American Cinematographer - September 1968 - 41

One of the basic changes required
was to substitute a film guide roller
for the miniature type illustrated in
the article published by AMERICAN
CINEMATOGRAPHER. I mounted the
auxiliary guide roller on a metal arm
and attached it to the chassis of the
projector using the front set screw
which holds the middle sprocket on
the machine. The addition of this roller
is essential for film flow onto the sound
reading drum.
The modification does not in any
way destroy the function of the above

right to left on Bell & Howell 202 and
302 projectors.
For optical sound reading, the edi¬
tor should conventionally mark the lo¬
cated word on the track at the optical
scanning lens. When editing magnetic
track he should turn the magnetic
head to a position slightly above the
optical lens. This facilitates easier
marking of the track than is possible
when the head is in its normal posi¬
tion.
I had a considerable amount of
trouble removing film from the projec-

vancement of the track. I removed the
door with the hinge intact, but who
wants a Bell & Howell projector with¬
out a door? I spent another sleepless
night before determining how to make
the door temporarily detachable.
I solved this problem by filing out a
slit in the bottom of the door hinge
and drilling a hole in the top of the
flexible metal device. The slit and the
hole were each made large enough to
accommodate the heads of screws.
Now the door to my 202 can be lifted
off and replaced when desired.

Diagram indicating the threading pattern necessary in order to use the Bell & Howell Model 202 as a sound reader. Sprocketed rollers are bypassed
to permit free flow of the film. The auxiliary guide roller, mounted on a metal adm, is attached to the chassis of the projector using the front set
screw which holds the middle sprocket roller onto the machine. The track is mounted on a geared rewind capable of holding a 2,000-foot reel in
front of the projector. Track is fed from right to left through the projector and is taken up on a similar rewind at the rear of the machine.

mentioned double-system sound meth¬
od nor does it interfere with normal
projection.
The film path for reading sound
tracks is unorthodox, but practical.
The track is mounted on a geared re¬
wind capable of accommodating a 2,000-foot reel in front of the projector.
The track is fed from right to left
through the 202 and is taken up on a
similar rewind at the rear of the ma¬
chine. This is necessary because the
normal flow of projected film is from

AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER, SEPTEMBER 1968

tor after marking words on the track.
I solved this problem by sawing a slit
in the projection port which allows the
film or track to be easily inserted or
removed when editing. The pilot lamp
fixture was remounted above the slit
with little difficulty.
The major obstacle I encountered
during the final stages of the modifi¬
cation was what to do with the top
half of the projector door. It had to be
open in order to mark the track, but
in this position it interfered with ad-

Even a professional accustomed to
the most expensive laboratory equip¬
ment can readily adapt himself to the
simplicity of the technique. I have
used this practical sound reading sys¬
tem for some time and can report the
results have been entirely satisfactory.
I am hopeful my budget will permit
me to purchase a professional sound
reader in the near future. Until then,
I will continue using this unusual sound
reading innovation on my versatile
Bell & Howell 202 projector. ■

671

American Cinematographer - September 1968

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