Bell & Howell 254rs age?, dim bulb?, oiling fan?

[Maurice Leakey]

Jerry

The spool spindles will only accept Super 8 spools, so any standard 8 film will have to be rewound onto a spare Super 8 spool for projection.

Spools up to 400ft will fit, obviously an auto thread spool is the preferred take-up spool, but it's quite easy to stop after the film has come out at the rear and can be attached by hand. As you observe, the projector auto loads right through.

As the projector has no sprockets, only rubber rollers, there is an instant change lever for standard 8 and Super 8 films. For immediate confirmation it has two indicator lamps which always show which gauge has been set. The appropriate lamp comes on as soon as the mains is connected.

It's a great projector, it has still, slow motion and reverse projection, speed control, a fast rewind. The lens is a Sankyo Zoom f/1.4 15mm-25mm.

I obtained my paper copy of the Instruction Manual from Oldtimer Cameras, they also have its Repair Manual available.

Sankyo Dualux 2000H Printed Manual (camera-manual.com)

[Jerry Coker]

OK, thank you Maurice for the reply and the further info. Much appreciated!

[Jerry Coker]

Just thought I'd follow up to say I ended up buying the Sankyo 200H that Maurice mentioned earlier in this thread. The offer was accepted plus the seller lives not too far from me. The projector arrived yesterday and I watched some 8mm silent home movies last night and have it say it's a major improvement from the older B&H projector I was using. Brighter image, plus the slow motion & still are game changers! I watched an early 1960's home movie filmed in California that had a parade scene with many old cars from the 50s parked along the parade route. The slow mo and still came in handy to get a better look at those old classic cars! It's amazing what more you can see when you use slow motion 😊 Anyway, I have a couple question, U.S. power is 110v here, the Sankyo is set at 117v. Is that a remnant of being made on Japan? Should I be worried? How common was it for Super 8 projectors not to to have an internal speaker or audio out to amp? Wasn't Super 8 film marketed for the fact it included audio? Just curious. Thank you Maurice for the tip on this cool projector, much appreciated!

[Maurice Leakey]

Jerry
I am so pleased that you are so pleased. I'm glad to be of help.
If your power is 110 volts and the Sankyo is set for 117 volts there is no problem at all.
Not sure about your further question as this is a silent projector. (No provision for sound).

[Dominique De Bast]

Jerry, projectors were usually set on a higher voltage than the domestic one (for example in Europe, 240 volts instead of 220volts, which was the standard voltage until the '80s when it became 230 or 240). This is to save the bulbs lives. In Japan, voltage is 100 volts, I believe.
Sound projectors and films were expensive, so many families experienced the home movies in the silent way.

[Jerry Coker]

Thank you for the replies! Quick question, I’ve had a couple films jam in this Sankyo 2000H, probably due to some old/bad splices, but not sure. I have one stuck inside right now. While I wait for the manual I just ordered, is there a trick to getting the film to pass so I can remove the stuck film? I removed the small cover where you can see where the film threads, and reoriented the film (it was m mid-guided after the black rubber wheel) but it is still stuck beyond. I’ve read a bit about the belt that can be replaced, but I need the manual first just to become more familiar with this projector. Any tips/comments welcome. PS, can running slow motion a lot cause film to get stuck for often than normal speed? Just curious as I’ve been running slow mo a lot, and that’s when this last film jammed.

[Nantawat Kittiwarakul]

Thank you for the replies! Quick question, I’ve had a couple films jam in this Sankyo 2000H, probably due to some old/bad splices, but not sure. I have one stuck inside right now. While I wait for the manual I just ordered, is there a trick to getting the film to pass so I can remove the stuck film? I removed the small cover where you can see where the film threads, and reoriented the film (it was m mid-guided after the black rubber wheel) but it is still stuck beyond. I’ve read a bit about the belt that can be replaced, but I need the manual first just to become more familiar with this projector. Any tips/comments welcome. PS, can running slow motion a lot cause film to get stuck for often than normal speed? Just curious as I’ve been running slow mo a lot, and that’s when this last film jammed.

The total film path is accessible. So you should have no trouble removing any stuck piece from the path. Not so easy, but very possible.


(Image shamelessly taken from van-eck.net )



In order to totally unthread the film (or remove any stuck mess inside) you should...
- Remove the entrance cover by unscrewing that one thumbscrew to the upper right. The cover will totally come off.
- The film gate can be opened by pressing that chrome/metal plate to the right, towards the lens. It will then provide enough "gap" for you to unthread the film from it. This is also a good chance to do some cleaning around this area too.
- The lower plastic cover can be removed by unclipping the metal retainer spring at the left (to the right of the control knob) and then pulled off straight. The total channel from the gate to the take up reel can be accessed then. Pay attention when placing this cover back - there's an alignment lug to the right if I'm not mistaken. Assure that the right side is correctly seated before clipping back the left spring.

Once again - not that extremely easy, but totally doable. A small tweezer would be very useful for removing the film from certain area such as the film gate.

And don't worry, replacing the drive belt is even harder due to its extremely compact design where you have little room to work with. However I see several tutorials on YouTube regarding belt replacing. With some time/attempt spent it should be doable too.

[Jerry Coker]

Thank you so much for these simple instructions, I was easily able to remove the stuck film! As far as the problem I'm having (2 home movies becoming jammed), I believe the problem could be either damaged/poor spliced film, the claw (per link I found here in forum), or a weak belt (again, from link I found here in this forum). Is there anything else that could be causing the film to jam? Both times it happened I was about mid-way thru the film when there was a flutter noise before jamming, and the projector was in slow motion (can slow mo cause jamming?). Also, you mentioned cleaning, I've been wanting to do that for this used projector since I received it last week. I can't seem to find a YouTube video or link that has some instructions on where/how to clean, lens, film path, etc. In case I'm just missing it, can someone provide a link? Perhaps there is not a link and I'll just have to wait for the manual to arrive. I live in the US and the manual was only available to me from the the UK, from what I could see. So it could be awhile. Thank again for your help, I really appreciate you taking the time to LMK how to remove that film!

[Shane C. Collins]

Jerry, I would replace the old belt with a fresh one. An old, and stretched belt will put more drag on the projector parts, motor, etc. Also you should lube the bearings on both ends of the motor. It would also help to lube the gears. Old splices could cause the projector to stop transporting the film, and if the splices aren't done correctly. A correctly done splice should run through this projector with no problem.

[Jerry Coker]

Thank you Shane, I didn't realize the belt YouTube video included some examples of how to view/clean components. Helps to watch it all the way thru 😀 Anyway, I removed/cleaned the lens, cleaned the film transfer path areas & took a peek at the belt, photos below. It looks like it may be an original belt, but of course I don't know. It felt firm but I really have nothing to compare the tension too. I did see some grease on a couple shudder blades?, but it appears to be on the side that doesn't pass the lens, photo below. Before I purchase a replacement belt I will try another small reel of film I'm not too attached too to see how it runs ok, normal speed. I will also take a closer look at the 2 films that jammed to see if they have poor splices, or if the film looks damaged. Most of these home movie films I bought about ten years ago and cleaned, but I haven't checked every frame since then and I don't remember if they had some suspect spots/splices. I did run them thru my old B&H projector a couple weeks ago and they made it thru start to finish. Perhaps the Sankyo is a bit more sensitive than the B&H projector. Anyway, if another film jams in this Sankyo again, I'll get the belt. I'll also watch the Youtube video again to find the lube spots. Thanks again for the reply!

[Nantawat Kittiwarakul]

Although that dab of excessive grease should do no harm, but for the peace of mind it should be cleaned off with alcohol anyway.

The belt seems original and supposedly in relatively good shape. Notice its action when running - does it "dance around" wildly? If yes then it may hardened up and should be replaced.
BTW the replacement "belt" would be more than likely an off-the-shelf o-ring, not the dedicated v-shape belt like the original. However as long as it is of the correct size there should be no problem then.

[Maurice Leakey]

Jerry
Remove the "muck" from the shutter blade as it could affect its true running.

[David L. Baker]

Hello Jerry,
From Greensboro NC. Your B&H design 254RS is similar to several regular 8mm projectors made about 1959-1961. These include design 245, 248, and 256. (B&H uses the term design instead of model.) I have a design 245 and this is my favorite. Yes, The lamps do dim with use, with a rated average of 15 hours. Replacement lamps are very pricey and getting more difficult to locate. I have converted my 245 to MR-16 type ESD, with results that lease me greatly. I would encourage you to keep the projector purchase a spare (or two) projector. Make a friend locally that can do a lamp conversion. I have just this week purchased ESD lamps for $12.50 each. I have many regular 8mm silent films, by Blackhawk and Castle, that I enjoy watching, at least once each week. Here is a photo of my B&H 245. I hope this information helps you and others with B&H 8mm projectors.

[Maurice Leakey]

Further to David's posting above, here is a link to the ESD lamp, it's 120 volts and 150 watts.

Eiko ESD Projection Lamp | Bulbs | Lamps at Unique Photo

[Jerry Coker]

Although that dab of excessive grease should do no harm, but for the peace of mind it should be cleaned off with alcohol anyway.

The belt seems original and supposedly in relatively good shape. Notice its action when running - does it "dance around" wildly? If yes then it may hardened up and should be replaced.
BTW the replacement "belt" would be more than likely an off-the-shelf o-ring, not the dedicated v-shape belt like the original. However as long as it is of the correct size there should be no problem then.

OK, I removed that black grease like substance from the 2 shutter blades. I ran the projector with the back cover off while playing a film forward, backward & slow motion & didn't note and belt dancing. The belt looked like it was running smoothly on the pulley. I played 2 short Castle films with no splices and those films seem to run pretty smooth in normal, reverse & slow motion. So I think I might have just played a couple home movie films with a lot of splices, and this Sanyo is more sensitive to splices on film, and they jammed. Regarding splicing, it appears that maybe the 2 films I was watching that jammed were originally on 3" reels and were spliced to fit on a 6" reel. Because there were a lot of splices at regular intervals. The splices looked ok, from what I can tell. Is/was it common maybe for people to have spliced 3" film reels to a larger reel so they didn't have to change reels every 4-5 minutes? I see a lot of home movies on eBay that are on the small 3" reels. Maybe small film capacity was marketed to new camera owners back in the day. Or maybe when people are digitizing they are doing all that splicing, then selling the film when done digitizing? Interesting about the O rings. Thank you for the reply!