GS1200..250Watt lamp

[Winbert Hutahaean]

So when Fuji lamp rereleased ESC about 10 years ago... they made this targeting only for GS-1200 owners ? How expensive is their efforts understanding this is already very niche market and it became more specific only for GS-1200 owners.

[Maurice Leakey]

I seem to recall that the ESC lamps were designed for the GS-1200 as its filament is in a slightly different position as apposed to its brother EJL. (Both 200W).

[Brian Fretwell]

I'm sure I remember seeing boxes for these actually branded as Elmo which would indicate that they had them specially made for the company.

[Adrian Winchester]

Sometimes I am wondering about those lamps. For example is the ESC was made specifically ONLY for GS-1200? Or any other machine other than Super 8mm projectors used it?

I'm almost certain it's unique to the GS. I wonder if that can be said about any other cine projector/lamp combination?

[Graham Ritchie]

A almost free source of a power supply are using old scrap slide projectors, which over the years, such as the Elmo ones in the following photos had given up on the mechanical front long long ago. I just junked those particular parts. The only thing by using a external transformer, is to make sure the GS1200 lamp switch is left to the "ON" for lamp cooling, apart from that, using a external transformer is a guarantee you wont be overloading the old 40 year projector transformer.

If you are using a ELC 250 watt lamp then I would recommend taking Thomas past advise regarding mounting those lamps 10mm back, on the GS1200.

PS Here also are a couple of photos of a hole cut in the mirror and fitting and adjusting a 250watt lamp to focus the light. I have gone back to using the Osram ELC 10mm back, however one day I might return to the lamp side of that project. .

[Lee Mannering]

I used a 250 Watt Wotan/Osram lamp in my oldest GS1200 for a couple of decades when Derann ran out of genuine lamps figuring the near £1000 price tag in the 80's the manufacturer would have at least allowed enough tolerances to accommodate it. No problems despite many warnings and only recently retired the 250 watt lamp type in favor of the modern HID lamp. My first 1983 GS1200 machine has been very reliable and I'm guessing the transformer may be breathing a sigh or relief from the hundreds of shows I have given with it over the years.

[Winbert Hutahaean]

Sometimes I am wondering about those lamps. For example is the ESC was made specifically ONLY for GS-1200? Or any other machine other than Super 8mm projectors used it?

[Thomas Knappstein]

Hello at all!
I have used the 250W ELC over many Years in my GS 1200 in the same Way that Graham told. But this Lamp of today is not the same as you could buy in the 80´s or 90´s. They have another Glue in use for holding the Bulb inside the Mirror with the Result of getting black Dots on the Bulb and they are bad focused in the Mirror. Today I use the Base Pin Lamp 250W/24V like it was in many Slide Projektors in use. This is the best Halogen Lamp for the GS ever. But you have to drive it with an external Transformer, like Graham did with the ELC. And the Fan Motor must be swiched to the Amplifier Coil of the Elmo Transformer with an extra Cap and Rectifier because the Main Motor and the Fan Motor are on the same Rectifier and when both are running the Voltage drops down to 35V. But if you swich it to the Amplifier Coil you have 40-41V on the Fan Motor and the Cooling is much better now. And you need a Shield of thin Aluminium over the Lamp holder inside the Lamp House for concentrate the Airflow to the Lamp. I have made a few Photos of the Air shield The Conector Box on the Top for conecting the external Transformer and the little Board with Rectifier and Cap for the Fan Motor. The little Relay i have thrown away from this Board now. I a swich tis now by Hand with the little Swich in the conector Box on the top. Everything on the Projector is original working. The Lamp Swich low and high. The Fan Motor is going to high when swich on the Light. And when the Machine is running you can swich on the boost for the Fan Motor. This is working very well only in Summer when it is very warm over 30 Degrees than it is to hot for the Elmo GS 1200.

[Desmond Godwin]

The 250 watt lamp was designed primarily for to illuminate the larger 16mm frame. When this lamp is used for the 8mm frame the larger spill of light is mostly focused away from the gate aperture. Because of this there is very little improvement in lux output. What is increased is the extra amount of heat that is generated from the 250watt lamp that the elmo GS1200 fan was not designed to cope with.

[Mark Norton]

Yes, I have tried this too & I found that with the Osram 24V 250W capsual lamp, the filament is orientated wrong, I could not get a very bright picture compaired to the ELC.

[Brian Fretwell]

I'd say the coating wasn't dichroic (as that would change the colour) but diathermic. I'm sure magazines called it that in later years.

[Graham Ritchie]

I had been meaning to get back to Thomas regarding this conversion, as he had just mentioned it on another post I thought I better reply now. It did work on the GS1200 but I did notice the lamp house getting a lot warmer than usual. The conclusion was I did not see any advantage light wise over the present arrangement using the Osram ELC 24v 250w lamp. Thomas you did mention increasing the speed of the cooling fan that would take of the cooling, but I again decided to return to the ELC.

I feel the present arrangement that you came up with, mounting the ELC lamp 10mm back is the best for me. Thomas you were spot on with the 10mm back as the light output is better focused

The combination of the Osram Xenophot 64653 HLX ELC being mounted back and the two bladed shutter I made and fitted to the GS1200 a while back, will do for the time being

I have that mirror, the one with the hole in it and all the bits to go with it carefully put aside so I might return one day and give things another go one thing though can you get a 24v 250w lamp that can go through the mirror, that has a straight up and down "vertical" internal filament, would that work better?

Thomas I came across this particular article in a old magazine that might interest you.....

[Thomas Knappstein]

Hi Graham!
It is a pleasure for me that you try to do it again. I have made this Conversion in 2018 and i have it now in all of my four machines. I run this EJL Lamps with 25,2V and they bring a Lifetime of 45 Hrs.

[Graham Ritchie]

Thanks Lee



Its great what you can do with bits and bobs however the proof of the pudding is trying it as they say. A good indicator will be running the projector in very short bursts with the Scope lens in place "no film". If I can adjust the lamp to get more light through that Scope lens that would be real plus.

PS. Its thanks to Thomas on the forum that gave me the idea in the first place

[Lee Mannering]

Very nice job Graham