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Topic: Shakey Picture on Century Projector

Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-04-1999 02:37 PM

Any "Shutter Ghost"?? (Travel Ghost)

Looks like the picture is streaking up the screen. Almost as if the picture was made of wet paint and somebody wiped it with a broom. (vertically)

If so, I would like to suggest that there's a nut on the vertical shaft, in the gear box that has come loose on me a couple of times.

It's the one on the 'sliding' gear that drives the intermittent. If it's loose, there's a lot of noise, huge jitters and shutter ghost that won't go away no matter how much you turn the timing knob.

It's a 10 minute job with a couple of wrenches but it scared the heck out of me the first time it happened. Now, I'm like, "Oh, JEEZ!... Gimme a wrench."

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 12-04-1999 04:30 PM

I'm starting to wonder if the first suggestion (Ken-intermittent oil) isn't your problem. As Gordon mentioned above, does it clank away with no film in it? Also, just in case you don't know how to check the intermittent oil level, it is the little round window right below the intermittent sprocket. When you come into the booth first thing, check and see if you see any oil in there. Typically you will have to wipe this clean to see and frequently a flashlight helps. It should be at the halfway point. If you don't see any oil, either it is overfilled (oil covering the entire window) or you have an intermittent that has run dry and must be replaced.

To check and see if the intermittent is overfilled, get your light situated, get down at eye level and watch the window while you (or a friend) flips the motor switch on. If suddenly you see the slosh of the oil and the level drops while it's running, it's overfilled...but I'll bet it's dry. Being dry would explain your noise and shaky image.

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Sara Serine Orton
Film Handler

Posts: 32
From: Moscow, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 12-05-1999 12:56 PM

The PROBLEM IS FOUND!
It's the intermittent. Early in the semester we never oiled the projector. I know, very bad. Nobody told us about this. Now we oil it religiously. But there might have been permanent damage done. And from what I've been told by our own projectionist guru it's going to cost and arm and a leg to fix it. Our lesson today: OIL YOUR PROJECTOR!

Thanks for all your help guys!

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 12-05-1999 01:43 PM

And congratulations goes out to Ken Layton who unbenownst at the time, had the correct answer to Sara's question a mere 5 minutes after she posted it!

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Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1776
From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular.
Registered: Aug 1999

posted 12-05-1999 02:02 PM

Ken Layton is also my Holmes guru.

I look forward to getting the manual that he supplied to Film-Tech. A friend has downloaded it, and I expect it anyday. Thank you, Ken!

------------------

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Ken Layton
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1452
From: Olympia, Wash. USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 12-05-1999 03:45 PM

I mentioned checking the oil because the last 5 theaters I visited had at least one Century projector with NO OIL AT ALL IN THE INTERMITTENT!!!! Everytime I tell the crew to check the oil, it just goes in one ear and out the other. Maybe we should make them pay for the slammed intermittent! Boy then they'd be checking the oil level every show.

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Ken Layton
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1452
From: Olympia, Wash. USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 12-05-1999 03:59 PM

Several years ago at one theater I visited, they were using 90 weight oil in the intermittent. And they wondered why it ran slow.

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-05-1999 05:05 PM

I have put APG 90 oil in centurys and not had many problems. The reason I used that was when flipped on there backs to project on domed ceilings the damned movements would leak even when the vent was plugged.
A lot of the VV machines also were filled with APG 90 which was the standard for the Motiograph AAA movements

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-05-1999 05:12 PM

On the matter of no oil I had a service call recently to a theatre that Vic 4 and one of the oil tubes (gues which one) had been plugged and the movement had been try for a very long time to the point that the cam pin had heated and expanded in the star slot
Luckily the star on the vic4 is very large so we just replaced the pin and useing a dremel with a cut of opened up the slot
5 years later the machine is still running and is the queitest of the bunch
Not something I would recomend

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Jon Bartow
Master Film Handler

Posts: 287
From: Massachusetts
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 12-07-1999 10:42 PM

Sara, a new SA intermittent runs about $1000+. But a company called Metro Technical Services out of Baltimore will do a repair/exchange. You send them the bad one, they send you a rebuild one. should run about $400-$500. call 1-(800)-443-4960. You will need a technician to change the intermittent however. And that could also run a couple of hundred. Good luck! and keep oiling!

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-08-1999 04:11 PM

Almost all dealers will do repair exchanges on Movements contact the dealer you usually deal with for bulbs tape etc.
As there tech will probably have to come out to change it and most will not change a movement if it comes from someone else

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