Elmo Projector Feed

[Tom Wyrsch]

I have 2 Elmo projectors and 2 Eumigs. One is an Elmo ST-600M and the other is an ST-180E. Both are very touchy on the auto thread. Many times feeding wrong and crumbling the first part of the film. Eumigs never. I have properly trimmed the films using Elmos trimmer when auto-treading the Elmos. Is there an adjustment I need to make. Both Elmos run great after the feed has been accomplished properly and are like new in condition. New belts and all. Great projectors other than feeding problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Steve Klare]

Hi Tom,

Sometimes you need to bend the first inch of the leader inward maybe 15 degrees (in the direction of the curl). It helps it to avoid catching on obstacles.

[Tom Wyrsch]

Bend away from the reel or inward. Thanks. Also I'm I right that Elmos are more fussy that Eumigs. Just curious.

[Steve Klare]

Bend inwards towards the reel: the way the film also curls: just the gentlest little bend.

I generally run with Elmo ST's, and they are more fussy than my Eumig. Just for a start, the Elmo needs the Elmo trim on the leader. The Eumig doesn't care one way or the other, so the Elmo trim is standard here!

Elmo sound is nicer (especially than the Eumig 800s) and access to the gate is light years ahead, yet the Eumig lens makes colors a little brighter.

(I love them all!)

[Tom Wyrsch]

Thanks. I will give it a try. The Elmo has a much brighter sharper image that the Eumigs. Both have 100 watt bulbs. Both Eumigs are of the 800 series. Thanks again for your help.

[Steve Klare]

If brightness/sharpness are an issue on any machine, take the lens out and clean the rear element: it’s amazing how disgusting that can become, hidden as it is!

[Maurice Leakey]

I once had an Elmo ST180M which had problems with its autoload. Eventually it was discovered that the green threading leader which is clicked down for auto thread was not in its correct position to feed the film directly down into the gate. The only way to make it work was to slightly bend the leader so that it approached the gate correctly.
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Maurice

[Paul Adsett]

I have found that my GS1200'S prefer a generally straight feed of film with no curl in either direction. Even so, I will get the occasional miss-feed and inevitable buckling of the leader. Even if the film threads through to the take up, I find I have to open the front cover to make sure it has correctly threaded. Eumig's, both the 800 and 900 series, as Tom has noted, seem to have about a 99% success rate with film threading irrespective of curl or end cutting, plus they never scratch film. Sound quality on the later 926 and 938 stereo series Eumig's is IMO superior to the Elmo GS1200, really stunning quality with zero hum. Differences in brightness and sharpness usually all come down to lens specification and quality.

[Steve Klare]

Paul?

How would you say the 900 series got the hum that good? Did Eumig really fine-tune their hum-bucking? One thing I'm guessing is they moved the power transformer a lot further away from the head. In the 800 series they'd have a tough time getting it any closer than it is now.

I can actually live with the 800 series' hum. I amplify it through a 60 Hz. notch filter and to me. the 800 series hum with the filter is at least as good as an Elmo's without it.

(You can't ever wipe out every last milliwatt of it. You just weaken it to the point it's not obtrusive and get on with the rest of life: that dripping pipe down in the basement deserves some attention too!)

[Brian Fretwell]

I think that Eumig combined the power transformer with the motor windings and that for the 900 series they moved the motor.

[Paul Adsett]

Yes indeed Steve, the transformer and motor on the 900 series are much further away from the mag head than on the 800's. To be totally fair, a very low level of hum can still be heard on my 900's if you set the tone control on the projector to maximum bass, but as soon as you move away from that setting all detectable bass is gone. I run all my super 8 projectors through a Yamaha 10 band stereo equalizer ahead of the AVR input, so I can really tune S8 soundtracks to my liking. Plus that Yamaha equalizer really looks cool with all its 20 LED filter lights lit up!

[Tom Wyrsch]

Thanks all. The info solved my threading troubles. Basically Elmos want a perfect trim on the head and film with a newish curl. Eumigs not so much. If anyone is looking for an excellent condition Elmo, I have four and only need two. Tom