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Topic: who uses motor-generators?

Jack Ondracek
Film God

Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 05-12-2003 07:26 PM

We used Hobart generators at the drive-ins I grew up with. In both cases, I think they were part of turnkey RCA/Brenkert/Ashcraft installs. I don't see much (any) mention of them here. Was this brand not one of the popular models?

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

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

posted 05-12-2003 08:41 PM

Hobart was not quite as poplar as Hertner or Lincoln, but they were a good MG set. I have seen a few, and run a few.

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Jack Ondracek
Film God

Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 05-12-2003 09:15 PM

quote:
from Paul...
Hobart was not quite as poplar as Hertner or Lincoln, but they were a good MG set. I have seen a few, and run a few

This ought to be familiar then, eh?

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Bernard Tonks
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 619
From: Cranleigh, Surrey, England
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 05-13-2003 05:00 AM

Stephen wrote re: Ross Scenograph at the Odeon, Leicester Square.

quote:
Do you know if it is still there, or did it get dumped during the last refurbishment, a few years ago? If It is, I might write to them and ask if I can have a look at it. The only pictures I have seen of it are the two on Hugh's site, and they don't show any great detail. I've only heard of one other being installed, but I can't remember where that was.

Stephen, I almost answered your question in an earlier post as follows:

Not sure if the Odeon ever use the Ross Scenograph, or remember how it differs from the Brenograph. Last time I saw it was over three years ago, and there was a large plate glass effects disc broken.

Added: I can also tell you that, it was definitely there after the last refurbishment!
__________________________________________________________

Stephen also wrote,

quote:
Bernard, I wouldn't have recognised you from that photograph!

At that time I was the youngest chief projectionist in the West End. I was also the poorest paid chief in the West End as I worked for FOX. Things did improve though, and I had the best 35 hour week shift system in London. Normally the staff changed with the Movietone News. I kept my crew for the five years I was there.

Just to mention for interest. There was a massive spotlight room with four carbon spotlights above the projection room of the Carlton. The ceiling opened, but was never used since 1928, the rake was awesome!!! Can’t remember the make of the spotlights, possibly ‘Brenkert’, I remember being disappointed they were not Stelmar's.

Poor picture of the Ross Scenograph. Slides and effects, also a water-cell, are carried on the stages of the lanterns. A four- lens turret is provided for each lantern, and the light is reflected by the adjustable mirrors to any part part of the stage.

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Stephen Furley
Film God

Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002

posted 05-13-2003 08:51 AM

Bernard,

Different construction, flat bars rather than round ones and castings, wheels, rather than crank handles to rack the lamphouse, bigger fume 'spouts', but, in functional terms, it looks almost identical to the Brenograph.

Pity it's not still working at the Odeon, if there was any chance of getting it repaired I think they would have done it when the place was refurbished.

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Gerard S. Cohen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 975
From: Forest Hills, NY, USA
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 05-13-2003 12:41 PM

The Forest Hills Theatre, Queens, NY, had a power room containing an Orgoblow and next to it, what looked to me like the outer shell of a massive motor-generator with the armature removed. The field coils contained copper wire of such thickness, that by using a bending jig and hacksaw, I made several copper chains, one of which I still use to suspend a large Yankee bird feeder from a hemlock tree in my backyard.

When the theatre was twinned, the power room was sealed off by a wall. Then the theatre was demolished, all except the facade,
which was landmarked, and replaced by a drugstore below and a Staples office supply store above. Sic transit gloria.

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Jean-Michel Grin
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 222
From: Geneva & Lausanne, Switzerland
Registered: Jul 2002

posted 05-13-2003 04:14 PM

On a tiny theater in a little town in Switzerland, one of the two DC-Generator was out of order and it was too expensive to fix them.
My chief and I replaced this vintage generator by an Irem rectifier.
The projectionist told us. "Hey guys; the light is beter than ever since You replaced this old generator"
For the story the projectionist here din't have any ideas how to make maintenance on a DC generator.... and even how to adjust the curent rating trought the xenon lamp [Smile]

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William Hooper
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1879
From: Mobile, AL USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-15-2003 12:57 AM

quote:
The Forest Hills Theatre, Queens, NY, had a power room containing an Orgoblow and next to it, what looked to me like the outer shell of a massive motor-generator with the armature removed.

The Spencer Steel Orgoblo for theatre organ installations invariably had the generator for the organ's power mounted on an extension of the skids upon which the blower was constructed. The generator was turned via a belt running from a pulley on the blower motor on the front extension of the fan shaft.

The Forest Hills had a Style D Wurlitzer, which is 2 manuals, 6 ranks, & likely had a small-ish, 7 to 10 hp blower.

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 05-15-2003 06:27 AM

quote:
The Forest Hills Theatre, Queens, NY, had a power room containing an Orgoblow...

Shouldn't this be in the topic called 'Stupid sexual enhancement device, could be dangerous'? [Big Grin]

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Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1776
From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular.
Registered: Aug 1999

posted 05-15-2003 08:22 AM

The first time I read the name Spencer Orgoblo, my mind went straight to the gutter. Then I read on...

The Spencer Turbine Company produced thousands of air-power systems for the pipe organ industry. I think they are still in business...

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Jim Spohn
Film Handler

Posts: 95
From: Bakersfield, CA, USA
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 05-15-2003 10:06 AM

The Spencer Turbine Company is alive and well making central-vacuum systems and and air-tube delivery systems. Unfortunatly they havent made an Orgo-blo since 1943. I have several Orgoblo blowers, from 3/4 H.P to 25 H.P. Their web site is www.spencerturbine.com Although they no longer produce blowers for organs, I had this girlfriend that.......Jim

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-15-2003 11:10 AM

So when will Joe write a review of the Spencer Orgoblo? If nothing else, it certainly has one of the best product names of all time.

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Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 05-15-2003 04:29 PM

quote:
We used Hobart generators at the drive-ins I grew up with. Was this brand not one of the popular models?

Unless I'm mistaken, Hobarts were sold under the MGC (Motor Generator Corp.) name? There were quite a few of them that I remember in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and Indiana drive-ins. They performed well. Although, as Paul noted, Hertner Transverters were more popular.

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Jack Ondracek
Film God

Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 05-15-2003 05:15 PM

quote:
Unless I'm mistaken, Hobarts were sold under the MGC (Motor Generator Corp.) name?

That's possible. The MGC logo is on a red plate in the middle of the current control knob (see above), and also on the serial plate below the control. The generator itself just has the Hobart name on it. It looks like it could have been adapted from a welder, with the addition of a fan in the center of the shaft blowing through a ballast, mounted on the side.

Having seen electic & gasoline welders made by this company, along with the arc generators at the drive-ins I grew up around, it was a little unsettling to see their name on the first electric dishwasher our family bought... back around 1962... sort of like considering that you could buy an ice machine or a crane from Manitowoc!

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Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 05-15-2003 07:45 PM

quote:
it was a little unsettling to see their name on the first electric dishwasher our family bought

I'll bet that created a feeling of deja vu! I think you're right about the welders.

There's still one of the big sets in the Kenwood D/I booth, in Louisville. 350 or 400 amps, something like that. I believe that particular unit has both Hobart and MGC plates on it, but it would be a few decades newer than most.

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