Vtg Bell & Howell 456A Dual Std 8mm/Super 8mm Movie Projector Serviced 2 Bulbs

Description

Offered is a complete, clean and serviced Bell & Howell 456A autoload dual Standard 8/Super 8 film projector and take up reel in very good working condition with a currently working DJL bulb (120V, 150 watts).  I don't know how much life is left but it has a short nominal 47mm working distance (for brightness) and, when new, an average of 15 hour life expectancy.  For maximum life It is important to cool the bulb fully before turning off the projector fan.  The internal gears have been inspected, cleaned and lubricated where needed. There is a new belt and a new rubber tire (needed just for loading film into the projector).   The projector has been tested and it runs well (with limitations as discussed below).   One of the features is a still position (note that you may have to adjust the film shutter position slightly with the knob to the right of the lens housing to get proper film alignment and maximum brightness).  To change the film setting, from 8mm to Super 8, the projector must be in the off position.
This projector comes with a f/1.6 15-25mm zoom lens which was made in Japan and is in good shape.  It is a rather rare item as I could not find the particular model discussed anywhere else.  The image is crisp and the ability to adjust the image size on a projection screen can be quite useful.
Operational note:  There are always compromises in the design and operation of a dual 8mm film projector.  In this case the only mechanical part which contacts the film sprockets are the two prongs in the film claw along the main film track.  These prongs are necessarily smaller than the spockets for standard 8mm film.  Thus this projector is very sensitive to film condition.  The test films I use have places with damaged sprockets, minor film bends and a few melted frames (which distort the film shape).  The B&H 456A does not deal well with any of these defects (but works fine otherwise).  The result is that the film motion stops somewhere along the track.  Moving the film manually while using the film advance knob usually works.
As a bonus a custom plug-in MR16 replacement bulb and housing is included (again 120V, 150 watts and these are sold separately elsewhere for about ).   Replacement DJL bulbs are frightfully expensive.  The MR16 bulb used here is a high brightness ESD bulb with a comparable working distance and so, as a consequence, also has a fairly short life expectancy of 12 hours.  Other bulbs, with much longer lifetimes (and working distances) can be used as a replacement but they won't be quite as bright.  Typical bulb replacement cost is between and .
Cosmetically the projector is generally in nice shape but there are numerous minor scuffs and  chips in the paint.
This item comes with a 30 day return; buyer pays return shipping.