Not sure if this is your preferred method of contact for these sorts of things but I would like to learn more about the electronic side without having to invest in and take apart a scanner myself.

Part numbers for the sensor component would be a great start. Apart from that a bit of spec that could help find alternatives too and even the protocol that the scanner uses (although I gather it is a fairly simple virtual-serial protocol).

Really love the design!

The electronic parts used in the prototype can be found on page 19 through 21 of the design document. No custom protocols were created for this prototype, unless you consider sending a newline over a serial connection to be a protocol.

Thanks for the response.

on page 19 it says:

Canon imageFORMULA DR-2510C Office Document Scanner Quantity: 1 The prototype uses the scanning sensors and circuitry from this commercial scanner.

My problem is I want to find out more about the sensor without having to buy the whole scanner. In the tech talk it was mentioned that the sensors are cheap on their own. How do you know this and where can I buy them? Is there no part number printed on them?

Just did a bit more research and came up with "Canon MH7-7038-030" and "Canon MH7-7038-000". That sound about right? Any ideas on the difference between the two?

Contact imaging sensors are relatively inexpensive in quantity. The specific part in the prototype was labelled MH7-7060 and I've linked to the specification sheet. I do not know of any retail sources for this part. However, the CIS is useless by itself. You need driving electronics to capture an image and transport it to a computer. The easiest/cheapest way I know of to get such electronics is to disassemble a retail sheetfed scanner.

Second, as explained in the video, a CIS has trouble fitting into the apex of the linear book scanner even after dramatic modifications with a belt sander. A better approach would be to use a CCD linear sensor and a lens. While CCD is more expensive, it is not cost prohibitive. For example, there are plenty of CCD based sheetfed devices that retail for similar prices to CIS sheetfed devices. While I think would be the right way to go for future prototypes, I do not have a recommendation for a particular CCD and corresponding driver electronics.

http://www.canon-compo.co.jp/e/product/detail/090721010002.html