8mm Forum: Can a projector's age be determined

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Posted by Brad Kimball (Member # 5) on January 20, 2014, 09:42 AM:

Can the age of a projector be determined from a serial # if you have 2 identical models? I have 2 CHINON 7000 models and 2 B&H 2585 16mm units and I'm trying to determine which ones are older.

Posted by Maurizio Di Cintio (Member # 144) on January 20, 2014, 09:50 AM:

You can probably determine which one is older: these serial numbers are usually just... numbers, attached to the units produced, sequentially. For example this is possible with Elmo's where greater numbers actually indicate a more recent unit. Determining the actual year of manufacture is impossible unless you have records from the factory. I doubt they have been stored for so long: already in 1996 Sansei Koki, manufacturer of Goko editors, had long before discarded all of their blueprints and electronic schematics for their products, RM 8008 included [Mad]

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on January 20, 2014, 11:14 AM:

Cut 'em in half, count the rings!

-but seriously folks!

-very often when you look on the circuit boards, there will be date codes in evidence on things like large capacitors and semiconductor devices and sometimes an assembly date on the boards themselves. Sometimes components and assemblies sit in stock for a while, but at least these give you a "no earlier than" date. (These are used to purge stock when a manufacturer discovers they've produced a defective lot of parts.)

Very often these codes will start off with the last two digits of the calender year and then two more for the week they were made (ranging from "01" to "52").

Posted by Jean-Marc Toussaint (Member # 270) on January 20, 2014, 11:41 AM:

Then again, depending on each machine level of use, age can be a very relative notion...

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on January 20, 2014, 11:54 AM:

On Super 8 projectors there is often a date on the motor.

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