IAC DISCUSSION FORUMS

For those of you that have an interest in telecine, there are some fascinating pages here on building your own machine out of an old Eumig projector:

http://www.movie2video.com/

Absolutely fascinating - and serious food for thought!

At an auction a week ago, I picked up as part of 'job lot', a shiny Yelco 2 Track Sound Projector - DS-810MT Quartzmatic - along with a stack of sound and silent films - for just £10 (!!!). It looks spanking new, but time has had its toll - the bulb doesn't work, and the drive belt has disintegrated. (That actually is a bit of a problem -it can be bought, but it is difficult to work out how it fits over the array of pulley wheels). Once working - and all the old films have been watched, it would have found its way into the loft where it could gather dust until rediscovered.

But not now - this has inspired me to see what can be done to use it as the basis of a properly constructed and dedicated transfer machine - without having to set it up to project and a camcorder to capture each time. I have an old camcorder that could be used in a permanent set-up. I doubt I'd have the nous to create a telecine arrangement though - wouldn't that need a scanning arrangement and a smooth running film through the gate without the shutter?).

If anyone can indicate how the drive belt in a DS-810MT should be fitted, I'd appreciate that (I now have acquyired a manual - and there is nothing in it about the drive belt unfortunately - how to set up the sound recorder and so on is there, and everything on the 'film side', but nothing about the 'motor' side.

Mike, glad to hear you've been inspired.
There are drive belt firms around that sell the belt material by the mm. You buy a strip of it, feed it round the drive pulleys and use superglue to butt-fuse the ends together. The glue is so strong that if you pull the belt to destruction it'll break somewhere else.

Actually Tom, brand new belts (not 'recovered' belts) for this machine are still available - from quite a few places. My problem is how it will fit over the array of pulleys (three I think). In fact it looks like there should be two belts. There is also a chain drive for the two spools, which seems to be working OK (a bit loose, but working). Of course I could sit down and try to work it out by trial and error how the belt should fit. I emailed one of the companies to see if they could help ... not even the courtesy of an answer.

You won't get an answer Mike. Remember these machines were being sold 5 years before the recipient of your email was born.

Sorted! I've just been playing with the projector and can now see where the drive belt should go - that 'third pulley' is driven from behind somehow, so doesn't need 'belting up'. In fact of course it isn't really a pulley at all. (Hmmm. So why does it look like one ... Hmmm)

Now the problem is getting a lamp for this machine ... I thought that bit would be easier ... (I found a reference -EFR' whatever that means, but no source).

I also found one of these projectors on an auction site - currently at £85. So I think I have a bargain - forgetting the stack of films (at least a dozen), it'll have cost £20 plus the price of a bulb. Not bad for a dual system, dual track sound projector!

All I need to do now is find a use for it ...

I'm pretty sure your Yelco has an electronic speed control Mike, so - like the GS1200 - it can be set exactly to 16.67 fps for ciné transfer.

Two speeds can be selected - 24 and 18fps - no 16.7.

Just noticed the 'Rev Slow' button is jammed 'in'. According to the manual one uses either that or the 'Fow Slow' to sync the film up when recording. Hopefully its current 'jammed state' is not going to prove a problem when the belt (and now the lamp I have ordered ) arrive and I excitedly start kicking the thing to make it work ...

Reminds me of the RAF definitions of an operator, a mechanic and a fitter - the operator knows something is wrong, the mechanic knows it will need a good hard kick, the fitter knows exactly where and how hard to kick ...

I was a mechanic. I may have a problem ...

Um, yes David - his web site explains this clearly.

Yes - had realised that too - well, sort of. I figured he was scanning, not using a webcam. A camcorder would have better quality I think.

I could be a millionaire this time next year ...

Hi Mike. Yes you will find a small pre-set to change the speed within the projector on a Yelco. Use a insulated screwdriver though to set it.

There's a switch - 24 or 18 fps - but I can't see any other adjustment. Nothing mentioned in the manual either, though I don't hold that for much - it doesn't show how to replace the drive belt for example. That had to be fed into a recess where a pulley wheel sits. Took me ages, plus three pencils, a hook, four whiskeys, a crocodile clip and a dental mirror. I wonder if that's what the repair shops use?

The adjustable preset will be on the Yelco's speed control's PCB, Mike. It's an end of line adjustment and not meant to be touched once set, but I was always twiddling mine on my Noris Studio 2000

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