Changing slide sizes, Trays and Barrettes

Some more details as I promised.

Changing Sizes

I must admit I never tried to find out how the Planox works with 45x107 slides (I don't possess any!) but I was asked by a friend on the Forum so I decided to figure it out... Here goes.

This is the standard 7x13 configuration:

In order to convert to 6x13 (apart from the difference in trays) you need to add this bracket, which reduces the window opening to 6x6. It clips on the bottom two brass lugs:

Going to 45x107 is slightly more complicated. When the slide is picked up by the magnets, it is guided in place by two rail paths that are attached to the four brass lugs you see on the picture. In order to accommodate the narrower slides, the lugs are used to move the rails towards the middle to reduce the width of the path (the path can be seen just behind the viewing aperture):

In addition, there is a metal plate that restricts the viewing window:

This also fits on the lugs, when they are in the correct position for 45x107:

Of course you also have to switch the switch on the side, which restricts how high up the mechanism lifts the slides:

Trays

NOTE: These descriptions only relate to the later Planox that use bakelite trays, not the earlier ones with wooden trays that have a very different mechanism.

This is what a normal tray looks like (full and empty):

The 6x13 and 7x13 trays are physically the same size:

However the guide you see in the front is at a different height, so when they are dropped in the frame the tops of the slides actually end up at the same height:

Barrettes

The whole principle of the Planox mechanism is based on the fact thta there are magnets that lift the slides up to be viewed. In order to do that, each slide needs to be fitted with a metal bar on the top, called a barrette.

Each barrette is about 9.5 cm long and is common for all slide sizes (as far as I know...). This is what the barrette looks like:

... and here is the profile:

Inside the barrette, there is a wavy metal plate, which grips the glass plate allowing for different widths:

I hope that gives you a good idea... Any more ideas on what you want me to describe, keep them coming! :-)