Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Speed Winding Speco LP 280

This is topic Speed Winding Speco LP 280 in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Colin Wiseley (Member # 247) on 03-14-2000, 07:06 AM:

Anyone know a trick to make a Speco LP 280 run faster when speed winding? In order to get ours to run at a decent speed I have to manually hold up the tension roller and control the payout arm which isn't too
comfortable after awhile and is still pretty slow. Our old Superplatter (now in retirement) would spin fast enough to fling the film across the room if you let it, and it had a handy stop for the tension roller so you didn't have to hold on to it. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

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Colin Wiseley
Lyric Theatre
Blacksburg, VA www.thelyric.com

[This message has been edited by Colin Wiseley (edited 03-14-2000).]

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 03-14-2000, 09:37 AM:

I always just stuck an object at the bottom of the elevator so it would run almost 100% speed. Worked great.

Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 03-14-2000, 11:19 AM:

Brad's right. I usually cut off paint stirrers at the appropriate length and stick it under there until the proper speed is achieved.

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"All right, brain. You don't like me and I don't like you, but let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer." - Homer Simpson

Posted by Colin Wiseley (Member # 247) on 03-14-2000, 12:14 PM:

Thanks for the tips. I guess my biggest complaint is that the Speco seems a lot slower then the SuperPlatter. I guess I just miss it

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Colin Wiseley
Lyric Theatre
Blacksburg, VA
www.thelyric.com

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-14-2000, 03:54 PM:

>>"Anyone know a trick to make a Speco LP 280 run faster when speed winding? In order to get ours to run at a decent speed I have to manually hold up the tension roller and control the payout arm which isn't too
comfortable after awhile and is still pretty slow. Our old Superplatter (now in retirement) would spin fast enough to fling the film across the room if you let it, and it had a handy stop for the tension roller so you didn't have to hold on to it. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!"<<

Don't take this as an endorsement of practice but...

Use the MUT as your speed control of the T-U platter and adjust so that the payout platter can keep up.

Steve

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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 03-14-2000, 04:23 PM:

I put an pencil, or something else at the bottom of the yo-yo (take-up control) to keep it just above the cut-off switch. The SPECO has a 3-way control... All the way right = OFF... All the way left = 100%... In the middle = yo-yo controls the speed.

I hook up the make-up table and use the speed control knob on it. (Put the take-up platter in Make-up mode.) The pencil keeps the yo-yo just high enough to give you that middle speed for the pay-out platter.

Posted by Colin Wiseley (Member # 247) on 03-15-2000, 01:55 PM:

Using the MUT is something I'd never would have thought of. What a great idea! I'll have to give it a try next time.

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Colin Wiseley
Lyric Theatre
Blacksburg, VA
www.thelyric.com

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 03-15-2000, 02:05 PM:

I have used the mut to drive the platter when the variac has failed rather than spining it by hand

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-15-2000, 05:48 PM:

>>"I have used the mut to drive the platter when the variac has failed rather than spining it by hand"<<

Heck, on the LP-270 (SPECO) the MUT variac and the T-U variac are the same part so one can replace the other in a pinch!

Steve

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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 03-15-2000, 10:28 PM:

That's how the one make up table that we use for a crash cart got started! On opening night (of the entire theatre) one platter blew a variac. We robbed it from the MUT. Then we needed a roller here and a screw there, etc, etc. Now, it's completely stripped down to bare bones!