ELMO 16-CL *MO* manual + Sound amp service and electrolytic capacitor replacement.

[Jon Byler]

I'm looking for the service manual for the MO version of this projector. Does anyone have one? While servicing the projector's mechanics and replacing the sad original rubber rollers with parts from Urbanski, I noticed one of the capacitors in the sound amp has a bulge on top. This is normally not a good sign. I removed it to check, and it shows only half of it's rated capacitance, so I'm going to replace it, and likely all the other electrolytic capacitors as preventative maintenance. The amplifier works still, but the bulging capacitor is likely to fail catastrophically and make a mess in there if it is left alone and bursts.

I'm not sure exactly how old these projectors are, but I'm guessing old enough that all of the electrolytic capacitors are getting towards the end of their useful life. Others who own them would be wise to check out the electronics in their projectors, especially if anything arrises like new hum sounds that weren't there previously.

I've made a list of all the parts I will need, and can easily replace the parts without a manual, but would love a copy of the maintenance manual to have any machine specific troubleshooting instructions in case I need them. I've got the 16-CL optical manual, but the amp circuitry is different in that machine for lack of the magnetic sound capabilities.

[Maurice Leakey]

This seems to include magnetic.
ELMO16CL_KODAKCT1000.pdf (film-tech.com)

[Jon Byler]

It's hard to see in photos, so I used a straight piece of metal to show the bulge. For those not familiar with these parts, normally the metal top of the can is perfectly flat, and the insulating plastic cover is slightly proud of the metal all the way around. If you see a bulge like this, or obvious corrosion on the leads or the circuit board, it's a pretty sure sign there is a problem that will only get worse. Most of the rest of the components will probably be fine, so long as the electrolytic capacitors like this one don't go bad and start causing other problems.

[Jon Byler]

This seems to include magnetic.
ELMO16CL_KODAKCT1000.pdf (film-tech.com)

unfortunately that one has a different circuit board pictured than the one I have. Similar, but none of the component numbers match up, and there are a few major differences in the circuit design.

[Jon Byler]

Before I killed my little electronic component tester, I measured a random 10uf 16v capacitor on the board, and the ESR (equivalent series resistance) of the capacitor was 99ohms, which is pretty high, and indicates that probably all of the electrolytic capacitors in there are failing. Be careful with these, the two big ones that are 2200µF or so pack quite a punch, and store a charge for a relatively long time as configured in this circuit. I forgot to short them out (do this with a resistor so as not to dump the charge too quickly), and one killed my tester. Glad it was the tester, and not my finger!