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Author Topic: Super Simplex / RCA 1040 / Peerless Magnarc Restoration Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-19-2006 10:18 PM                     quote: Louis Bornwasser Me, too. My reference projector is a straight gated Super Simplex. There is one better Super Simplex out there... add a set of LaVezzi Posi-Trol sprockets to one and you will become stunned by the incredible steadiness! Imagine a Super with absolutly no side weave at all, even on worn prints! Most of your customers still running them plan on keeping them as long as they can. Mark  |  IP: Logged Tim Hull Film Handler Posts: 11 From: Chatsworth, California, USA Registered: Dec 2004 posted 01-20-2006 02:51 PM                        Would anyone know of a theater in southern california (los angeles area hopefully) where they are still operating super simplex projectors? I would really like to see them in operation. Thanks! Tim  |  IP: Logged John Eickhof Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 588 From: Wendell, ID USA Registered: Jan 2000 posted 01-20-2006 03:24 PM                        Loius, I can't agree with you more! My favorite projector still has the be a nice quiet gloss black Super! And a pleasure to repair too! Good maching back in those days!! Tim, Last time I was downtown ( 1995 or so) the Los Angeles was running Supers with Peerless HyCandescent lamps! Also there were a couple more large spanish houses on Broadway running Supes The Warner theatre in Port Hueneme also has a pair in operation, plus some houses in the Santa Ana area. (spanish)Its been too many years since I worked in that neck of the woods..  |  IP: Logged Sean Weitzel Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 619 From: Vacaville, CA (1790 miles west of Rockwall) Registered: Dec 1999 posted 01-20-2006 07:08 PM                     Last time I was at the Bridge Theater in San Francisco, they were running a pair of Supers. One was paired with an AW3 for the feature and one was running the house trailers reel to reel.  |  IP: Logged Will Kutler Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1506 From: Tucson, AZ, USA Registered: Feb 2001 posted 01-20-2006 07:19 PM                     I was always tought that Supers and E-7s were not designed for continuous (platter) operation due to the type of construction (bearing surfaces and gears). Can Mark G. or John E. please elorborate? Cheers K  |  IP: Logged Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 01-20-2006 08:02 PM                     Tim: The Fox Theatre in Pomona ran supers until the day it closed. The city has bought the theatre to restore it. I don't know if the job is done and opened. The machines there were equipped to run a two film system (seperate sound and picture for previews).  |  IP: Logged Dave Macaulay Film God Posts: 2321 From: Toronto, Canada Registered: Apr 2001 posted 01-20-2006 10:04 PM                     The SS or E7 would be a poor choice for a booth with platters if you have the "booth usher" operators of today. Both machines managed to put in many years of service in changeover houses though, and there really isn't any difference between running a half hour vs 2 hours at a time; you just get half the total hours per machine with a c/o setup. If you have a Projectionist who does the proper maintenance and keeps them lubricated they'll run off platters fine. Try and find someone who will do that work for minimum wage though... I'm not suggesting anyone try and use these antiques for a real working theatre, but for a screening room or occasional use venue they're fine - until something unobtainable breaks.  |  IP: Logged Paul Trimboli Master Film Handler Posts: 274 From: Perth Western Australia Registered: Dec 2002 posted 01-20-2006 10:56 PM                     Tim I have just restored a Simplex Standard head and RCA 1050, see if you can find yourself the 1050 motors with flywheels as it makes for a much smoother startup. The mounting bracket is also different, I only had a 1040 motor mounting bracket so I had to modify the motor cradle to get it to fit. If you were to put these into operation just make sure you stock up on the heads so if you ever need a spare you can just take it from a wreck. If you plan on upgrading the soundheads to stereo you will need to find a new style slit lens. I have actually had one of these slit lens to peices and wonder if its possible to just have a new slit apature made?  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-20-2006 11:06 PM                     quote: Dave Macaulay The SS or E7 would be a poor choice for a booth with platters if you have the "booth usher" operators of today. I couldn't disagree more. We have at least 2 dozen Supers located all over the place running in all sorts of situation on platters, double muts, and reels, and a couple of E-7's as well. I never have to service any of them except for normal cleaning. Oil them once a day and they last for ever! For some reason the age of these machines creates an aura in these booths that speak "oil me regularly". They are basically zero trouble. Paul is dead on about the flywheel equipped motor! Mark  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 01-21-2006 01:35 AM                     Mark, on the E-7's: The oblique gear-heard that this is why the E-7 isn't the correct machine to use with platter systems due to the gear is only designed for 20 minute operation - as with the reel changeover operation. Heard that Supers aren't made for Drive-in operation due to that the casting can't withstand the excessive heat from the large lamps... ..but could be in err on both accounts.. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Paul Trimboli Master Film Handler Posts: 274 From: Perth Western Australia Registered: Dec 2002 posted 01-21-2006 03:11 AM                     I know here in Western Australia Simplex Standards were common in drive-ins, fitted with water cooling. Mine has the water cooling plate that screws into the back of the gate assy. There was a local guy called Bernard Hartland that made heavy duty fronts and rear shutter for the Standards, he also made a large range of other projection equipment.  |  IP: Logged Bob Koch Expert Film Handler Posts: 183 From: williams ca Registered: Nov 2001 posted 01-21-2006 01:25 PM                     Monte is correct on the E7. Had a very good intermittent[ no taper pins], first one with a cam end play adj; Supers could be modified for it; but the oblique drive setup for the shutter;[ remember this originally had front and rear shutters] was an absolute disaster. I dont know about their engineering dept designing anything for thirty minute operation. You could prolong the life somewhat, by running the framing carriage in a different position but who in todays world could be entrusted to do that. Later IPC came out with a vertical shaft mod to eliminate the oblique mistake but they werent all that great either.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-21-2006 02:32 PM                     quote: Monte L Fullmer The oblique gear-heard that this is why the E-7 isn't the correct machine to use with platter systems due to the gear is only designed for 20 minute operation - as with the reel changeover operation. It all comes down to proper lubrication. There are not many oblique machines around, most were vconverted to the verticle shaft type mechanism a long long time age but a few have survived. There is an Oblique E-7 feeding from an LP-270 in Big Timber Montana that runs like it was new. There were also many Supers in Drive Inns but most have been removed to gain more light efficiency with conical shutter machines. The Super is not the best in that department. I never encountered one that couldn't take the heat, at least for running hour reels. Mark  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 01-21-2006 03:01 PM                     quote: Bob Koch You could prolong the life somewhat, by running the framing carriage in a different position but who in todays world could be entrusted to do that. On a side topic of this: This is exactly what I do with any projector - is to have the frame carriage in the middle of the rotation or travel. I tell the "booth clowns" this so if they get caught with and out-of-frame start (and it's apparent that they don't like to listen to what I teach them on how to set the intermittent to avoid such poor starts...) to have the assembly in the middle of the travel. Also, I tell them, since we're running the "XL" chassis machines (PR-1050's) that the intermittent assembly receives the best oiling with the assembly in the middle of the rotation. I agree as well with the oblique E-7's: I've ran a few for quite a while and really had no problems with that setup as long the lubrication is always present on those two small fibre gears. I bet that the one unit that Mark mentioned - the operator/manager is hitting the pump lever one shot each hour to keep that assembly wet. -Monte  |  IP: Logged John Eickhof Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 588 From: Wendell, ID USA Registered: Jan 2000 posted 01-23-2006 12:54 PM                        Hi Mark, thanks for the compliment! I overhauled the Big Timber E7 about 7 years ago! The supers seem to run great on platters as well as the E-7. The problem with the obique E-7 is that in the good old days with a competent projectionist, the framing knob was seldomly used, thus the sliding steel gear ( G-358?) on the shutter compensator would eventually wear out in one spot and so would the 'acorn' gear ( G-297 )thus when framing was needed the worn 'acorn' would tread against the fresh teeth as the steel gear was moved while framing and pow! It would shave the teeth off the acorn gear! Thus the biggest problem when running platters is the fact that both gears wear and people who would 'repair' or 'rebuild' the heads never replaced the steel gear and it would wear out the acorn gear like mad! Or if the steel gear WAS replaced, the proper shim packs were not installed on the obilque shaft to correctly align the acorn gear, and the backlash would be adjusted by the movement vertically of the acorn gear. ( which is NOT the way to do it!) If you compare the oblique shaft E-7 (with nice gears) to a brand new Vertical shaft conversion the gear backlash from the intermittent to the shutter is way less on the oblique. Otherwise like Mark said, if you oil 'em and keep 'em clean, these old machines will outlast anything of late and with a smoother and steadier picture too! Monte: All enclosed intermittents that rotate on axis when filled to the indicator lines with oil will lubricate equally no matter the relation to level. The oil gallies and rifling of shafts ensures proper lubrication regardless of rotational position as long as the oil level is correct. As for the XL, the oil drips in between the G-1836 gear and the flywheel gear and they act as an 'oil pump' to force feed oil into the intermittent case, thus it too will be eqaully lubricated no matter what position it is in as long as there is oil feeding into it, plus the XL case has a reservoir that holds enough oil in it even if the flow stops. I had an XL I bought blind from S. Carolina years ago,that NEVER HAD PROJECTOR OIL PUT IN IT! The guy was used to Century projectors and left the rear cover off and lubricated the gears with vasoline and dripped a few drops of oil into the intermittent along the G-1836 shaft and it ran fine for over 12 years untill the pin on the star became so flat it was banging like a jack-ass in a tin barn! And the picture became jumpy (so he replaced it with anew machine!) Anyway, it shows how much abuse a machine can take !! The only other problem with that head was the galded oil pump! It was still spinning though! Needless to say after I cleaned it and replaced bearings, oil pump parts and rebuilt the intermittent, it was perhaps the quietest "Jerry Lewis' vintage XL (Early PR-1014 hammertone blue) I have ever seen!  |  IP: Logged

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