The Workprinter is a rather rudimentary machine. As one of Roger’s earlier efforts, it is clearly handbuilt and what I would call “DIY” quality. One of the harder parts in constructing a frame-by-frame telecine is detecting when a frame is fully displayed and then being able to successfully signal the capture device to grab the frame; Roger accomplished this by making a lobed disc that triggers a mechanical switch during each frame. This switch then outputs to an RCA jack on the front of the unit which would have originally been attached to a device he dubbed the “syncmouse.” The syncmouse would simply “click” the left mouse each time the switch was triggered inside the projector/telecine, allowing the button inside CineCap to be pressed each time a new frame is displayed. Unfortunately, the syncmouse was long gone by the time I acquired this Workprinter and so I must construct a new one.

My syncmouse is simply an old Compaq branded Logitech PS/2 mouse. I pulled it apart and, with the aid of a multimeter, determined how the left mouse button was wired. I then soldered an RCA jack to the responsible pins so that the Workprinter can signal the mouse click. This is an exploring electronics (beginner) level project.

With the newly made syncmouse, the capture card, 5DmkIII as a suitable capture device, CineCap, a fast computer, and the Workprinter all in-hand, it is time to begin capturing footage!