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Topic: DTS Reader Modification

Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 12-03-2000 02:00 AM

That doesn't make much sense. Those newer Strong platters should be putting out a perfectly even and steady feed. Do you perhaps have an SDDS reader mounted with the DTS reader? What all is mounted on top of your projectors?

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 12-03-2000 08:57 AM

I tend to agree with Brad; making steel impedance roller seems a bit extreme.

Don't get me wrong.. solving the problem is the important issue, and maybe it was the right thing to do. After all, if having steel rollers made worked, than great!

I'm wondering if there is some other problem that's was causing the readers not to track correctly. The people at DTS might like to know exactly what it was, so they know if their readers are at fault. Maybe the platter or projector manufacturer made some change recently that causes DTS problems.

And now, if one of those readers goes bad, it can't be simply repaired/exchanged. DTS will have to fix *that* particular unit.

Where I used to work (not DTS), we needed a fixture to repair tape drives; it took a while to set up. So we only did it once in a great while. When the pile of broken units got high, and we had a production run of new units, only then would we set up the fixture.

My point is that there may be a delay repairing a DTS reader if you need that particular one back. Also, you might want to permanently label those readers so if one does go bad, someone won't accidently throw it in the repair/exchange pile and lose it.

(PS: I modified a Century JJ2 intermittent one time. You know that knurled lever that opens/closes the intermittent pad roller? I had a "flat" milled on one side. When you close it, it hits the side of the outside intermittent sprocket bushing/support, and scrapes the paint off. A tech didn't listen to me and sent it back for repair/exchange. <sniff-sniff!> So, if anyone sees it, send it home!

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Francis Casey
Film Handler

Posts: 44
From: Saint John, NB, Canada
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 12-03-2000 09:57 PM

To Brad and John
The 12 plex has 2 SDDS units also in roll around carts with special mounting brackets on each projector ; the DTS problem was there regardless of weather the SDDS units were mounted or not , the soundheads have basement LED readers for analogue and DD. I thought at first( and sort of still do ) that the projectors were at fault .They just don't seem to run as smooth or quiet as older XL projectors . I tried loosening the belts and then tightening them , i even ordered and installed new belts and soundhead main drive belt pulleys for a couple of the projectors ; none of the above made any difference .If you can think of anything else i should have tried let me know , there are still 10 unmodified DTS readers ( not in use at the present ) .
Francis

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 12-03-2000 11:09 PM

Something is definitely wrong somewhere. Do you have another theater in town you could take one of the dts readers in question to so you can try it out elsewhere? That will tell you if it is a reader problem or not. Unless the readers are defective (doubtful), I don't see anything wrong with the setup that could possibly cause such a problem.

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 12-04-2000 11:36 AM

Francis; a few questions, please.

If you put tension on the film (pinch the edges with your fingers) just before it runs into the DTS reader, does the green LED stay lit?

Are you using syncronous motors? (you are if you can interlock a print between screens.)

Did you try connecting the extra black-colored ground wire on the reader cable?

Did you ever try removing the special mounting bracket at a projector, and mounting just the regular DTS bracket and reader, and pluging the DTS cable directly into the DTS reader?

I have to admit, the idea of (stainless) steel DTS roller/flywheel appeals to me. While not absoultely necessary, I bet it would reduce those drop-outs that (admittedly rare) do occur.

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Francis Casey
Film Handler

Posts: 44
From: Saint John, NB, Canada
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 12-04-2000 06:16 PM

John
Yes the projectors have sync motors , yes i tried adding tension with my fingers and the LED stabilized ;i added extra tension rollers to the reader which did not help, yes i connected the ground wire ( which made no difference ), yes i took a couple of readers to another cinema and they worked fine , no i did not remove the special SDDS mounting bracket .
Regards
Francis

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 12-05-2000 01:34 AM

Hmmmm, this is bizarre. If your readers work fine elsewhere...I wonder about your decks. Any chance of borrowing another theater's dts reader for a day to try with your decks? That will clear up if it is something in the dts system or something physical with the equipment.

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Rory Burke
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 181
From: Burbank, CA, USA
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 12-05-2000 08:48 AM

This doesn't make sense....it seems to me that there could be something obvious yet escaping us (film-techers). Did you verify film path and its movement thru those rollers?
perhaps the film isn't entering the reader directly as flat as it should. Maybe its a little twisted while entering? Is there visible or noticable boundce at all?
try the gasket/shim/brake method Brad recommends if it does stabalize your time code for now as he asked you above. I think DTS uses that Mickey Mouse looking configuration of rollers for a reason; to keep the film as flat on the time code reader as possible. perhaps you can try to have your upper guidance hardware feed the film to the time code reader in a fashion that has a roller as close to the DTS reader as possible and located in a manner which will also add more tension...say continuing with that DTS alternating pattern of rollers on the time code reader. It should help if you problem is directly related to film path and movement.

Rory

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