Capturing Super8 with Somikon Filmscanner - problems...

[titush]

Hi there,

I was hoping somebody could help me with some good advice or recommendations. I recently bought the above digitizer from Somikon (the one they also sell at reflecta which looks the same) and I am having issues.

VIDEO 1
https://youtu.be/J1D4tURKjsE

VIDEO 2
https://youtu.be/4TBPvwPl6bE

Video 1: you can see how the transport of the film is stuttering, as the little transport mechanism isn't able to move the film forward. Once you put some pressure on the roll that takes up the film roll, it's actually o.k. (Video 2).

Other than returning this scanner to amazon, I was hoping anybody had an idea of what I could do... My thought was to try and get a stronger motor for the pickup roll that "pulls" the film through gently, which seems to do the trick once you do it manually in my video.

The other option could be to "ease" the film transport while it going through the guided track (where the LED sits), as there seems to be some friction.

Would anybody have another good idea?

Thanks!!! Titus

[DB83]

Not sure but your feed spool looks to big.

AFAIK the reflecta only supports 200 feet (5 inch) reels. This looks like a 400 feet (7 inch) reel which could be too heavy for the transport.

Maybe my maths is wrong since it is a long time since I last handled 8mm film. But the feed reel looks way too close to the scan unit.

[DB83]

The other thing is I do wonder if you over-estimate the scanner.

Film will playback at 18-24 fps. The scanner (well the reflecta does) scans at 2 fps.

Have you actually looked at the result without any manual intervention on your part which looking at your second sample is not a good idea with the film spilling out of the feed reel.

[titush]

Not sure but your feed spool looks to big.
AFAIK the reflecta only supports 200 feet (5 inch) reels. This looks like a 400 feet (7 inch) reel which could be too heavy for the transport.

Yes, you are right, however I paid attention to the fact that it is not the feed reel blocking anything. In fact, in video 2, I loosen the feed rail a little to show that the transport is still not working.
Thanks for your reply though, appreciate your time!

Titus

[titush]

Have you actually looked at the result without any manual intervention on your part which looking at your second sample is not a good idea with the film spilling out of the feed reel.

Yes, I did. The overall quality is excellent for such a small machine, however when the feed stops and the film stops moving, the scanner continues taking "pictures" in a slightly different position of the frame, so the result is completely useless... Thanks again, if anybody else has any suggestions..

One thing that I was thinking is was WHY the film stutters despite the little "finger" pulling forward each frame with precision. I believe when once closes the little lid to fixate the film, there may still be too much room...

Thanks for any other thoughts...
Titus

[DB83]

I took another look at your videos.

Basically, I still think you MUST use the size reels that the unit supports. On each side of the scanner there are film guide spools to feed the scanner and also to feed the take-up reel.

I do not see you using these (the larger reel appears to hide them) so there does not appear to be the correct tension on the film as it goes through the scanner.

[JVRaines]

Not sure but your feed spool looks to big.
AFAIK the reflecta only supports 200 feet (5 inch) reels. This looks like a 400 feet (7 inch) reel which could be too heavy for the transport.

Yes, you are right, however I paid attention to the fact that it is not the feed reel blocking anything. In fact, in video 2, I loosen the feed rail a little to show that the transport is still not working.
Thanks for your reply though, appreciate your time!

Titus

It's called TORQUE and has nothing to do with the feed reel binding. There is too much mass on the feed side for the motor to handle without stuttering and backlash.

[titush]

It's called TORQUE and has nothing to do with the feed reel binding. There is too much mass on the feed side for the motor to handle without stuttering and backlash.

[/QUOTE]

Hi there and thanks for your help. I changed the feed reel to a "standard size", and the problem persists. You can see it here:

https://youtu.be/ygwrjFS2P8s

So it's not the feed reel, I guess...

[DB83]

Sorry. But what do you mean by 'standard size' ? That still looks like a 400 feet reel to my poor eyes.

[DB83]

Ok. I found a website that has detailed info about this scanner with various info

https://www.pearl.de/a-NX4294-1301.shtml;jsessionid=i0F13A21FAF6798B2045C42A320418EBE

The unit does appear to support a 400 feet reel. I just feel that this is too heavy. And scan 10 mins of film in 2 mins. Really ? That seems much too fast.

[JVRaines]

It's called TORQUE and has nothing to do with the feed reel binding. There is too much mass on the feed side for the motor to handle without stuttering and backlash.

Hi there and thanks for your help. I changed the feed reel to a "standard size", and the problem persists. You can see it here:

https://youtu.be/ygwrjFS2P8s

So it's not the feed reel, I guess...

The mass of film on the reel is not the same thing as the diameter of the reel. It is the mass that the motor has to accelerate and it's not doing the job. Since your model is supposed to handle this much film, I would say it is a defective unit.

[titush]

So I think I found the solution....

1. it's not the weight of the feed real
2. it's not the size of the feed reel
3. it's not the motor of the receiving reel that is too weak

... it's a little metal plate next to the LED that puts pressure on the film to keep it "on track" in the feed. However, this metal plate can be adjusted by screws with a spring and so just tightening the screws reduced the pressure that was put on the film and now the reel is going through just fine... I can't believe it, I was about to send the machine back....
The whole "clack" sound has nearly disappeared... I checked the material and it looks a lot more stable now!

Thanks to everyone for your help. your suggestions made me eliminate the issues one by one and eventually guided me to the correct solution!

THANK YOU!

[Sven Eriksson]

Dear titush,
I have a similar problem with my Somikon filmscanner. Can you show with a photo where the screw is located, which adjust the pressure on the film.
Regards
Sven