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Author Topic: Who produced the most 70mm projectors? Greg Mueller Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1687 From: Port Gamble, WA Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-17-2003 03:44 PM                        I have DP70 serial # tag #2043 which was a parts machine, so unless they started with a number other than one...... Here's a DTS bracket I built about 4 years ago for a guy (I know it's not threaded properly) I never used this set up preferring to restore the mag head and build another bracket which fits where the upper fire trap attached.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 05-17-2003 05:22 PM                     Steve, Yes...one of the doors has the Cinerama Inc. plate on it, the other you can see where it used to be. Steve  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-18-2003 10:08 AM                     Steve G., Its easy to tell if they were 3 strip machines. Remove the dovetail and see if there is a plate that has been inlaid into the main frame casting to re-position the mounting holes for the dovetail, the inlaid plate is about half the thickness of the normal center wall thickness. This can also be seen from the back side if you remove the fire shutter housing. Some fire shuter housings also still had the slot in them where the arm for the giggilo passed through to connect to the cam on the shutter shaft. The fact that they have C/L problems to me is another clue since 35mm Cinerama heads were made to work on C/L. One of your heads may be a converted head and the other might not be..... The H style gates and traps were the very first type and probably 99% of them eventually were replaced with the latter band style. Have never seen either a JJ or 70mm Cinerama head still using the older type gates and traps. They suck! The 35mm Cinerama trap has a solid flat H shaped runner with a large opening in it mounted on a typical screw down cast iron casting. The gigilo/water cell were directly behind the trap and the giggilos actually poked through the runner almost touching the edges of the film. Greg, We went what we thought would be the better route for the DTS mounting plate. I also simplified it greatly and had to machine but two parts to make them, all work being done in our machine shop. The final plates are powder coated white to match the interior of the re-finished projectors. It seemed a waste to me that you were not using the top feed sprocket with your adaptor plate and taking into consideration the amount of come and go problems many still experience reading time code in general, we decided to make use of the top feed sprocket as well as the original roller and tension arm. So its now completely isolated from any interference that can be caused by film transport devices, or static problems in the booth. We can also mount either the 35, or 70mm DTS time code reader and change over to either one in less than a minute. The threading path is also just about the same as it was through the mag stuff as is the bypass path past the reader and top sprocket. In this theatres case there are 6 screens equipped with DTS, and 2 screens with DA-20/BACP penthouses. Adapting the necessary parts off of the BACP penthouse....camera, LED, rotary stabilizer, and tight loop rollers is the next step and it will also be incorporated into the DP70 on future installs but we are rebuilding 10 DP'70s right now and time is at a premium. I guess we're upholding Phillips claim that the DP-70 is the most modern projector capable of running ANY current theatrical film format. There will also not be any problems of reaching up high enough to thread through a maze of penthouses stacked on top of the machine!! Mark P.S. These 10 machines will get the first 10 BACP analog LED conversion kits produced..... Watch for an upcomming review on this.  |  IP: Logged Greg Mueller Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1687 From: Port Gamble, WA Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-18-2003 11:21 AM                        When I designed it, I went for the maximum in adjustments, not knowing how the end user might want to apply it. I like lots of adjustments on stuff so I can do what I want with it. I also designed it to give the impression of massiveness that the rest of the projector has. After deciding not to use an interior bracket, I built this one which mounts right where the firetrap normally does  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 05-18-2003 11:30 AM                     Think the FP-75E wins in the most modern projector that can run any of the modern formats...Both DTS and magnetic formats are available at the same time for 70mm. Dolby digital is within the normal projection film path for 35mm and rivals any penthouse for tracking. Steve  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-18-2003 12:09 PM                     Steve, Absolutely agree that its a neato machine, but I still cringe on the 75E's with that 20K plus servo motor being in there(Larry quoted the exact price last year on a thread here, sorry can't remember it) and yes, they have had some problems with them. A brand new DP70 movement is still available for less than 6K off the shelf if in fact one is ever needed at all when running 35mm. I just went through and cleaned and serviced 12 DP70 movements that were 40 plus years old that had basically no wear at all to the cam pin and slot in the star!! We are updating and getting rid of the old style loading spring on the drive gear and replacing it with the later double split spacer when we find the old style spring. Show me a U.S. built projector that can equal the wear abilitles of this machine, the stuff we build over here is crap by comparison! Interestingly the DP-70 star is not all that large either, Philips obviously had the machinists, and knowledgable metalurgists that knew what they were doing. The radial cut star and cam surfaces are also much less prone to wear. I had one movement with starwheel number 22 inside it....still in like new condition...... The star in my machine at home turns out to be #99. The one shown here is a bit later in production, have seen them into the 600 range so far. The cam pin is also ecentrically adjustable for EXACT alignment with the slot. With having the 35mm runners re-ground by Kinoton, or by using James Bond's new style runner, the picture steadiness is as good or better than the electronic machine, or other 35/70 projectors would be under normal day in and day out operation. And the shear weight also speaks for itself with the lens mount assembly alone being as heavy as an X-L projector head is, the weight alone also makes for steadier pictures on large screens.... at least thats true if the floor to the booth is properly done!! It has also been very econimical for our customers that use them. About all they ever buy are gate bands and an occasional sprocket and the projectionists really love these machines. Mark  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-18-2003 01:33 PM                     The DP70's failing is it doesn't allow for shortfocus lens scope vignets under 50mm  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-18-2003 02:49 PM                     There are ways to mofity it for that but it requires removal of part of the main casting, and welding a section back in place...which fortunately can be done in this day and age. Never had to do it but there is a contingincy plan in place just in case. Mark  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-18-2003 09:27 PM                        Mark--for what it's worth, the JJ in cinema #1 at the GCC/AMC Chestnut Hill (pics in the gallery) still has the old-style "H"-type gate and trap. The 35mm picture is amazingly sharp and steady, with even focus from corner to corner (and center). On a side note, the early-model Century SAs at the Williamsburg Theatre (also has pics in the gallery) had "H"-style gates/traps when I worked there about five years ago and we occasionally had issues with them (uneven focus, primarily). They have since been replaced with the current design.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 05-18-2003 10:08 PM                     Mark, my statement stands based on the original criteria. I never claimed that an electronic intermittent would outlast a pure mechanical one, such as the DP70. However, as to steadiness...I wouldn't be too sure on the DP70 topping the FP-75E...With the FP-75E you can go down the screen with a laptop and dial out jump caused by the projector and its components. The FP-75E will win also on that both the optical 35mm and magnetic 70mm share the SAME centerline...thus when the lamphouse is aligned, it is aligned for both. Steve  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 05-19-2003 08:43 AM                    No more lens shifting? Offset 35mm sprocket teeth and other components is something that should have been done a long time ago. Easier to shift for the rare 4-track or silent 35mm print and leave the 2 gauges appropriately centered for their most common usage. Are the reel shafts set up for a 50 mil offset or is that too trivial to worry about at the reels?  |  IP: Logged

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