8mm Forum: Elmo Sound Editor 912/S Super 8 Viewer

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Posted by Glenn Brady (Member # 715) on March 12, 2012, 10:39 AM:

I've got three Elmo Sound Editor 912/S viewers. Only one of the three produces an image that's sufficiently bright to see in normal ambient room light. Images produced by the remaining two are so dark that the viewers are virtually useless. No mirrors in the optical path appear to be missing in either of the dim viewers. I've upgraded the lamp in one of them without seeing any improvement.

Are there any 912/S users here who've had this problem, diagnosed it, and fixed it? If not, can anyone recommend a repairer for Elmo Sound Editor 912/S Super 8 viewers?

Posted by John Davis (Member # 1184) on March 12, 2012, 02:51 PM:

Hi Glenn,
have you checked the lamps?; in the UK certain car lights fit these editors but give a much dimmer light.
Try swapping over the lamp from the bright editor with the dim ones to see if the bright lamp is bright in all of them.
Remember to let the lamp cool down and don't touch the glass with bare fingers

Posted by Jon Addams (Member # 816) on March 12, 2012, 03:14 PM:

Glenn,

Make sure the lamp is not pushed all the way in. For some reason, the lamp doesn't line up correctly with the center of the lens in the 192/S. The way I set mine is as follows:

I take a piece of cloth or paper towel (the lamp get really hot) and with the light on, I loosen the small screw the holds the bulb in place. Now you can adjust the lamp until you see a brighter screen then tighten the screw back - the improvement can be dramatic.

I hope this helps.

Jon

[ March 13, 2012, 03:54 PM: Message edited by: Jon Addams ]

Posted by Glenn Brady (Member # 715) on March 12, 2012, 04:02 PM:

I'd not compared the brightness of the viewer lamps side-by-side (and should have). A lamp in one of the two 'underperforming' viewers was, indeed, dimmer. Physically the same as the 6V 10W lamp in the 'good' viewer, it was, unlike that lamp, unmarked. Replacing it with a new 6V 10W lamp fixed the problem.

A year or more ago, I fitted the remaining viewer with a Quartz Halogen lamp designed as a replacement for 6V 10W incandescent lamps. Although its brightness was exactly comparable to that of the lamp in the 'good' viewer, the image produced on the screen by this lamp was still very dim. Shifting the lamp back and forth in its holder made no improvement, so I tried another new 6V 10W incandescent lamp in its place. Still no improvement.

I'm pleased to have two of the three viewers 'up to snuff' now and suppose I'll keep fiddling with the last. Thank you both for your recommendations.

[ March 12, 2012, 05:36 PM: Message edited by: Glenn Brady ]

Posted by Glenn Brady (Member # 715) on March 13, 2012, 02:03 PM:

Jon

I went back to the third 912/S and, following your advice strictly (i.e., moving the lamp to and fro while it's illuminated), got the screen brightness roughly up to par with the other two viewers. I'll need only to replace a missing rubber foot and the D knob for the main control to make the viewer like new.

Thanks again for your help.

Glenn

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