"I wonder if the seller used the new eBay feature called "Buy Now," where the
seller sets a price to sell the item before any bids are made. If you want it,
meet the price and it is yours -- another reason to dislike eBay auctions."
In what way is this a problem? I don't see how anyone could object -- unless
you don't check on a regular basis, and thereby a miss a "goodie."
This "instant buy" option actually tends to work to the buyer's benefit and
against the seller. Several days ago a KLH Model 13 Multiplex Adapter, a rare
and highly desirable accessory for the classic Model Eight table radio, showed
up. The seller had a "buy it now" price of $72, which was way too low. I
grabbed it immediately. Had this item remained on auction, the bids would have
hit $150 -- probably more.
The only way to find the bargains is to search regularly. (eBay has an
auto-notify system that will alert you to new auctions.) This morning I won an
ITT Magicflash -- supposedly MIB -- for $50. I was the only one who bid on it.
It should have gone for $100 to $150. Don't know why everyone else ignored it,
but this isn't the first time I've had such luck. Can't complain!
"I have seen nasty jams with Kodak Carousel trays on Kodak projectors. On one
of those occasions, the fault appeared to be due to something in the advance
mechanism of the projector, and simply changing projectors solved the problem
(later found to be worn plastic gearing inside the projector)."
Jamming due to a projector defect is not the same a jam occurring under "normal
use"! Sorry, but I stand by my claim that the Carousel system "abuses" slides
less than other ways of moving them. (The one exception is the obsolete
Airequipt system, in which the slides are individually mounted in aluminum
frames.)
As far as basic reliability goes, I don't know whether Carousels are more or
less reliable than other projectors. I do know they use nylon components that
can be slowly destroyed by heat. It happened to me, and I had to tear the
projector apart to replace the defective piece. Fortunately, there was a nice
Kodak man on the phone who guided me through the un-obvious parts of the
repair.
"The other occasion was much more entertaining (though not for my poor
colleague who was presenting his doctoral research to a group of international
visitors), involving at least every second slide either being shot up several
meters in the air (they hit the ceiling) or jamming in the machine. The
presentation ended when one of his slides terminally jammed inside the
projector, preventing both advance to the next frame and removal of the
carousel."
The only way slides can shoot into the air is if the retaining ring isn't put
back on the tray! And (other than smashing the tray & projector with a sledge
hammer) there's no way a Carousel can be permanently jammed in place. You
simply turn the release screw at the center of the tray and lift it off.
As for the jamming with the 140 tray, this is inherent with such a narrow slot.
I am, however, surprised that the slides dropped freely but didn't always
return. That suggests alignment problems with the mechanism.
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