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Author Topic: Bell & Howell DCR Filmosonic Projector
Mark Williams
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 846
From: West Sussex
Registered: Mar 2007

- posted September 26, 2013 04:14 PM      Profile for Mark Williams   Email Mark Williams   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I have just acquired a hardly used DCR projector which was built to take 600ft reels only but the frustrating thing is that an 800ft reel easily sits on the front spool but won't fit on the back spool due to a small roller and guide.

Has anyone tried to modify this projector to take 800ft reels ?

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Patrick Walsh
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 723
From: Christchurch, New Zealand
Registered: Jul 2006

- posted September 26, 2013 06:53 PM      Profile for Patrick Walsh     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I have this projector as well and have always wanted to see if it would be possible to fit a 800 on the back, its odd that the projector has such a long feed arm!

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"Raise The Titanic!", It would of been cheaper to lower the Atlantic!

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

- posted September 27, 2013 02:44 AM      Profile for Maurice Leakey   Email Maurice Leakey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Sankyo, the makers, were a bit frustrating with spool arms. I have a Sankyo 800 (800' spools). If the arms were only very slightly longer I could put 1200' spools on.

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Maurice

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Terry Lagler
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 525
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Apr 2008

- posted September 27, 2013 08:07 AM      Profile for Terry Lagler   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I haven't seen one of these projectors up close but by looking at this picture, I wonder if they exit guide can be removed.

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It looks like it is held in by a screw. Maybe it can be modified/shortened to allow for the 800' reel.

Cheers
Terry

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Maurizio Di Cintio
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 977
From: Ortona, Italy
Registered: Jan 2004

- posted September 27, 2013 09:12 AM      Profile for Maurizio Di Cintio     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The outlet film guide can be removed, as it is held in place just by a screw, but most probably you will have to manually thread the film through the last portion of the path or it might jam around the bigger sprocket wheel.

The bigger Sankyo's/B&H's feature a shorter rear film guide. If you find a non-working Stereo 800/700 or a B&H DCT models, you can easily swap these guides.

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Maurizio

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

- posted September 27, 2013 10:21 AM      Profile for Maurice Leakey   Email Maurice Leakey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Just looked at my DCR. I agree with Maurizio, just one screw, but the film would not know where to go!

To guide the film by hand would mean removing the side cover to get hold of it AND there would be a bigger spool to get in the way of a hand guiding the film.

Perhaps not.

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Maurice

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Mark Williams
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 846
From: West Sussex
Registered: Mar 2007

- posted September 27, 2013 12:43 PM      Profile for Mark Williams   Email Mark Williams   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Cheers for the feedback chaps 😄😄

Surely there must be a way around this??

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Mark Williams
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 846
From: West Sussex
Registered: Mar 2007

- posted October 06, 2013 09:51 AM      Profile for Mark Williams   Email Mark Williams   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Has anyone got a spare back roller and guide from the B & H DCT they want to get rid of??

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Dominique De Bast
Film God

Posts: 4486
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013

- posted October 06, 2013 10:06 AM      Profile for Dominique De Bast   Email Dominique De Bast   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
You can also consider, if you have a lot of features to use a long play unit that allows you to put 2200 feet reels without any modification of the projector.

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Dominique

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Stephan Wessel
Junior
Posts: 1
From: Essen, Germany
Registered: Jan 2015

- posted February 08, 2015 03:29 AM      Profile for Stephan Wessel   Email Stephan Wessel   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Hello,

I modified my Bell & Howell DCR and it already works perfectly for years with 800ft (240m) reels.

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Stephan

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Brian Fretwell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1785
From: London, UK
Registered: Jun 2014

- posted February 08, 2015 08:36 AM      Profile for Brian Fretwell   Email Brian Fretwell   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
That is very similar to my Sankyo 301 which I bought second hand with the rear guide shortened, well just cut short and the cut off end was given to me separate. I modified it to be more like yours

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Barry Attwood
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1411
From: Enfield, U.K.
Registered: Aug 2003

- posted February 09, 2015 04:09 AM      Profile for Barry Attwood   Email Barry Attwood   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
You know I've often wondered why no spool manufacturer didn't make a 600' 'Supaspool' with a smaller core so that you could get 800' onto the reel. I've come accross this situaltion many times with various 600' projectors where an 800' spool easily fits on the front of a projector, but just does not quite fit the back. I suppose if anyone has some engineering experience (and a small lathe, would help too!), a suitable reel could be made quie easily, food for thought perhaps!

[ February 09, 2015, 10:52 AM: Message edited by: Barry Attwood ]

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Andrew Woodcock
Film God

Posts: 7477
From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012

- posted February 09, 2015 06:04 AM      Profile for Andrew Woodcock         Edit/Delete Post 
The problem with doing this Barry on any scale, whether it be the Tony Churcher version to take 1200ft reel capacity machines to almost 1600ft or whether it be doing the same with 600ft capacity machines to 800ft, it just puts added strain on the top loop and sprocket where applicable and can result in sprocket hole damage or strain. This is something you would simply never see using say an Elmo 1200ft jewel reel or even a 2400ft Posso / Beaulieu spool.

Many films I have received on the gawd awful Tony Churcher specials, contain tons of jitter as the film gets to within 300ft of the end of the reel.

As with Sankyo 800 and Elmo ST 800 etc, the inner spool core diameter is that size for a reason!

Leave the design engineers to do their job is what I say, well when it comes to spools at least.

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"C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"

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Barry Attwood
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1411
From: Enfield, U.K.
Registered: Aug 2003

- posted February 09, 2015 11:00 AM      Profile for Barry Attwood   Email Barry Attwood   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I totaly agree Andrew with your comments, but it's a wonder no one ever thought of trying it. I know it might be a strain with the extra 200' capacity, but I wonder if the film is not re-wound on the actual projector, if some makes could handle the extra capacity and strain associated. Still it's totaly academic these days with no real spool manufacturers still around, it would only be a shed made take-up spool if anything. I wonder if any forum members have actually made anything like it!

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Dominique De Bast
Film God

Posts: 4486
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013

- posted February 09, 2015 12:22 PM      Profile for Dominique De Bast   Email Dominique De Bast   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Barry, as far as I know, there is one reel manufacturer left : Julio Castells from Spain. He has been named several times on this forum. I've just received today 8 800 meters 9,5 spools.

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Dominique

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Barry Attwood
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1411
From: Enfield, U.K.
Registered: Aug 2003

- posted February 10, 2015 05:19 AM      Profile for Barry Attwood   Email Barry Attwood   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Yes it's handy the man in Spain is producing new spools (I believe new spools are still available in the U.S.A. as well), but I was thinking on the lines of spool producers like Bonum, Gepe, Schneider etc. who could have easily produced a spool with a slightly smaller centre, perhaps what stopped this would be a strength issue with the spool having to have a smaller centre, but perhaps it's as simple as no one thought of it.

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

- posted February 10, 2015 05:30 AM      Profile for Maurice Leakey   Email Maurice Leakey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I bought quite a few of the Tony Churcher specials directly from him at a Tadley Convention many years ago.
Absolute load of crap.
The idea was OK but the metal used was far too heavy. My Elmo ST1200 just refused to take up a full spool.

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Maurice

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Andrew Woodcock
Film God

Posts: 7477
From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012

- posted February 10, 2015 07:03 AM      Profile for Andrew Woodcock         Edit/Delete Post 
As said earlier above Barry & Maurice.... even if they had been made from Balsa Wood, the idea would never had worked well.

The large inner cores on correctly designed and manufactured reels by professionals over and above 800ft, are that size for a reason.

None of the professional reels over 200ft have a core size as small as the Tony Churcher specials.

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"C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"

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