You don't know what you've got...
Until you actually turn the darn thing over and LOOK at it.
For example, we bought a nice new, PC compatible digital microfilm scanner for the library which was somewhat fiddly to set up and use, but actually allowed us to scan the microfilm directly to PDF...except everything came out too dark. So I futzed with the settings and bought a lamp that was not very much help. And then I had the brilliant idea of getting some kind of small light and installing it under the glass of the scanning platform to provide a light box effect.
After much searching I found exactly what I was looking for, paper thin LED panels that can be shaped and glued to pretty much any surface.
So I go back to the scanner to measure the area I'd need for the panel...and I notice a little square of plastic-y material with a wire coming out of it in EXACTLY the right place to put a light...if one wanted to have such a thing. So I picked up the entire unit and turned it over.
And there was a little door. Upon opening the door I found the connectors for the EXISTING LED panel which had most likely been disconnected for shipping (in my defense, nowhere in the instructions does it say that the light is not functional out of the box, you're just instructed to turn on the light, which is kind of hard to notice if you don't know what a flat panel LED looks like).
So I plugged the light together and it did exactly what I wanted, illuminated the bit under the camera. Now if only I had noticed that about 14 months ago...oh well. I guess you learn something new every day.
For example, we bought a nice new, PC compatible digital microfilm scanner for the library which was somewhat fiddly to set up and use, but actually allowed us to scan the microfilm directly to PDF...except everything came out too dark. So I futzed with the settings and bought a lamp that was not very much help. And then I had the brilliant idea of getting some kind of small light and installing it under the glass of the scanning platform to provide a light box effect.
After much searching I found exactly what I was looking for, paper thin LED panels that can be shaped and glued to pretty much any surface.
So I go back to the scanner to measure the area I'd need for the panel...and I notice a little square of plastic-y material with a wire coming out of it in EXACTLY the right place to put a light...if one wanted to have such a thing. So I picked up the entire unit and turned it over.
And there was a little door. Upon opening the door I found the connectors for the EXISTING LED panel which had most likely been disconnected for shipping (in my defense, nowhere in the instructions does it say that the light is not functional out of the box, you're just instructed to turn on the light, which is kind of hard to notice if you don't know what a flat panel LED looks like).
So I plugged the light together and it did exactly what I wanted, illuminated the bit under the camera. Now if only I had noticed that about 14 months ago...oh well. I guess you learn something new every day.