8mm Forum: Ektasound 235 Projector

This is topic Ektasound 235 Projector in forum 8mm equipment for sale/trade at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Henry J. Rybaczewski (Member # 4689) on February 11, 2015, 12:44 PM:

I have a chance to obtain one of these machines for a few bucks. What should I look for "problem-wise"? Thank you.

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on February 12, 2015, 08:43 AM:

Back in the day, Kodak equipment was good mid-market stuff: a lot of people (including me) started out with it and were very happy.

-but maybe it's like marrying a fashion model: it's not so much what it's like at the moment you commit yourself, but how do things look thirty years down the road...

-in either case things may turn ugly just by virtue of the passage of time. It's all a matter of what was on the inside from the very beginning.

Into the 60s and 70s, Kodak liked to use a lot of plastic gears. A lot of manufacturers did, but Kodak cameras and projectors of this era have a lot of problems with cracks developing in the gears as the plastic ages and becomes brittle and then spreading so that after some short usage the gear breaks.

What this means is the machine that operated like brand new the moment you first plugged it in is liable to leave you pulled over to the side with the hood open much sooner than you'd like.

So if the price is really attractive, go for it. Just don't get too emotionally invested in the thing.

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on February 12, 2015, 12:54 PM:

I'm with Steve on this one. I haven't had this model, but have seen it and it wasn't made with high-quality parts. Lots of plastic like Steve mentioned. So like with any vintage machine, its performance greatly depends on it's former usage, where it has been stored, and how the parts have held up.

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on February 12, 2015, 01:18 PM:

Depends on what 'a few bucks' is. If its less than $20.00 you have'nt lost much in a worse case scenario that nothing works. As Steve and Janice have stated, these are not high quality machines designed for decades of use. I for one would not touch one.

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on February 12, 2015, 02:10 PM:

Needless to say, neither would I. But having said that, it's nothing to do with Kodak, just 99% of budget electrical or electronic devices in general.

Posted by Paul Suchy (Member # 80) on February 12, 2015, 04:27 PM:

When I was fourteen years old, I wanted this projector more than anything; I loved the "reel to reel" design element and the fact that one could place it against a wall or on a bookcase. I never saved enough money at one time in order to get one. I've been tempted to get one now just for fun, but I would only run my junky films on it anyway, so it would probably end up gathering dust.

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on February 12, 2015, 07:24 PM:

The Ektasound camera and projector were revolutionay when they first appeared on the market. I remember Kerry Decker showing me a reel of Ektasound film in his photo store in Orlando. He had shot a cartridge of film in which he talked into the camera explaining the system to his customers. All perfect lip-sync, and it seemed miraculous at the time.

Posted by Joe Sorrentino (Member # 5256) on May 05, 2016, 01:37 AM:

I picked up a 245 - identical with the 235 other than the record function - at Goodwill that appears to be in great shape and someone even went to the trouble of making a custom case for it. However it does need a new belt and I was wondering what luck anyone had in regards to a service manual as it is shared with the 235. I did see one on eBay, but was not sure how good of a copy it was for what they wanted for it. Thanks in advance for any help on this.

Posted by Pasquale DAlessio (Member # 2052) on May 05, 2016, 11:20 AM:

Let me give it to you strait....don't waste your time and money. Plastic junk. I have tried to fix a few of them. The plastic gears fall apart.

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