Cartoon booth projector questions

jehuie

Well-known member

Donor 2011
Joined
Sep 8, 2007
Messages
10,947
Reaction score
1,672
Location
Martinez, California
I just picked up this unit and it is missing the projector but otherwise seems to be in nice condition. According to an old post by Ken Layton it uses the Fairchild Seventy 07 projectors which seem to be plentiful on eBay. For instance, here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/FAIRCHILD-S...ER-8-8MM-FILM-PROJECTOR-W-SOUND-/310365696204

So my question is, can these projectors just be used exactly as-is? Or is there some kind of modification that would need to be done to get it to start/stop at the correct times when the coin is inserted? Does anyone have a picture of this model booth with the projector installed so I can see how it was mounted?

Here's a pic of the booth and another picture showing the tapes I have with it. In addition to the Fairchild tapes, I also have several cartridges that say they are for use with Brand Seventy & Galaxy endless loop projectors so I'm guessing the guy had "upgraded" the unit at some point or else had another one.

Another question....is there someplace that can back these tapes up? It would be a shame to have them disappear over time. What do you think are the odds that they are good after all these years? They are dated as having been last cleaned in 1980ish.

6745578219_d4ccfe8740_b.jpg


6746537351_64981ddbb9_b.jpg
 
Nice find

Nice find I want one, sorry I can't help your questions but I'm jealous I have been looking for one like that but the one I want you sat in like a photo booth.
 
Nice find I want one, sorry I can't help your questions but I'm jealous I have been looking for one like that but the one I want you sat in like a photo booth.

Yeah that seems to be the more common variety from what I've seen. I actually like this one better because it's so tiny that I can stash it just about anywhere.
 
I just picked up this unit and it is missing the projector but otherwise seems to be in nice condition. According to an old post by Ken Layton it uses the Fairchild Seventy 07 projectors which seem to be plentiful on eBay. For instance, here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/FAIRCHILD-S...ER-8-8MM-FILM-PROJECTOR-W-SOUND-/310365696204

So my question is, can these projectors just be used exactly as-is? Or is there some kind of modification that would need to be done to get it to start/stop at the correct times when the coin is inserted? Does anyone have a picture of this model booth with the projector installed so I can see how it was mounted?

Here's a pic of the booth and another picture showing the tapes I have with it. In addition to the Fairchild tapes, I also have several cartridges that say they are for use with Brand Seventy & Galaxy endless loop projectors so I'm guessing the guy had "upgraded" the unit at some point or else had another one.

Another question....is there someplace that can back these tapes up? It would be a shame to have them disappear over time. What do you think are the odds that they are good after all these years? They are dated as having been last cleaned in 1980ish.

6745578219_d4ccfe8740_b.jpg


6746537351_64981ddbb9_b.jpg

usually the info on the mag. tape is good. The problem with them is they get old and usually break. Kind of like the 8-track tapes they get old and frail.
 
Those are Super 8 films in those cartridges and they have MAGNETIC soundtracks. So keep those magnetic tools away from them or you will erase the sound.

The Fairchild/Dumont cartridges came in several capacity sizes. The smallest had two cartoons on them and the larger ones had 5 cartoons on them spliced together. In the Fairchild projectors and cartridges, the cartoons were stopped by laying a single sided Kodak "Presstape" (film splicing tape) backwards so that the film sprocket holes were covered for four holes. This would cause the projector to lose it's loop and the projector's automatic stop safety feature engages thus stopping the film transport. It has a safety shutter to cover the light from the projection lamp during this stopping procedure so that the film does not burn up.

In the cartoon booth should be a cable that plugs into the projector's remote control socket. When you drop coins into the coin chute, the projector is signaled via the remote control socket to start the show. The cartoon plays out to it's end and the tape covering the sprocket holes trips the projector to stop.

When these machines were commonplace and operating frequently, the operator would need to swap out the films regularly. The films needed periodic maintenance (they got dirty/dusty/scratched) and were sent to certain film distributors or film labs for cleaning and lubrication with special chemicals designed for motion picture films. Larry Urbanski at www.urbanskifilm.com sells all kinds of film cleaner/lubricating chemicals including types made special for films with a magnetic soundtrack. Some cleaners will eat the magnetic soundtrack right off the film so you must use cleaners made specially for magnetic sound films.

Even back in the day, to purchase these films was expensive. You had to get copyright clearance from the particular studios in order for the film labs to strike a print for you. Plus there was a minimum purchase of $500 or the lab would not even talk to you. That $500 got you one cartridge with 5 cartoons on it.

Properly cared for motion picture film will last 100+ years.
 
Those are Super 8 films in those cartridges and they have MAGNETIC soundtracks. So keep those magnetic tools away from them or you will erase the sound.

The Fairchild/Dumont cartridges came in several capacity sizes. The smallest had two cartoons on them and the larger ones had 5 cartoons on them spliced together. In the Fairchild projectors and cartridges, the cartoons were stopped by laying a single sided Kodak "Presstape" (film splicing tape) backwards so that the film sprocket holes were covered for four holes. This would cause the projector to lose it's loop and the projector's automatic stop safety feature engages thus stopping the film transport. It has a safety shutter to cover the light from the projection lamp during this stopping procedure so that the film does not burn up.

In the cartoon booth should be a cable that plugs into the projector's remote control socket. When you drop coins into the coin chute, the projector is signaled via the remote control socket to start the show. The cartoon plays out to it's end and the tape covering the sprocket holes trips the projector to stop.

When these machines were commonplace and operating frequently, the operator would need to swap out the films regularly. The films needed periodic maintenance (they got dirty/dusty/scratched) and were sent to certain film distributors or film labs for cleaning and lubrication with special chemicals designed for motion picture films. Larry Urbanski at www.urbanskifilm.com sells all kinds of film cleaner/lubricating chemicals including types made special for films with a magnetic soundtrack. Some cleaners will eat the magnetic soundtrack right off the film so you must use cleaners made specially for magnetic sound films.

Even back in the day, to purchase these films was expensive. You had to get copyright clearance from the particular studios in order for the film labs to strike a print for you. Plus there was a minimum purchase of $500 or the lab would not even talk to you. That $500 got you one cartridge with 5 cartoons on it.

Properly cared for motion picture film will last 100+ years.

I really hate MAGNETS! They have ruined more software of mine than viruses.
 
Nice find I want one, sorry I can't help your questions but I'm jealous I have been looking for one like that but the one I want you sat in like a photo booth.

The one I remember was like that, was red, and sat near the garden center/customer service entrance of my local Sears. I remember Heckle and Jeckle and Woody Woodpecker. Good way to kill a quarter and a couple of minutes! Would love to see one of those up close and working again...
 
You don't exactly have to be a genius to realise disks/tapes & magnets don't mix...

Agree but the 8 year old boy has some magnetic toys Connex I think that wind up everywhere. Including the totes with video tapes and software totes. I think he found out when his Star Wars tapes didn't work any more and I showed him one of his magnetic toys in the tote.
 
Agree but the 8 year old boy has some magnetic toys Connex I think that wind up everywhere. Including the totes with video tapes and software totes. I think he found out when his Star Wars tapes didn't work any more and I showed him one of his magnetic toys in the tote.
Have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, but I ruined my fair share of software at that age as well...

I remember once formatting a very important disk of my mum's because I didn't realise "initialize" meant "format".
 
In the cartoon booth should be a cable that plugs into the projector's remote control socket. When you drop coins into the coin chute, the projector is signaled via the remote control socket to start the show. The cartoon plays out to it's end and the tape covering the sprocket holes trips the projector to stop.

So if I understand what you are saying, the standard projector that I can buy on eBay should just work then right? Assuming, of course, that it's a properly functioning projector? Also, I looked inside the cabinet and there is not a cable as described but there is a connector that I suspect that cable was supposed to plug into. Was it just a two-wire connector that sent the signal? Would that work with either style projector? I'm wondering which of the two tape styles I have were originally supposed to work with this machine.

Even back in the day, to purchase these films was expensive. You had to get copyright clearance from the particular studios in order for the film labs to strike a print for you. Plus there was a minimum purchase of $500 or the lab would not even talk to you. That $500 got you one cartridge with 5 cartoons on it.

So that sounds like I have $3,000 worth of tapes here. :)
 
I don't remember. The last time I worked on one of these was 1997.

There should be a cabinet wiring diagram or schematic pasted to the inside wall of the game. If not then there should be a machine manual inside the cabinet that should show wiring of the machine to the projector.
 
I don't remember. The last time I worked on one of these was 1997.

There should be a cabinet wiring diagram or schematic pasted to the inside wall of the game. If not then there should be a machine manual inside the cabinet that should show wiring of the machine to the projector.

No such luck on either count. Oh well. Maybe I can find something online somewhere or somebody else here will have one they can look at. I'm not even sure the name of this thing or who makes it. I'll have to take a closer look to see if I can find it. Does it look like the models you used to work on or something later perhaps?
 
Back
Top Bottom