8mm Magnon Instdual ZRS Projector

[David Moody]

Hi I have inherited a case full of old 8mm films from my late father who was a professional photographer in Coonamble in western NSW Australia. Some of these films date back to the 1940/1950's. I also have a film marked the Coronation. It will be good to see what this film is about. I have been given a Magnon Instdual ZRS 8mm Projector but I do not have any instructions. I found a Magnon 800 Instdual manual on line. It looks similar but not quite the same as my projector. I have see the same projector for sale on Ebay with a picture of the manual which is what I need. Does anyone know where I can download the above manual. Thanks in advance Dave Moody

[Janice Glesser]

Welcome to the Forum David! Van Eck Services has the Magnon ZR manual.

https://van-eck.net/en/product/magno...ages-_english/

[David Moody]

Hi Janice - Thanks for the information. The above manual is for a slightly different model Magnon. This model feeds the film via a spindle on the bottom whereas mine feeds the film through the projector and comes out the back where the receive reel is. My model is the ZRS - don't know if it is an updated version of the ZR. I have found online Instruction manual for Magnon 800 Instdual LV and IQ series which is very close to my projector but still does not give all the instructions - eg - how to replace bulb or how to get correct feed of film etc. I can't find any reference that my projector it is an 800 Series. Photos of my projector are attached. Thanks Dave

[Ken Finch]

I seem to remember that in the u.k. they were advertised as a company called Prinz and were sold by Dixon Photographic. May be worth looking for Prinz projector manuals.

[Brian Fretwell]

Yes, Prinz seemed to be the badge Dixons put on a lot of goods manufactured fro them by other companies. The "Prinz Magnon" was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the thread name.

[Nantawat Kittiwarakul]

Although without the manual for this exact model, this projector is in fact seems intuitive enough to get going without the manual. Here's my take.

Starting with the push button switch. OFF is of course - to shut it down completely. FORWARD is to run it in normal projection direction. LAMP is to switch its internal lamp on, putting the image onto the screen. REVERSE is for running the film backwards if needed be, and probably for rewind the film back to its original spool once you completed the show.

The dial with +/- sign is probably for speed control, to speed things up or slowing it down.

The lever with red/blue mark is for changing the film format between Regular8/Super8. Regular8 is the older standard film format, indicated by its larger sprocket holes (rectangular holes that runs along the film edge) when compared to the newer Super8 films. You may already have both film formats in your possessions. The difference will be very obvious when you compare it side by side. Set this lever accordingly.

With this basic info you're now ready to start the show!

First attach the reel of the film to be shown onto the front reel arm - the one on your right. The film should unwind clockwise, and the side with sprocket holes towards you. Also have an empty reel attach onto the rear reel arm - on your left. Be reminded to flip that metal flap down to secure the reel to - you sure don't want it to come loose and fly away when it's running!

Now push the FORWARD button. It should start making some purring noise and thing starts to move. Some projectors might automatically do this for you, some may not (possibly this is the case) so you will have to manually press the loop former guide - that grey plastic covering above the film gate in order to feed the film through the film path. When pressed down it should stay locked in that "down" position. After having the tip of the film trimmed out using the cutter on the rear of the projector leg, then insert the film tip into the opening on the front. If all goes well the projector will "grab" the tip, and will ull the film into it. A few seconds later the film tip should reappear on the rear of the projector. Wait until about a feet of film had come out, then push OFF to stop the motor. Now attach the tip into the slot at the center hub of the empty reel and wind it clockwise to take up the slack.

Press the FORWARD button again. The projector should now runs with only slight/gentle purring sound indicating that everything is going well. If that's the case then press LAMP - you'll now at least see a gob of light, or a blurry image onto the screen. Using the round knob at the lens mount to sharpen it up by turning it back and forth. You can make the image appear larger/smaller by pushing & pulling the front of the lens barrel. If part of the image on the top seems cutoff and instead appear on the bottom (or vice versa), Using the lever under that Regular/Super8 selector to move the image up & down until the image is centered on the screen.

When the film had completed its journey through the projector, now press OFF to shut everything down. Then pull the tail end of the film to wind it back on the hub of its original reel. Press REVERSE, the front empty reel should start spinning counterclockwise - winding the film back to the front reel. When it's done press OFF again.

And congrats - you've just successfully done the first show!

Don't be frightened with this lengthy explanation. Once you get a hang of it that will become your muscle memory, and the whole process would be automatic - your hands will get the right move without any thinking from your brain.

[David Moody]

Thanks Nantawat. I think my projector needs a good service. It started chewing film (an old one thank goodness) and I cannot seem to get the focus right. Very blurry and very hard to read writing. I have now been able to borrow a Wolverine Digitiser and now can actually see what is on the films. As these films are old and have not been kept in a dust proof environment I am now getting small (and sometimes large) specs of dust on the viewer as the film passes over it which is being transferred onto the SD card. How can I clean the film before putting it through the Digitiser. My thought is I could put it on the Projector (or Digitiser) and wind the film onto a spare spool and then rewind back onto original spool whilst having the film passing over a soft clean cloth. My only concern is that I don't want to scratch the film surface from the dust that the cloth may pick up. My second thought would be to run the film and using a hairdryer (on Cold) to blow the dust out of the film whilst it is being wound and rewound. Is there a better way to do this? Thanks Dave

[Nantawat Kittiwarakul]

Glad that you borrowed, not bought, that Wolverine scanner. Since it's made to transfer films to video files not for actual viewing, making it very unpractical for the purpose.

The most sensible choice at the moment would be to give your projector a good service - at least finding out why it chew the films, then the focus issue. However since this projector seems to use some NLA lamp so once it goes off, you'll find that the replacement lamp would be MORE EXPENSIVE than buying a whole new projector.😨 In the long term I'd suggest investing for a new projector that uses more commonly available lamp than this, and preferably of sprocketless type (less parts to go wrong).

Another idea - if you only just want to have a peek onto each reel just to see what each reel actually is, and not really need to "project" the image out onto a screen, buying a hand-crank film viewer would be a good option. You're stuck with a small & dim screen, but should be just enough for reel identification. It's also convenient for manual film cleaning too.

[David Moody]

Another request - I have been given a Braun Paximat 1500 Electric Halogen 150 slide projector. It has a blown bulb. Unfortunately it has no instructions or user manual. Does anyone know where I can get the user manual or could show me how to get the bulb out to replace it. Many thanks - Dave Moody

[Tom Dennis]

Hello David,
Can you post pics of your slide projector? Might be able to help.
Regarding your comment re cine projector and lack of sharpness, have you checked the lens for fungus? My experience of these machines is that a problem, otherwise a reasonable machine. Drive belt made from composite does not go gooy or stretches

Regards TOM

[David Moody]

Hi Tom, We are away in our caravan at the moment (weather terrible - raining day and night), will be home on Thursday 9/5/2024. Will take photos and post to you. Many thanks Dave

[David Moody]

Hi Tom, Have pulled projector apart and have found out how to get bulb out - now need to get new bulb - 24V 150W for Braun Paximat 1500 Electric Halogen 150 slide projector. I will see if I can get one locally on the Gold Coast Australia. Do you have a manual for this projector or know where I can source one. The bulb looks OK so I was wondering if there is a switch to turn the bulb on does it come on once the slide cassette is inserted. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Dave

[Tom Dennis]

Hi David,
Hope you enjoyed your hols despite weather.
I am sure this looks like an N series [european range] and I will go through my hoard of instruction books.
The good news is that the lamp is extreemly commom and cheap.
The lamp code is A1/216 ANSI code FCS.
Please note handling this type of lamp with bare fingers can result in the lamp life being compromised, use a cloth/ tissue around the lamp.
I will P.M. you with further info.

Regards Tom

[David Moody]

Thanks for the info Tom. Yes I realise that you can't touch the bulb's with bare fingers. My family - (I am the youngest of 11) used to have movie nights at home with a 16mm projector and rented movies - before TV. My father was also a professional photographer and had his own darkroom where he developed his own films and photos. Unfortunately, all has been lost except for a box of old slides and a few reels of 8mm films which I have now digitized for future generations. Regards Dave

[Brian Fretwell]

I have read that if you do accidentally tough it you shoul wipe it with alcohol like methelated spirits at once to get any grease from your fingers off.