Questions on the Wirgin Edinex II

I recently bought a Wirgin Edinex II at a flea market that seemed to be in good functioning order.

I am not sure I understand how to advance the film. The manual I found on Butkus isn't very clear.



I cannot find anywhere what knob 1 is for.

Wheel 2 seems to allow wheel 3 to move freely or not.
When it's in the R position, the wheel turns freely allowing to advance the film during loading.

When it's on the V position however, I cannot make the wheel 3 move at all (even if the spool with teeth is being moved manually as film would do).

I am also confused by the telescopic lens - do I need to pull the lens out before focusing, or are the focus markings correct if the lens is in its retracted position?



Lastly, the take up spool doesn't have a slit to pass the film through - I wonder if that's normal on these models or if I'm missing a part - people seem to have struggled through the ages to get their film to be taken by the spool:



Besides from these mysteries, I would very much like to use the camera as it seems likely to be a good camera for double-exposures.

Thanks!

"I am not sure I understand how to advance the film.
I cannot find anywhere what knob 1 is for."

Film is advanced turning the right knob. The frame counter will make it stop after one frame.
Fillm is rewound by the left knob. This notwithstanding both knobs are to be turned the same direction, because the film is looped in S-shape
I got no idea what that wheel"1" is for. It is lacking at my model.


"When [the switch] is on the V position however, I cannot make the wheel 3 move at all (even if the spool with teeth is being moved manually as film would do)."

The advance always turns turns free without film. Unless you twist the sprocket wheel, then the knob arrests. Reason: see my reply above


"Lastly, the take up spool doesn't have a slit to pass the film through - I wonder if that's normal on these models or if I'm missing a part - people seem to have struggled through the ages to get their film to be taken by the spool"

My model got a slit.... But the slit does not go through the stem. One must turn the take-up reel op to 270° to make it show up. And it might be benefitial to set the switch to rewind just for the operation of getting the leader wound up.


"I am also confused by the telescopic lens - do I need to pull the lens out before focusing, or are the focus markings correct if the lens is in its retracted position?"

Well, with the coarseness of the focus scale such distance variations to the subject do not matter at all.
However.... what for an image do you expect when you retract the lens up to the film? Of course you need to extract the lens to get any image at all.
Futhermore, at retracted state the release is blocked (at least at model 1).

I have a Wirgin Edinex that looks similar but it has a rigid, not collapsible, lens.
Mine has a slot in the takeup spool.
You need to turn the film counter knob counter clockwise to 0 before starting the film.
Dial 2 "V/R" is the advance/rewind switch, and dial 1 releases the advance after each exposure. You set dial 2 to V to advance. Wind one exposure, then the toothed sprocket stops. Take the exposure, then push dial 1 to the right, in the direction of the arrow. This releases the wind stop and allows you to wind to the next exposure. At the end of the roll, set dial 2 to "R" and that frees the toothed wheel to go backwards, allowing rewinding as in most 35mm cameras.

At least on mine, the wind knob and toothed wheel seem to be both connected to the wind stop somehow. So that if I flick dial 1, the wind release, to the right, and turn only the toothed wheel without tensioning the wind knob (with the back open and no film of course), it doesn't advance the correct number of sprockets. I am not sure if it's a little out of adjustment, or if you're actually supposed to start turning the wind knob before letting go of dial 1.