8mm Forum: Inherited Yelco Stereo 3600 & Other Equipment

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Posted by Patrick Sullivan (Member # 3047) on April 18, 2012, 04:38 PM:

Hey guys,

Unfortunately I know very little of anything 8mm related but I have recently come into possession of an '80s Yelco Stereo 3600 projector and various other editing equipment, including a German Klebepresse F8S film splicer and a Goko Model A-201 D-8 Editor Viewer.

They originally all belonged to an elderly family friend, who sadly passed away recently and I've been put in charge with trying to sell his equipment. I have no idea what any of this is worth so I thought this would be the best possible place to find out if anyone knows anything about any of the aforementioned equipment.

I've been informed that the projector may be quite rare but have no clue about the editor/viewer or film splicer. Please feel free to share any knowledge of this equipment and maybe what it's potentially worth.

Thanks in advance,
Patrick

Posted by John Davis (Member # 1184) on April 18, 2012, 05:09 PM:

Hi Patrick,
welcome to forum, here is a link to more details about your projector http://www.super8data.com/database/projectors_list/projectors_yelco/projectors_yelco.htm

This was regarded as the highest spec'd projector Yelco made, unsurprisingly there is an equivalent Fujicascope (Yelco and Fujifilm were very closely linked).
Can you confirm if the lens is the basic f1.3 version or the more sought after faster variety?

Posted by Alan Rik (Member # 73) on April 19, 2012, 08:27 AM:

As with most things it all depends on if the machine is working correctly!
One sold that was not completely working a few months back. The lights came on but it would not go forward. But it worked in reverse. That sold for around $150-200?
The biggest drawback for that machine is also one of the things that made it so desirable. It uses a microprocessor to control the audio recording and playback. If that is not working the machine is a paperweight as there are no more spares and no technicians around to service it. Very complex machine!
I wish you were here in the states...I would love to see it and test it out. [Smile]

Want to ship it? [Smile]

Posted by Lee Mannering (Member # 728) on April 19, 2012, 09:06 AM:

Hello Patrick. These used to be very desirable machine many moons ago but as Alan hints it’s rather a case if everything is working. One thing I never liked about the Yelco was the undersized capstan (gives sound stability) which meant over time due to it spinning quicker than most other machines it wore out much faster causing lots of audible wow. However, if it all works OK I would expect you to get between £300 to £550 for it within the UK due to its popularity some years ago but this is just my take on the machine. If you have the smaller numbers on the lens it will be of more interest to collectors of such kit as a better lens was on offer as well. There are collectors around your area and on here so I am sure one of them could lend a hand testing it with you if you get stuck and it’s a practice in my own area where we often pop round to help test someone’s projector if they are unfamiliar with it. Best of luck.

Posted by Patrick Sullivan (Member # 3047) on April 19, 2012, 09:54 AM:

First off, thanks to all of you who have replied, it's very kind of you to share your in-depth knowledge.

John, thanks for replying so quickly. I actually managed to find that page via just Googling the projector but it's interesting to know that Fujifilm basically offered the exact same model. I'm assuming the SD25 is the 3600's counterpart?
From looking at the lens, it says 1:1.3 f=15-25mm. Does this answer your question?

Alan, is there any easy way for a complete plebeian like me to test this to see if it's fully working? I've plugged it in and all the lights seem to come on and it appears to pick up signal when I plug the microphone in but I have no films to test it with! I guess if you're genuinely interested and if you're willing to pay then that could be possible. It weighs over 11kg though and I'd be scared to pack it safely!

Lee, thanks for the info about the capstan. I guess I don't really have any means myself to test if the audio is working correctly? I'm returning to Bristol for university this Saturday so I could either leave it here until I return in June/July or bring it with me and try to sell it on there. If anyone in the area can pop round either tonight or tomorrow then that'd be great but I'm sure that's not logical with such short notice! Are you aware of any enthusiasts in the West Country/Bristol area?

Posted by John Davis (Member # 1184) on April 19, 2012, 01:28 PM:

Hi Patrick,
the f1.3 lenses was a normal lens used through a lot of the Yelco range. If you look at the Fujicascope SD25 on super8 database you'll see a rarer and much more desirable 14-28mm f1.0 lens.
I always wondered why my local cine club (now Dunfermline Camcorder Club) had decided on a Yelco 810 and I was told this was because the projector was brought to the club and demonstrated by a rep. We were a bit disappointed when our Yelco projector arrived and images were not quite as fantastic as the rep's film - of course the rep had a film specifically produced to show the projector at it's best, plus he used the higher end f1.0 which I believe at the time cost a further £200 if bought separately.

Posted by Michael O'Regan (Member # 938) on April 19, 2012, 01:42 PM:

That's a lovely looking projector. What reel capacity does it have?

Posted by Mark Mander (Member # 340) on April 19, 2012, 02:00 PM:

Hi Michael,They take 1200ft reels,Nice machine,Mark.

Posted by Jon Addams (Member # 816) on April 19, 2012, 02:01 PM:

quote:
That's a lovely looking projector. What reel capacity does it have?

Up to 1200 feet (365.76 m)

quote:
it's interesting to know that Fujifilm basically offered the exact same model. I'm assuming the SD25 is the 3600's counterpart?

There are exactly the same projector, both were made in Japan by
Yamawa.

Jon

Posted by Michael O'Regan (Member # 938) on April 19, 2012, 02:04 PM:

1200ft - nice.

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on April 19, 2012, 03:23 PM:

I know that someone wrote an article in the mag "Making Better
Movies" praising this machine and saying that it hadn't got the
publicity that the GS1200 had even though it was just as
sophisticated,and it is a nice looking projector which I hope finds
a good home.

Posted by Patrick Sullivan (Member # 3047) on April 20, 2012, 06:48 AM:

So I've just found the manual for it and tried to test it out a bit more thoroughly. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to be working properly.

As Alan pointed out earlier, I think the inclusion of a microprocessor may be the downfall of this unit. When turned on, all the LEDs light up, the lamp works and light is projected, which can be focused by the lens, but the digital display doesn't turn on at all and turning the main rotational control ultimately has no effect on the machine.

I've seen the insides of this projector on an Italian blog and I couldn't quite get over the amount of electronics inside! Is it a realistic idea that this could be fixed by someone in the know? Or is Alan entirely correct in saying that there are no spares/technicians and that this is now an incredibly complex paperweight?

Also, in its current non-functioning state, is it even worth anything to anyone? Are collectors ever interested in broken projectors?

Posted by John Davis (Member # 1184) on April 20, 2012, 07:16 AM:

Hi Patrick,
although this was relatively recent machine, it will still be long in the tooth. The rubber belt on our club machine gave up the ghost a few years back and I'll assume the same has happened to yours - can you see the belt anywhere inside?

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