This is topic Eumig S940 in forum 8mm Forum at 8mm Forum.
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Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on July 10, 2008, 11:50 PM:
At present I am giving this projector a once over for someone else, the Eumig S940 is a bit rare out here and unfortunately this machine has not been looked after, anyway here are a few photos of it.
This shutter is interesting can anyone tell me why its variable and in two sliding parts?
pulling it apart to clean it, this might sound silly but how do you remove the lens? as rotating the knob fully anti-clockwise "lens moving out" does not release it.
Graham.
Posted by Mike Tynus (Member # 1108) on July 11, 2008, 12:01 AM:
Hi Graham,
To remove the lens, once you have the knob turned fully anti-clockwise, turn it further with a little more force and the lens will snap/spring out.
Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on July 11, 2008, 03:16 AM:
Thanks Mike
That did the trick ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on July 11, 2008, 05:03 AM:
Graham
I see you have removed the pressure plate assembly. I will be able to this soon on my S926 thanks to the kind offer from Mike.
I also see you have "exposed" the end of the flywheel shaft. How is this done?
With regard to the shutter, I am not entirely sure, but I would assume that it's adjusted to give maximum light at 24 fps, and minimal flicker at 18 fps. Only a guess though!
Posted by Joerg Niggemann (Member # 611) on July 11, 2008, 06:07 AM:
This shutter design can also be found in Bauer machines. The dark phase in forward mode is optimized for maximum light output, which normally would lead to ghosting effects during reverse projection. To avoid ghosting, the dark phase is increased in reverse mode.
Joerg
Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on July 13, 2008, 09:53 PM:
Hi Maurice
Here is a photo of the part you mentioned its just clipped in place and is very easy to remove but like most plastic bits be carefull
Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on July 14, 2008, 02:37 AM:
Hi Graham
Sorry. No. I know about taking off the part you show for cleaning. Gently does it!
I actually was referring to the "bit" on the end of the flywheel shaft just above the little red pin with the side spring on it. I assume the "bit" I mention has to come off to clean the chrome sound drum pulley and the rubber tension roller below it.
They both seem at first examination to be almost inaccessible for cleaning. There is no mention in the instruction book.
Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on July 14, 2008, 06:50 AM:
This is a machine we once owned ourselves, if only they made it much more robust it would have been a great machine but we had no ends of problems so had to move it on.
Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on July 14, 2008, 02:56 PM:
Maurice, Do NOT mess with the clip on the end of the flywheel. That clip is actually a form of leaf spring which loads up the teflon bearings on the flywheel to eliminate axial play in the flywheel assembly. Take that clip off and you are likely to get yourself into a whole heap of sound WOW problems. Leave well alone. To clean the flywheel and rubber roller you push downwards on the red button (below the flywheel), which tilts the rubber roller and gives some limited access for a long q-tip swab soaked in a little alcohol.
Tom, one problem that I have encountered on both my 926's is breakage of the leaf spring stack which indexes the positions of the main control knob. The projector still works fine, but now you have to visually set the knob to its appropriate clock positions, and can no longer rely on the feel of the indentations. Looking at my 938, it looks like Eumig were aware of this problem on the 926 (clearly they did not do any stress analysis on the leaf springs) and corrected it with a new design of spring. The other 926 problem was breakage of the indent mechanism for lifting up the rewind pulley at the top of the machine. Yes, the 926 seems to have some overly stressed parts, both metal and plastic (some of the plastic parts associated with the curved input guide are ridiculously thin and the pulleys are tiny), but the 938 has none of these component problems and is a totally different design of input film path. But I agree Tom that the 900 Eumigs do not have the tank-like construction of the Elmo GS1200.
Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on July 17, 2008, 04:54 AM:
Can anyone tell me the years of manufacture of the S940? and was it one of the last in the range of Super8 projectors to be produced?
Graham.
Posted by Mike Tynus (Member # 1108) on July 17, 2008, 12:38 PM:
The Eumig S940 was manufactured in 1981 for a list price of 399 pounds. It was Eumig's last projector. According to the Eumig repair tech who ran Photo & Electronic Service in New York after Eumig closed, not more than 50 of these units were ever shipped to the U.S.!
Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on July 17, 2008, 01:27 PM:
I think what this projectors does show is this,
This machine was Eumigs last projector to be made, just looking at the electronics on this item makes you wonder if manufactures had gone on just 10 more years how advanced they would have been, loking at the image you wouldnt think this was around 28 years ago. It was ahead of its time and all down to one multi-proccessor.
Posted by Graham Sinden (Member # 431) on July 17, 2008, 01:52 PM:
I dont have this model (yet ). Could someone please explain what programmable tricks you could perform with the micro processor inside. I can imagine you could play/record and get the projector to 'stop' at a certain frame. But what else could you do?
Also does the digital frame counter 'count' the real number of frames passed or is it just like any other counter and attached to a wheel. I ask this because you could count the frames using a light and a sensor which would pick up the line between the frames, but then again that might not work if there are horizontal black lines on the image. ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
Graham S
Posted by Mike Tynus (Member # 1108) on July 17, 2008, 02:56 PM:
Some of the programming includes start and stop record points as you mentioned. Also possible is programmable fade in/out, dissolve, track transfer, sound-on-sound, and music attenuation on one track triggered by narration points on the other. You can program up to 16 commands for a single record pass. It's nice that the machine actually lets you preview all your programmed commands for practice, with all the corresponding LED's lighting at the appropriate times. BUT my only complaint is that it CLEARS all commands once you carry out the actual programmed operation. So if you make a mistake during the actual recording you have to go back and re-program all the commands back in.
The counter is interesting as it does not read the frame lines nor is it attached to a wheel. It's actually attached to a light that reads perforations in a wheel that's geared off the main drive shaft for absolute frame accuracy.
Posted by Graham Sinden (Member # 431) on July 17, 2008, 03:47 PM:
Thanks Mike for that answer. Im sure if Eumig did carry on they would eventually put an LCD display showing all the program commands and more with a function you could save to memory. As it is the Eumig 940 is certaintly one of the most advanced projectors ever made in terms of computer like electronics.
Interesting about that counter. All the counters on the Elmo's just count every 18 frames and work all the time even if there is no film in there. Using a light and sensor it enables you to start counting from the very first frame (albiet leader) and stop when the film runs out. That digital counter looks good when running and impresses friends who thought super 8 died in the 70's and before.
Graham S
Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on July 17, 2008, 09:43 PM:
Eumig were always ahead of the curve in projector design. First projector with low voltage halogen lighting, first low cost 8mm sound projector, first (and only) projectors with vertical lens shift, first projector with microprocessor controlled recording/playback functions etc etc. Most other manufacturers seemed to follow Eumig's lead. It is interesting to speculate where Eumig would have taken us in super 8mm had they not been bankrupted by their association with Polaroid, and had video not come along and decimated the market for cine. I think Dolby stereo optical sound projectors would have been one of the next steps for them, as well as a 1200ft Stereo mag/ stereo optical projector with xenon or HTI lighting.
Posted by Mike Tynus (Member # 1108) on July 17, 2008, 10:27 PM:
Graham,
Just for clarification, the counter does count off whether there's film in the machine or not, since the perforated wheel spins as soon as you put the machine into play. But if you were to reset the counter to a specific frame, let's say the "3" frame in the countdown leader, the projector will always adhere to the zero count on that frame accurately no matter how many times you run the film in the machine forward and back as long as it stays threaded. Sorry if I wasn't clear before.
Posted by Jim Carlile (Member # 812) on July 18, 2008, 03:33 AM:
Whatever happened to Photo and Electronic Service? I know they took over for Eumig USA-- and had a few 938s and 940s that they were piecing together, making them incredibly rare here. Where are the repair people? (probably in the same repair heaven that the Bauer people in Glendale Ca. went to...)
Here's a little secret: Cambridge Camera in New York City bought out most of Eumig USA's 926 inventory. They had a whole warehouse full of them-- sources told me not too long ago that they still have NEW 926s-- though they probably can't find them.
Posted by Mike Tynus (Member # 1108) on July 18, 2008, 05:15 AM:
I dealt with the gentleman who ran Photo & Electronic Service fairly regularly throughout the 80's. I bought at seperate times two S926's and an S938 all new, as well as various parts and repairs. He was also nice enough to give me a parts diagram for my own repairs. And he believed the crowning Eumig achievement was the S824D Sonomatic, which he used personally!
Then, one day, I phoned him and a lady just said "Hello." So I asked to speak to the projector repair gentleman. And she said in a rather frantic and foreign sounding tone, "No! Not here! No more parts! Sorry, no more!" And that was my last contact with them. Oh, and I called several more times to make sure, unintentionally causing a little upset. Sad.
Well thanks for the Cambridge Camera tip! That would be too good to be true if we could get more soundheads!
Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on July 18, 2008, 08:13 AM:
Hi Mike,
Yes the 824 Sonomatic is a sweet little projector. I have an 820 Sonomatic and every time I pick it up I end up admiring its brilliant design. These are such compact and rugged little machines, and yet built almost totally of metal, as the best projectors are. Eumig got it so right with the 800 series, great little work horses for the average home projectionist. I believe that the 900 series were designed by a different team in Vienna, and you can really see the total change in design philosophy, particularly the move to heavy use of plastic moldings. I have often wondered why Eumig did not keep the basic superb 800 series mechanical design, and just add to the bottom of it an outboard stereo recording/mixing console, similar to the 926/938/940, plus some extension of the reel arms for 800ft capacity, and also with the optical sound head of the 800 M/0. Now that would have been some projector!
Posted by Graham Sinden (Member # 431) on July 19, 2008, 03:57 AM:
Paul,
My 926 also has that same problem with the main control knob having to visually set the positions. It work fine and because of this I actually thought it was meant to be like this (I dont own another modern Eumig. My only other Eumig is an old mark s standard 8). Anyway can this problem be easily fixed with the main control knob.
Graham S
Posted by Graham Sinden (Member # 431) on July 19, 2008, 03:58 AM:
Paul,
My 926 also has that same problem with the main control knob having to visually set the positions. It work fine and because of this I actually thought it was meant to be like this (I dont own another modern Eumig. My only other Eumig is an old mark s standard 8). Anyway can this problem be easily fixed with the main control knob.
Graham S
Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on July 19, 2008, 11:15 AM:
Hi Graham,
Unfortunately there is no 'quick fix' for the 926 control knob indent mechanism. The problem is that the leaf spring stack is severely overstressed and the top leaf spring, which engages the plastic cam on the back of the control knob, breaks off due to stress fatigue. This is clearly a design mistake on Eumig's part, and they made a design change in this area on the later 938 and 940.
Fortunately, the operation of the 926 is not affected at all by this, as long as you visually line up the white mark on the knob with the arrows on the cover.
Posted by Graham Sinden (Member # 431) on July 19, 2008, 05:01 PM:
Thanks Paul for that. It dosent bother me as I always line up the positions exactly and the unit works fine. One day I hope to get a 938 or 940. At present I dont use the 926 much but I still want to hang onto it.
Graham S
Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on August 20, 2008, 09:21 PM:
All cleaned up and running like a Swiss watch
Last photo
Well I am really impressed with this projector its very quiet running and gentle on film the person it was going to has got an Elmo lined up instead, however I am going to give it away to our new and very young projectionist at work, give him a surprise this weekend, he has done a great job plus as much spare film as I can find starting with a few Tom an Jerry cartoons we had a visit from his family last weekend really nice people so its of to a good home.
Graham.
Posted by Steven J Kirk (Member # 1135) on August 20, 2008, 09:33 PM:
Lucky lad!
Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on August 20, 2008, 11:28 PM:
The history to this projector is interesting in that I bought it from a film collector for $100 at least 10 years ago, it had been sitting in his garage and covered in saw dust and had been there for a while, soon after I bought it I never used it as my main projectors are the GS1200 and ST1200 another collector was interested in it so I sold it and it sat on another garage shelf "never got used" until sadly he passed away when a collector selling it on behalf of the estate sold it back to me for $80 about 30 pounds, so after all those years it came back but in a sorry state, as I will never use it I feel its better to go to someone that will get some enjoyment and use out of it.
Projectors need to be used pretty pointless having them otherwise, my son now 21 years old still uses his Eumig projector his girlfriend ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
when he gets it out, I gave it to him when he was young, and will be sorting out some more films for him as well. Its sad that out here Super8 is gone, at a recent auction 36 Super8 Feature films many in good condition went between $10 and $20 with some passed in at $25 all on Elmo reels, needless to say had I attended I would have bought quite a few, myself I will continue using Super8 and why not still lots of good viewing there yet.
Graham.
Posted by Patrick Walsh (Member # 637) on August 21, 2008, 01:45 AM:
Hi Graham, yes his "lordship" will be very happy with the projector, as they say "get em while they are young", i brought my 1st projector when I was 14 from the local secondhand shop for $40 (about 12pounds)it was a hanimex, i cant remember the model know but it was silent, I never got any films with it but I used to set it up and shine a white square on the wall every chance I got , the 1st super 8 films I got were a PINK PANTHER 200ft cartoon and a Tom and Jerry Johann Mouse, by this time I had my 1st 8mm sound machine a Hanimex with 400ft reel capacity, traded it in now and I have a GS1200 that I ran just today.
Graham you should join him up with the film buffs...... ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Pat
Posted by Martin Jones (Member # 1163) on August 21, 2008, 01:34 PM:
Any chance of a photo of the lucky b......'s face when you present it to him? Just to make us all jealous!
Martin
Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on August 21, 2008, 04:12 PM:
Well I decided to call into work last night to give it to him and although "Batman" etc were running downstairs it was "Tom and Jerry" blaring away in the projection room upstairs on a make shift screen and it looked really good. I must say the Eumig 940 is a very immpressive projector from the minute you switch in on and it comes to life, lights up like a christmas tree along with a very quiet cooling fan in some ways a more advanced projector than the mighty GS1200, well I was more than pleased to give it to him last night and hope he and others get a lot of enjoyment out of it and if the reaction I got last night is anything to go by that should be the case.
Graham.
Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on August 21, 2008, 06:58 PM:
I have to agree with you Graham about your appreciation of the Eumig S940. If I had to part with either my GS1200 or my Eumig 938, it would be a gut-wrenching decision, as they are both superb machines, each with its own advantages. For strictly home use on a screen no bigger than 6ft wide, and if the sound heads would never wear out, I would pick the 938/940 as it is so kind to film, so quiet and steady, and the stereo sound is awesome. For larger screens and public shows, and particularly with CinemaScope, I would have to keep the GS1200, solely for its better light output.
Like choosing between a Jag and a Rolls.
Posted by David Kilderry (Member # 549) on November 29, 2008, 05:49 AM:
Well, I'm not sure how many Eumig S 940 projectors came to Australia, but there is one now finally in my posession.
It was on ebay here and I picked it up today for AUS$188.50 (approx US$125 or 80 pound). It is in its original box and came with instructions and original selling dealer details (a country town called Colac about 2 hours from Melbourne). It came from a guy who knew what it was and he rescued it from a mates garage as it was about to be thrown out!
I know about the variable speed issues that these can have, but after running three films this afternoon it seems to run OK so far. I gave it a good clean and it has very nice picture, brightness, low running noise and steady image. There is a little static in the sound even at low volume but it can't be detected in operation.
I know it is early days but I am pleased with my punt on this as I bought it untested. I do know a former Eumig technician near me so I may have him cast his eyes over it.
I have waited years to find a reasonably priced unit (a friend has a few of them) but I did not expect this price. I wonder why other collectors here did not snap it up? They are certainly out when a GS or ST comes up.
A very impressive projector, it is now sitting up with my ST 1200. Both top class in their own ways.
David
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