Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Cinemation going crazy

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Operations » Film Handlers' Forum » Cinemation going crazy (Page 2)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2

Author

Topic: Cinemation going crazy

Gordon McLeod
Film God

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

posted 02-26-2001 07:33 PM

regretably no product is any better than its installation or its care

Rick Long
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 759
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 02-26-2001 07:45 PM

The last time I talked to Bernard Bentley (who by the way, was not only a real gentleman, brilliant designer, but also a fine judge of good whiskey) must have been at least twenty-five years ago now. He mentioned at the time that Cinemation was moving into the solid-state age with his next design. The last Cinemation automation we saw here was the Mark X single-projector automation (relay-driven).

I was wondering if anyone knew if he ever did develop a solid-state version.

As an example of the fine workmanship of these units, all wiring was terminated with colour-coded markers, using EIA colour codes. (Brown-red, for example indicated 12). Made it a whole lot easier to trace without a schematic.

Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 02-26-2001 07:53 PM

Gordon, you are 100% correct.

John Walsh
Film God

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

posted 02-26-2001 09:03 PM

I have to admit, one more thing I did not like (on the MKIV) was the termination block. The unit was designed for 220vac, so thiner (20ga or so) wire was used to wire the inside, but here we use 110vac. The termination block looked like something that was orignally meant for telephone use. There wasn't enough room to wrap the 14-16ga wire required by the electrical inspector around the terminals.

Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 02-26-2001 09:18 PM

John, that shouldn't have been a problem. Smaller AWG wire, as long as the wire was rated at 600 volts, should have been up to code.

Pete Naples
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1565
From: Dunfermline, Scotland
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 03-01-2001 04:12 PM

OK today I managed to get to the cinema (we have SNOW!) and took a good look at the beast. I found one resistor in the pulses extender that looked a little scorched for my tastes, and I also replaced all the capacitors in the aforementioned circuitry. Result is that it's now working properly again.

Personally I've never actually used one of these units, I had the Mk10T at one place I worked and that was an ok bit of kit, it has to be said that for it's day it's a good solid old machine. There is one cinema in town (not one of my services, but I know the guys there) that is still using the twin pegboard unit. They have a set of contacts set up to switch on the coffee maker at the end of the show! Try doing that with a CNA or a Vectra!

Gordon McLeod
Film God

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

posted 03-02-2001 10:57 AM

When one of the first cinemations was being installed in Ottawa one of the theatres staff said to a reporter that the automation was so advanced it could even flush the urinals at the end of intermission
needless to say the head office wan't impressed when that was the nextdays headline

Gordon McLeod
Film God

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

posted 03-02-2001 10:37 PM

Randy did you get the unit going what was the problem

Randy Stankey
Film God

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

posted 03-03-2001 12:03 AM

Still working on it. Haven't been back to the theatre since then.

I got had to get back on my route because I was getting so behind on my schedule. I've been putting in over 1,500 miles a week lately. Most of it was for emergency calls.

Joseph Pandolfi
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 213
From: Milford, CT.
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-03-2001 02:56 PM

Gordon & Pete; ours is set up so that if the projectionist shows up work late the next day the shows will start on their own. Providing everything is all set up (correct startup line, threading etc.) Ours is setup for interlocking.

John Walsh
Film God

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

posted 03-04-2001 08:39 PM

Several Cinemations I've seen had (jokingly) a "COFFEE" selection on an unused function line.

I bought a 0-15 min timer (just like the 0-60 min timer that came with the unit.) I hooked it to a function line to start it. When it timed out, it would step the unit to bring down the house lights, and select "C" on the CP200 (which was set to the feature format.)

We didn't have very many diode pins, so could only program a few shows; then we had to step the thing back to the top. I got tired of doing this, so wired the stepper to automatically step from line 25 to the top.

As I said; you had to spend some time understanding it, but it was worth it.

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2

Printer-friendly view of this topic

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.