Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: 16mm Xenon variable speed?

This is topic 16mm Xenon variable speed? in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Joel Shepard (Member # 4264) on 11-07-2007, 12:12 PM:

Hello everyone. I'm trying to figure out if Elmo ever made a Xenon 16mm projector with variable speed.

Does anyone out there know this?

I'm badly in need of a tabletop 16mm Xenon projector that can do silent speed. I can't make room for a stand-up machine in my booth. And I need a really good machine, probably not a jerry-rigged one. I have to deal with obsessive filmmakers who can tell if a projector is running at 19fps instead of 18.

16mm has gotten so frustrating, at least of terms of repairs. I don't know what exhibitors are going to do for the long term. Right now, I'm depending on a couple of retirees who like to tinker with things for my Elmo CX550s - not a good sign for the future.

Thank you for any insight.

Joel Shepard
Film/Video Curator

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
701 Mission St
San Francisco CA 94103 USA
415-321-1323 tel
415-978-9635 fax

www.YBCA.org [Confused]

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 11-07-2007, 01:11 PM:

Elmo most certainly did make a variable speed 16mm. The LX-2200 was available with variable speed up within a year of end of production (LX-2200V). We have also modified numerious LX-1100 and LX-2200s for varable speed.

However, you say you need a table top model. Elmo did make some models that had an alternate speed of 18fps though none of the later ones had that. I am unaware of any Elmo table top models that had variable speed.

For what its worth, we were able to obtain new 16mm repair parts from Elmo within the past month, so all is not gloom and doom yet.

Steve