Modding the Kodak Reels 8mm Film Digitizer (Firmware Hack)

[Federico]

Yeah! first of all a giant THANK YOU to @LordMiG for having been much clever than me and a second one for having shared the new (perfectly working) firmware!

I've flashed 2 modified versions (one with the high bitrate standard resolution and one with high bitrate and 1080p resolution as suggested by @dynaflash) and both - obviously - looked good.
I have no films to scan yet (they are at my mom's house in Italy and will have to wait a bit longer before I can test it) but everything looks great now.

My label only reports a generic model 'RODREELS', with no US as I was for some reason expecting.
I surely agree with @Mac84 about the two original HW versions become one, maybe evolved in a third. It makes sense. Pity they didn't identified it in the firmware too, but at the end of the day it's not relevant now.

Ok, thank you again guys, to all of you!
Ciao, Federico

 

[jandreu]

Hi all!

I'm also from the EU and my Kodak Reels filmscanner showed the same symthoms as with other EU-models after flashing the modified firmware. The interesting thing here is: I knew flashing to the modified firmware will mess up my screen. Thats why I've first tried to flash the latest official firmware on Kodaks EU website. Found here: https://eu.kodakphotoplus.com/pages/how-to-install-firmware

After flashing the latest official firmware my sceen showed the same inverted colors defects. So I've contacted the Kodak support and after 24 hours they sent me a new firmware to correct the issue. After updating to the new firmware everything is back to normal. My screen is working perfect now.

I've uploaded the unmodified original firmware to my Mega account. I hope that's allowed in this forum.
Link: https://mega.nz/folder/p4RS1Dzb#nNqzJgAlHQhkk7OfYukuQg

Disclaimer: Be aware that this firmware is likely only intended for the EU model with firmware 2.0. My Reels is a model RODREELSEU.

Best regards,
Mike

Hello everyone.

I just updated the firmware on my My Reels reels model RODREELSEU and the screen has gone completely red and changes depending on the key I activate, all the functions work correctly but I don't know what I'm doing since I don't see anything at all.
I have left the original firmware again and nothing has changed.

Do you know what could have happened?

Jordi

 

[jandreu]

Hello everyone.

I just updated the firmware on my My Reels reels model RODREELSEU and the screen has gone completely red and changes depending on the key I activate, all the functions work correctly but I don't know what I'm doing since I don't see anything at all.
I have left the original firmware again and nothing has changed.

Do you know what could have happened?

Jordi

After installing the US firmware version, the screen has returned to normal although it now has two horizontal stripes that, although they do not affect the quality of the capture, are visible to the naked eye.
Be careful with the firmware.

 

[jandreu]

After installing the US firmware version, the screen has returned to normal although it now has two horizontal stripes that, although they do not affect the quality of the capture, are visible to the naked eye.
Be careful with the firmware.

After scanning for several hours, the lines have completely disappeared, thank goodness.
Thank you all very much for the contributions and improvements of this film digitizer.

 

[Mac84]

I'm very thankful that Kodak has supplied (via their website and email) a firmware update that is seemingly letting users fix the problems that were earlier experienced with screen colors and issues. It is annoying that there is seemingly a "silent", non-numbered 3rd hardware revision of these units, but at least we now know not all 2.0 models can take the same firmware.

EDIT: Their website seems to no longer have the firmware... maybe they are updating it? Good thing it was saved!

Now that Kodak has released a firmware file on their website, this opens the doors to genuine support instances where some people may run into a firmware file not ideal for their hardware, allowing Kodak to perhaps get better at identifying these updates in the future. I wish they'd use their efforts to give us some easy-to-use bit rate and resolution options on the digitizer... but I'll keep dreaming. This is a very welcome outcome I did not expect.

Thank you to everyone for your efforts at exploring this scene and those who have tinkered around with their digitizers to try and produce better results!

I have updated the initial post to clarify the versions of these products and to hopefully underline the different models and the risks involved updating the firmware. I"m thankful that we have such an awesome community here.

Keep it up!
-Steve

Update: Their website is back online with a method to enter your serial number so you can get a download of the firmware that is right for your model!

 

[LordMiG]

Short update: It looks like Kodak has responded to my request and has now provided a new firmware update page on their website. After entering the serial number, you should get the correct firmware file for your device. This is big news!

Edit: The site won't let me click the submit-button after entering my serial number. I'm guessing it's is still under contruction. I've tried it with Safari, Firefox and MS Edge. Maybe we have to wait a few days...

 

[LordMiG]

Good news: Kodak's new firmware download page is up and running now! After entering my serial number, I was able to download the correct firmware for my device. Interestingly, the file appears to be 100% identical to the firmware that Kodak support sent me a few weeks ago.

Mike

 

[MichaelDola]

Hey everyone. First off, thank you for those BIN files! This morning I updated my Kodak Reels (US) to the latest firmware provided by Kodak, and I got the red screen others had mentioned. Was able to get the machine back to normal thanks to this forum.

Now, a question. Every time I turn off the Reels scanner and turn it back on, the file name output resets to 0001. Coming from a Wolverine Pro, this is unexpected behavior, given the file number acts as an odometer I called Kodak, and they hadn't heard of this either. Neither has the Internet from my search. Has anyone else encountered this?

 

[Jumpy2112]

I've had my machine for a couple of months and done quite a bit of archiving of old film before I found this site and https://8mmforum.film-tech.com/vbb/
where I've learnt quite a bit of useful stuff, like for example, that the sharpness control is not "off" when its set to zero! Anyway, thanks to @LordMiG uploading the altered firmware I've managed to get my Reels up to 22.4 Bit/s and everything works as it did before. ( the only odd thing is that its stopped a couple of times due to a snag, but hasn't stopped the motor from running. Any time I've had a jam before {splices in the film} the motor has stopped trying to turn)
I have a European V2, purchased from Amazon market place in February but it was delivered from the Republic of Ireland and came with three different adapters for the power supply.

 

[jpv1960]

Another update:

I've successfully connected an Arduino Nano (acting as a UART TTY serial to USB adapter) to the Kodak digitizer, which had nicely labeled and exposed serial connections.

Setting the baud rate to 115200 allows me to connect and access, with plenty of things to look at!

It let me dump the firmware, run SD card checks... and loads more. More importantly, it's showing me errors and is giving me clues to what is happening (and potentially why) when I give it a firmware with too aspirational resolution / bit rate settings.

The serial pinout is circled below, I only needed to connect Ground, RX and TX. Cool stuff! I'll provide another update if this gets me further.

View attachment 13337

Update 2:

With the console monitor active it’s easier to see how and why it’s failing (sort of). The CPU is 430MHz and it has 1GB of RAM to work with.

After testing a lot of resolutions I’ve had success with 1920x1440. This means even with some minor post-production zooming/ cropping, you have mostly a full 4x3 ratio HD image.

Sadly at a higher resolution you must lower the bit rate, so 12,400 seems to be the limit with this resolution. But the results aren’t bad. I even opened the camera area and manually adjusted the lens, resulting in a sharper image.

I’ll add some more examples, but this is promising.

Thank you so much for this insight. I have now set my Kodak Reelz to 1920x1440 at 12,400 bit.

 

[walterra]

Thank you so much for this amazing project, with it this scanner becomes a valid budget scanner option! I can report that I was able to update an EU v2 version with the appropriate firmware easily! I still wish it offered an option to save a JPG or even PNG image sequence to make it more suitable for post production and re-encoding. I uploaded a sample scan here:

 

[Mac84]

Hello everyone,

First - thank you all for joining TinkerDifferent and posting your results. This project has taken on a life of it's own and it's exciting to see people getting great results from digitizing their 8mm films.

I wanted to share a new tool I made that'll hopefully make it WAY easier to determine what firmware file will work with your Kodak Reels/Reelz device. Introducing...

Steve's Kodak 8mm Digitizer Firmware Lookup Tool !​

​

What does the tool do?​

This tool uses a table of serial numbers to determine what firmware file should work with your device. This was made possible by examining the Kodak Firmware Update website and realizing it performs a very simple check when you enter your serial number.

It basically looks for your entered serial number on a list. If it's on that list, it serves you file A, if it's NOT on that list, it serves you up file B.

This is WAY simpler than some of us originally thought! I personally thought there could be dozens of variations. Thankfully, at least as of now, this doesn't seem to be the case. Meaning that two firmware options (A or B), should be compatible with ALL Kodak Reels/Reelz devices!

I tested this with both of my Kodak V2 models. The first unit I bought in 2023 has a serial number that is identified on the list. My latest V2 model that was bought a few months ago does not have a serial number identified on the list.

So when you use the too, it'll tell you what Firmware files group you should download (A or B). And then you can use the links below to grab the firmware file you want.

New Updated Firmware with extended recording time!​

I used the latest Kodak updated firmware files (which increase the maximum recording time) as a basis for these new firmware files. You can grab them here, they are under the "Firmware A" and "Firmware B" folders respectively. There are three options to choose from (no matter if you are compatible with A or B), these include:

1. Original resolution (1728x1296), maximum bit rate of 12,600.
2. 1440p resolution (1920x1440), maximum bit rate of 12,600.
3. Original firmware (not modified, 1728x1296 @ 6,400 bit rate)

I sincerely hope that this makes getting better quality digitzed film easier for newcomers.

Happy digitizing!

 

[djharr]

So, all of this has been incredibly helpful. However, there is a problem. I have checked and double-checked all the files, but when I put the proper files on the SD card, I start up the Kodak Reels and it does nothing. It simply goes directly to the title screen. I have tried it both with the modified firmware and also the new Kodak firmware. in neither case does the firmware flash properly. I even went so far as to have the Reels format the SD card and then copy just the firmware file to card, just to ensure that it was the only file on the SD card, but still nothing.

Has anyone seen anything like this?

David

 

[Mac84]

So, all of this has been incredibly helpful. However, there is a problem. I have checked and double-checked all the files, but when I put the proper files on the SD card, I start up the Kodak Reels and it does nothing. It simply goes directly to the title screen. I have tried it both with the modified firmware and also the new Kodak firmware. in neither case does the firmware flash properly. I even went so far as to have the Reels format the SD card and then copy just the firmware file to card, just to ensure that it was the only file on the SD card, but still nothing.

Has anyone seen anything like this?

David

This happened to me when the SD card was in ExFAT format. The SD card must be in FAT/FAT32 to perform a firmware update.

It may also occur if the SD card is too large, although I’ve had no issues with 64GB cards.

I’d be suggest using the official SD card association formatting tool and trying again: https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter/

 

[djharr]

Yeah, so that "fixed" the problem. I have fixed in quotes, because I am getting the LCD going bonkers the way some others have reported. I am still in the process of testing how well the new settings work, but at least I am at the point where I can play with it. Thanks much for your insight into formatting the card for FAT32. BTW, it is amazingly difficult to find anything that runs under Win10 or Win11 that can do FAT32 anymore. I finally had to resort to the free version of a disk utility called DiskGenius to get it to work. That is after trying about 4 other solutions.

David

 

[Mac84]

Hi David,

Glad that worked - be sure to try both types of firmware. “A” or “B”, either from Kodak or the ones posted here.

The screen acting weird is a known issue when flashing the wrong firmware, as these units have different revisions of internal hardware, like screens.

On the modified firmware, the screen will only display weirdly when playing back a higher resolution video file. But this doesn’t effect the playback of the video file when played on a PC, etc.

 

[sclawrenc]

Wow! Thanks so much everyone, especially @Mac84 for finding a way to make the Kodak Reels better! I just joined this forum to say thanks and ask a question. I tried the Wolverine 720p scanner first and I thought it was "good enough", but it started jamming after 5 reels. I returned the Wolverine and now have the Kodak Reels, but I'm not happy with the Kodak Reels at all using the default settings. Please see the attached pic showing the Kodak Reels on the left and the Wolverine 720p on the right. I think the Kodak looks way worse with a lot of artifacts and noise (I'm not a film expert so not sure what to call it). Is this a sharpness, focus, or artifact issue that I'm seeing? Will applying the updated firmware make the Kodak image on the left look a lot better? I think getting the sharpness down to -1.5 would also help a bit. I'm considering going with a pro if I can't get this looking any better. Thanks again!

 

[Mac84]

Wow! Thanks so much everyone, especially @Mac84 for finding a way to make the Kodak Reels better! I just joined this forum to say thanks and ask a question. I tried the Wolverine 720p scanner first and I thought it was "good enough", but it started jamming after 5 reels. I returned the Wolverine and now have the Kodak Reels, but I'm not happy with the Kodak Reels at all using the default settings. Please see the attached pic showing the Kodak Reels on the left and the Wolverine 720p on the right. I think the Kodak looks way worse with a lot of artifacts and noise (I'm not a film expert so not sure what to call it). Is this a sharpness, focus, or artifact issue that I'm seeing? Will applying the updated firmware make the Kodak image on the left look a lot better? I think getting the sharpness down to -1.5 would also help a bit. I'm considering going with a pro if I can't get this looking any better. Thanks again!

Yes, I think what you're seeing are the compression artifacts from the low bit rate, plus the sharpening filter being set to a high level.

Even without a firmware modification, you should see a bit of improvement with the Sharpness filter set to "-1.5". However, the modified firmware with the increased resolution and firmware should give you a decent boost in quality. The highest resolution 1920x1440, surpasses even the Wolverine Pro's 1920x1080 resolution. However, neither system is perfect.

 

[sclawrenc]

Yes, I think what you're seeing are the compression artifacts from the low bit rate, plus the sharpening filter being set to a high level.

Even without a firmware modification, you should see a bit of improvement with the Sharpness filter set to "-1.5". However, the modified firmware with the increased resolution and firmware should give you a decent boost in quality. The highest resolution 1920x1440, surpasses even the Wolverine Pro's 1920x1080 resolution. However, neither system is perfect.

Thanks @Mac84 I was able to get it a little better by reducing the sharpness to -2 or -1.5, but it still has the grainy artifact look that I didn't see with the Wolverine 720p model. I haven't modified the firmware yet. I'm wondering if my unit is "normal" or if there is something wrong. For example, in the Kodak screenshot, there are a lot of white looking blocks on the wall and other places that just aren't there on the Wolverine. I have a brand new Kodak so I will have to decide if I want to tinker with the firmware or just return it and go outsource the project. Thanks again.

 

[ThePhage]

Hello Everyone,

I will soon be undertaking a project to scan my parents collection of old family films (mix of 8mm and Super8, no audio). Filming dates probably range from the 1940s until the 1970s, from my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. I'm looking forward to the process, but I have several questions, primarily around any cleaning of the film and general tips for scanning the footage.

Here's what I've got:

* Kodak Reels scanner (2.0), flashed with the custom firmware for increased bitrate (Thank you @Mac84 and team!)
* Pec Pads and cleaning solution (Film Guard and Pec 12)
* A manual film winder to assist with cleaning film if needed
* Splice Tape
* Film-handling gloves
* Davinci Resolve & Neat Plugin (for editing, CC, re-speeding, stabilizing, etc)
* A spreadsheet ready for logging film reel contents (to stay organized)

Here are my questions:

* Any advice on how to check the focus of the camera lens on the Kodak scanner?
* Any general advice on how to clean the film?
* Should I just plan on cleaning all the film reels, or check them first to determine if cleaning is warranted? What should I be looking for?
* With film that is 80ish years old, and stored in a house that probably got decently hot during summer, what precautions should I take with handling/cleaning/scanning this?
* Is there an ideal temperature to have the film at when handling/scanning/cleaning/etc
* Tips for splicing in case of breaks?
* Tips for keeping dust/dirt from building up in the gate?

Thanks you!