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Topic: HELP! Simplex doing strange things!

Aaron Sisemore
Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day!

Posts: 3061
From: Rockwall TX USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 08-10-2001 07:14 PM

Thanks for all your help! It appears to have been the framing cam retainers. I bent the top one back into shape ( I could not get at the bottom one) and the framing knob is now rock steady and does not creep. I have ordered new retainers and will change them out at my next service call.

Aaron

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John T. Hendrickson, Jr
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 889
From: Freehold, NJ, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 08-11-2001 11:33 AM

Had this problem with an XL when I worked a summer house more years ago than I care to remember. We simply took a wood ruler and wedged it between the framing knob and the base. Never moved again all summer. Not a permanent solution, but effective.

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

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

posted 08-13-2001 09:08 PM

Some of the operators drive me nuts! I ran a booth for 10 hours Saturday, and when I got there, all the framing knobs on the XL's were jammed against the stops. So I reset them all to the center position.

Yesterday, I had a call that the projectionist took the "fan blade cover" off to clean the "fan blade" behind it, and could not get the "fan blade cover" back on. When he finally got the "fan blade cover" on, the show finally got underweigh 15 minutes late.

Being afraid he may have removed this "fan blade" that is mounted on this "axle" that sticks out in the back of this "camera", I went over to the theater today to check the shutter timing. Well, come to find out, he did not remove the "fan blade" after all.

But I did notice all the framing knobs were up against the stops once again. No wonder the spring clips get worn out.

Sound familiar? If I encounter this again, the "Fit is probably going to hit the Shan".

Are these guys ever going to learn?

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 08-14-2001 07:15 AM

Paul asked: "Are these guys ever going to learn?"

What kind of training has been provided? Are the people the problem, or the management?

The new SMPTE/BKSTS/ITEA Projection Manual is a good first step. Be sure to test them to be sure they learn.
http://www.smpte.org/smpte_store/books/
http://www.bksts.com/Images.PDF
http://www.bksts.com/training/project.htm
http://www.bksts.com/cinetec.htm

If the theatre circuit does not have a good internal training program, consider the program offered by Kodak:
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/screencheck/offer.shtml

What training is offered by the local union?

Tune these people into Film-Tech.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

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

posted 08-14-2001 12:30 PM

John, thanks for the tip. It is a new crew. So, I have to display tons of patience, I guess. If I could only get them to read the book....it would be so much nicer.

The big problem here is this theater is a manager/operator concept, (a tri-plex at that) and the personnel who run the projectors are also popcorn sales people. This always creates a problem that many of us have to work with somehow.

Paul

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-14-2001 01:47 PM

quote:
Being afraid he may have removed this "fan blade" that is mounted on this "axle" that sticks out in the back of this "camera", I went over to the theater today to check the shutter timing.

Paul: I hereby nominate the above as perhaps the funniest sentence to ever appear in the forum...it cracked me up!

Just last night I had a customer tell me on his way out of the theatre "that was really a good tape."

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

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

posted 08-14-2001 09:37 PM

Thanks, Mike.

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Randy Bowden
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 146
From: Portland, OR, USA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 08-15-2001 11:52 AM

Mark you are right on. Those springs have been known break or even just loose the ability to hold the framing cam tightly.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-15-2001 03:51 PM

I used to rebuild X-L's by the droves and always installed new retaining springs no matter what. You have to pull the movement to get at the lower one. After one all day trip just to adjust the old ones in an X-L that I had rebuilt, it just made sense to install new ones. I think they are a buck apiece.

Mike, I always love it when someone calls it "The Camera". Just something mysterious about that if you ask me. Perhaps those that refer to it that way are really from another planet. Its always politically correct to tell them that the film was shot using Panavision Projectors and Lenses. This way they leave the booth thinking they have really learned something.
Mark @GTS

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