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The simple design and layout needs no explanation.
However the missing fitting below the lamphouse
bracket may have held a lever to move the two drive
belts from the sound to silent speed grooves on the
flywheel and drive pullies. The switch box has the
usual "Motor, Lamp, Sound and Threading Light"
switches, and a high speed fan draws hot air from the
lamphouse.

Anyway, getting back to the Star Newsreel The-
atrette ... they urgently needed an Assistant Oper-
ator - "When could I start - tomorrow?" The
Manager ushered me into the Projection Box to
meet the Operator. The Box was even more claus-
trophobic than usual, it reminded me of a subma-
rine … a small cube packed with equipment, with
barely enough room to squeeze in and thread the
machines. The projectors were neat little 35mm
"Junior Standards" made in Adelaide. These were
attached to my favorite RCA sound heads. Each
projector had an 8" mirror arc in the lamphouse,
and there were the usual amplifiers, dimmers and
other cinematic paraphernalia.

All very normal ... except ... what's that against the far wall? Good Lord, it's a 16mm Harmour
and Heath, complete with an electric arc! Half a century ago it was “state of the art". I had never
seen a 16mm projector with a full size electric arc before, and here it is being used side by side
with big 35mm cinema projectors, wow! This should be interesting. Just how would it compare
with its big brothers?
Brian Miller, the operator, explained that some very
good shorts were available exclusively in 16mm and
these could be used to supplement the regular 35mm
films supplied each week by the film exchanges, so
the cost of an extra 16mm projector was justified
The Harmour and Heath 16mm heavy duty projector
with its electric arc was made in Sydney and first
released for sale in 1949. The design is a scaled down
version of a 35mm projector with some similarity to

The film path is easily accessible with well designed shoes
on each of the 8 frame sprockets, including the unique
8-frame intermittent sprocket below the gate. The lower
loop feeds over a large lateral guide roller with a spring
loaded pad roller resting on the film. Two plain idler
rollers balance the tension on the film as it passes around
the sound stabilising drum with its large smoothly running
flywheel. The take-up sprocket below the lens feeds the
film to a plain guide roller on the take-up drive shaft
between the sprocket and take-up spool. The framing
adjustment knob can be seen through the top loop.
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