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Topic: Burned Frames

Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 02-26-2002 09:25 PM

Fire shutters are an option on Simplex and Century for theatre projectors (standard on studio projectors) nowadays. I remember when they got omitted...they polled the dealers and said: "Price increase or omit the fire shutter" Well they decided to omit with the add option (-x3 on the order codes)...most have forgotten they exisited now! I believe the following year a price increase happened! How to set the Simplex fire shutter is something that baffles most technicians. It is actually quite cleaver and and be set to work perfectly without fear of it dropping into the picture but most techs don't get that there are about 5 points on the whole mechanism to be set for it to be reliable.

Euro projectors have normally had the changeover dowser do dual duty. Most Euro projectors have the douser held open electrically, if the the motor stops, the douser is let go. Even the AAII had this feature with it's centrifugal switch in the upper base.

Steve

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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

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

posted 02-26-2002 09:53 PM

A lot of the new simplexs don't have a fire shutter

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 02-27-2002 07:59 PM

All of the Westar's (Century) that are in my care have the centrifugal fire dowser. I just recently had to realign something like five of them (dropping into picture) because the last guy maintaining these machines didn't really know what he was doing. There's all sorts of oddities to correct.

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And, hey! Let's be careful out there.

~Manny.

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Barry Floyd
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1079
From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 02-28-2002 09:11 AM

I've had the fire shutter on my Simplex XL engage and drop down to block the light path to the gate. The problem is, I can't get it to reset and go back into it's normal position. Is there a trick to this or what?

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Barry Floyd
Floyd Entertainment Group
Nashville, Tennessee
(Drive-In Theatre - Start-Up)

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 02-28-2002 12:00 PM

Well...Not sure about the Simplex, but on the Century there is a set-screw that aligns the fire dowser to the shaft. Like just about any other screw, these can vibrate loose over time.

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And, hey! Let's be careful out there.

~Manny.

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Dave Macaulay
Film God

Posts: 2321
From: Toronto, Canada
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 02-28-2002 10:57 PM

Barry:
As already mentioned, there are several things that can mess up the fire shutter operation.
Adjustment is done in stages. First check the shutter assembly itself. The pivot points tend to wear, so the shutter might be sloppy on its pivot or the linkage might be sloppy.
Now check the actuating lever is free. Pry the governor open and check the arm travels freely.
The first setting is the governor clearance, via an eccentric adjuster on the oily side near the pivot. The arm should be above the governor pin just a bit when the governor is fully retracted (full proj speed). This eliminates wear on the pin or arm when the machine is at full speed. Too much clearance and the lever won't travel enough.
The 3 screws holding the operating side lever on the pivot pin have to be snug.
The lever travel and position is roughly set by turning the pivot shaft after loosening the setscrews in the back lever body.
Final adjustment is via the tiny adjusting plate on the gate end of the actuating lever. The shutter should cover the aperture when down, and clear the light cone when open.
The trip arm unit (a wire loop thingy that covers the upper loop) is almost undoubtedly been removed. It is for nitrate film safety and is a pontless annoyance in "safety film only" booths. If it is there and not a problem leave it, if it is the culprit take it out. completely.

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 03-01-2002 11:14 AM

And when Dave says completely....take out the operating shaft the wire-bail inserts into. It depends on the weight of the wire-bail to keep it in the non-tripped position. Once removed, I have found in some instances that the shaft rotated and was always on the verge of dropping the fire shutter.

Steve

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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"

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Pete Naples
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted 03-01-2002 12:44 PM

One of the favourite problems on the Westar fire shutter is the small plastic (tufnol??) pin on the weighted end of the fire shutter, this pin is in constant contact with the Watt-Governor assembly, it needs to be lightly greased occasionally, if not greased it wears, leaving a 'flat', which can make the fire-shutter jerky and sometimes jam altogether. Fortunately if it's worn you can usually turn it 90 degrees and get it working properly, remembering to grease the thing!
Another thing I've seen with a Westrex mech was a fire shutter that always seemed to leak light. I adjusted the weights, cleaned and lubed the mech, turned the pin, and finally took the whole shutter out for a look-see, guess what I found? Some dumbass had left the lamp on the back of the fire-shutter for, well quite some time, and burned a hole in the poor thing.

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Charles Everett
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1470
From: New Jersey
Registered: May 2001

posted 03-01-2002 03:01 PM

Time to get this thread back on topic.

Burned frames? Why not? Do it with any Miramax "Oscar Bait" picture (The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love, Life is Beautiful, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, In the Bedroom). Better yet, do it on "Ghetto Tuesday" in a dollar house equipped with a Smart-Mod IIC pumping out rap music.

Hey, for 50 cents you can't go wrong.

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Matthew Bailey
Master Film Handler

Posts: 461
From: Port Arthur,TX
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 03-01-2002 07:40 PM

If your Simplex is not equipped with a fire shutter,remove the governor from the vertical shaft & install a shaft collar in place.
This is what I did with my Simplex 1014.

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