Author
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Topic: Wolverine Pro... what am I doing wrong? Please help!
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Ben Gourlay
Junior
Posts: 6
From: Hobart, Australia
Registered: Sep 2018
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posted September 18, 2018 09:09 PM
Hi all. Long time reader, first time poster! I just wish it was in better circumstances...
So I imported a Wolverine Pro from B&H to Australia a few weeks ago. Initially all was fine and it consistently scanned a number of reels rather well. But now I'm getting this useless jittery footage that many others are complaining about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmFP3NlEiu4&feature=youtu.be
Now, I would absolutely understand if it was isolated reels that are affected, but it’s now happening on all reels – no matter the length, 50 feet, 200 feet or 400 feet.
Importantly, these reels come from different people and have been stored differently, different vintages, different film stocks, different lengths. The only thing that’s consistent is they are all different. But none work.
As per the FAQ, I have examined the sprocket holes but can confirm they look to be in excellent condition, with no evidence of wear or other imperfections.
Using some tips I have gathered from others on this forum, I can confirm I have tried the following:
• Not winding the film to the first post • Not winding the film to the take up reel at all, instead letting it collect in a box • Transferring film to a new reel to loosen tightness • Scanning film backwards • Feeding reel by hand into scanner (i.e. not on mounting arm) • Wiping film with lint free cloth to ensure there’s no dust
As you can imagine, it’s been a very frustrating experience. But I'm hoping someone can provide some other advice before I send the unit back to the retailer. I just really do want it to work.
Is anyone able to provide more advice? Thank you in advance!
Cheers Ben
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Kev Morrison
Film Handler
Posts: 76
From: Land of the Mouse, USA
Registered: Feb 2018
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posted September 19, 2018 10:06 AM
Ben, Wow. I too have the Wolverine Pro, and am just starting a 400ft reel as I read your post. Your problem is a real head scratcher. I can add little to what Mike has already described in his comment, and it appears he's covered all the usual possibilities. He's a guru on these Wolverine converters compared to my experience, and I've learned a lot from him! First off, the fact that you were previously able to successfully scan movies shows that something obviously has changed (duh!), and I'd lean towards a component failure of some degree. If the ideas that Mike has pointed out don't work, the only theories I can throw out is that it appears (from your video) that something in the film drive system is not in synchronization with the camera/scanning process. Whether it's feeding the film too slow, too fast, etc., I don't really know. I'd suspect that it's an internal drive system issue. The only other theory is that possibly the mechanism that focuses and takes the frame shots has run off the rails. Whether that's a physical component, a circuit board that has drifted off spec, etc., again, I don't know. Ben, did you buy this Wolverine new? If so, it's under a one year warranty from the date of your purchase. Also - have you contacted Wolverine Customer Service about this problem? Better yet, if you can possibly have one of their folks look at your video, I'll bet that this certainly isn't the first time they've seen this problem, and they may be able to pinpoint the problem, and better yet, help you resolve it. Please keep us on board with the status of this problem. I'm certainly interested on how it's resolved.
Best of luck! [ September 19, 2018, 08:00 PM: Message edited by: Kev Morrison ]
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Kev Morrison
Film Handler
Posts: 76
From: Land of the Mouse, USA
Registered: Feb 2018
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posted September 19, 2018 07:34 PM
Paul,
Can anybody recommend the Wolverine? It depends. From every thing I've read in this forum and elsewhere, as Will has already stated, it appears that Wolverine beta-tested the first "generation" using customer complaints and feedback for improving the converter. I worked extensively with beta testing IT systems and hardware eons ago in my career, but everyone knew exactly what we were getting into, and the vendors provided constant onsite support as part of the test & evaluation process. But Wolverine method of how they marketed their product? That's not the way to do business and treat your customers!
I've seen some technically skilled forum members using some ingenious solutions to resolve some of the design short-comings of the first version. Other problems? Wolverine would send out replacement (sometimes revised) parts or codec to customers for free if they were persistent enough in their complaints.
I had a used first version Wolverine that worked reliably and as advertised, but after seeing all of the complaints and problems with this version, I got a bit wary, sold it & bought a Wolverine Pro.
The Pro has some design changes that makes improvements and addresses some the of the flaws from the first version. Is there still room for improvement? Yep. But for the money, it appears to do a decent job of film-to-digital conversion. If one reads and follows the Wolverine instructions carefully, they can digitize their old Super 8/8mm film without a lot of extra equipment and knowledge. Considering that this can be done a whole lot cheaper than having the movies professionally converted, that's pretty attractive to a lot of folks. I was expecting a little better quality from my Pro in my digitized movies, but at least we can watch them and easily distribute them throughout the family. So Paul, that's my 1/50th of a Euro. William Norman (fellow forum member) did a very nice comparison of various film-to-digital techniques including the Wolverine in a recent thread. If you haven't seen it, here's his YouTube video, and that may help answer your question: https://youtu.be/g93dNpjcG7Y
I should have a Sankyo dualux 2000H projector by next Monday, and, if it runs OK, I can tinker with other methods of digitizing my movies.
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Paul Adsett
Film God
Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted September 20, 2018 01:35 PM
Thanks Kev for your assessment of the Wolverine Pro. Having read your's, and all the other Wolverine experiences posted on the forum, I cannot believe that this product is anyway production ready. The marketing concept that Will describes, where unwitting purchasers become the test vehicle and trouble shooters for the design, is totally corrupt. I would love to have an 8mm film scanner, but until Wolverine fix all the problems I shall be staying well clear of purchasing one of theirs.
-------------------- The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection, Elmo GS1200 f1.0 2-blade Eumig S938 Stereo f1.0 Ektar Panasonic PT-AE4000U digital pj
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Kev Morrison
Film Handler
Posts: 76
From: Land of the Mouse, USA
Registered: Feb 2018
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posted September 20, 2018 08:56 PM
Ben, your latest video looks noticeably better than the earlier one, except the 'shudder' is still there. Seems like you're tinkering in the right area, except: why should you have to do that?
I understand your frustration. Who want to spend good money on a defective device and be left holding the bag? I just received today a Sankyo 2000H projector (from eBay - where else?) that was advertised as "it RUNS!"). Yeah - the fan motor runs and the film type light indicator lights.. and that's it. Projector light is out, the film drive is out, film won't feed, one of the Super 8 hub adapters is missing, etc. But - the seller is reputable, and she's paying to ship it back tomorrow. Resolving the problems could be as simple as replacing a belt of too, and the projector lamp.... or maybe not. I don't have time for the drama. Life goes on!
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Kev Morrison
Film Handler
Posts: 76
From: Land of the Mouse, USA
Registered: Feb 2018
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posted September 21, 2018 01:40 PM
Will, thanks for the advice, but that puppy is already on it's way back to the seller. Now, before I shipped it back, what I did do (for curiosity’s sake) was read up on all of the issues experienced with this model of Sanyko projector. I worked for several hours into the wee AM to see if I could figure out what was going on. Here goes: I had read an earlier message in this forum about the bulb pin corrosion, and, you were right. After carefully using some sandpaper on the pins, and gently disconnecting/connecting the power connection, I did get the light to come on. As for the belt - a broken or thrown belt is one thing and I've repaired those many times, but a melted down, large glob of sticky black tar all around the upper pulley and some on several of the squirrel fan blades is a hot mess. I attempted to remove some of this stuff using a screwdriver and rubbing alcohol with q-tips can clean some of it off the fan blades, but it was such a huge mess that the only way I would have hung on to this thing is if I had bought it for next to nothing, or it was given to me. That was not the case here. I strongly recommend that if anyone here encounters a similar problem, wear latex or rubber gloves. The gear mechanisms in the upper left corner (facing the rear of the projector) barely moved, and that is with no belt hooked up. No, Vaseline isn't my choice of lubricants for plastic gears, but I used what I had, and after some working back and forth of the gear assembly via the drive pulley for awhile, the gears really loosened up.
The projector light seemed to be fairly good and projected a good rectangular image on a will, except I noted that the outer edges resembled the edges of a piece of paper that had been torn - ragged. Thought about it, then used a combination of compressed air and a q-tip moistened with rubbing alcohol in areas around the bulb, the frame area in front of the bulb, etc. About 50% of the "ragged" edges of the projected image on the wall had cleaned up, but I think I would have had to disassemble the lens area to get in and finish the cleaning process. I would have had to do that anyway since the lens appeared to be dirty inside. And then the projector light went out again, and this time, I couldn't get it to stay on.... So, that's my experience with "Introduction to Repairing the Sankyo 2000h Projector 101". It appeared to be a solid little beast, but I decided I'd had enough. I buttoned it up & shipped it back to the seller. I'm wiser for future potential purchases, and the seller now knows that plugging in a projector and hearing the fan run does not constitute a "WORKING!" projector. [ September 22, 2018, 12:24 PM: Message edited by: Kev Morrison ]
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Kev Morrison
Film Handler
Posts: 76
From: Land of the Mouse, USA
Registered: Feb 2018
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posted September 21, 2018 06:41 PM
Barry & Will, Yep - you're right on the eBay shuffle regarding projectors. When you see the "unable to test because of no film", well, as a rule, I keep moving. What that means is "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies". I don't even bother to look at those, especially when there's "Seller does not accept returns". Just keep moving. I went for this Sankyo because it did have a 30 day return policy, and with eBay's Seller's Guarantee policy, if the seller says it works and it doesn't, well.... Didn't cost me a dime, just time and effort. It's unbelievable that the shipping costs back 'n forth are getting almost to what the projector is worth.
It was interesting in tinkering around with that pup, and I learned some stuff. If a good one runs as well as they seem to be built, I can understand why the Sankyo 2000H has so many admirers in this forum. So - I'll wait to see if another one pops up in the future. I'm patient.
BTW... if you veterans of the 8mm forum and the newbies want to see a textbook example of an eBay auction that you keep your distance from, check this one out: https://www.ebay.com/i tm/Elmo-Movie-Projector-Video-Transfer-Unit-Dual-8-Built-In-Sony-4K-UHD-Camera/323458493245?hash=item4b4fa0eb3d:g:E-IAAOSw4WFbpPQg
Thanks to you and all for your advice and guidance! [ September 22, 2018, 12:22 PM: Message edited by: Kev Morrison ]
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Mike Spice
Master Film Handler
Posts: 421
From: none of your business
Registered: Jun 2017
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posted September 24, 2018 10:56 AM
Ben, I notice your film is coming off of the supply reel in the oppositte direction to mine.
I doubt it is making a massive difference, but that could be a factor too, especially if the film is tightly wound on the reel.
Film on my reels comes off the supply underneath the reel, from the left, your film appears to be coming off the right side of the reel, down from the top...
I would also be inclined to try a smaller reel, let the film drop in to a clean box straight out of the gate, and not use the take up at all, just to do an exercise in a process of elimination....
Is the feed side causing jitter, the take up side, or is the gate area at fault
There is a chap in my super8 group with a Pro and his jitter problems have only been solved by not using reels at all, and going from box to box, which I now do for many reels.....
I realise that's not how it's meant to be, but it does work...
I have come to the conclusion that any means possible to get a good scan, is worth it.
If you have a hand viewer to use as rewind from a drop box, that helps too......
It's quite surprising how well film will loop itself in to a drop box and as long as it is allowed to drop a couple of feet and left undisturbed, it will rewind gently with a viewer, remarkably well.
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Kev Morrison
Film Handler
Posts: 76
From: Land of the Mouse, USA
Registered: Feb 2018
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posted September 24, 2018 04:23 PM
Ben, Good luck with the return of your Wolverine Pro. I know this has been a frustrating experience. If you get a good one (works as designed) as a replacement, life should become much easier for you on your film-to-digital project. Mike brought up some interesting points about how your film is routed from one reel to another. Under the circumstances, I don't blame you for trying different pathing to see if the 'jitters' stop, particularly running through the 4 roller 'gauntlet' on the take-up side of the light table. I would have done the same. I just processed another 400ft reel today on my Pro with almost no issues:
1) I use Kodak Universal Splicer and Press tape for my film splices. Now, while I'm satisfied with the quality and strength of the splices, it appears that because of the length and rigidity of the Press Tape splice (compared to other splices? I dunno), it makes that particular area of film rigid enough that it does not travel easily through the 'gauntlet' on the take up side.
So - if you are not there to very lightly nudge the take up reel, the film flow to the take up reel CAN stop until the splice makes it way through the rollers. A full 50 ft reel of film take just under 29 minutes to scan before you hit the next splice. I use a timer to give me a heads up to be at the Wolverine at Splice Time to 'nudge' it through Not a big deal - comes with the territory. Or - you can use Mike Spice's patented Cardboard Box Accessory for the Wolverine! 2) Now, what new experience I encountered today was a hung up splice on the light table, something I've never encountered in processing 40 50 ft reels of film with either of the Wolverines I've owned. Why? Because I'm getting low on my Kodak Press Tapes with more to process, so I decided to use a few of my 'generic' Press Tapes that I'd acquired before I got the Kodak Press Tapes. And guess what type splice was that used on the problem splice? Uh huh. I read about a few problems with the generic tapes in other threads, so - beware.
Ben - I hope Wolverine can get you up & running with a new unit in a few weeks! [ September 26, 2018, 01:08 PM: Message edited by: Kev Morrison ]
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