Hacking the Kodak Reels 8mm Film Digitizer (New Thread)

[melw]

The exact same issue just happened to me a second time in a row. First time it happened was after about 4000 frames, this time was a bit after 3000

Sorry to hear this. Could you try the latest build (shared above in post #660) and see if it makes any difference? The Qp floor is now adjustable and higher than before and could help with the occasional freezes.

 

[ArgieBargie]

The holy grail, if you can ever wrangle it out of this firmware, would be for it to save frames individually as a raw format. My word that would be awesome for HD ripping every last pixel out of these old films.


Edit: Update for FrenchNum. I'm on the very last large reel tonight, and it's a Sunday tomorrow so I'm planning to pull this thing apart and start soldering some wires to it.

 

[meggatron]

I've scanned 19 3" super 8 reels using @melw WIP firmware from post #656.

- 13 of those completed successfully.

- 3 times the scanner continued to record frames but would not advance the film. This would happen a minute after starting. I thought it might be a mechanical issue with the claw or sprocket. No damage to the film that I could see. It has started making intermittent, high pitch squeaking noises, which seem to originate from the center of the device.

- 3 times I had the same issue as @danhendleydigital described in post # 657. I got a picture of the most recent time this morning. My 3" reels have around 3500 frames, and that time issue occured around the 2400 frame mark. Qp was 20. All three times, no video was saved. As a note, all setting remained constant, including WB, Gain, and Exp.

I plan to try the new firmware from @melw in post # 660 and continue. Only 187 more reels to go.

*If anyone has advice on how to stop the squeaking it'd be much appreciated.

 

[john-in-laguna]

I am still in utter admiration for the energy and dedication you all are putting into fabricating a firmware that helps us getting a decent picture quality out of a seemingly unsatisfying consumer product! Thank you for that!

I am currently into the hardware side of things and I tried an el cheapo solution for enhancing the resolution my Kodak is getting with its stock lens.

Simply Because I didn't want to spend another 100 € for a new lens, I thought about just bringing the camera closer to the film strip.

After testing a possible distance, where I still was able to focus, I settled on 12 mm.

Which is about the distance between the screw holes of the camera mount. That way I only had to drill four new holes into the metal plate of the scanning assembly.

​

View attachment 26612

After remounting the camera and connecting it again (don't worry, the ribbon cable should be long enough), I could measure how much of the plastic case below it I had to cut away. (about 5 - 6 mm)

Finally I had to modify the camera cover to fit over the lower hanging lens.

The result now looks like this (cover removed for illustration purposes )

View attachment 26614

View attachment 26615

With everything in place I refocused the stock lens to match the new height.

Compared to the effort I had put in, I am pretty satisfied with the final result, considering both resolution and overall look of the modification.

Here is a comparison of before and after - both in 1600x1200 (max zoomed out)

View attachment 26616​

View attachment 26617​

The effective resolution is now at 1152x864, with a small margin around the actual frame.
View attachment 26618


Here is another screenshot of the capture. Given that the actual movie isn't the highest quality, I am still happy with how it turned out
View attachment 26619

Here's my final summary:

Advantages

• sourcing of a fitting new Lens unnecessary (cost saving)
• absolutely no 3D-Printer or other special tools needed,
  just a sharp 4 mm drill, a screwdriver and a knive or a dremel
• minimal modification of the case (time saving)
• all can be done within about one hour
• no change of the overall aesthetic of your scanner
• mostly easily revertable, if in the future you should decide to go the full mile (with a new lens)

Disadvantages

• not the full possible resolution of 1600x1200 (only 1152x864)
• the lid of the transport mechanism doesn't open completely
  (but still high enough to easily thread the movie through)

I would love to hear your comments about my approach. For me personally it's totally sufficient, especially in connection with the modded firmware and considering the cost and time savings.

Hello Chris, I am about to implement the "lens lowering" you outlined here. I know I will need to cut away a small portion of the case. I have one question. You mentioned "I had to modify the camera cover to fit over the lower hanging lens". I know it contains a small hole that limits what the lens can "see". What exactly did you do to the camera cover? Thank you for leading the charge!