8mm Forum: IT'S A GS EPIDEMIC...MINE DIED, TOO

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Topic: IT'S A GS EPIDEMIC...MINE DIED, TOO

Gary Crawford
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 979
From: Manassas, VA. USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 21, 2011 06:56 AM

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I was also at Cinesea last weekend....and brought my GS 1200 up to screen some films that I was selling. It had worked flawlessly for two years. I was running a short film when the bulb blew. I didn't think anything of it since I hadn't had to change it in two years. Put another one in..and it blew within a minute. One more time...same thing. Put another in ...and it ran for a time. I moved the machine to the projector table...turned it back on...the bulb on prewarm....nice glow. Hit the lamp switch.....it stayed on glow....hit the lamp switch to high....still glowing. First it blows bulbs left and right....now it just stays on pre warm. Like Claus, I'm no good at electronics....so if it's anything but a loose wire, I guess Leon gets MY Christmas money , too. Any ideas anyone has would be appreciated.

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

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

posted October 21, 2011 08:22 AM

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That settles it!

I'm never coming to Cinesea without my multimeter again!

Sorry Gary, without a set of documentation or even familiarity with the GS I can only guess, but if I was having the problem you are I would start by measuring the lamp socket voltage (without the lamp). What it is may be a hint.

Cheap yet useful digital multimeters are no further away than your local Radio Shack.

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

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Gary Crawford
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 979
From: Manassas, VA. USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 21, 2011 01:45 PM

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honestly...I wouldn't know what to do if I could measure the voltage..... one thing for sure..the lamp switch no longer functions....must be a short in it or it burned up from super high voltage coming through. I am going to take the back off and have a look an any wires I can see coming to or from the lamp switch..and socket. Maybe the long drive to Jersey from Va. jostled a wire loose...shorting something? I don't know. thanks so much ..hope to see you back in Wildwood..maybe in May...or possibly in march at the Syracuse Cinefest.

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Larry Arpin
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 953
From: Sunland, CA, USA
Registered: Dec 2006

posted October 21, 2011 02:28 PM

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Gary-Check the fuses attached to the transformer. If a fuse is blown, replace it with the correct fuse. Then take the lamp cover off and see if it lights up OK. Be careful how you put the lamp cover on. This has happened to me and for some reason when I put the lamp cover on it blew a fuse. Maybe a wire is exposed or the socket wires are touching.

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

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

posted October 21, 2011 02:53 PM

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Well...

This is where I advise people to think about all their friends and find the one who knows the most about Star Trek, and then ask 'em if they have that famous meter and would be willing to help out. I'm not promising it will work, but it's like walking downhill looking for water: the odds are just better...

The thing is if you find the fuse is blown and you put in a new lamp and fuse, the odds are you'll blow the lamp and/or the fuse again and not learn anything new. I think in this case the fuse blew not because of a short to chassis but because the voltage went way up.

If you find the fuse is blown and you poke the hot side of it with a voltmeter, you can see what's up without putting any more innocent parts in the line of fire.

Electricity generally does it's thing quietly and invisibly (-and you don't want to be around when it doesn't!) so to figure out what it's up to you really need measurements.

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

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

posted October 21, 2011 03:50 PM

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Just to add, that the GS1200 has a lamp socket that can also get badly corroded and in time, creating a high resistance thus lots of heat "old age". It might be worth looking at the condition of the contacts as well as what Steve has said. You mention that the lamp at one point would glow on pre-heat only, there is a chance that when you switched the lamp switch to on the resistance due to corrosion would stop the lamp from lighting up I would clean the pins on any new lamp with some wet and dry rubbing down paper.

I would also check those replacement lamps to make sure they are the right ones for the projector "on the lamp itself" not the box they came in...what lamp are you using?

Anyway I hope its not to serious and its an easy fix.

Graham.

PS. Just remembered [Roll Eyes]

[Roll Eyes]

I should have mentioned the lamp socket in the GS is a bad design, ie as you have to push the lamp side ways into that socket. The actual "contact area" between each of those lamp pins and what it makes contact with is very small indeed for the kind of ampage that has to flow through it, thats why those sockets heat up and burn out.

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Paul Adsett
Film God

Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 21, 2011 08:33 PM

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Your so right about that lamp socket Graham, a very poor design with a theoretical contact area of zero!! [Big Grin]

[Big Grin]

[Big Grin]

[Big Grin]

The GS is far from being a perfect machine, and is susceptible to a whole spectrum of failure issues. When they run good they are hard to beat. But they seem to require constant TLC.
Makes you really appreciate the simplicity and reliability of lesser projectors.

--------------------
The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection,
Elmo GS1200 f1.0 2-blade
Eumig S938 Stereo f1.0 Ektar
Panasonic PT-AE4000U digital pj

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Claus Harding
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1149
From: Washington DC
Registered: Oct 2006

posted October 21, 2011 08:47 PM

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Paul,

I agree; the peace of mind of running my ST-1200 is starting to outweigh the "superstar features" of my GS...I played back a beautiful CHC 'Scope trailer reel tonight, and the ST took care of it very nicely.
Not quite the same lumen punch as the GS, but good horizontal stability and no fuss. This from a machine that I have had since the mid-80es, with a good number of miles on the motor and transport.

Time to re-evaluate the love affair with the GS....it puts out a gorgeous image and sound when running right, but... [Roll Eyes]

[Roll Eyes]

Claus.

--------------------
"Why are there shots of deserts in a scene that's supposed to take place in Belgium during the winter?" (Review of 'Battle of the Bulge'.)

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Joseph Banfield
Film Handler

Posts: 93
From: FRANCE
Registered: Jun 2010

posted October 22, 2011 03:19 PM

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It seems to me that if you are getting the pre-heated lamp that comes on and then when you switch the lamp to full power it blows out your lamp, then perhaps you have a bad contact in the socket. I have seen countless times halogen lamps blow from a bad contact in either the lamp socket or the switches on the control switch that turns them on due to corrosion. There can only be three possibilities...the first being a corroded lamp socket or correded lamp pins, the second being the switch contacts from the control switch or third the transformer itself. In my experiene however, the bad contacts in the lamp socket cause this fast arcing which in turns burns out the small connecting wires inside the halogen bulb...then it is finished! This is also a common problem with 16mm projectors and their halogen lamp sockets, and it all happens within seconds and once it does the lamp is gone!!!

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Gary Crawford
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 979
From: Manassas, VA. USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted November 01, 2011 07:28 AM

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When fiddling with my GS, I noticed that when I hit "still"...the lamp came on fine..along with the cooling fan. I hit that still switch a couple of times....then hit forward and , the lamp and fan kicked in.... I ran it for an hour....no problem. Used it outside last night at a church Halloween function for two hours...performed beautifully. I did take your advice and clean the contacts on the bulb holder and bulb.
BUT...my second GS...has developed a loud feedback squeal coming out of the speakers..and all sound outputs whenever I turn up the playback volume , even slightly , on channel two.
The dreaded GS virus is spreading.

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

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

posted November 01, 2011 07:54 AM

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'Morning Gary!,

My ST-1200HD has a similar feedback issue here and there. At least in my case it's fixable by working all the switches in the audio section that I rarely or never use: some oxide must build up on the contacts.

It happened a couple of months ago when I was hooked into the amp and the volume was set for "Beethoven". I'm lucky I didn't wake up the whole neighborhood!

These days I try to work all the controls once or twice a month to avoid this.

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

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Lee Mannering
Film God

Posts: 3216
From: The Projection Box
Registered: Nov 2006

posted November 02, 2011 06:37 AM

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I’m not even chancing switching mine on now! [Big Grin]

[Big Grin]

Joking apart.. The amount of current the lamp draws is phenomenal so I guess inevitable lamp switches or contacts will eventually fail.

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

posted November 02, 2011 01:06 PM

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Glad I own top of the line Eumigs and high grade Chinon's!

( tee hee hee! )

yeah ... I know, that doesn't help! [Smile]

[Smile]

However, projector pain is something that we all have to deal with at times.

--------------------
"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Gary Crawford
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 979
From: Manassas, VA. USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted November 03, 2011 06:48 AM

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After working and cleaning all the recording connnected switches and buttons on the #2 GS, the squealing/feedback problem on it has disappeared. So Both GS's are working beautifully again. Sorry, Leon, but no business for you yet.

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Tom Photiou
Film God

Posts: 4837
From: Plymouth U.K
Registered: Dec 2003

posted November 03, 2011 07:34 AM

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These are great machines but with so many problems with electrics this is the very reason ive always stuck with the 1200HD [Frown]

[Frown]

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