Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Phlips FP6 Cosmetic Renovation

This is topic Phlips FP6 Cosmetic Renovation in forum The Afterlife at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=12;t=001152

Posted by Remint Malta (Member # 10206) on 09-29-2017, 01:07 AM:

Hi,

We are interested in renovating two Philips FP6 35mm projectors to be eventually put on display in the foyer of a modern cinema.

Does anyone have any solid information on when these machines were built? I can't seem to find any information online. I managed to find a manual in German which still needs to be translated. Does anybody have any other literature (possibly in English) for these machines. From some preliminary research I did, they are fairly similar to the FP5.

Do you have any other information which might be helpful? We are experienced renovators with background in electronics and film/digital photography equipment but we're newbies in the cinema field.

Here is a picture of one of the projectors:

Thanks!

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 09-29-2017, 10:52 AM:

That's going to be quite a renovation project, even if you aren't aiming for operational condition.

I can't give you an exact production date, but would guess late '40s to late '50s. Your example has nitrate mags on it, which would suggest that it was originally made and sold when at least some nitrate was still in use.

If you could find the time to scan the German manual and upload it to Brad for the warehouse section, we'd all be grateful. There are native German speakers on this forum, not to mention many others (like me) who know enough German to make having this manual a lot better than nothing if we ever find ourselves having to work on one of these projectors.

Posted by John Eickhof (Member # 323) on 09-29-2017, 07:04 PM:

i would estimate the year of manufacture in the mid to late 1920s. as the projector has the klangfilm sound attachment. the pedistal is almost identical to a pair of ernemann II silent machines i have that came from norway is your pair a left and right threading or are they both right hand thread ? the pair of ernemanns i have are left and right hand threading and are hand crank with zeiss carbon arc lamps

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 09-30-2017, 12:02 PM:

"Introduced around 1937," according to this - almost exactly mid-way between our two guesses!

The mechanism could well have been put on a pedestal and lamphouse dating from earlier, though.

I'd be surprised if the projector mechanism was essentially evolutionary from earlier designs, as Jan-Jakob Kotte tended to go for revolution over evolution, introducing fundamentally new design elements.

The exciter bulb latch-on cover looks like the same (or at least, very similar) to the one that came on the originally equipped DP-70 optical head. Not many survive on the DP-70s in use today, because most have had the original heads replaced with LED, stereo and/or Dolby digital retrofits.

Posted by Remint Malta (Member # 10206) on 10-04-2017, 04:19 AM:

Hi Guys,

thanks for your replies. I already have a scanned copy of the manual. How do I upload it to Brad?

The one i have looks very much like the FP56 in the manual I have including the pedestal. 1940s is a likely time this particular projector was produced.

Posted by Peter Hall (Member # 695) on 12-09-2017, 11:10 PM:

Hi
I would agree with the date - pre scope (as the aperture was built into the scate and like the most European machines impossible to change on the trot) so it would be pre 1955 or so. Whilst the sound head is bolted on, the mech does seem to have fixings for alternative sound heads so I would say post 1930. 1937 sounds perfect. Was it these or the later ones which had adjustable loops ?
The end cap which Leo refers to was standard on all Philips and Kinotons, despite a cosmetic change from Philips to Kinoton. They get reinstalled with lasers but yes, need to go for a full reverse scan. Love the picture, good luck with the rebuild