Early Microfiche Conversion

[halboyles]

Does anyone have access to a microfiche reader that can output the pages into PDF files?  I have almost all pre-81 parts manuals on unused microfiche that I think would produce very good images.  I even have the parts manual for the M1!   If we could scan them into PDF documents, I would like to upload them to the forum.  Thanks

[Conserv]

1 hour ago, halboyles said:

Does anyone have access to a microfiche reader that can output the pages into PDF files?  I have almost all pre-81 parts manuals on unused microfiche that I think would produce very good images.  I even have the parts manual for the M1!   If we could scan them into PDF documents, I would like to upload them to the forum.  Thanks

 

Oh, wow, Hal!

 

I have a set of the microfiche, but I haven’t seen it in 30 years, and it was a cast-off from my dealership, so it was thoroughly used.

 

What a great idea. I’m subscribed!

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

[Hans]

I have a bunch from the 80s and a reader. Not sure if that helps. With so much NLA, its depressing to look at them

[stephers]

I remember working as an apprentice mechanic at one of the few BMW dealers that I was at, had me work Sat in the parts dept and this is the only thing we had to look up parts   Sat were usually slow so I would spend most of the day going over and over 2002 microfiche  looking at parts especially the accessories      Remember the big clunky orange colored readers that you read these on.  I think this would be  a great resource    Are there readers that could transpose them to PDf files?

[halboyles]

20 hours ago, Hans said:

I have a bunch from the 80s and a reader.

Thanks for the response Hans.  The old readers are really just illuminated magnifying glasses so they can't take the photographed fiche and turn them into digital form.  I suppose you could take a photo of each one as you scroll around through them but there are thousands of pages in each of the manuals so it might take some time.

[halboyles]

1 hour ago, stephers said:

Remember the big clunky orange colored readers that you read these on.

Oh yeah, I also enjoyed moving the platform around through the manuals just to ogle the parts.

 

1 hour ago, stephers said:

Are there readers that could transpose them to PDf files?

Yes but it would require a commercial version that automatically converts the images and I haven't found one yet that was affordable enough to make it a viable option.  There are also microfiche to digital conversion services but most I've looked at want a dollar a page making it rather expensive.

Edited July 18, 2019 by halboyles