Elmo Sound System SC-8T - advice please

[Tim Nicholson]

I have an Elmo Sound System SC-8T that I inherited from my father. The rubber band has broken so presumably it won't work. I would be very pleased to receive some advice about this machine. Would it be worth getting it working before selling? How difficult might that be. Is there a market for these machines? What might it be worth. Any advice much appreciated. I'm based in the UK.

[Steve Klare]

Hi Tim,

My condolences: I inherited a projector from my own Dad. (-still have about 300 LPs, too!)

This machine is from an esteemed brand, but kind of an unusual model among them. It's meant for daylight viewing on a small screen, whereas most of us like to do large-screen in a darkened room (-it can probably big-screen as well)

I'd say the market here is limited: there are people that collect projectors and might want this as something special, yet some of us, like me, have as many projectors as we need to stay in the Movie Business, but not too many more!

Anything sells better if it's in working condition, so it's probably worth replacing the belt. I'd hold on to the broken one: you may need it for dimensions if you can't find a direct replacement linked to this model number.

It looks like a standard square-profile Elmo long belt, which powers the rear reel's spindle.

-so I'm guessing that the replacement surgery would look something like this:

Changing the Long Belt on an ELMO ST-800 or ST-1200 - 8mm Forum

[Tim Nicholson]

Hi Steve,

That's really kind of you, many thanks. Do you know anyone in the UK that might be interested in this machine or should I just list it on ebay?

[Steve Klare]

Hi Tim,

You could try putting it in the 8mm Equipment Sales section on this forum at least at first. We have a lot of UK members here, and besides: it's free!

If that doesn't pan out, then eBay.

I'd say your choices are either sell it as is for parts or the buyer to repair to operation or sell it completely in operating condition. By this I mean once you get the belt replaced and the transport working, you then need to go the distance and make sure the sound works too. Machines like this have a habit of going mute in storage, and even though most will be an easy fix, it's a deal-breaker when someone buys it and tries it for the first time and they find no sound.

You could save yourself a lot of headaches if you make sure it's fully operational up front.