psix — Pakon Scanner Interface for Linux

Proof of concept. The goal here was to prove we can drive the scanner from Linux and get real image data out of it — firmware load, transport/scan, and a working negative→positive pipeline. That works end to end. The UI is far from complete and is not representative of a finished product.

A local app for the Kodak/Pakon F135+ film scanner on Linux: a userspace USB driver (no kernel module), the scan/transport control, and a C‑41 negative→positive colour pipeline with live grading and IR dust/scratch removal (ICE). psix runs as a local web app — it starts a server on your machine and opens it in your browser. Nothing leaves your computer.

psix/
  psix/            Flask app + driver
    pakon/         userspace F135+ driver + colour pipeline
    assets/        bundled data (tone curve, EZ-USB loader)
    templates/ static/
  install.sh       one-command setup

Install

./install.sh

This creates a virtualenv, installs psix, adds the psix command to ~/.local/bin, installs the USB udev rule (asks for sudo), and sets up your firmware folder. Python 3.10+ required.

Manual install

python3 -m venv .venv && . .venv/bin/activate
pip install .

USB permissions. The scanner is accessed via libusb in userspace, so your user needs device access:

sudo cp packaging/99-pakon.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger

Then replug the scanner. (Without this you'd have to run as root.)

Scanner firmware (you supply it — Kodak property, not bundled)

The F135+ boots with no application firmware; psix uploads it over USB. You need one file — the application image for your scanner's hardware revision:

• pakon5.hex, pakon7.hex, or pakon8.hex (psix reads the revision and picks the right one)

Easiest: the first time you connect the scanner in Hardware mode, the Settings page shows a drop‑zone — just drag your .hex file onto it and psix saves it and loads the scanner. Or place it in the firmware dir yourself: ~/.local/share/psix/firmware/ (or set $PSIX_FIRMWARE_DIR).

The generic EZ‑USB second‑stage loader (ezusb_stage2.ihex) is bundled — that one is not Kodak code.

Use

psix                 # starts the server and opens http://127.0.0.1:5135 in your browser
psix --no-browser    # headless / remote: just serve, open the URL yourself

1. psix starts in mock mode (full UI, no hardware). Switch to Hardware on the Settings page.
2. Power on the scanner. psix detects it and — the first time — prompts you to add the firmware (see above). It then loads it over USB and initializes the scanner automatically.
3. Scan a roll (3‑channel, or 4‑channel IR to enable dust/scratch removal), grade each frame live, tune ICE, and export full‑resolution images.

Data lives in your user dir (~/.local/share/psix by default; $PSIX_DATA_DIR overrides). The output folder for rolls and raw scans is set on the Settings page.