coolscan LS-4000 and LS-5000: optimal lens position.
This issue was brought to my attention by Frank Phillips. As Frank pointed out, some scanners produce stretched images (wrong aspect ratios). In two scanners that I had seen with this problem, it was caused by a wrong position of the imaging lens. Fix is simple, but disassembly is extensive.
Update. I have taken accurate
measurements of both back support and worm gear slider for these scanners and
had them printed on a 3D printer. Write to me if you need them at
.
10. Fixing Zig-Zag Banding Noise.
This problem has been discovered by Graeme Hardie at LincolnScan in UK (https://lincolnscan.co.uk/Coolscan.html).
Graeme investigated this and came up with a solution.
The problem presents itself as a zig-zag patterns in the scans, particularly in the dark areas, as can be seen in the left image below. In all coolscan models this is caused by a deteriorated small electrolytic capacitor (10uF 16V) associated with the analog-digital converter (ADC). Replacing that capacitor with a multi-layer ceramic capacitor (also 10uF 16V, size code 1210) fixes the problem.
11. Disassembly and repair of Nikon SF-210 (and SF-200) batch adapter.
One of the failure modes I discovered with SF-210 is a worn
out worm gear. The symptom is a loud grinding noise during the slide feeding
process. In the advanced stage the slide feeder stops working altogether. The
disassembly procedure is simple and takes just a few minutes. The difficulty is
a gear itself - I could not find a simple replacement. I ended up carefully
measuring the original one and making a solid model for this gear in Autodesk
Inventor. I had then had it printed on 3D printer. The replacement works fine.
If you have this problem - write to me at
. A caution: sometimes replacing
the worm gear makes the scanner operational but does not eliminate the loud
grinding noise. I am not sure what is the cause - probably worn out bearings in
the motor.
12. Repair of a slipping gear inside of Nikon SF-210 (and SF-200) batch adapters.
I have now seen similar symptoms (slides not feeding properly) due to a different reason - slipping gear. The repair is also fairly straightforward.
13. Replacement of the sensors in SA-21 (or SA30) adapters.
Nikon SA-21 and (SA-30) film strip (roll) adapters use proximity sensors to detect the leading edge of the film strip (roll) and the edges of the frames within a strip. These detectors have limited lifespan (I think the LED’s in them age) and the adapter may start failing. Typical symptoms may be one of following:
- The adapter does not readily grab the film when you insert it.
- The scanner reports that it cannot detect the film after it was inserted.
- The scanner reports that it cannot eject the film
- The scanner seems to work scanned frames are not properly centered within their image files.
The solution is to replace the proximity sensors. I found the original procedure procedure here. It has great deal deal of details, so if you are curious - read it there. Here I reproduce the replacement procedure just in case if the original post disappears.
14. Removing SA-21 (or SA30) stuck inside Nikon Super Coolscan LS-5000 and LS-4000.
I found this procedure here. There is a locking hook inside SA-21 (and SA-30) adapters which prevents you from removing them from Nikon LS-5000 (and LS-4000) scanners while the film strip is still inside. During the normal operation this hook engages when you insert the film and disengages when the film is ejected. If something goes wrong and that hook gets stuck in engaged position, you cannot remove the SA-21 (and SA-30) adapter from the scanner. Usually closing the application and turning the power OFF and then ON helps. If not, follow this procedure.
15. Converting Nikon SA-21 (6-frame film strip adapter) into SA-30 (full roll / 40-frame adaptor)
One of the original sources of this mod can be found here. Nikon SA-21 film strip adapter can be converted to SA-30 full roll adapter - a modification that raises the limit from 6 frames in strip for Nikon SA-21 to 40 frames (full roll) for Nikon SA-30. The functionality of Nikon SA-21 is fully preserved, just the frame limit is extended. The rear drum sold with SA-30 is desirable but not necessary to scan rolls - just open the back plug on you Nikon 4000 or 5000 scanner. Caution! The Nikon SA-30 adapter is not compatible with Nikon LS-40 (aka IV) and LS-50 (aka V) scanners, so do not perform this procedure if you own one of these!