Start of the Movie Scanner Project

After a long search for the perfect 8mm Movie Projector for the project, I suddenly stumbled across the perfect Movie Projector.

It's a Gracia SL 818 Dual 8 Movie Projector and it's a pretty rare Projector.

(Oops I didn't know this then)

It is a fairly easy-to-use Movie Projector with Autoload function.

When I had all my parts to start the project, I took everything out of the Movie Projector except the necessary parts such as the electric motor.

The Original Mode Switch

I soon had an idea, I really wanted to use the original mode switch on the scanner.

Of course that came with a small problem, I didn't know the pinout of every internal switch.

Sooo yeah... you can already feel it coming, I measured every pin with the multimeter and used every position of the switch and so finally made the pinout map.

It certainly took me a few hours to make the most logical connection drawing possible, so I could easily read how to connect and program it.

Soldering the Mode Switch

So in the end it was time to read the drawing and solder everything together in the smartest way possible.

For that I could of course run a number of cables over the same switching system and then create a zero point.

When I finally did this, I created some sort of binary code that leads over the cables.

And then finally the program can convert the binary code to the necessary modes for the device.

LED Controller and Signal Sensor

Finally I started installing the LED Power controller that allows the LED to do multiple exposures.

once that was installed on the device I started installing the signal sensor, who will ultimately ensure that the device knows when to move a frame and when it can scan the frame to the computer.

I thereby removed the Triple Blade Shooter of the film projector from the string wheel, and screwed a small piece of metal to it.

That small piece of metal creates a reflection towards the sensor, which triggers it to continue with the program that causes the frame to be scanned and the next frame to be loaded.

Data Communication to Computer

I basically let all information go via USB, and I know USB 2.0 is not the fastest way to do that.

So I used a USB 2.0 4 plug adapter from approximately $3, that gives me more than enough Inputs to connect the USB sticks.

To make the cables a bit shorter and to use a better cable for it I had to solder it a bit, and to make sure it looked good I soldered it to the main board.

You must be wondering: Why do you use usb 2.0 and not 3.0 or 3.1?

That's how it should be, it's a test device also called version 1.0, and for version 2.0 it will be full 3.1 or maybe even USB-C

Data Output and Power Input

I then use a USB input instead of a USB output so I can use a special cable for my scanner, and for any potential upgrades that can still be done because the USB inputs are available.

For the electricity I use a 12 volt 2 amp adapter (from an old laptop) so that I have just enough amps to drive the motor and also provide the rest of the device with energy.

Any part that uses a USB cable to transmit the data also uses the energy when it is most needed.

Should a peak of energy arises by using the motor, it will have no effect on the main board or sensor.

Brain of The Movie Scanner

For now i use an Arduino Leonardo for the operating system because it is small and easy to operate, also it has the function to serve as a keyboard.

So I started programming the software that will eventually control the device.

I have made it easy because if I ever lose the program I can have the Arduino Leonardo make itself type the program to the computer with the keyboard function.

There are probably easier way to do it but i just have this way now

H-Bridge and Power Converter

For the H-Bridge and Power Converter I had a 3D model printed by a good friend of mine.

The H-Bridge is quite powerful, this one is officially intended for 48 volts.

I actually took this one because I wanted a powerful H-Bridge that only needs to control one motor, because If I ever upgrade again (eh... which is probably the plan) I have to be prepared for how I would control such an H-Bridge.

The Power converter actually only serves one thing, to reduce 12 volts 2 amperes to a much more stable 5 volt 4 amp without the noise of the motor turning on and off.

Connecting The First Part

Eventually I had come to the point of installing and connecting the first parts, that of course needs to be connected as well as possible while ensuring that it will not create any malfunctions.

And as can be seen in the image, the 3D printing part fits perfectly in the location where it should be placed.

Of course I had to cut some cables to size and think about the amperage that eventually can also be sent in by the H-Bridge and the motor

Connecting and Programming

Eventually the plan was to connect the Mode Switch, the IR Sensor, the LED Controller and the H-Bridge.

When these were connected to the Arduino Leonardo I started programming.

Programming the device took longer than expected, It took me at least 2 weeks to get a base line.

Eventually I was able to complete the program completely. And it was time to do the first test on functionality and communication between the computer and The Scanner

Powering for the First Time

Then it was time to put the plug in the socket, USB cable in the computer and test the first modes.

As you can see in the video he did start and he did work.

Only there was a small problem, it was a little bit slower than I had expected.

And then to think that this is indeed as SDR mode, when I also tried to HDR mode it was even slower.

So it was back to programming again and try to make it even better, to change some values and eventually make the bus speed a little bit faster.

Checking for Thermo Problems

Then I thought about it for a while and decided to do a temperature check, to see if there are parts that are not too hot that could cause problems later on.

I soon found out that everything looked fine and the heatsink on the LED works as it was ment to.

Of course I also tried with a piece of Movie to see if it didn't catch fire, which luckily it didn't so it was green light from here.

Very Last System Adjustments

I soon found out that there were still some small problems and so I opened it again, to see if I could simply get rid of those problems quickly.

One of the problems was that the string that runs from the front to the back to turn the take up wheel, was slipping so I put two rubbers on it.

To ensure that the string no longer slips and that it can simply spin.

Then it was time to put everything back together and test The Movie Scanner.

And then at the end of it the official 8mm movie scan

And then I scanned this old Disney Movie as a demonstration.

In addition, this movie was shot entirely in 4K SDR.

And with that, this project has come to an end ?

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