Kodak Pageant Sound Troubleshooting

[Drew Oliver]

I have a Kodak Pageant projector with some optical sound problems.

The exciter bulb is in good working order, however, it will not turn on.

Does anyone have any troubleshooting recommendations? I don't know if the problem is isolated to the exciter lamp or if there's a larger issue with the circuity in the amplifier.

LMK if anyone has any pointers!

Drew

[Steve Klare]

Hi Drew,

This is either a lamp power supply problem or something wrong with the lamp socket. Maybe you can polish the contacts on the socket and hope. (Maybe as simple as threading in the bulb all the way then: counterclockwise /clockwise, counterclockwise /clockwise for a couple of repetitions. Polish the contacts WITH the contacts.)

Maybe you can apply a voltmeter to the other side and look for 6V (AC, I'm guessing). The lamp is on as soon as I turn on the main switch, so it could be as simple as two lines over to a 6V transformer secondary. (It SHOULD be, really.)

What's really perverse with these machines (and mine in particular) is there seems to be a schematic inside the back cover: I can see it with a flashlight from the controls-side.

-until mine breaks, I'll never see the whole thing! I like to leave them alone while they are OK.

[Drew Oliver]

Thanks Steve,

A couple follow-ups (I'm new to sound projectors):

- Where is the photocell located on the Pageant?
- The sound drum appears to move freely, unconnected to the motion of the sprockets from the motor drivebelt. I assume this is by design and it's not supposed to move with the rest of the sprockets?

I get crackles on the speaker when I turn the amp on, so I know the amplification system isn't entirely shot. I'm hoping it's just a matter of getting the bulb turned on...

And yes, there is a schematic attached to the interior of the case. I don't have any electrical engineering experience so I'm no good at reading it. It's relatively easy to access if you remove the 5 or so screws that hold the machine into the case!

Drew

[Steve Klare]

Hi Drew,

I can say with absolute certainty I have very little knowledge of the inner goings-on of the Kodak Pageant. I learn these things when something goes wrong, and at least so far I haven't had the pleasure! (-kind'a like it that way, too!)

I know this much: Getting your exciter bulb lit is fundamental. Without that the track can't be read, therefore there won't be an audio signal. What works or doesn't work in the rest of the sound circuit doesn't matter until there is a signal to work with.

How did you verify your bulb is OK? I'd measure the filament with an ohmmeter or connect a 6V power supply.

It would be a shame to go through all sorts of work and find out the bulb was actually bad from the start. I just bought a couple of them at 5 bucks a pop.

BTW: Which Pageant do you have? Mine is 250S: a late Pageant with transistorized amp and a halogen bulb. This is a movie projector in the purest sense of the word: it's set up to show and rewind 16mm sound films and put the audio through its dedicated external speaker, and as the Navy says "That is All!". -no bells, no whistles! It's as rugged as a tank and just about as stylish! (I LIKE it!)

[John Frazier]

My exciter bulb lights but there is absoultely no sound. Any suggestions? Is it a matter of replacing components on the circuit board?

[Steve Klare]

Hi John,

There's actually a lot that it could be. It could mean that power isn't getting to the amplifier. It could mean the amp has some internal fault. It could mean signal isn't getting either to or from the amplifier. It could mean the photo cell is dead.

Question: When you say "absolutely no sound", does that mean when you plug the machine in, turn on the power and turn up the volume, there is not even hum and hiss in the speaker?

Another thing, and I almost want to apologize for asking this (-but I have to!). By any chance are you new to the Pageant and maybe not yet aware that it doesn't have an internal speaker?

It's just something we need to settle up front, not like asking "Did you buy gas?" after the engine's been hoisted out of the car!

[Ken Finch]

John, I am not familiar with the workings of the Pageant but the optical scanning mechanism is basically the same on all optical sound machines. Your problem could be that the bulb filament is not centred over the optical slit. Are you getting a thin slit of light focused on the sound track of the film. If so the problem maybe failure of the amplifier photocell or photo diode. You can also check the system without threading a film by flicking a pieces of card between the optic and the diode. If you get a plopping sound all is well. If the optics are lined up correctly and the exciter lamp and amp are both on you should be getting a loud hum or hissing sound if you turn the volume up from the loudspeaker. If not you have a serious problem with the amplifier. Hope this helps you diagnose the problem.

[Jim Seaburg]

I have a Kodak that was given to me a year or so ago. It weighs a ton compared to most projectors. When I set it up I risk a hernia. But be that as it may. When I first used it the sound worked but it wasn’t good sound. My projector has a focus knob for the exciter lamp. I gave it a turn and lost the sound. Turned it the other way and the sound came back and got better. My point is to see if you have this focus function to see if that brings the sound into focus.
Why the bulb won’t come on is beyond me and can’t offer help with that.
Also make sure that the speaker isn’t blown which is a reason for no sound or damage to the cord or the connectors.
Good luck guys.

[Rick Aszman]

Drew, I have a Pageant projector(passed down from my father’s attic). The exciter bulb wasn’t working. The bulb was ok, the power supply to it had failed. I used a 6V ac/dc adapter/charger from some old portable device instead of the projector p/s. My projector has a blue wire from the power supply to the light socket. I unplugged it and spiced the 6V positive from the adapter to the blue wire and the adapter ground wire to the ground bus (several green wires).

[Douglas Meltzer]

Rick,

Nice workaround!