8mm Forum: Advice on Elmo K100 wanted

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Topic: Advice on Elmo K100 wanted

Martin Davey
Film Handler

Posts: 94
From: Southampton UK
Registered: Dec 2011

posted February 04, 2012 03:09 AM

I have recently obtained an Elmo K-100 SM and I was hoping members could answer a few questions for me please.
The main, larger belt failed after a few mins. It snapped. I think it was not a correct belt in that it did not have either a square or round profile. Instead it was very flat in profile being 5mm x half a mm and quite weak,much like an elastic band.
I presume that a more normal round (profile) belt is required? The length of the belt was 48cms which gives a circumference of 15.3cm approx. If anyone knows the exact specification of belt please could they let me know.
I was going to purchase a belt from www.bearingstation.co.uk, as mentioned in a previous thread (o rings for £1.20) a short time ago. Their site lists two types of O ring, Nitrile and Viton, but I have no idea which type I should order.

In the 5 mins it was operational I found threading quite difficult. Does the machine like stiff leaders? I was tempted to load it in to the slot sideways to reach the opened gate.

PIC 1.The roller 'A' has no sprockets but I presume throughout operation of the machine it should be turning in the direction of play?
On the bottom left of the roller is a guide 'B'. Is the first position correct for the 'off' position (pic1), and the position in PIC 2 correct for threading? And should the guide return to the first position (pic1) when in projection/lamp on mode? I wondered if the film threading action was being blocked by this.

PIC 3. Looking at this same roller from the motor side I see that it is driven by the larger belt (and in the printed diagram in the machine). Turning this roller by hand, from the motor side turns the roller fairly easily but some times a small shaft 'C' projecting out of the main roller axle hits, and locks against a small flat piece of metal 'D'. Is this action cancelled when the machine is running at a proper speed, rather than a 'hand turn' speed? I wondered if the weak belt had snapped on this action.
Thanks in advance for any info members may have.

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frank arnstein
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 534
From: Gold Coast. Australia
Registered: Jan 2005

posted February 04, 2012 05:52 AM

Hi Martin,

The K100 can be a fussy machine and won't perform well unless everything is set spot on.

This Elmo has no sprockets at all and relies on the claw to move film frame by frame through the projector. The claw can't do its job till the film has reached the gate where it will hopefully latch onto the claw and then away it will go.

To get the film tip to the claw requires another driver and it is the capstan roller that you see spinning clockwise at the top which is responsible for this task.

When you turn the selector knob to thread, a plastic shoe moves over to the film and presses it against the spinning capstan roller. Friction will then force the film rapidly into and down the gate where the claw awaits the 1st sprocket hole in the film.

Once a familiar clicking is heard, indicating that the claw has latched into the film OK, you dont need the capstan friction/feeder any more and upon switching to Lamp On, the pressure shoe will retreat and the film will be pulled through the projector, frame by frame by the claw alone. No actual sprockets are involved so its safer on old films.

Your pictures indicate normal operation of the feeding capstan roller and pressure brush is moving OK too.

As for the picture at the rear. It shows a "one way lock". This device allows the capstan roller to get drive when threading or forwards, but when reverse projecting or rewinding, the "one way lock" prevents reverse rotation of the capstan roller by mechanically blocking it. When you resume "forward project" the capstan will resume rotating as the blocking lever will swing away again allowing rotation again.

Your question about film leader is relevent as these Elmos occasionally don't like white film leader and won't thread it happily. Without the leader it may thread Ok. I have experienced this. Adjustments to the gate pressure and claw may overcome this habit but it can take patience to get it right.

Good luck with getting it going properly again and let us all know the result.

dogtor frankarnstein [Razz]

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At Projector Heaven the Focus is always on Detail.

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[o:/o]<|=- dogtor@projectorheaven.com.au
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Martin Davey
Film Handler

Posts: 94
From: Southampton UK
Registered: Dec 2011

posted February 06, 2012 03:27 AM

Thanks very much Dogtor for your detailed and informing post on the K100. I hope to order a new belt this week and hopefully getting the machine in use is no more effort than installing the belt.
Thanks again and I shall post the results here!

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Martin Davey
Film Handler

Posts: 94
From: Southampton UK
Registered: Dec 2011

posted February 14, 2012 07:38 AM

Just to say that I got some new belts for the machine and now works fine. It took about 2 hours of film running through it to get it up to speed. Initially it ran at about 12fps at the fast setting, but now it is about 26fps, its specified top speed.
I found that the selector for std 8/ super 8 has to be firmly selected, otherwise threading the film can be impossible even if the correct format is selected. It appears that the selector not only changes the gate aperture but moves the film guides in the gate by 1/2 a millimeter, so as to line up the claw with the sprocket holes of which ever film is selected but some times this action fails and the film will hit the claw in the gate but not engage with the sprockets. So now I know what to look for should a film not thread.
It is good to have a new projector in the fleet rather than condemn one to the trash!

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