Identifying positive and negative pin on 1st version of Arri16s (1957)

[Ole Sundsby]

Hi,

 

In order to test my Arri 16s (first flat door version), I need to know which of the two identical banana plug (male) sticking out from the back of the camera is the positive one. I don't have an ohm meter.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Ole

[Tim Carroll]

Ole,

 

They may look to be the same size, but they actually are not. The pin that is closest to the camera door, the one on the left if you are looking at the camera from the rear, is slightly larger and that is the positive contact. The slightly smaller pin, the one furthest from the door, on the right when viewing the camera from behind, is the negative contact.

 

Best,

-Tim

[Ole Sundsby]

Ole,

 

They may look to be the same size, but they actually are not. The pin that is closest to the camera door, the one on the left if you are looking at the camera from the rear, is slightly larger and that is the positive contact. The slightly smaller pin, the one furthest from the door, on the right when viewing the camera from behind, is the negative contact.

 

Best,

-Tim

 

Tim,

 

Are you a 100% sure that this is the case also for the rare flat door version, as well? When comparing this with my 16SB, I can see a difference in size on the SB, but not on the S (flat door).

 

Have a look at the below picture of the power cables (easier than taking photo of my cameras). Notice how the left cable does show a difference in "hole size"? That is the original 16SB cable. However, the right hand cable is the one supplied with my Arri 16s (flat door). I can see no difference in hole diameter here.

 

Anyone? Can I assume that the pin towards the door is actually the positive pin still (I agree, it would be logic that Arri would have been consistent throughout their model range).

 

Ole

Edited May 8, 2009 by Ole Sundsby

[Ole Sundsby]

Tim / All,

 

Just for your info, I just hooked up that 50 year old Arri 16s with my switch-mode lab power supply, and it was purring like a cat. So obviously the pin nearest to the door IS in fact the positive pin. Thanks a lot, Tim. Just wasn't too sure whether there was a difference between the first model to the latest.

 

Thanks,

 

Ole :D

[John Sprung]

It depends which direction it was purring. IIRC, on the early Arri motors, if you get positive and negative swapped, they run just fine, only backwards.

 

 

 

 

-- J.S.

[Tim Carroll]

I'm absolutely positive (pun intended) that the pin nearest the door is the positive pin. Now as far as the possibility that one of the original Arriflex 16S Flat Door cameras has both pins the same size, I would say that is possible, for one of two reasons.

 

First, to my surprise (and frustration when it comes to rebuilding them) I have found that many of the original Arriflex 16S Flat Door cameras were "work in progress/prototypes". You should see some of the cameras ARRI made for the Walt Disney company in the early to mid 1950's. If you get one of those, good luck.

 

Second, both of those pins can be taken out when you have the camera apart and someone could have put the wrong pin back in when they reassembled it. Being that the camera is over fifty years old, I would assume that it has been rebuilt a number of times.

 

Glad to hear it is purring for you. They're great cameras.

 

Best,

-Tim