Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Unknown(?) RCA/Brenkert

This is topic Unknown(?) RCA/Brenkert in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Matthew Bailey (Member # 601) on 04-22-2003, 08:51 PM:

I,m uncertain about this RCA/Brenkert projector. The projector head has the circular RCA logo on it but what BX model is it? I am also uncertain of the soundhead & magazines as shown.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 04-22-2003, 09:03 PM:

Matthew,
That could be a BX-40, or 80. One would actually have to look at the tag as they are not readily distinguishable from each other in a photo. Soundhead is either a 9030 or 9050 adapted for preview use...and can run either optical, or magnetic at the flip of a switch. Again not distinguishable from just a photo. The lower magazine is a preview magazine capable of holding three 1000 foot rolls of film. There is sound feed and take up as well as picture take up in the lower. Top mag is a standard RCA mag.
Mark @ CLACO

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 04-22-2003, 09:31 PM:

That projector is, as Mark suggested, a BX-40 or BX-80. However, I would lean to the BX-40. The reason being the emblem on the door. The "40" and "80" emblems are a little different. The "40" emblem is a little more "heftier" than the "80", but not by much.

Whatever it actually is, it has the orginal Brenkert changeover on it. The last one I seen like that was 36 years ago.

It is definately not a BX-60, 62, or BX-100.

In any event, that whole set-up is a real beauty. [Smile]

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 04-22-2003, 10:24 PM:

What? No funky art-deco upper and lower reel magazines? [Smile]

If I ever work in a Brenkert booth, I definitely want to have the complete 1940s Brenkert experience, complete with funky reel magazines and Enarc lamps, just like the pictures in the old manuals.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 04-22-2003, 10:53 PM:

Scott, I think the racing stripes Brenkert put on were an option for those who could afford them.

But yes, there is nothing like a "Brenkert Experience" of a complete RCA/Brenkert Booth (including the orginal change-over's) like those orginal machines of '40s. [Smile]

Those booths were a dream to run.

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 04-22-2003, 11:41 PM:

quote:
Soundhead is either a 9030 or 9050 adapted for preview use...and can run either optical, or magnetic at the flip of a switch

How would that work? Was there a mag scheme that put the sound synch below the picture? The only mag I've ever seen were the penthouses over the projector.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 04-23-2003, 12:19 AM:

As with Jack, I thought an "Outhouse" (penthouse) was needed to do the mag stuff. Enlighten me, Mark. Maybe I completely missed your point, but can you go into more detail so I can put it in my feeble memory bank?

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 04-23-2003, 12:25 AM:

It's run double system with the mag reel (feed and takeup) in the lower magazine beside the picture takeup reel. The mag reel feeds up into the sound head and then back down onto its takeup reel.

BTW, it looks like a BX-40 to me.

Posted by Matthew Bailey (Member # 601) on 04-23-2003, 06:13 AM:

The further pictures fom the encycloprdia I printed this pic from shows the inside of the soundhead meaning it's optical only. It shows a slitted partition to the right of the sprocket,the sprocket connected to the stabilizer flywheel
& to the right of the partition is the photo cell.

Posted by Jeff Stricker (Member # 224) on 04-23-2003, 06:59 AM:

Robert Sprague (brenkert historian) wrote and told me that the BX-40 didn't have the polished aluminum vertical stripes on the door, but was painted all one color. That would make this a BX-80. (??) [Confused]

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 04-23-2003, 08:31 AM:

The double system versions basically had a bypass set of rollers so the pix element effectivly bypassed the soundhead and the seperate audio track went through the scanner from one spindle in the lower magazine and back down. In effect it is a dubber and projector in one box. It is likely that this is an optical only unit as most of the older preview machines of this vintage predated reeves use of perforated mag stock

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 04-23-2003, 10:21 AM:

Like Gordon said about double-system versions. On the double-system version you could only run single strip 1000 foot mag reels. We have a pair of XL's that are set-up for double-system runs in our LA office. We use that set-up for dallies.

Posted by Bob Koch (Member # 1062) on 04-23-2003, 12:14 PM:

Definitly BX 80. The fancy magazines with the racing stripes that Paul tells about were not a Brenkert item but were made to use on Brenkert projectors by one Clarence[I think] Nelson an operator in Dallas who had a machine shop. They were called "Nelson Magazines for Brenkert Projectors"

Posted by Robert Throop (Member # 61) on 04-23-2003, 01:08 PM:

Nelson also made a takeup that I think used some type of fluid clutch.