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»	8mm Forum » 16mm Forum » What To Look For In A Projector

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Topic: What To Look For In A Projector

Maurice Leakey
Film God

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

posted May 31, 2015 03:07 AM

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I have received a PM asking what a purchaser should look for when buying a 16mm sound projector.

I have twelve different makes and I love them all but I am fortunate in having a splendid engineer who keeps them all running perfectly.

What to look for:-

1) Easily obtainable ELC lamps
2) Two position lamp switch (Low/Full)
3) Spool arms without internal belts
4) Built-in loudspeaker
5) External speaker/s in side cover
6) Availability of spares
7) Standard I.E.C. (kettle) mains lead

Bearing in mind all the above, the answer is a Bell & Howell TQIII black model.

I agree that worms can be a problem but they are still readily available and once fitted by an experienced person will last for many years.

Chris Bird is advertising a late model Bell & Howell TQM at a very reasonable price but I am not too sure if this model has a two-position lamp switch.

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Maurice

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Dave Groves
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 508
From: Southend on Sea, Essex, UK
Registered: Feb 2015

posted May 31, 2015 03:20 AM

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Maurice, My B/H 1695 is a gift from heaven. The auto thread is totally reliable and the machine just runs to perfection. Nice bright picture and good sound from a decent print. The old newsreels (Gaumont British and Pathe) are crystal clear unlike a lot of the modern stuff which appears to have the clarity processed out.

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Dave

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

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From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted May 31, 2015 04:15 AM

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I specifically suggested black model TQIIIs as these will have the new ELC (A1/259) lamp.

The earlier green models, whilst excellent projectors, will have the A1/258 (side-pins) lamp which is now becoming hard to get as I believe they are no longer manufactured, hence prices are also rising.

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Maurice

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Chris Bird
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 218
From: Kingston upon Thames, UK
Registered: Jul 2013

posted May 31, 2015 05:09 AM

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My TQM does have a two position lamp switch, but for some reason B&H moved it from the rotary knob to the back of the machine! No idea why.

Thanks to Kevin Brown I now own a fully serviced TQ1, converted to IEC lead and ELC lamp, so I think it ticks all of Maurice's recommendations. The only thing it doesn't have is a speaker in the cover, but I found an external B&H speaker for £5, so am very happy with my new setup.

Ideally the fantasy projector would also have manual threading, but almost all manual thread 16mm projectors have much older valve based amps unfortunately (an exception being my Elmo 16F).

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Paul Mason
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 540
From: Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
Registered: Nov 2013

posted May 31, 2015 06:05 AM

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I am a Bell & Howell fan and the final models (not the Eiki models badged as Bell & Howell) combine efficiency, reliability and light weight. However I have a soft spot for the post 1962 valve amplifiers with photo diodes which have a nice sound and plenty of life left in them.

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Paul.

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

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From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted May 31, 2015 06:12 AM

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Following from Dave's eulogy on the 1695, I agree that this is a model to recommend, however, the early models were green, the later models were black.
I have the green 1695A which has the A1/258 lamp, and a black (charcoal grey, if you prefer) 1695BS which has the A1/259 (ELC) lamp.

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Maurice

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James Wilson
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 230
From: Norwich, UK
Registered: Jan 2015

posted May 31, 2015 06:12 AM

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I have a Rank Aldis which I am very happy with in fact I have two of them, I`v had three Eiki`s but the Aldis is better.

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James Wilson

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

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From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted May 31, 2015 06:17 AM

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I would not recommend the Rank Aldis (Bauer P6) to a newcomer to 16mm as it has a closed gate system and is only suitable as an auto-load. Having said that, it's a very good projector.
However, if you are going down this road, the Bauer P8 is a much improved projector.

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Maurice

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Terry Sills
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1423
From: Weymouth,Dorset,England
Registered: Oct 2012

posted May 31, 2015 11:27 AM

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Funnily enough I was only yesterday talking to someone about the virtues of the TQ111's. If it wasn't for the unpredictable worm it would surely be a very sought after classic. I have a 1698, so magnetic playback as well. Luckily the original worm is perfect and I often wonder if the problems were caused by bad storage or misuse. I notice that animated replacement worms are now available but I understand that installing them is quite difficult. Other than the 1698 my preferred projector is my RCA Hollywood. Extremely quiet, lovely old valve amp, easy manual thread and very gentle on film but spares can be a problem.

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Barry Fritz
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From: Burnsville, MN, USA
Registered: Dec 2009

posted May 31, 2015 03:19 PM

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You are correct that replacement worm gears are available. However, replacing them is a job for a professional.

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

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

posted June 01, 2015 02:50 AM

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Paul's comment about the badged Eiki models reminds me to add some more details about recommending Bell & Howell projectors.
The last true model made by Bell & Howell was the 2698 in 1985.
From 1987 to 2003 Bell & Howell sold projectors made by Eiki/Elf, however, they were marked as "Bell & Howell".
There were nine different variations, all based on current Eiki models, and carried the number range from 3575 to 3592.

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Maurice

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Dave Groves
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From: Southend on Sea, Essex, UK
Registered: Feb 2015

posted June 01, 2015 04:20 AM

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Didn't realise that the B/H name was still around in 2003 even if it was a badged model. Had it changed much from the 1695? I have two (1695) and bought the second from Kevin Brown who converted it to an EJM A1/252. Concerning the original 3 prong lamps, I came across a fellow selling them at $3 in the USA. So thought I'd take a risk and buy six. They arrived in perfect condition so I got six lamps for around £13! My bargain of the year.

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Dave

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

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

posted June 01, 2015 06:08 AM

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Dave
Are you sure about the lamp conversion details? The letters and numbers do not seem to be correct. And your reference to three pins doesn't seem right. Two pins?

B&H 3575 : Eiki SSL-0L
B&H 3580 : Eiki SSL-0
B&H 3585 : Eiki SNT-0
B&H 3585/1 : Eiki SNT-1
B&H 3585/2 : Eiki SNT-2
B&H 3592 : Eiki ENT-0
B&H 3592/1 : Eiki ENT-1
B&H 3592/2 : Eiki ENT-2
B&H 3885 - no details

SSL were slot-loaders. SNT were auto-thread with rotary control. ENT were auto-thread with electronic switching.

Production for Bell & Howell finished before Eiki brought out their own Slimline models.

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Maurice

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Dave Groves
Jedi Master Film Handler

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From: Southend on Sea, Essex, UK
Registered: Feb 2015

posted June 01, 2015 04:26 PM

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Maurice, I misread the lamp ident. It's an EJL A1/252 and the other lamp is indeed two pins. I really must put more Horlicks in my cup. I'm sure I'm suffering sleep deprivation!!! Would be interested to see what the Eiki slimline models look like.

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Dave

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Barry Fritz
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From: Burnsville, MN, USA
Registered: Dec 2009

posted June 01, 2015 06:32 PM

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Like this.

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

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From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted June 01, 2015 10:15 PM

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For those who are interested in the two Eiki Slim-Line projectors shown in Barry's pictures, the top one is the slot loader SSL, and the lower picture is the auto-threader SNT.

The new design incorporated larger diameter sprockets than the earlier models.

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Maurice

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David Guest
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1704
From: Lancashire, UK
Registered: Oct 2011

posted June 02, 2015 07:42 AM

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re the 2 slim lines elfs I have both of these models and are for sale fantastic machine much better the the nt1

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

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

posted June 02, 2015 08:44 AM

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Dave
You can also use an ELC A1/259 (250 watt) in your conversion.

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Maurice

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Jim Schrader
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1628
From: Savage, MN, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted June 02, 2015 11:55 AM

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The top model shuts down if the loop is lost a nice feature to keep from damaging your films.

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jim schrader
"Let's see “do I have that title already?"

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Dave Groves
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 508
From: Southend on Sea, Essex, UK
Registered: Feb 2015

posted June 02, 2015 03:56 PM

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Thanks Maurice, I'll make a note of that. Never seen an Eiki machine running. They look nice mchines (unless someone knows otherwise!!).

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Dave

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