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GBL516 WW2
16mm Projector
GB Equipments L.516.16mm Sound Projector. Ser. No. 8320/87
A bit of history:
It will run at both silent & sound speeds
It was developed as early as 1935, and was the standard British Armed Forces 16mm projector
It is a very robust machine, and could be set up just about anywhere
The wire wound resistance with voltage tappings, was commonly known as
the 'toaster' as it gets as hot as one.
This was a godsend to the projectionist on a cold and frosty night just behind the front line,
or at sea in the Atlantic, but not much fun in the Tropics
The lamp was only 500W
This gives a rather dim picture at long projection throws
The amplifier gave out rather too much bass even when the control was turned to minimum
Also, if a flat spring behind the scanning drum was not replaced correctly there could be a lot of wowing
This is especially noticeable on music
It is a very simple design with as few mechanical parts to go wrong as possible
This machine was probably the first to have a modular construction, making repairs very easy
It has two very unique features.
1. The film gate has no back plate,and is curved with the film just slotted in, and held
in position by a sideways sprung runner, and posts at the top and bottom of the gate
These posts are thinner in the centre than at the edge so that the picture area
will not rub against them
2. There is no separate exciter lamp for the sound
The main projection lamp shines through the sound lens under the lamp house
How many other machines have an exciter of 110V 500W ?
(I have been advised By Gordon McLeod that the
MightyMite 16mm machines also used the projector lamp for an exciter)
This machine has been modified in as much as it now has a
transistorized sound amplifier, instead of the original valve amplifier, and a solar cell
These machines are getting quite sought after by enthusiasts and are not so easy to obtain nowadays.
My machine, ex Royal Navy, is at least 60 years old with all the original parts, except for the amplifier
It runs very quietly, and gives a picture that is rock steady, and in sharp focus
The only problem that I have had with it is that it will not take spools larger than 1600 feet
This is not surprising as the larger 2200 ft spools were not available when the projector was manufactured
A tribute to British engineering before the accountants, and politicians got in on the act.
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GBL516
GBL516 Film lacing with shutter (3 bladed) guard removed
GBL516 Film gate
GBL516 optical sound head
The black lines I have put on to see that all rollers are turning when running film
Note film safety shut off arm bottom right. This is also used by the projectionist to shut down the machine
GBL516 Lacing chart
GBL516 Variable resistance. Known as the Toaster
GBL516 Variable resistance showing voltage tappings & resistance windings
In this case 240V in, 110V out
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