FUMEO 9119 CINELED BY L&L TECHNOLOGIES: 1,350 LUMENS (Part One of Two)

A few months ago, José Luis — widely regarded as the foremost expert in maritime lighting in Galicia, NW of Spain — converted three of my Fumeo projectors to CINELED illumination: one 9119 for Super-8 and two 9271 machines for 16 mm.

What I´m presenting in this series of articles is not a simple improvised modification, but rather the result of nearly a full year of experimentation by José Luis — the true “wizard of light” — involving optical tests, precision machining and countless fine adjustments, until arriving at a system that frankly produces remarkable results: extraordinary brightness, superb colour depth, virtually no heat, elimination of forced ventilation, no external power supply (in the case of Fumeo projectors), and no need for a dousing shutter (douser).

Fumeo 9119 with CINELED: non external power supply required

This last point is especially important. The projector can now be operated with the same natural ease as with a halogen lamp — switching it on and off as often as necessary — and since there is no additional fan noise, the projector can remain in the projection room itself without disturbing the audience. On the contrary, the peopel can once again enjoy the sweet mechanical purr of the transport mechanism, no longer drowned out by cooling fans.

In the specific case of the Fumeo 9119, originally designed for a 200-W halogen lamp, its new CINELED lighting module, developed by José Luis in his L&L Technologies laboratory, delivers an impressive 1,350 lumens, with a colour temperature of 5,600 K and a CRI (Colour Rendering Index) of 85.

In this series I will analyse the system in detail after testing it with several feature films, while awaiting its professional debut and world presentation at the upcoming Sellier Film Festival in La Coruña (Galicia, NW of Spain).

FIRST-CLASS FINISHES

The first thing that strikes the observer in José Luis’s conversion is the exceptional quality of the finishing work.

The head of L&L Technologies is no newcomer. He is the most respected specialist in the maintenance and technical troubleshooting of maritime lighthouses in this region. His laboratory-workshop, perfectly equipped, allows all necessary machining to be carried out with a precision worthy of industrial engineering.

The sophistication of the work requires not only proper equipment but also the experience accumulated during more than a year of testing. For this reason, anyone interested in performing the conversion must send their projector to José Luis by courier, as this is not a modification that can realistically be carried out in a makeshift workshop.

BRIGHT LIGHT, EXCELLENT COLOUR PERFORMANCE

In various countries, technicians have spent years experimenting with LED systems derived from the automotive sector, which essentially consist of replacing the original halogen bulb with a high-flux LED lamp.

While these systems do produce a large amount of light, they are unsuitable for professional cinematic projection for two fundamental reasons:

• Colour temperature far too high, typically above 7,000 K, producing an excessively bluish light.

• Low CRI values, resulting in poor colour reproduction and artificial-looking images.

The CINELED module developed by L&L Technologies avoids both of these problems.

• Colour temperature: 5,600 K, very close to daylight and also similar to xenon lamps.

• CRI: 85, a highly respectable value ensuring balanced colour reproduction.

As we will see in a later chapter, this light is actually less bluish than the typical 6,000 K output of the Marc 300 lamp.

CRI: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The CRI (Colour Rendering Index) measures how accurately a light source reproduces colours compared with a reference source — usually natural sunlight.

The scale runs from 0 to 100:

• 100 represents perfect colour reproduction (sunlight).

• Values above 80 are considered suitable for applications where colour fidelity is important.

• Lower values produce dull or distorted colours.

In film projection, a good CRI is essential, since a poor light source can alter the colour balance of the film, regardless of the quality of the print.

With a CRI of 85, the L&L Technologies module offers significantly better colour performance than many improvised LED systems.

Big 4,5 meters wide screen

TWICE THE LIGHT OF THE GS1200 XENON

Outside strictly professional circles — where the Fumeo 9145 with its 500-W xenon lamp is almost unknown — the Elmo GS1200 Xenon is often regarded as the most powerful Super-8 projector ever produced.

Its 250-W xenon lamp delivers approximately 800 lumens on screen at full output.

The Fumeo 9119 equipped with the L&L Technologies CINELED module reaches 1,350 lumens.

This means it nearly doubles the brightness of the GS1200 Xenon and approaches the performance of a Fumeo 9143 with a 250-W HTI lamp, but without requiring an external rectifier.

Two GS1200 with xenon version lamp

SUMMARY OF THIS FIRST CHAPTER

The CINELED conversion developed by the “wizard of light” at L&L Technologies transforms the Fumeo 9119 into a projector with truly extraordinary capabilities:

• 1,350 real lumens

• 5,600 K colour temperature

• CRI of 85

• No heat

• No forced ventilation

• No dousing shutter (douser)

• No external rectifier or power supply

• Thousands of hours of operating life

• Lower energy consumption and reduced environmental impact

Fumeo 9143 HTI 250

In my opinion, this conversion — which costs around €800 — is probably the best investment a Fumeo 9119 owner can make today. The machining and finishing are so beautifully executed that, quite apart from the remarkable performance, one simply enjoys looking at the work itself.

Since the LED module is rated for thousands of hours of operation, the investment quickly pays for itself, especially for those who project regularly.

Beaulieu Studio HTI 250 W lamp

In the second chapter, I will analyse the system in real projection conditions, including direct comparisons with halogen, xenon and HTI systems: the Fumeo 9119 LED versus a Beaulieu HTI, a Fumeo HTI, a Fumeo Marc 300, a GS1200 Xenon, and finally the great beast — the Fumeo 9145 with its 500-W xenon lamp.

(Do not miss the second part.)

Fumeo 9145 Xenon 500