What is wrong with my Rank Alldis projector, please?

[Melvin England]

In need of another 16mm projector, I observed at Blackpool a Rank Alldis running really well. Now, I am not a technician or anything, so if a projector packs up , I cannot strip it and rebuild it or spot what bit of circuitry has gone kaput.

Anyway, the projector was working so at least I knew I wasn't purchasing a dud. I got it home and a few days later threaded up a few films to test it (after thoroughly cleaning the gate path....and it needed it).
It ran beautifully for a while. Then about 45 minutes from starting, it just stopped. Light was on.... no motor. Was switched off very sharpish to avoid burn. I examined it and it appeared a fuse had blown.
No problem. Straight onto Ebay and 48 hours later the equivalent rated fuse arrived and was successfully placed in the machine. Bingo! Off we go again!

Twently minutes later...… crunch! Engine stopped, fuse blown again. Light stayed on, burn on the frame of the film in the projector gate that was my latest purchase. ( I won't tell you what it was... I will leave that till I have viewed it all. But,trust me, it was a film that had it been super 8, many a collector would have sold their granny for it).

So my question is..... What is going wrong? Is there too much current being allowed through the system? Another thought is that, although the engine sounds fine when it IS working, is it or other parts in need of lubrication? If so, where do you lubricate and what do you use? The reason I say this is because just as it packed up, it screeched for a moment.

It may be another reason I am not aware of. Hopefully one of the technically minded on the forum could advise me, please ?

I would be extremely grateful. I do not seem to be having much luck with 16mm projectors at the moment.

[Steve Klare]

Hi Melvin,

The screeching sounds like something was seizing up. What electric motors do is try to spin at a constant speed. As you add more and more resistance to the shaft spinning, more mechnical power is required, therefore more electrical power is required, so the current drawn goes up.

-when something tries to stall the motor, it basically acts like a short circuit, the current heads through the roof and the fuse pops. (Better than having a fire!)

In your shoes, I'd hope for the best and look for lubrication points on the motor. (On the chance that the screech was a rubber belt being tortured, you should look for them elsewhere in the machine too.)

-and I'm hoping when you clip out the burned frame and splice it back together, the jump won't be too noticeable!

[Leonard Goss]

Also make sure the voltage selector tapping has been set correctly for the voltage in your area.

[Melvin England]

Thank you very much Steve and Leonard for your advice.

This may seem an elementary question, but what chemical do I need to lubricate the motor, please? Is there anywhere else that needs lubricating, and do I use the same chemical? I will give this machine a serious inspection sometime soon I the hope it just needs an internal spruce up.

[Paul Verizzo]

All you need is generic "light machine oil." Many brands. Over here, 3 in 1 brand oil. Sewing machine oil. The red, wintergreen smelling automotive Marvel Myster Oil is superb.

[Melvin England]

Thank you for the information, Paul. Is it possible that you could advise me which parts need lubricating and which to avoid,please? I feel a bit silly asking this question, being into super 8 for the time that I have, but machine maintenance isn't something I have needed to do, fortunately, until now.