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EUMIG 926GL Stereo
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Author:  Lee Mannering [ Mon Nov 07, 2011 10:09 am ]
Post subject:  EUMIG 926GL Stereo

EUMIG 926GL STEREO
The 926GL introduced in 1979 has always been regarded as a bit of a enigma in home movie circles due to a somewhat unorthodox design in that it featured a coaxial reel design by Eumig. Both the feed reel and take up reels sit side by side and the machine is also missing a top film drive sprocket. These unique features were a must do for Eumig as they were having dire financial problems necessitating a great deal of cut backs so you could imagine the board sat round a table with people arguing how they could cut production costs perhaps? Net result the 926GL and the other GL range.

The 926GL Stereo machine was top of the new GL range featuring the all new 44 transistor amplifier delivering 20 watts of stereo power, extensive sound recording capabilities and increased sound quality from a new stereo audio head. The machine proudly once again boasted High Quality Sound on the front panel and the sound from these machines is certainly outstanding with a very full sounding playback and record. Constructing your own sound track can be as complicated or simple as you would like it to be here and I have always found sound from these to be of the very highest quality indeed. The sound desk on the machine also enabling mono, twin track or stereo playback and a multitude of recording dubbing options where you could shift say the main track onto the balance, visa versa and more besides.

These models were a complete re design of the 800 machines to something completely different entirely. They were plastic built around the usual die cast chassis and as with all Eumig projectors they gave a very limited light spill from around the lamp house unlike say the Elmo GS1200 which did a fantastic job of illuminating your living room ceiling from the top of its lamp house cover. The lamp fitted to the 926GL was the now standard 12 volt 100watt type which was more popular than any other Dichroic lamp and probably still is today. Eumig scaled down the traditional twin spindle drive mechanism from earlier machines and also introduced a single toothed drive belt which was a new feature for them. The lens fitted on the top end GL machines was also a little novel it that you could also optically level the project picture via the lens or the front levelling foot. Novel yes, of good quality no and the majority of projectionists seem to have replaced this lens with the more suited f/1’2 type from possibly a defunct 940 model.

Eumig sold the single sprocket and coaxial reel drive idea on the premise it gave a steadier image on screen and to some extent they were right I found. But the idea just did not take off and they quickly scrapped the range reverting back to a feed reel at the top and the take up reel at the back with the 938 & 940 stereo machines. However, they were that much more expensive and certainly in the case of the 940 fraught with new electronics which could prove unreliable but more on this another time. As a result of the coaxial reel idea spool size was limited to 600ft max and could prove fiddly drawing the end of a full reel of film to the entrance point at the front of the projector.

A real plus point of the 926GL was that it was Stereo and had a single shutter which consisted of three blades. This was easily accessible from the back in order to upgrade to a two blade shutter for extra light on screen, so as far as working on the internals it was good to work in and improvable. Also fitting the better lens made an additional improvement and a lovely machine which we use regularly here and without problem. The Stereo sound record/playback and fully variable 18 to 24fps speed control meant it was ideal for re-recording 8mm prints as you could also pull forward the speed knob and further alter the speed tweaking the small nut behind it. Yes this machine had a few shortcomings but the plus points more than made up for this with a great deal of versatility yet again from Eumig.

It was not a good time for Eumig in Austria having been heavily subsidised by the Austrian bank and the on sought of video which by this time was gaining pace quickly digging into what had been a lucrative market for the largest manufacturer of cine equipment. Sadly with just a few more years to go Eumig as we knew it would be no more, but today the machines still purr on and are showing films around the world which is testament to the quality product which they turned out for so many years.

Main Spec.
Projects Super 8mm/Single 8mm Film.
Mono, Stereo record & playback
20Watt stereo amplification
F/1:3 Optical Level lens
Up to 600ft spool capacity
4 digit frame counter
18 to 24FPS fully variable speeds
6 Sound controls including Volume, balance, tone etc
Twin VU audio meters

TOP TIPS: Replace the original lens with a better one.

Author:  Martin Jones [ Mon Nov 07, 2011 2:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: EUMIG 926GL Stereo

The Shutter in my 926 appears to be integral with the claw shuttle cam. Did you just remove one blade or did you make a new shutter? And how? More detail, please.

Of course, the machine can now only do 24 fps; anything lower will flicker.
Martin

Author:  Dan Lail [ Wed Nov 16, 2011 4:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: EUMIG 926GL Stereo

Very detailed review and much appreciated. You don't see these higher end machines for sale very often.

Author:  Lee Mannering [ Thu Nov 17, 2011 5:43 am ]
Post subject:  Re: EUMIG 926GL Stereo

No Martin.
You need to leave the blade that passes the gate as it moves the claw in situ and remove the other two blades. You then need to re attach one of the two blades removed dead opposite to the fixed blade thus making a 2-blade shutter machine. You will need to use your creativity to calculate the correct positioning for attaching the blade but when done carefully it makes quite a difference with regard to light output.

Do not attempt this conversion if you have any doubt of your own engineering capabilities. [set5_b/set5_b/smash.gif]

Author:  Martin Jones [ Thu Nov 17, 2011 8:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: EUMIG 926GL Stereo

Lee said.......
"Do not attempt this conversion if you have any doubt of your own engineering capabilities."

I would endorse that HEARTILY! General advice to those contemplating this (irreversible) step...

Although this is something that I would tackle (having done similar things before and learned from my mistakes), this is NOT for the faint-hearted. Apart from having to work on an assembled machine and thus having to make sure that you do not get metal particles where they shouldn't be, the blades would have to be removed in such away as not to distort the shutter disc. Having removed them, you would then have to devise a way to SECURELY re-attach one of them to the remaining disc periphery without significantly affecting the thickness or the balance.
Of course, you could strip the machine down so the shutter and its attached components are separated from the mechanism, which would make it easier, but then you would have to be SURE that you are competent to re-assemble it correctly.

Do it badly... and the machine is RUINED! Do it well and the machine would no longer be able to run at less than 24 fps, because of flicker!

If you must have greater brightness, and a 1.2 lens still does not satisfy you, try a silver or glass- beaded screen. Still not happy? Then do the sensible thing... invest in a projector DESIGNED to give a brighter picture!

At least your UNMODIFIED Eumig would have some sale or trade value.
Martin

Author:  Lee Mannering [ Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:16 am ]
Post subject:  Re: EUMIG 926GL Stereo

Martin said
"having to make sure that you do not get metal particles where they shouldn't be, the blades would have to be removed in such away as not to distort the shutter disc"

If anyone tries to cut the blades with the drive shaft still in place they will need to make certain all the internal works are covered obviously. The 926GL has never been a popular machine with experienced cine users because of the reel design and this is the very reason they so often sell for very low prices. You can also see a two blade 926 running perfectly in a clip on youtube so yes a two blade shutter can be done on this machine.

As mentioned in my review I would not attempt this modification or any other repair for that matter if you are not competent.

Happy days! [set5_b/set5_b/troll.gif]

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