As I was saying in a previous post, I bought some CIS sensors on Ebay. 

I have already hacked several sensors I found directly in old scanners, but this method is really time consuming... and you never really know what kind of sensors you will find!

So I wanted to find a more "generic" CIS sensor, and this wasn't easy... I ended up buying on Ebay some sensors with the wrong references and no datasheet. 

When I received them, it was the start of a very long day...

I started with some internet research, all the videos and blogs with people playing with CIS sensors (on their oscilloscopes most of the time). I couldn't find any information about those references.

From left to right : CIS front sensor with a cover, CIS back sensor with a cover, CIS front sensor without a cover

I started with the CB376-67901. I bought two of them, so I removed the circuit of the first one to have a better visual access to the lines. This sensor has 14 lines and you need a flat flex scanner cable (you find some in every scanner) and a ZIF connector to build an interface board more easily.  

From left to right : CIS sensor, Flex cable, ZIF connector interface board, breadboard interface, Teensy 3.2.

I was able to identify :

• GND on Pin 6 and 8, 
• LED pins on Pin 11 to 14 
• VCC on Pin 2 and 10. 

That's a good start, but still 6 Pin left for the : 

• Analog output
• Clock
• Latch
• Differential lines? 
• Maybe others if the protocol is different... 

Then, I compared them with some CIS I used to hack and I discovered that CIS from the brand HP had the same Pin so far. Interesting! But at that time (2 years ago!) I couldn't make it work... Here is the informations I had : 

• Analog output on Pin 1
• Latch on Pin 5
• Clock on Pin 9
• Still no idea for the other lines

Second step, I found an old HP scanner and opened it. And this was an amazing moment : the same plastic package, and it looked as throught it was the same Pin from the one I had so far!! 

So I wired my CB376 CIS sensor directly into the flex connector of the mother board, and I could see the outputs of the CIS on line 1. 

Here is the exact configuration : 

• 1 Analog output 
• 2 VCC (5 volts, but works with 3.3)
• 3 VCC 3.3 volts
• 4 GND
• 5 Latch
• 6 GND
• 7 differential signal (opposite to the clock)
• 8 GND
• 9 Clock
• 10 VCC
• 11 - 14 RGB LED

A few lines of code on the Teensy board, and now you have a new sensor to play with!!

The blue signal is the Latch (to help to synchronize), the yellow signal is the analog output. You can see 4 rounded peaks very close to each other, on the yellow signal, it's my 4 fingers.  ^^ I ll upload a video soon! 

I actually damaged one one of the two CB376, some pixels don't work anymore... But I still have one more sensor, and also the possibility to order more! 

I haven't yet succeed at hacking the CE-841. Here is what I can say about it so far : 

• 2 GND
• 5 GND
• 8 GND
• 14 LED

I need to work a bit more on this. I ll keep you posted! ;-)