THIS PROJECTOR NEEDS SERVICING! PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS DESCRIPTION ENTIRELY IF INTERESTED IN THIS EQUIPMENT
HISTORY:
My "world" is 'the arts' and more specifically, music, artwork and hand crafted/decorated chinaware's.
I am not a film enthusiast but an associate has asked me to find new owners for THEIR large collection of photographic and film items ... this is one of those items. I do not normally offer items on others behalf but the owner is very unwell and has asked me to try and ensure this gear goes to a new loving home ...
While the world of 8mm/Super 8mm is not my area of expertise, I am learning fast! I am very comfortable in the world of electronics and even mechanical equipment as we used and serviced some fantastic tape machines in the past (Revox, Studer, Otari and Tascam's) but film projectors? Not my cuppa tea ...
If EUMIG doesn't excite you, please keep an eye HERE for the ELMO, ROLLEI and other projectors I will have available in the future once I have run up ALL the film I have here - I currently have masses of Regular 8, Super 8 and 16mm film prints covering the period the period 1930's ~ 1980's HERE
SPECIAL NOTE:
I "loved" this projector! It takes nice big reels, is made in Austria (always a plus in my books) and looks to have been well engineered.
This was the first projector of many that I was using to run up the films I am offering people ... it RAN beautifully for around 50 hours - no issues observed, nice smooth feeding and transport path, clear clean image and nice audio ... but then ... a crunching noise and I immediately turned it off and extracted my film!
Looking inside, it's a mechanical issue - the front section of one nylon gear has completely broken off. Taking a stab in the dark, it looks to be one of the primary gears at the front of the motor drive shaft. Actually it is just the front section and the projector still runs but I am loath to run film through it in case something else decides to fail ... I have now switched to the ELMO ST1200D which is running fine at the moment (albiet with a rather cumbersome film feeding procedure compared to this EUMIG)
I always try to be extremely detailed in my descriptions and provide as much information as possible regarding the item and it's general condition, please read everything and look at the photographs to get an idea of what you are in for (if undertaking the servicing yourself) I managed to find out from the owner that this projector had not been powered up for 15 years before I used it so it would at least require a complete relube in addition to at least that one gear being replaced. The belt(s) look fine and when running it worked great but due to the age I suspect that it would be wise to have a new belt on hand as well. The lamp was brand new (I fitted it) and has had maybe 10 hours "light up" time (the remaining 40 hours were using the original bulb) ...
So let's get down to the nitty gritty and take a step back in time (No, not the song from Kylie!)
I must say that there is something that stirs in the soul when watching these old films, both Black & White (Silent) and the "colour" with sound - this stuff is just so cool but fiddly to set up!
EUMIG - Super 8mm Film Projector
Made in Austria
Circa 1982
Model: S934 AUTOMIX
Australian market model: 240V AC operation
Actually this model can be changed from 220V - 230V - 240V & 250V using a spade terminal INSIDE the rear case. Interestingly it is currently on the 250V tag (I just left it as I found it)
Frequency can be 50Hz OR 60Hz, you need to move the belt position for this change and instructions are INSIDE the rear case.
Film format: Super 8
MAXIMUM reel size: 210mm (either supply or take-up)
Sound capable (internal speaker plus an external speaker DIN socket at the rear)
Special sound mixing facilities built into the projector
Built in cutter
18 - 24fps ROTARY CONTROL - NOT a switch, so the user can vary the fps within the range 18 ~ 24fps
Lamp used: 12V 100W
Tucked into the top of the projector is the accessories compartment and it also has all sorts of goodies inside ...
Power lead
Cleaning cloths
Tiny brushes
A Spanner!
The projector is dust protected by a vinyl MINOLTA cover (go figure! that's what it came in) which does the job although it has one seam tear down the side.
There is NO instruction manual although these are readily available online
I will NOT be supplying any spare reels, I am presuming whoever wanted this projector will already have some to hand - if not, I have a few listed separate to this advertisement anyway
COSMETIC CONDITION:
I know from my associate that this equipment was kept in a cool, dry place in their "projection area" and a visual inspection confirms the cosmetic condition is very good.
CLEAN
Not scratched at all (front and rear)
NO broken plastic parts (external)
NO broken metal parts
All knobs are present and clean, without cracks
All labelling is clear and not worn
NO securing bolts missing (don't you hate it when someone looks inside some gear and doesn't put the bolts ALL back in place!)
Front uses 2x bolts
Rear uses 4x bolts
TESTING:
Visually, this projector looks really nice ... now lets see how it performs
Now I am a novice to the world of Super 8 so I had a steep learning curve, for example I soon learned that the shape of the cut on the leader is extremely important, in fact critical! If it isn't the nice "half moon" shape, the film is likely not to auto feed properly! That's my newbie experience with Super 8!
That said though, with this projector and a properly shaped film, I found it had VERY smooth film feeding, compared to the ELMO ST1200D I am currently using, I felt this EUMIG had a superior feed system and was not nearly so "touchy" about the shape of the leader end section.
Update: There is NO issue with the power ON-OFF switch, dummy me only. While replacing the front cover I noticed that this Power switch is mechanically interlocked with the large function switch. ONLY in the STOP position can be the Power button be moved (makes sense) I checked it completely and there is NO problem with this power switch.
ISSUE (NOT): Power On-Off slide switch is "stuck" in the ON position! It seems to be a mechanical issue but I have not attempted to fix it. For me this was not a big issue, you just cannot turn off the projector with this switch!
Nice quiet running, for a film projector that is (I guess you get used to that constant click click click click as the film goes through the sprockets)
The fan runs quietly without any weird noises or squeeking!
Rubber belt(s) all feel fine, not stretched or slipping
Projection lamp (recently replaced by myself) is working great, this is a 12V 100W model and I do have NEW spares of these ... look HERE
Sound is working great (internal and external loudspeakers)
Noticed the occassional "click & pop" coming off the audio at times, I do not know if this is an amplifier fault or the sound stripe on the film - I am guessing the film sound stripe because with no film running, no funny noises.
Whilst not running a sound film, the amplifier is quiet - no detectable hum heard
When playing a film, the sound is clear and crisp - NOT muffled.
As I mentioned above, this projector has not seen a lube job for at least 15 years and I know this is so important to equipment such as this - YOU SHOULD RELUBE ALL THE GEARS TO RESTORE THE PROJECTOR TO IT'S FORMER GLORY
ISSUE: There are two discs at the front of the projector (easy to see and get to) that are diecast metal with rubber tyres on one side. These transfer drive from the motor to the rear gearing system. To the touch they do not feel worn or uneven and while running the projector in the FORWARD direction, the film was fine, even movement and smooth.
HOWEVER when I put the film travel in REVERSE the film doesn't move. The motor is still running fine but the power is not being transferred to the rear gearing system. I can get some slight movement by gently rotating the two front discs (with the rubber coating on one side) but I get the distinct impression that there is too much friction and not enough power (torque transfer) to turn in the reverse direction.
Just to test this theory, once I had played my "test session" of Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back in the Forward direction, I rewound onto the original reel by the direct path and NO problems with sticking at all - so the reverse function works when the path is direct from Reel To Reel but it doesn't like things being "under pressure" (NO, not that song from David Bowie & Mick Jagger)
It could very well be that a good lube of the rear gearing system (reducing the overall friction to movement) will solve everything, or perhaps even just cleaning those discs at the front.
Finally there is that gear that definitely needs a replacement. I do not know how difficult it may be to get new gears or perhaps use one from a S934 that is "beyond repair" It may be that the projector will be fine without changing the gear as it appears only the front section has broken off, the worm drive looks to be unaffected. I do notice that the "ring" which broke off is not complete ... that means there must still be little bits of nylon somewhere inside - find them!
These EUMIG S934's seem to be pretty well regarded in the Super 8 film community, take a look around online and you will see a lot of "praises" regarding this equipment (and hopefully someone has a Service Manual)
I am well versed in packing items extremely carefully and with full protection while in transit - there will be no issues shipping this equipment anywhere around Australia, New Zealand or perhaps Asia (220V 60Hz) but probably not much good for US or European users - I suspect the freight would be far too expensive (12Kg estimated shipping weight)
For Australian buyers hint hint ... the threshold I have set for FREE SHIPPING around Australia is $76 upwards ... add something when purchasing this projector and the shipping will be free otherwise standard Australia Post OR Courier rates will apply.
I have now put this little beauty safely away and she is sitting quitely in the corner waiting to bring some film back to life!
