8mm Forum: Left Handed Projector

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Topic: Left Handed Projector

Pasquale DAlessio
Film God

Posts: 3523
From: Bristol,RI, USA
Registered: May 2010

posted February 19, 2011 08:46 PM

Sometimes I think I have too much time on my hands. So today I had this thought. Why are all projectors right handed? They all seem to be operated from the right side. Are there any that are operated from the left side but still facing the same way? Hence..left handed projector?

Hmmmmm?

Pat D

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted February 19, 2011 09:12 PM

I've seen this question before and apparently the answer (at least among Super-8 machines) is "No."

I'd love to have a left handed projector. I use two machines together quite often and I could operate them back to back without a big gap in between.

In tight confines this would make life a lot easier.

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Roy Neil
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 203
From: Menlo Park, CA
Registered: Sep 2007

posted February 19, 2011 10:15 PM

I know that in the 35mm world, Ernemann made a set of left/right projectors ( which I have seen and are pretty spiffy ). Im not sure about 16mm, bear in mind that changeovers on 16mm are not as common as 35mm. Im pretty sure there are one or two left had threading 16mm projectors out there, but I cant tell you which brand for certain.

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Michael O'Regan
Film God

Posts: 3085
From: Essex, UK
Registered: Oct 2007

posted February 20, 2011 02:49 AM

http://www.cinephoto.co.uk/16mm_philips_el5100_mech.htm

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Jean-Marc Toussaint
Film God

Posts: 2392
From: France
Registered: Oct 2004

posted February 20, 2011 04:03 AM

Hortson 16mm pedestal machines are left-handed.

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The Grindcave Cinema Website

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted February 20, 2011 07:19 AM

I wonder if it's some ergonomic...thing.

Since most of us are right handed having the controls on the machine's right side makes it easier to operate the controls standing behind the machine or standing next to it (especially if the front of the machine is shoved up against a projection port.)

I can't think of a mechanical reason a left handed machine wouldn't be just as easy to build. All the shafts and gears would need to turn the opposite way, but that's no big deal.

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Barry Fritz
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1061
From: Burnsville, MN, USA
Registered: Dec 2009

posted February 20, 2011 06:43 PM

I have a Movie-Mite 16mm sound machine that is left handed. Here is a pic of one like mine. Funky little bugger.

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Pasquale DAlessio
Film God

Posts: 3523
From: Bristol,RI, USA
Registered: May 2010

posted February 20, 2011 07:41 PM

Hey Barry

Thanks for posting the great pic! That is a funky maching for sure. It must be weird running it. So, is the film on the reel backwards? I'm tying to get a visual on the sprocket holes. I started this thread thinking there really wasn't any left handed projectors. Nice to learn something new.

Pat D

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Barry Fritz
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1061
From: Burnsville, MN, USA
Registered: Dec 2009

posted February 20, 2011 08:21 PM

No, the film is on the reel as usual. The reel is flipped and the sprockets are to the inside, just the opposite of how they are on a righty. This unit does not have an exciter lamp. It uses the light from the projector bulb that shines through a little lens and then out a hole at about 5 o'clock on the bottom of the big round cover in the middle. Under that cover is the bulb and the shutter which is sorta like a barrel shutter. Really wierd. Here's some pics

The instructions are at this site. You need to use the slider at the bottom of your browser view to move the pdf file left and right to see every page.
http://www.acofs.org.au/part_4_files/Movie%20Mite/User%20Mite%2063.PDF

[ February 20, 2011, 10:38 PM: Message edited by: Barry Fritz ]

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 525
From: Dallas, TX, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted February 21, 2011 02:10 AM

Some 16mm reels had a square cutout for the spindle on the non-operator side and a round cutout for the spindle on the operator side. How in the world did that projector handle that? (Except, rewinding it and then flipping the reel around.)

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Pasquale DAlessio
Film God

Posts: 3523
From: Bristol,RI, USA
Registered: May 2010

posted February 21, 2011 04:05 AM

Barry

Thanks for the great pics. The fact that it uses the bulb for sound also is very interesting. That is one on the most facinating projectors I have ever seen.

Brad

I had some reels like that. I remember buying films that came tails out on them and you had to re-reel them to watch them for the first time. I couldn't believe peeple sold them that way.

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Michael O'Regan
Film God

Posts: 3085
From: Essex, UK
Registered: Oct 2007

posted February 21, 2011 07:44 AM

I have some of those reels. In my experience they only appear to originate in the US - at least, any that I've acquired over the years have come only from the US.

For those left sided machines, yes you would just need to flip the reel around. Not that big a chore.

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Barry Fritz
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1061
From: Burnsville, MN, USA
Registered: Dec 2009

posted February 21, 2011 08:58 AM

And to add to the funkiness, an earlier version had the amp tubes visible. Take a look at this ad. You can see them sitting on the right rear area.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/moviemit.jpg

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Peter van Zand
Film Handler

Posts: 95
From: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Registered: Apr 2009

posted February 25, 2011 12:14 PM

I know of a Kinotone projector in a cinema in Amsterdam that is build on the right side as a 35mm projector, and on the left side as a 16mm projector, thus left-handed. It is done to save space in small booths, and keep the dual-projector in the center before the screen. Very clever design, I think.

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www.vergetenfilm.nl

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