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I read posts about these rare and unusual Eumig projectors on the Archived site, and saw very little was known about them. I recently bought a non-working (aren’t they all?) 720 with the aim of restoring it, then also bought a 711R as I needed a donor machine for some of the parts. After many hours of discovering how to repair it I now have a working S720. I’d be happy to share my knowledge with anyone who wants to tackle one of these themselves. For the record, they do not use the usual Eumig ball and disc drive system, but use five square and one circular rubber drive bands (all different lengths), and a rubber covered drive wheel. All of these were rotten on the 720 and needed replacing – sourcing being a big issue. If anyone wants more info on these projectors do contact me.
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Bristol Cameras are still in business, but I don't think they have any left.
https://8mmforum.film-tech.com/cgi-b...c;f=1;t=012907
Maurice -
Congrats Mervyn!!!! .... and WELCOME! How about posting some pics of your restored 720. I don't think I've ever seen that model before.Comment
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Hi Mervyn I've just bought an S720 where did you get your drive belts from.Comment
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Very nice! i have a 720 and 711R, both not working and to be honest i couldn't be bothered to fix them. i just cleaned them and put them on the shelf in the collection. and yes please, pic's! and where did you find the belts?Comment
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Mine works but when I try to load a film it's not playing. Some of the belts are very tired I wondered if the 510 would be a good donor machine as these are more readily available where as the 720 and 711 are much rarer I only bought my 720 as I have a soft spot for eumig (I've still got my dad's mark s std 8 sound which still works like a dream) and I'd rather own it not working than see it go into the local skip.Comment
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The 510 is will not be a good donor machine, they are completely different projectors. the 510 is much more similar to the 501/502 etc and has just one rubber belt. the 711/720 has a million rubber belts and isn't even based on the regular 700 serie projectors. they are a completely different construction of their own. my advice, when you want an Eumig sound projector for serious use, find an 800 series projector or their bolex or revue counterparts (preferably with the HQS amplifier.
personally i don't see the added value in the extra automatic functions the 711/720 should offer. it's either three puhsbuttons (711/720)or one selector switch (700/800/900). and the automatic threading, they all do that except the 711/720 gets the film for you out of a cartridge but i don't see a problem by feeding the projector the film by hand. in my opinion they are fine examples for a collection, they show very good how much innovation and experimentation was done in those years but they have a very high gadget level so to say. i too have a huge soft spot for eumig (180 projectors in my collection
) and these add to the completion of the story of eumig, but i am very content with the knowledge that i will never get to use them.
i could never leave them in a local skip
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I can only apologise to all respondants for being off the radar for so long. There is a website which shows excellent photos of an S720 (better than my photos) at https://jpegbay.it/gallery/008041835-1.html#1 These are for a machine in Italy offered at vast expense and not even working. I also attach a photo of my machine with the drive belts notated for reference. The forward drive belts are easy to install requiring no dismantling, though the rewind drive belts need quite extensive dismantling to install - but not beyond a half-competant DIY-er.
In reply to Erik - the reason Eumig developed these was to make the use of use 8mm film simple and foolproof in situations such as schools and business, and the marketing of cassettes enabled users to simply put a cassette into the machine and press one button. The film loads and plays then when it gets to the end, automatically rewinds. It will also play from standard spools - the cassettes are optional. In order for the automatic rewind function to operate, the end of the film needs to be secured to the reel - the machine uses the tension when it reaches the end to change from forward to rewind. When first plugged in, the motor starts and the bulb is warmed with low voltage. There is a film detection mechanism just ahead of the gate which switches the bulb to full brightness.
The difference between the S720 and the earlier 711R is curious. Far from being a development, the S720 is actually a 711R with two functions stripped out. Gone is the socket to attach a remote control (though internally the circuit board is unchanged), and gone too is the device which, on the 711R, enables the user to mark a point on the film to rewind to and play again. I can only assume the remote control failed to sell, and possibly the replay system was either not popular or unreliable.
The drive bands are not sold as being made for these machines, but feel free to email me direct if I can help with your restoration project. mervyn.a.brown@gmail.comComment
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Yes i know the reasons they developed these machines but i still think they are a solution for a problem that wasn't really there. I know they also can play the standard reels without the casette. i do apreciate the engineering that has gone in them. but to make the procedure less complicated for the user the projector has become a very complex monster. i love it that you restored it to working condition
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I think that several companies made machines for these cassettes. I'm sure they were featured in Movie Maker before Eumig announced these machines. I suspect it was due to the success of audio cassettes over reel to reel tape that prompted it, hoping that with Super 8 camera films being in cassettes more people would take up the hobby.Comment
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