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Bolex EBM... Am I mad or has somebody nicked my mirrors?!!


Rowan Biddiscombe

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Hey everyone, first post and just wanted to say thanks for all the invaluable knowledge that's on offer here. I really appreciate it.

 

So... I got an amazing deal on a Bolex EBM from eBay... or so I thought. Once I received it, I was checking it over and and noticed that I wasn't able to see anything at all through the viewfinder. I tried everything I could to solve it but no dice (checked the douser was definitely down and not bent, no filters in the way, lens cap off etc etc). Anyway, not wanting to be beaten I decided to perform some minor surgery and remove the lens mount to gain access to the actual mirror assembly, and low and behold I found an empty space where I imagined (with my limited Bolex knowledge) there would be two little mirrors reflecting light into the viewfinder. I'm pretty sure that's the problem but just wanted to get some confirmation from someone that knows for sure what's going on in there, before I go and chew out eBay/the seller. Pictures attached of the ground glass assembly too just in case anyone notices some other faults I haven't.

 

Let me know what you think!

 

Cheers,

Rowan

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That prism is simple to replace. If you got a real bargain on this camera it might be cheaper to replace it (and the cover plate and cork wedges) rather than buy another EBM. But hassle the seller for not telling you.. it seems likely that they knew hence the cheap price. It also makes me wonder what else may have been taken..

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  • 2 weeks later...

UPDATE: Hey guys, thanks again for all your help before. In the end I've managed to claim a decent amount of money back from the seller (he was actually a good guy and didn't realise the mistake, restoring my faith in humanity) but my next issue I'm trying to sort (before I go ahead and purchase a new prism) is to actually run some power through the camera to check it actually works. I've purchased a 12v 1.3A battery box and a 7 pin Tuchel connector, I'm just struggling to find anywhere on the internet that can supply me with a wiring diagram for how it's supposed to be soldered together. I found a site called apecity.com which seemed to have the right stuff (loads of Bolex manuals) but none of the links work unfortunately. Does anyone know where I might find the service manual or similar for the EBM?

 

Many thanks!

Rowan

 

 

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Another update... So I discovered that the wiring information I needed was actually within the regular EBM manual (found here for anyone interested: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/821890/Bolex-H-16-Ebm-Electric.html )

I soldered up the wires, connected my battery box and blow me down, the thing actually turned over. However... My next problem is that for some reason it doesn't seem like the frame rate dial is actually effecting anything. I've changed it to every frame rate 10 through 50 and no change in the speed/sound. Fwiw, it sounds to me like it's running at 50fps. I've removed the dial itself and can't see anything odd going on (photo attached).

Has anyone heard of this happening before? Is there something obvious I might be missing?

 

Thanks in advance!

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