posted April 22, 2017 01:01 AM
Hello everybody! I am new to Super 8 and have been looking for a projector for a long time to project my films that I shoot and will soon be developing. I finally found a Sankyo Super 8 Sound 500 projector yesturday and it is in good shape and works very well for its age, except the bulb is burned out (a replacement is on the way) and a problem it has with going in reverse. For some reason when I have it on revers and it gets near the beginning of the film, it slows down, sometimes to a stop. If I switch it to forward it works fine, and switch it back ,it goes normal for a second and then goes back to moving very slow. Any ideas as to why it does this and how I could potentially fix this? Thank you.
Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007
posted April 22, 2017 02:31 AM
Mathis When you say about going in reverse, do you mean rewinding the film "over the top"? The problem could be a rubber belt expanded over the years, or just left in one position which could give it a slight egg shape. Take the back off and check the belts to see they appear to give a good tension.
posted April 22, 2017 08:22 AM
No I mean when I switch the projector to showing in reverse. It has both forward and reverse functions, and the reverse is helpful mainly just to put the film back on the reel. And okay, I will open it up and take a look, and update if I find anything.
Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011
posted April 22, 2017 05:38 PM
Hi Mathis and welcome. To rewind the film you should not use the reverse function through the projector. When the film has run completely through the projector to the end...you should thread the end of the film back onto the front reel and then run it in reverse. If you continue to find that the front reel will slow down or stop turning...then it could be that the motor belt needs replacing. If the motor belt looks good then the belt inside the supply reel arm may need lubrication or replacement.
-------------------- Janice
"I'm having a very good day!" Richard Dreyfuss - Let It Ride (1989).
posted April 22, 2017 07:59 PM
Thank you! Why should I not run it in reverse to rewind it? Isnt that the same as flipping the film around and running it normal direction? And even if I do that, I would like it if all functioned as intended. The projector has a knob that allows for switching between gorward and revers and either at 18 or 24 fps. It is also strange that it only slows to a crawl when going in reverse. Also i like not baving to thread the film myself since it autoloads it. It even attaches it to the take up reel automatically!
Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011
posted April 22, 2017 08:47 PM
Mathis...just because you can run it in reverse doesn't mean you should use that function for rewind. Using reverse while the film is in the projector is for running short portions of the film backwards as a special effect not to rewind an entire reel. Not to mention rewinding the correct way is 10 times faster. I agree the front supply reel should not stop turning. However as been suggested it's either bad belts or possibly something else is wrong with the supply reel assembly. All these things are common with these 40 year old projectors.
-------------------- Janice
"I'm having a very good day!" Richard Dreyfuss - Let It Ride (1989).
posted April 22, 2017 09:47 PM
So you are saying that if I run the film straight from one reel to the other, without threading it through the interwokrings, I can rewind it? I did notice that the reels spin fast with no tension on them hah. I never thought of that as I am used to reel to reel things. As for the reverse, I will check its belts.
Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011
posted April 22, 2017 10:26 PM
Mathis...take a look at my video on the Sankyo 600. If you go to the last section at 3:10 you will see how the projector is meant to rewind. Your projector should do the same. To rewind... thread the end of the film on the take-up reel onto the front supply reel the same way the film came off the reel. The front reel will turn to the left.
Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007
posted April 23, 2017 02:35 AM
Rewind from full take-up spool to empty feed spool "over the top" of the projector. This is done quite quickly, much faster than running the film through the mechanism in reverse.
posted April 23, 2017 02:49 AM
Thank you for the video. I understand the rewinding now. Like I said I am new to prjectors entirely. I opened it up and the one large belt looks fine, but I found a large brass? bolt, maybe 1 1/2 inches long, laying in the bottom. Not sure what it goes to.
posted April 23, 2017 02:55 AM
Thank you for the video! I understand the rewinding now, and have tried it myself. Like I said, I am new to using projectors entirely. I opened up the projector. There are 2 belts and they seem to be fine. However, I found a large brass? bolt laying in the bottom of the projector. Wasnt sure where it went at first, but then I found a corner of the power transformer was missing the screw. No clue how that could have come out hah.
posted April 23, 2017 04:01 AM
I would think the motor is still good also because there are no problems with running forwards. I am feeling like it might have somwthing to do with that gear that it switches to when it is switched to reverse. I think I may just accept it as it is and just use reverse if I want to show a certain part over again. I do have two other questions thoigh so far... The focus knob on the lense, when I turn it one direction, it moves the lense just slightly back and forth. Is this normal? And... Does anyone know where to get a manual for this? I cannot find one so far on the internet. Thank you.