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My Elmo ST1200D take-up real has always been to weak for 1200" reels and could not even really handle 800" of film.
is that nor,al?
Can I make it stronger?
is that nor,al?
Can I make it stronger?
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Matthieu a couple things I would do would be to check The take-up arm clutch gear. I found cracks in my ST 1200 and also my ST800 machines. I ordered replacements from Van Eck. You can also make adjustments to loosen for tighten the spring tension on the gear just next to the clutch gear.
Check out this thread.
https://8mmforum.film-tech.com/vbb/f...200-and-st8000Last edited by Janice Glesser; January 28, 2024, 10:09 PM. -
Thank you.
I'll do thatComment
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SorryComment
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Change the belts. These can stretch over time and weaken causing similar problems. I bought a pair of brand new ST 1200 D machines from the back of photography magazines. I believe it was 47th photo. New in the box they said. What bunch of baloney.
One machine was very noisy in the gate. The other had take up problems. The belt was so loose it would pop off the pulley.
Even after being fixed it was never right after that. Some of these issues brought me to develop what is now the Tower based system.
The Towers have NEVER failed. Nineteen years strong!
If your gears are cracked by all means take care of that, too. But remember to check the belts. Also, make note of the type of belt. Older units (Honeywell-Elmo) had round belts. The later units such as the HD had poly-V square belts.
Also recommend wearing latex gloves (the kind for handling raw food) while handling belts. Skin oil on the belts from your finger tips is never good for the belts.
As you change belts - pull snug and they will fit through other wise tight spaces. Avoid using sharp tools that could damage a new belt.
Sorry if this went off the mark - but of course we get new members here who might not know this stuff.....
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What is now the Tower based system you've build?Comment
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Shown belowComment
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Are you on Facebook I can send you more links to see it in operation
if yes, find me on Facebook under Chip Gelmini send me a friend request and we will start from thereComment
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I'll do thatComment
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Check out the Derann fb page hosted by Ged Jones. I have many videos of the tower on his pageComment
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Ahh okay, cause at your page I see it running in a seperate backroom, like in the cinema'sOriginally posted by Chip Gelmini View Post
really cool.
only, i see the giant reel, where the film comes from, but not where it's going.
I'm thinking of making such a long play unit, but what motor do I use, strong enough for the reel, without breaking the film.
PS. Beautifull woman on the beach as well, lucky devil.
is she yours?Comment
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LOL Sports Illustrated weekly desktop calendar. 52 weeks of beautiful girls. Although nowadays going for equality, diversity, etc the girls are getting a little too heavy to pose like that. I mean if a woman is proud enough of her body to pose in such a manner well then all the power to her likewise. That being said - it's NOT how they started and it's NOT the reason why I buy it. They began with the college age cutie and that's where they should stay with it.
We live in changing times - like it or not - and for me to say anything else about this it would be political and that for good reason is not allowed here on the forum......
The film leaves the GS 1200 and travels via 35mm rollers down to the bottom shelf. There it meets a Bell and Howell 16mm projector which runs at 18 FPS roughly 25 feet per minute. The take up belt and clutch on that projector arm absorbs the difference to the super 8 24FPS rate of 22 feet per minute.
As long as you pay attention to detail in the design it works surprisingly well. It would be good to study film projection and know the nooks and crannies on how your machine works. This will help you properly design a system that will not damage film prints. Run reels of film - especially large ones - but don't watch the movie. Instead drop the cover down and pay close attention to the film going through the projector. Follow a splice as it comes off the front reel and goes to the take up reel...and so on.
The Bell and Howell projector is known for a short shaft for 16mm reels. There is a spring loaded bearing on the inside that holds the reel to the shaft. There is NO lever (like on most Eiki units) to bend over to hold the reel on the shaft.
For this to work properly I machined a threaded adapter which is nothing more than a hardware bolt 1/2 inch diameter 2 inch length with 1/2 solid shank. A special nut holds the super 8 reel to the shaft 180 degrees around the hub pressure applied. It's a little complicated for me to explain further but should you be interested reach out to me and we can get you rolling in the right direction. Make certain your 16mm B&H has a good worm gear. Other than that it does not have to run 16mm as it will be a take machine in this manner.
If you use a different brand machine that could work - however it MUST run at 16mm 18 frames per second (16mm silent film) or it will pull too hard on the super 8 drive train and could potentially cause other issues.
Your super 8 machine should be none other than the Elmo GS 1200. It has very few belts and has independent motors to run the super 8 film prints. Lower end models have more rubber belts that can stretch over time.
In the end what you need to produce is a transport system that is easy on the film and equipment. Freeing the super 8 machine from heavy reels makes the super 8 machine run easier as it merely pulls the film through and reproduces the sound. There is no other load of torque or demand on the machine.
CGComment
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The first Tower built around 2002 Very primitive by design. DC motor with speed control for speed. The 16mm projector take up would come later and replace dc motor/speed control. Which makes take up automatic via 16mm projector. If using DC motor from time to time speed would be adjusted by potentiameter (like a volume knob). The speed control box is shown on the top of the rear post behind the machine way up high.
Today the Tower is base design but offers more ability. Including mounted film cleaner, electric changeover between two machines side by side as well as 35mm cinemascope lens on a cradle which slides in and out from the front of the Elmo zoom lens.
The projector sits on a "cubby box" much like a child's desk in early grade school. It allows for cable storage, power control, and a small sound switch box. You can have both mono aux out on one input - then add moni one moni two (from the back of the ST1200HD and go to your main input on your receiver. This allows for mono cartoons or trailers on the front of a stereo feature. No more swapping cables. This idea comes from the 35mm Dolby units which offered these buttons on the older CP 50 / 55 processors that I was familiar with during my time in the theaters.
What I have achieved is quite amazing. Here we have a basic super 8 machine which the life is extended because demand is reduced - in addition there is upper supply reel and bottom take up reel which therefore mimmicks 35mm projection because the picture and sound head is in the middle. The placement of the reels gives a slender appearance that saves space. Now we go top to bottom instead of front to back for prime operation.
And to achieve this we go with 35mm concept, 35mm parts, and 16mm equipment running super 8.
I had a great career as a cinema operator. It was 1978 - 2012. One night sitting while a reel was in progress I had a thought: "Wouldn't be very cool to run super 8 like I do with 35mm" From that moment and to this day that's what I've done. Taken the idea of 35mm scaled it down to work with super 8 and 16. And now I have been retired 12 years and haven't stopped running film! My career was 34 years. And I started in 1965 with toy machines - and I am 63 now. What an amazing trip it's been......................
Running like a working projectionist!Comment
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This is supercool Chip.Comment
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