Grahame N's Web Pages


THE 9.5MM PATHÉSCOPE
'H' CINE PROJECTOR

from Grahame Newnham B.Sc.


Whilst most of the earlier 9.5mm cine products had been imported from France; once Pathéscope had established a decent size factory premises at North Circular Road, Cricklewood, London, in the early 1930s, (which included facilities for cine film processing, 9.5mm printed film production, and assembly / servicing of cine related items), a number of British designed and manufactured products arrived on the 9.5mm movie scene.

It was in the December 1937 edition of the Pathéscope 'house magazine' - the Pathéscope Monthly, that the Pathéscope 'H' 9.5mm cine projector was launched. It was designed and manufactured in England, maybe assembled at the Pathéscope factory. I guess the name 'H' was used to match the current newer lighter 9.5mm 'H' cine camera. But I really have no idea of the origin of the name 'H' - maybe someone out there knows!

The 'H' was intended as a cheaper projector, probably to compete pricewise with the recent 9.5mm Specto projector which was selling somewhere around the price of £10 at the time. The 'H' projector used a blower cooled 100 watt lamp, actually the one already used in the brighter version of the 9.5mm Pathe 'Lux' projector - the 80 volt 100 watt 'S' type lamp, later numbered A1/79, which has the small Pathé 'T' fitting. The machine accepted up to 300 foot / 100 metre spools, and had a clip device to accomodate the older 30 foot / 10 metre and 60 foot / 20 metre 'closed' cassettes. It boasted sprocket feed and take-up with a variable speed series-wound mains voltage electric motor. The obvious design feature was the chunky black bakelite base, housing the mains transformer for the 80 volt projection lamp. The lamphouse top was also of black bakelite. The machine was supplied with a 32mm f2.5 projection lens. The spool arms fold flat to the projector for storage.

Sadly there was just a single switch for the motor and lamp, although maybe a later version did incorporate separate motor and lamp switches. There was a spring loaded light baffle which clicked into place when the gate was opened for threadiug. Once the machine is running the baffle plate is clicked back to allow the light onto the film and produce a picture on the screen. With the shutter fitted in front of the gate, the film got rather more heat than other machines which had the shuttter between the lamp and film gate.

Power rewind was possible, by swopping the spools over at the end of a film, changing over the spring belt, and letting the film rewind onto the lower spool.

The lower part of the operating side of the 9.5mm 'H' projector was dominated by a black knob and lockable mains voltage adjustment. Probably better positioned in a less obvious position! In any case A.C. (alternating current) mains voltages from 200 to 250 volts were accomodated. As the magazine announcement mentions below, a special resistance fed model could be supplied for D.C. (direct current) mains supplies.



Pathéscope Monthly magazine December 1937



One of my Pathéscope 'H' cine projectors - spool arms set up - ready for action!


Gate open for threading - the whole lamphouse swings back on the motor bearings!


Side cover removed to reveal the twin claw/cam assembly (from the Pathe Vox) - shutter is just visible behind the lens


Pathéscope 'H' projector - spool arms folded for storage


The Pathéscope 'H' projector used a 100 watt lamp (to compete with the Specto?), but this was not as efficient, as it was the 80 volt 100watt A1/79 or 'S' lamp as used in the brighter Pathé 'Lux' projector. Naturally almost impossible to source these days, a modern A1/215 12 volt 100 watt QI lamp would be a suitable modification with a brighter, whiter picture and no more heat.


The 80 volt 100 watt A1/79 'S' lamp as used in the Pathéscope 'H' projector
(with the Pathé small 'T' piece base)



Part of a UK Pathéscope leaflet - possibly 1939

A UK Pathescope leaflet probably from 1939, shows the 'H' 9.5mm cine projector. We can see there are now only two rollers round the lower sprocket, maybe one is sprung? The leaflet also mentioms 'separate lamp switch' - but it is not really visible on the photograph.

It clearly shows the height adjustabling screws on the front with no rubber feet! My examples are all the same, but surely this would have scratched any surface the machine was stood on? I'm experimenting with some rubber stand-offs I have to hand. Watch this space!



Pathéscope catalogue 1939

The 1939 catalogue clearly mentions a 'movable roller' on the bottom sprocket - see my photo lower down the page. Still doesn't mention the separate lamp switch, that must have been an even later modification.


The Pathéscope 'H' cine projector was exported to Europe, certainly to France, where it was marketed there by Pathé-Baby as the model '38' - presumably as it was launched there in early 1938. The model '38' was first mentioned in the January issue of the French Pathé-Baby house magazine 'Le Cinema Chez Soi', with a full illustrated specification published in the February 1938 edition. The usual UK red Pathéscope badge was replaced by a black Pathé one.


Announcement in the French Pathé-Baby house magazine 'Le Cinema Chez Soi' ('The Home Cinema') Feb 1938

Looks like the UK 200-250 volt mains transformer was replaced with an internal dropper resistance for 90-150 volts. The notes mention an external resistance was available for higher voltages.


Photo kindly supplied by a Swiss collector - Ed Hofmann


The "H" projector was also marketed in Germany by the Pathe-Baby agents there - Pathex Heimkinovertrieb G.M.B.H., Düsseldorf. It was included as a new 9.5mm projector in addition to the existing model "B" (UK made 200B) in the 1939 catalogue. Looks much the same, but with a 'Pathex' badge and there are some little rubber feet on those front height adjustment screws! This Pathex model had a 40mm focal length lens and seems to have been designed for use on 80 to 150 volt mains supplies with an additional dropper resistance for use on voltages from 160 to 250 volts. So probably fitted with an internal dropper resistance like the French version rather than the transformer fed UK model.


German Pathex 1939 catalogue



Pathéscope 'H' projector mechanism

For those that like to see inside, here is the main mechanism of the Pathéscope 'H' cine projector. Top and bottom fibre pinions are for the sprockets. The nut on the next shaft up holds the main drive pulley/flywheel; this has a left-hand thread by the way! The shutter is driven via the brass bevel gear and two small pinions. Once the other side chasiss is fitted, this then forms a separate sub-assembly. Not the best engineering design and not cheap to manufacture and assemble, not sure why this was adopted for a lower price machine?

The post-war Gem used a minimum of parts, all quite sturdy and easily assembled; and they managed to sell the Gem at three times the price of this 'H'!

I would advise against stripping down the 'H', too many small screws and sub-assemblies. There is also some of the dreaded 'Mazak' to be found - the motor pivot housings for a start; plus the main drive pulley/flywheel. . If you do decide to take thiugs apart, make notes and take photos!


The 9.5mm 'H' cine projector dissapeared from Pathéscope catalogues around 1940, there was a thing called World War 11 now taking up most of Europe and as certain parts for the 'H' came from France (the Vox cam/claw mechanism), production ceased. Judging by the number of new name plate badges I seem to have stored away somewhere, Pathéscope had intended to produce rather more machines! Post-war the new 'Gem' replaced the 'H' as the main Pathéscope cine projector (now in all three film gauges) and the 'H' projector was heard of no more.


Notes:

1. The 'H' has a two-bladed shutter, which is geared to revolve one and a half times per film frame, giving three obscurations per film frame, hence giving no noticeable flicker at 16 frames/second. Was this copied from the Specto I wonder? The Dennis Neale book 'How To Use 9.5' lists this set up as giving 50% light transmissuion.

2. The lens mount diameter is 26mm, fitted with a small lug which engages in a slot to aid focussing. One wonders why they didn't just use the same 30mm size as the 200B to allow a range of lenses to be supplied. .

3. As the special Pathé 'T' base lamps are long obsolete, it is possible to fit the A1/215 12 volt 100 watt QI lamp or even the A1/216 24volt 150watt QI lamp. A suitable transformer can be found from an old Eumig P8 for the 12 volt 100 watt supply or an old 35mm slide projector discovered at a car boot sale may yield a 24 volt 150 watt transformer and even the lamp and holder! Currently a suitable compact toroidal transformer can still be purchased new. I have located some 12 volt 100 watt electronic 'transformers' which are much smaller and cheaper if they can actually stand supplying a continuous 12 volts at 100 watts, another future project!

The usual warnings about electrical safety mean that only an experienced person should carry out these lamp conversions. The existing mains transformer in the projector base can be removed, replaced by the new transformer. In addition separate switches for motor and lamp can be fitted, plus of course a three core (earthed!) mains cable. Remember the existing wiring will be almost eighty years old so take care!

4. I always wondered why the on/off switch was mounted to operate sideways. Having just replaced some switches on a QI lamp converted model, I now know why! The bakelite moulding inside doesn't allow enough space in that position for a vertically mounted toggle switch, if only they had drilled that hole just a little more to the right!

5. The motor drive belt is by coincidence the same as that for the Specto projector. Motor brushes are 4mm square section. Both items are available from stock on my sales lists by the way!

6. As the feed and take-up arms are of simple pressed steel, it may be possible to make modified arms suitable for 900 foot / 300 metre spools, although I guess the projector would have to be run so that the lower take-up spool could overhang a suitable table edge.

7. The three fixed rollers around the lower take-up sprocket makes things a little difficult for threading! Some collectors seem to have removed one of these rollers, inproving threading without any significant problems. Gerald McKee mentions that a later factory modification just had two guide rollers, one sprung, I have now found an example in a box of parts. (See below!) I guess this would have applied to models with serial numbers in the late 4000s. The sprung roller looks as if it comes from the Pathé Vox design. It clicks open, then clicks back into place.

And now I have just realised the model sat on the kitchen table has the other opening guide roller - the 'sprung' one. Maybe this is the type referred to in one Pathéscope leaflet which says 'the guide roller can also be used as a loop former'.

So there are potentially three variations of the Pathéscope 'H' projector and just in two or three years! There are at least two versions of the instruction booklet too!

 


Just found an 'H' with the modified take-up sprocket guides!
The roller swings down for threading and clicks back into place (I haven't put the spring clip back yet)


And here is another with 'sprung' guide roller

8. Designed and manufactured in the UK, it was marketed in France as the Pathé model '38', and in Germany as the Pathex "H" projector.

9. Typical serial numbers: 1991, 2728, 4247, 4946.


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Created 25Nov2017 ............ Last updated: 13 July 2018 ............ 95gearpathehprojector.htm .......... ©MMXV11 Grahame .L. Newnham
27Nov2017 - another take-up guide roller mod photo added / 26Apr2018 - German Pathex 'H' export model added