Bell & Howell Cube Projector Main Drive Gear

This is a well made part that helped to repair our projector. The Postal Service seriously delayed this mailing due to mishandling, and the part was very late. Amazon should use UPS.

I watched a two-part YouTube video regarding the installation of this product a couple of times to figure out how to remove the original gear and install this one. The videos were invaluable in this process. I don't think I would have figured out how to do the swap-out otherwise. It also took me quite a bit longer than the time shown in the videos. I had a cable in the way that the projector in the video didn't have.At any rate, I'm now up and running again for a product (my slide projector) I thought I would have to discard.

Recently, I hauled out an old Bell and Howell cube projector to sort, downsize, reminisce, and possibly copy some slides. I was ecstatic that the bulb still worked. Unfortunately, the projector didn't. After studying a rather simple looking you tube tutorial, I learned that the most likely culprit was the plastic main drive gear. I ordered this piece from Amazon, it arrived relatively quickly, and I dismantled my projector. The sprockets were indeed chewed up on the original gear. The wiring in my projector was a bit more complicated than on you tube, but still, with a little patience, maneuvering, and the brute strength of a 70 year old woman, I managed to pull out the old gear and replace it with the new one. It fits perfectly. I only gave this piece 4 stars because it's nothing more than a small piece of plastic, and the cost is high. On the other hand, at what price do you measure the joy of recapturing your youth while laughing at everyone's wild antics in your old slides?

This is an expensive part for such a small piece of plastic, but as far as I can tell, it is the only source out there and the seller has every right to charge what the market will bear. That being said, I was very happy to get my slide projector back up and running so that I could look at hundreds of old slides from my parents. It was worth it to bring back old memories. I highly recommend you search for the YouTube video that shows the replacement process. I only had to remove two screws. One screw was easily accessible by removing the access door to the light bulb and using a 1/4" nut driver. The second was much more difficult to access. I ended up drilling a 1/2" hole in the bottom (see photo) which allowed my nut driver straight-in access. Don't forget the wave washer between the gear and the motor. I did the first time. It still worked, but being a perfectionist, I did the job a second time.

I fixed my projector with one of these, as it would not advance.

This will keep my near 50 year old slide-cube projector running!

After 20+ years in storage, I brought out my mid-70's B&H 981Q slide cube projector to see if it still worked. It did - sort of - but wouldn't reliably advance slides and when it did the shutter wouldn't reliably open either. Spent several hours tinkering with it before I spotted the mostly toothless top of the drive gear.Went to YouTube (where I should have started), found a video or two about the problem which lead me to order this gear that got it purring along fine again. Looks like this part will be a lot more durable as well.My 981Q projector is configured a bit differently than the YouTube "how to" example I found: a different non-reflector bulb and no access door on the bottom. So it took me awhile to figure out how to get it apart. 1. Start by flicking the latch next to the slide cube mount and swing up the top to expose the carousel mechanism. 2. Locate the four silver "flat blade" screws and remove them. 3. Then you can close the top, flip it over or on a side and start working the bottom loose. 4. When you have a bit of separation, you will be able to tilt out and remove the front and back covers. 5. At that point I used a needle nose plier to unbend some clips holding wiring to the bottom piece to free it up to pull off entirely. 6. Now you have pretty good access to the motor; removing two screws gets the motor in you hand (still attached to wiring) and the old gear will pull right off. Putting it back together is basically just the reverse with a bit of added hassle getting things to line-up and screw together.

It was an exact replacement for my bell and howell projector.