8mm Forum: Ditmar 9.5/16mm dual projector help

This is topic Ditmar 9.5/16mm dual projector help in forum 9.5mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Clinton Hunt (Member # 2072) on February 12, 2017, 10:34 PM:

Hi all,
I own one of these Ditmar silent projectors from the 1930's I believe.It has all the accessories that make it a fully working projector for both gauges.It's made in Austria and has a great way of running different gauges through the film gate by having 2 film gates and cog assemblies.
The problem is that it smokes when in use and I did run it for an hour or more to see if was excess oil etc,but it didn't stop smoking.These projectors have alot of oil pots that must be kept topped up.
I would love to get it going and use but don't know what to do.
Any thoughts?

Posted by Terry Sills (Member # 3309) on February 13, 2017, 03:46 AM:

Clinton
I have one of these in superb condition and it runs fine. I can only think that the heat from the lamp is burning off any dust or oil residue. Try stripping it down as far as possible and clean off any dust and excess oil. If that doesn't work then it could be more serious-old wiring overheating perhaps. Does the smell of the smoke give you any indication of the cause?

Posted by Simon Wyss (Member # 1569) on February 14, 2017, 05:59 AM:

“These projectors have alot of oil pots that must be kept topped up.”

No, Clinton, if you keep them topped up, you pour way too much oil in. Keep it down to two or three drops before you throw switches. On a constant run you’d relube after every two hours.

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on February 14, 2017, 10:51 AM:

Clinton, I know absolutely nothing about these machines, but I am wondering if there is any asbestos used inside them for heat insulation. The dangers of asbestos was not known in the time period these old 9.5mm machines were made, so it was often employed for heat insulation. I do know that the Pathe 200B has asbestos lining the inside of the lamphouse, and this could be quite hazardous. So be careful, I would hate for you to compromise your health unnecessarily.

Posted by Clinton Hunt (Member # 2072) on February 14, 2017, 08:29 PM:

Thanks for the ideas and thoughts,i don't think the smoke is from the lamp area,but I might be wrong.I plugged it in and ran it yesterday with no smoke until I switched it off and then saw a small amount from the bottom side where I think the motor is?
I am always aware of asbestos in these old projectors etc!
My next plan is to take the panel off that area and have a looky [Smile]

It's a beautiful piece of machinery so I hopefully will fix the problem [Smile]

Posted by Terry Sills (Member # 3309) on February 15, 2017, 10:41 AM:

As you say Clinton a beautiful machine and quite rare, so well worth the effort to get it up and running. They must have been expensive in their day.

Posted by Terry Sills (Member # 3309) on February 15, 2017, 12:25 PM:

As you say Clinton a beautiful machine and quite rare, so well worth the effort to get it up and running. They must have been expensive in their day.

Posted by Clinton Hunt (Member # 2072) on February 15, 2017, 06:08 PM:

I'm starting to get more knowledgeable about how these old projectors work ... standard 8mm,older 16mm and 9.5mm ... super 8mm with their electronics etc are still a mystery [Smile]

I will take the side panels etc off so I can see where the smoke is coming from and then give it a thought and maybe seek more advice [Smile]

I will keep you posted [Wink]

Posted by Terry Sills (Member # 3309) on February 16, 2017, 02:31 AM:

Clinton
There is an interesting write up of the Ditmar on Cinerdistan website which warns of potentially very dangerous wiring. This might be your problem so be careful.http://www.cinerdistan.com/projector-index/2-uncategorised/513-ditmar-duo-2

Posted by Clinton Hunt (Member # 2072) on February 16, 2017, 05:03 AM:

Thanks heaps to you Terry for that website and alerting me to possible dangers with these projectors.
I learnt ages ago to unplug the projector before removing panels or poking around inside the machine!
I will judge from what I see if it's worth proceeding on my own or with some help,or just being happy with a display piece [Smile]

Posted by Clinton Hunt (Member # 2072) on July 16, 2018, 09:05 PM:

Here I am again revisiting this beauty!
Over the years I’ve gained a bit of knowledge on projectors etc so I am going to have another go at this.
I think I’m going to have to take off panels etc and see what’s what.
I will never throw it away because they are a rare projector,none were made after WW2 started.
It looks great on display but wouldn’t it be great to have it projecting!

Posted by Luigi Castellitto (Member # 3759) on July 20, 2018, 06:11 PM:

How's the repair going, Clint? I've always liked the aesthetics of this projector!

Posted by Clinton Hunt (Member # 2072) on July 21, 2018, 06:51 AM:

Hi Luigi,
So far I’ve only removed a side panel that showed a lot of oil.
I’m going to remove the base cover next.
As I’m not to confident I’m going to be extra careful [Smile]

.... to be continued ....

Posted by Clinton Hunt (Member # 2072) on July 24, 2018, 10:22 PM:

Update ... got nowhere at this stage!
I took the base plate off and it was a mass of components etc ... looks way beyond my capabilities [Frown]

It’s back on the shelf until another day or year [Smile]

Posted by Markus Lehmann (Member # 6648) on December 20, 2018, 05:32 PM:

Today i bought a principially similar Ditmar 2860 projector (standard8/16mm) also switchable with two film slots.
At first i diagnozed many technical (motor housing zincum pest infected so the motor bearings are slack, film transporter blocked by rust in the bearings, wrong rubber belts, missing bulb, bulb lens cracked cause probably contacted with the bulb, reflector blind).

At first i fixed the motor´s bearingsand started it.
The variable motor resistor began to smoke too after a short time. I still let the motor run further and checked the temperature (it was unable to light a cigarette on it) so it stay at a uncritical level.

After two hours of continuos run the smoke had gone so i´m sure that dust inside the porcelain resistor body and oil rests caused the smoke.

The cables are mostly in good conditions only the cable underneath the projection bulb i will replace. Also i didn´t find any Asbestos parts in it.

After some hours fixing the mechanical troubles now films get transported without any problems - so this would get another interesting piece in my collection... [Smile]

Posted by Clinton Hunt (Member # 2072) on January 30, 2019, 05:08 AM:

Hi Markus,
I think I will plug it in and let the motor run for a few hours and see if the smoke stops ... surely it can’t smoke forever?
I will post what happens [Smile]

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