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Author Topic: WATNED: Someone to fix my power supply Steve Scott Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1300 From: Minneapolis, MN Registered: Sep 2000 posted 02-05-2006 07:13 PM                     quote: Arrives in a compact Car...... He should have a well stocked van! FWIW, Tim Eilher from Bright Star used to drive a Ford Escort to service the 18-screen I worked for. Currently, TJ, one of their other techs drives a Dodge Magnum & also does great work in a great capacity. It's not the size, it's the gas mileage!  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-05-2006 09:59 PM                     quote: It's not the size, it's the gas mileage! Hardly, Its all about having the parts on hand when you're 400 miles away from the shop(common out here) so you can do your job efficiently! Its saves the customer $$ not having you around for days waiting for parts although this does happen occasionally! The Company Van I drive gets close to 20 mpg which is very reasonable. Its also stocked with so many parts that I could do complete rebuilds of any commonly used projector at any customers site. I also carry lamps, ignitors, blower motors, an arbor press, small lathe if needed, and all the normal test gear and hand tools. Personally, I would seriously question a dealer that is THAT worried about gas milage as to not have the normal stuff on hand when on site!  |  IP: Logged David Graham Rose Expert Film Handler Posts: 187 From: Cambridge, UK Registered: Sep 2002 posted 02-06-2006 01:56 AM                     Greetings I'd be out of business at 20mpg. Fuel over here is £1 per litre! David  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 02-06-2006 02:15 AM                        Bah, that's only 40% more. Compared to the distances travelled on this side of the pond you come out ahead.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-06-2006 07:59 AM                     You guys missed the line in my post that said we charge for driving time and mileage.... the mileage fee is based on gas prices at the time..... Thats why I wondered why any dealer would be so worried as to make their techs drive compact cars on service work.... It looks like that dealer is just too cheap to have the proper vehicles. Now I can see employees driving to work in their own vehicle(compact car of course!) and then heading out in the company truck or van. Also, if you're paying for your own gas while on service calls you have a serious problem with the structure of your business that needs some revision..... Customers always pay for transportation in just about any service type company weather you having your dishwasher, TV, or your projector repaired... Mark  |  IP: Logged Steve Scott Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1300 From: Minneapolis, MN Registered: Sep 2000 posted 02-06-2006 10:39 AM                     Mark, I belive it was those tech's choices to drive smaller cars, and maybe I should mention that the models in question were station wagons. With Bright Star it's never been a question as to whether or not the techs could carry all the necessary parts because, as emphasized earlier in this thread, I've always worked with B.S.S. while at theaters with service contracts and our company couriers (with cargo vans) were the ones to pickup the needed parts on a will-call basis. But with the territory you have to cover, a van would be absolutely essential. That & how some of the jobs that you've posted would make me hate to drive hundreds of miles back & forth as opposed to a metro-area beat with an in-town shop.  |  IP: Logged David Graham Rose Expert Film Handler Posts: 187 From: Cambridge, UK Registered: Sep 2002 posted 02-06-2006 01:28 PM                     Erm….Litre/Gallon. £1 per litre = $ 8 per gallon (ish).  |  IP: Logged Dave Macaulay Film God Posts: 2321 From: Toronto, Canada Registered: Apr 2001 posted 02-06-2006 03:34 PM                     Maybe a silly question, but what diode connection can come loose on a 61001 to reduce the lamp power? The bridge diodes have 10ga solid wires soldered to them. The blocking diode wire being loose wouldn't just drop the power without doing some local melting...  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-06-2006 04:57 PM                     quote: I belive it was those tech's choices to drive smaller cars, Steve, I've been there done that... 20 years ago I drove a Toyota Celica, then a dodge caravan(yuck!),then a Ford Aerostar stretch van, Then to a Dodge 2500 V-10, then to a Chevy S-10 Blazer, and now the Chevy van.... So I can certainly say from experience what works and what doesn't under ALL service situations. If my van is in the shop I will reluctantly take my KIA Sportage on trips..... although its a comfortable vehicle for me doing service work out of it is very restrictive and a pain in the ass! I use the same van for metro work as well as road trips, and it goes home with me nightly in case a theatre needs emergency service, or weekend service. I do calls 5 min from the shop and up to 500 to 600 miles away. Our service vans are indeed a smaller version of our main office and parts stock, with just aabout the same capability as working in our shop, mnus the machine tools. BSS doesn't sound like a very efficient outfit to me...... Station wagons certainly just don't cut it. I can remember the RCA Service guys in Chicago driving those shitbox Dodge K-cars and how they hated them. I'd certainly never work for any dealership were I stuck with a small car or wagon.... Thats pretty ludicrous and its just not a vehicle meant for serious service work! P.S. And yes, all the CLACO vans are outfitted with very comprehensive burgler alarms, electrical shocker devices, and flame throwers. Case in point..... Today I pulled out an entire water damaged booth to bring back to the shop to refurbish and re-install in the same theatre after its all rebuilt. I'd like to see them do that in a small wagon, how many extra trips or extra vehicles would that take them . Efficient a van is for this buisness no matter where you drive to. BTW: All of our techs drive vans.... Not just me...... The most efficient method of service reaps the most profit for both the theatre owner AND the service company and makes for happy repeat customers. quote: David Graham Rose Erm….Litre/Gallon. £1 per litre = $ 8 per gallon (ish). Then I would assume that your custmers are paying more for travel than for service.... quote: Dave Macaulay Maybe a silly question, but what diode connection can come loose on a 61001 to reduce the lamp power? Dave, I was thinking the exact same thing but I didn't want to be the one to raise the red flag..... but ok, I'll raise it a bit higher! What I usually find wrong in the 61000 series stuff is... bad blocking diode, or... bad rectifier stack diode,or... burnt up wiring, or.... burnt up power transformer. With a little luck some day soon they'll all burn up .. If I were in Josh's seat I would probably call Hadden and set up some sort of twice yearly service or a service contract. I think Louis does go into that area. Hadden is a top notch company and has ALOT better reputation than NCS. Mark  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 02-06-2006 05:44 PM                  quote: Mark Gulbrandsen And yes, all the CLACO vans are outfitted with very comprehensive burgler alarms, electrical shocker devices, and flame throwers. Cool!  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 02-06-2006 08:20 PM                        quote: David Graham Rose Erm….Litre/Gallon. £1 per litre = $ 8 per gallon (ish). I was actually comparing litres to litres, but used a rate for CDN dollars to euros and not pounds. So you pay twice as much with likely less than half the distance to go. You probably still come out ahead.  |  IP: Logged

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