Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Interesting 16mm projector I found.

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Posted by Adam Fraser (Member # 1074) on 01-18-2008, 09:44 PM:

I picked up this projector today. It has a Movie Mite 16mm projector inside of it and some type of a platter system built into the case. The model of the system is a TSI Moviematic. I haven't quite figured out the threading path yet and I am pretty sure the amplifier is missing a tube. All of the mechanical parts seem to work though. It has a mirror that projects the image onto a semi translucent screen.

Should be a pretty interesting project though after I finish my other 600 things I need to do.

Anyone have any information on this projector?

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 01-18-2008, 09:59 PM:

That mirror and translucent screen makes me wonder if this isn't part of a tv stations' old "film chain"...what most tv stations had to run movies with until the mid to late 80s.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 01-18-2008, 10:06 PM:

Probably ex-airline movie syatem. Louis

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 01-18-2008, 11:16 PM:

Way cool, Adam!

Since it's rear-projecting onto a built-in screen, I'd vote for some sort of trainer or educational film device. I doubt it's airline, since it doesn't look like it would hold more than a few hundred feet of film.

Could also be something for Soundies, like a portable Panoram.

Posted by Fred Georges (Member # 505) on 01-18-2008, 11:27 PM:

Those were the TV/VCR combo of their day. They were used for sales presentations & product demonstration. They used an endless loop of film (400 ft Max I believe) The ones that used Bantam DeVry projectors were reasonable on Film. The Movie Mites were notorius film shredders. [Big Grin]

Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 01-19-2008, 06:54 AM:

When I was in high school and volunteered to project for the Red Cross at the local Veterans Administration Hospital, they had a few of these machines. They were used as self contained entertainment for the wards where we were not allowed to enter.
TV was very new in 1953 and there was one TV on each floor of the hospital in the day room.

The films were usually newsreels that had the violence edited from them or short subjects like we were showing downtown.

One problem with them was that the acetate film shrunk from the heat of the lamp and we had to add a humidifier to keep them running. When the film became too dry, it would not travel through the loose wind at the top and then you got a (no brain) wrap and it shut down. (Usually after chewing the film)

KEN

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-19-2008, 07:40 AM:

The High School I attended had a similar one that teachers used for previewing 16mm films on... The days before VHS!

Mark