Scan speed
You gets what you pay for with scanner speed! More money usually means more speed capability. Bear in mind that even though a scanner may be specified for a high speed (say 30kpps @ 8º), it doesn’t necessarily mean its driver electronics has been trimmed to allow it to operate at that speed. You need to do the ILDA test pattern to find out what the scanners can actually do.
Slower scan speeds allow more time for the scanners to get to where they are going, so they can catch up to the color signals. Thus, the mirrors are in the perfect position when the laser turns on and you don’t have any tails. But as you increase the scan speed, you can run into a problem where the scanners aren’t where they’re supposed to be yet, but the lasers still turn on, so now you have unwanted lines and unfinished lines.
You can try to adjust the blanking offset to fix this, but if the scanners can’t keep up with the higher speed, you’ll never be able to get rid of the problem completely.
The scan angle being used also plays a part here. If you are scanning very wide, the scanners need to move quite fast to get to where they need to be. By reducing the scan angle, you reduce the distance the scanners need to travel, so they have a chance to get to where they need to be before the lasers turn on.
Effects of overdriving scanners
Overdriving scanners will cause them to overheat, which will damage them, quickly or over time depending on how hard you overdrive them.
There’s also a risk of them slipping into a resonance band, which can be catastrophic. If you ever hear a screeching sound coming from your scanners, REDUCE THE SCAN ANGLE IMMEDIATELY!
