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Author Topic: Can anyone identify the object between the lamp and projector here? Sean Weitzel Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 619 From: Vacaville, CA (1790 miles west of Rockwall) Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-27-2009 11:30 PM                     I saw these photos on ebay. I'd like to know what the item between the lamp and projector head is. The seller's description does not reference it specifically. I've never seen this before. The motor on the upper reel arm is interesting as well. Could this machine run in reverse?  |  IP: Logged Richard Hamilton Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1341 From: Evansville, Indiana Registered: Jan 2000 posted 12-27-2009 11:36 PM                     Not sure what that item is. As far as running in reverse, could be. It looks like the motor is hooked up to a controller. By the way that is the cleanest wiring job I think i've ever seen  |  IP: Logged Cameron Glendinning Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 845 From: West Ryde, Sydney, NSW Australia Registered: Dec 2005 posted 12-27-2009 11:47 PM                     I'm also curious about the filter and rails infront of the lens. Is it some sort of 3D or special venue 70mm projector?  |  IP: Logged Ian Parfrey Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1049 From: Imbil Australia 26 deg 27' 42.66" S 152 deg 42' 23.40" E Registered: Feb 2009 posted 12-27-2009 11:54 PM                     My guess would be either a dichroic heat filter or a lens assembly to change the focal length of the Orcon mirror. This would likely mean that the mirror in the lamphouse isn't of the standard Orcon dimensions. The vent at the top would be just an extraction duct for the waste heat. Still, its a weird way of doing both of those things and I might be way off the mark. ......UNLESS...... its just a spacer between the lamphouse and mechanism so there is no need to rotate the lamphouse to change xenons. These lamps rotate about a centre pivot and the lamp is changed through the snood with the lamphouse at 90 degrees to the table. Then it would be easy to just lift the "box thing" off and reach in through the snood and hey presto!..lamp changed. Bartender! A double please.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 12-28-2009 09:05 AM                     What's the cable for going into the back of it? It's near to the top, so it might just be for a fan I suppose. There's another cable near the bottom which looks like it might be going into this box, but it seems to have been unplugged. I did think of another lamphouse, possibly a halogen one, so that prints could be projected by either light source, but that wouldn't make much sense with 35mm. I could understand it with 16mm where both light sources are widely used, and you might want to do test screenings with both. Another idea I had was that it might contain dichoric filters and a mixing box, to enable the colour of the light to be changed, like the lamphouse on a colour enlarger, or some types of film printer I believe. Might be useful for grading test prints, or somewhat improving faded material during film restoration, but I can't see any way to operate such filters. How about some sort of additional heat filtering/extraction to enable the film to be run at very low speeds, or stopped on a still frame. It does look like it might be designed for some sort of rock and roll system, in a dubbing theatre maybe? It has a strange lower spoolbox; looks like one of those cloverleaf things for running double band on 1000 foot spools, though only one take-up system seems to be installed. Definitely looks like some sort of studio or laboratory machine. I'm out of ideas at this point.  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 12-28-2009 09:57 AM                     I don't know what the 'little box' between the projector and lamphouse is, but the motor on both the feed and takeup and the fact that this machine is equipped with a "preview magazines" would definately indicate that its' configured to run in forward and reverse. The size of the lamphouse and whole set-up in general looks like machines I've run in some screening rooms or editing houses where you needed both forward/reverse and preview magazines to run dailies or to check non-composite prints. UPDATE> A friend who worked in a film lab for many years says he THINKS (but isn't sure) that this device might be similar to a device they had in their screening room which had sort of graduated neutral density filter wheel inside so that they could control the intensity of the light when running untimed or over exposed dailies. It's just one more possibility..... I've run many many forward/reverse "preview projectors" set up with double system sound-heads. Here's one of them. (In fact, I'm running film at this screening room tomorrow)  |  IP: Logged Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 12-28-2009 02:07 PM                     Hey guys, are we sure it couldn't be something as simple as an additional exhaust fan?  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-28-2009 02:34 PM                     My suspicison is that it is a set of controlable colour filters for colour print timing  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 12-28-2009 03:45 PM                     quote: Robert E. Allen Hey guys, are we sure it couldn't be something as simple as an additional exhaust fan? We're not sure of anything Robert, but why the need to install an extra fan for quite a small lamphouse, when projectors with larger lamps manage without? Also, it puts the lamp a long way back from the film gate, and therefore would probably need to contain a lens to correct this. quote: Gordon McLeod My suspicison is that it is a set of controlable colour filters for colour print timing One of the ideas I came up with Gordon, but I'd expect to see either three knobs for local control, or some sort of electrical interface for control from the auditorium. None of the cables looks like that.  |  IP: Logged Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 12-28-2009 07:19 PM                     I was just thinking Stephen if it's a reversible projector used in some phase of production perhaps it is stopped on a an illuminated single frame.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 12-28-2009 07:54 PM                     Robert, It's possible; at the moment we have no firm evidence at to what this is, only speculation. I'm a bit surprised that nobody here has yet been ab;e to positively identify it. Whatever it is, they can't be very common. I don't think it's my first idea, a second lamphouse, nor the suggestion of it being just a means of gaining access to change the lamp, but I think all the other ideas are still in the running. Or maybe it's something that none of us has thought of yet.  |  IP: Logged Bernard Tonks Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 619 From: Cranleigh, Surrey, England Registered: Apr 2001 posted 12-29-2009 04:37 AM                     Here's my guess. The top spool box is for reversable projection. The frame on the front of the projector is an iris for stopping down the lens. The second lamphouse holds a Philips type 500 watt xenon bulb with built in mirror. The Orcon lamphouse is installed only for it's use as the rectifier.  |  IP: Logged Mitchell Dvoskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1869 From: West Milford, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 12-29-2009 12:54 PM                     Whatever that gizmo is between the lamphouse and projector, it has an Alan Gordon Enterprises logo on it. They are still in business in LA, I suppose somebody could call or email them to find out what it is. Alan Gordon Enterprises My GUESS is that it is some sort of heavy duty heat shield to allow for freeze framing the image.  |  IP: Logged Jack Theakston Master Film Handler Posts: 411 From: New York, USA Registered: Sep 2007 posted 12-29-2009 01:00 PM                     Have you tried asking the seller?  |  IP: Logged Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 12-29-2009 05:51 PM                     quote: Mitchell Dvoskin My GUESS is that it is some sort of heavy duty heat shield to allow for freeze framing the image. Well that makes two us. Wonder if we'll ever really know?  |  IP: Logged

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