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Topic: What's the most effective way to clean an SDDS reader?

Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 09-04-2004 10:52 AM

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
With the 2000 it doesn't matter how you thread em.... the sprockets still wear out as they are just bare alumnium(stupid Sony!)

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
nor is there much that you can do to improve what you call tracking which is somewhat of a false saying.

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
Sony could have utilized a bit lighter spring in the tight loop but beyond that there is little one can do to make things any more readable.

Ok I'm gonna call bullshit on these 3 points Mark.

We ran Toy Story II for over 6 months at UA Galaxy, 6 shows a day on Christie projectors (which you know are the roughest on film) with FilmGuard and SDDS 2000 systems. I ran a QC in #9 on opening day, and on the last day I moved it back to #9 (the system had not been touched during that time) and it tracked better. I did the same demo with Episode I among other films expected to run for a long time. This never failed.

And for the record, we threaded up with zero tension on the 2000 series readers. The UA tech at the time would throw his typical temper tantrum about the way we threaded at that theater yelling that it couldn't work that way, but we were also the only theater in his region that did not have SDDS problems or any noticeable sprocket wear to the penthouse or prints (given new leds or after I started to align the readers myself as they needed it). Indeed when we DID thread with tension "to the red line", we would start seeing dropouts...coupled of course with that horrible sprocket buzzing.

One of these days someone on here is going to listen to me about threading those in that fashion and see the light.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-04-2004 03:47 PM

"Indeed when we DID thread with tension "to the red line", we would start seeing dropouts...coupled of course with that horrible sprocket buzzing."

If they were buzzing then the sprockets were already undercut.... and it doesn't take much undercutting of the teeth to get em to buzz. A new sprocket weather its hard coated or not does not nmake any buzzing sound. Of the 30 or so readers I've rebuilt in the shop I've seen no difference in data quality as to the tension of the film unless its way too loose.
I guess Texas is just the optimum place on the planet for all data on film digital systems...... I have to say that it was more likely the Filmguard that saved the day.

Mark

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 09-04-2004 04:43 PM

I find that hard to believe (regarding new sprockets buzzing). I was working for UA when they went on their SDDS purchasing craze and ALL of the new installations buzzed at every location I went to. I have also done openings and installations at other companies that purchased SDDS on some or all of their screens and again, brand new out of the box from the Sony factory...they all buzzed when threaded per spec.

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Michael Schaffer
"Where is the
Boardwalk Hotel?"

Posts: 4143
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Apr 2002

posted 09-04-2004 05:07 PM

Brad is right. The sprockets all buzzed right out of the box, that's a known fact.

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