Shaun Merrigan Landscape Photography Pages Updated

I have updated my Landscape Photography pages:  Shaun Merrigan: Landscapes from the Heart  Here are a couple of samples:

Sunrise at Raley

Alberta Prairie Sunrise

As well as my professional photography (Metallography, Scientific Photography) I am an avid landscape photographer. I work in medium format film and digital, and I prefer to explore the lonely and forgotten places on the Alberta and Saskatchewan prairies.

Shaun M.

HP Z3200 Photo Printer Scan Axis Drive Belt Replacement:

I recently had to replace the Scan Axis Drive Belt (otherwise known as the carriage belt) in my HP Z3200 Photo Printer. I use the printer several times per week, but the print volumes I do are relatively light, so the belt did not “wear” out. Instead, the elastomer (rubber) component of the belt which binds the Kevlar strands together began to deteriorate and eventually disintegrated completely. Not only did this affect the Scan Axis alignment (see first image below) but it also left innumerable rubber crumbs throughout the paper path. I successfully replaced the belt and cleaned up the paper path and internals with a minimum of trouble, as well as replacing the noisy (howling) power supply fan. I should point out that I do have considerable background … Read More »

Gigapan Epic Pro Firmware Update Problems and Solution

Gigapan has a firmware update available for the GigaPan Epic Pro, here: GigaPan Epic Pro Firmware Update

To find out if you need it, check the firmware on your Epic Pro thus:

Select “Options” – “Expert Options” – “Firmware Version”
The current firmware version is P010100171-8.

I have a couple of very important tips for Windows users (Windows 7, specifically) which will help prevent any disasters from occurring (i.e., a botched firmware upgrade which will result in a dead Epic Pro):

1) Install the Firmware Upload Tool “As an Administrator”
2) Connect the USB cable from the Epic Pro directly to the motherboard, not to a hub or to the front panel USB ports on your PC. Not doing this caused my Epic Pro to lockup and not be recognized by Windows.
3) Run the Firmware Upload Tool “As an … Read More »

For anyone who may be a Flickr Pro user, Flickr is giving a three-month extension to Pro accounts. When you sign in, you will be presented with a window to click through and accept the gift.

Merry Christmas!

Shaun Merrigan

I finally received my shipment of Western Digital Red 3TB Hard Drives which I had initially ordered in mid-August. I had thought that installing several of these drives in my Windows Home Server box would be a simple way to increase my RAID 6 storage space. Alas, I found out the hard way that my Promise Supertrack EX8760T RAID controller does not recognize WD 3TB drives and thus sees the WD Reds as 946GB, Sata II drives. In fact, they are 3TB, Sata III capable drives. A few emails exchanged with Promise Tech Support left me quite disappointed. In a nutshell, the Promise Supertrack EX8760T does not support 3TB drives, and there are no plans to support these drives in the future. Too bad, since the EX8760T is quite a robust card, and it has … Read More »

Dell has their 30″ IPS Panel monitor on sale for $300 off. I have two of these and just bought another. This is a vastly under-rated monitor for photography (once calibrated) and it is great for gaming as well. Don’t miss this.