In reference to the "Stupid" platter (as everyone calls them) those are the only platters I've ever seen where the decks are not flat, but like a dinner plate turned upside down! I guess the designer built them at NASA under low gravity conditions. I'm always amazed the film stays on the platters as well as it does.

Seriously, you need to visit the compactor behind your theater in regards to the Super platters. To answer your question, they are made by Cinema Film Systems and I have never serviced one...just seen them in booths and ran a few. They are the biggest platter joke the industry has ever had. Please send me pics of them if you can (at least one shot level with the deck to show the ridiculous slope) for placement on the Picture Warehouse for others to enjoy.

In regards to timing, you want those suckers to run as slow as possible, while still being able to take up the start of a new show. Generally 25RPM at full throttle is ideal for most platters. I'll bet though, your motors are not grabbing the platter good enough and are slipping, letting the elevator roller drop way down and then as it finally grabs hold of the platter, gets going so fast that it slams into the top of the elevator.

Just for kicks, try this tomorrow. After you've threaded your film, go to the takeup platter and manually spin it clockwise as far as it will go before the elevator drops enough to kick in the motor again. By doing this, the platter will start immediately WITH the projector instead of letting the projector get up to full speed while the elevator roller is going down towards the spot where the motor will kick in.

See if you can find any information printed anywhere on them. If not, send a picture and I'll post it. Someone is bound to have worked with them and can offer advice. Good luck.
 

Second, I recently put in an older Strong platter (don't know the actual model number, but it has the on/off microswitch in a removable brain) and have timed it in this manner for what it's worth.

Turn the top and middle platters to rewind. Raise the elevator all the way up. Loosen the allen screw and rotate the shaft behind it. You want it to be turned as far as possible in the off position, where the platters do not spin. Then, turn it ever so slightly in the opposite direction and retighten the allen. Failure to give it a little extra play may result in the elevator hitting top at some point and slipping on the variac.

Next, put the elevator in the lower hole in the center of it's travel. Notice the speed of the two decks. They should be as close as possible to each other. If not, I recommend slowing down the faster one to match the slower one. Then, repeat with the center and bottom platter. Note: on a 5 deck platter, leave the center running all the time and adjus the other 4 to match that speed.

To "time" these platters, you actually move the motor! No turnscrew here. Turn the motor to be timed off and disengage it. Loosen the two mounting bolts and raise it to slow down the deck, lower it to speed it up. Usually only 1/16 inch will make a pretty big differrence. Personally, I like these to go pretty slow!

Third, (and it should've been earlier) check the drive belts. If they're shot, replace them. An alternative trick is to use Permacel Gaffer's tape. This tape is like duct tape, but is not slick and is very rough. It can be placed on the under side of the platter where the motor runs to get better traction as an emergency measure. You can find it at your local Panavision store.

The used platter I recently intalled "almost" crinkled the leader in the fashion you mentioned. After timing the decks in the above manner, it runs fine. Give it a shot.

I am also looking into a modification to slow those payout decks down. Will post info once I am sure about the specifics.

And thank you Rich Peterson for sending me the Strong literature I did not have!

 

To time the platter you do adjust the motor tension aginst the disk as Brad mentioned, but the more precise way to do this is with the two Allen head bolts just above the motor assembly, you tighten them to decrease speed, and loosen them to increase speed. Usually you adjust both bolts together rather than just cranking away on one of them. These adjustments should be made with the accumulator locked in the middle position. They will work best set for between 20 and 27 RPM with the accumulator in the center position ( as it drops the speeds increase and vice versa)

Another weak point on these platters although rare, is the micro switch will wear out and quit working, causing the platter to always run in full speed mode while feeding, ultimately leading to a nasty brainwrap. Obtain similar sized microswitches from an electronics supply house and replace them if necessary. You may have to modify the switch's actuatinmg arm to properly function if you don't use an exact switch.

As for the rubber tires on the motor rollers: These are standard Kirby vacuum cleaner belts that slip onto the wheels. I have found that the Kirby 'heavy-duty' belts ( the ones with the tread on them as opposed to the smooth ones) last FAR longer than the smooth type, at the cost of a little more noise as the platter operates. Get these belts from any vacuum dealer that carries Kirby parts, its MUCH cheaper than trying to get them from a cinema dealer or from CFS directly!

Hope this will help!

Aaron
Super Platter Guru...
 

If you want a manual, I can run one off for you if you'll give me a snail mail address.
I think the manual was about 50 pages long including the parts list.

By the way, the ones my friend has are running perfectly!