operating manual for Century 10

[Stephen Totleben]

I am looking for an operating manual for an Ampro Century 10 16mm projector. Now before anyone says "ARE YOU SERIOUS, TAKE THAT ANCIENT PIECE OF CRAP AND DROP IT IN THE NEAREST SEWER! " ,please know that I have just recently begun to collect films. I was given this projector by my siser-in-law's father some 20 years ago. At that time the only 16mm films available to me were from the local and Penn State libraries. After they stopped carrying them I was out of luck and packed her up and set her in the closet. When perusing through ebay one day I typed in "16mm" just to see. When I saw 50 pages of 16mm films I just about S#@!. Immediatly I pulled her from the closet , she saw 3 moving days without any damage, I spent many painstaking hours cleaning,lubing and restoring her to working condition. Now I need to know just what makes her tick and if she can tick enough to warrant the investment in a collection of films. Any info would help. Also any info on parts such as lamps would be appreciated.

[Michael Coffin]

Hi Stephen,

If this is a labor of love, then by all means restore your projector. However, if you are just looking for a good quality projector in proper running condition to run 16mm films you can get these rather cheaply on eBay and from fellow collectors (I'll be glad to sell you a good condition Kodak Pageant - contact me off list).

I know how you feel though. I still have my original Bell and Howell autoload circa 1960's (maybe early 1970's) for 8mm, with the factory remote control, owners guide and all. Due to improper storage, it's got some mildew and is probably useless, but one of these days when I have time I may overhaul it - not because it has value, but as a "labor of love" for my first love........... :)

-Mike

[Bill Carr]

Hi Stephen,

You can get some advice from a guy I communicate with on old Ampros - his name is Frank Cvetic. Frank is a retired electrical engineer and restoring/running these old Ampros is his retirement hobby (as is mine).

His e-mail address is fjcvetic@earthlink.com. He has been a real gem in helping me understand and work on my old Ampros. As Mike says, this has to be a real labor of love in order to get these things working properly. I have manuals for the Precision 10 thru 40, but none for the Century series.

As a rule, Ampros are under-designed and over-built. They run smoothly and are fairly easy on film. Other than frequent oiling/cleaning/routine maintenance, there's not much to be done.

Their weakest part is the amplifier. They use wax capacitors and if you recap it with ceramic capacitors, that improves the sound quality tremendously. New caps can be gotten from either Radio Shack or Antique Electronics. Learn good soldering techniques, remember you are working on a "hot" chassis and you'll be fine.

Another problem area is the drive belt. They were originally made of a fabric composition that deteriorates over time. Frank can help you with a source for these also. They can be intimidating to change, but once you've done it, its a piece of cake!

Good luck,

Bill Carr