What's even worse is that when careless people thread up they will chop right through the leaders sprocket holes with the sharp corner of the film gate. I do like the new simplex two part film gate, but i prefer the older style with the two buttons. I know its just a minor issue, but when you have to deal with these damn things on a daily basis.... its just overall bad design.
 

We have those- they seem to work OK, but not great. Maybe there's too much tension on the film? Like the curved runners are pressing it too far. (Even when the band tension adjustment is set to it's lowest setting.) It takes some fiddling to position the gate (relative to the trap) in alignment and not have the gate (film runners) push in on the film too far. There are three allen cap screws holding it in.

We do have that same problem with the gate chopping film when it's closed. Ours was chopping little rectanglar "bites" at the trap lateral guide roller. If the film is being cut lower at the studio guide, I would think that is carelessness, which is harder to overcome than any mechanial problem.

The lateral guide roller should stay fixed on the soundtrack side, but spring out on the other side. On ours, it rusted slightly (a bunch of steel parts rust on Simplexes) so it didn't spring out. When the gate is closed, the curved runners force the film in at the top, chopping it. It's got to be cleaned out.

<slight rant mode on> of problems with the newer Simplex gate area

Our Simplexes are the PR1060 with 2-lens turrets, about 5 years old, so that's the model I'm talking about.

They removed the upper feed sprocket film stripper, just to run a wire. Someone must have really been high that day. It's was bad enough not to have a stripper with acetate film, but now with polyester, it's crazy.

The (2) #4 screws holding in the gate hinge pin (P-7812) loosen up constantly. I finally got longer screws, and added split-lockwashers and nuts to prevent loosening.

The lateral guide roller (G-4435, P-4166) rusts, as described. The expense the manufacturer saved by not using stainless steel is now being borne many times over at theaters through maintenance.

The gate latch lever (P-7801) has a shoulder screw to hold it, but allow it turn free (to open the gate.) The hole in the latch was not bored deep enough. If you tighten screw to keep it from falling out, the latch is held and won't pivot. All 7 of our projectors are like this, and other operators tell me the same thing about their projectors.

The aperture plate was plated a silver-color, which corrodes and prevents it from sliding. Big annoyance. I know the manufacturer no longer plates them, but dealers want to unload their inventory, so we still get stuck with one occasionally. I wire brush them to get the plating off, but have to do it very carefully because that heats and warps them, so they don't slide. (We do not have the newer design with the thicker, milled out aperture plate.)

Also, the two openings (flat, scope) in the aperture plate were placed too close together. The designer did not leave enough room between the two. When in the scope position, (the plate is pushed in) light escapes through the side of the flat hole and is projected on the wall next to the screen.

I don't like the combined "gate and intermittent sprocket pad shoe." (I know this is on even older Simplexes.) It almost requires you to remove one hand to close the gate, but if you do that, nothing is holding the film around the intermittent sprocket. I can do it without letting go of the film, but it's awkward.

<slight rant mode off>

for doughnut= 1 to 4
grab
chew
sip tea
next x
burp
<end>
 

The main thing I don't like is that they replaced the framing light (just a simple bulb) with a circuit board with several LED's on it. They are a pain to change and don't provide much light, they also cost more than the bulbs.

All in all I have had a lot of luck with them, so I like it.

John, shouldn't the line of code read 'next doughnut' not 'next x'? You changed the variable name.

i am happy with the gates on these, it is spring loaded and it has a lever in which to open it with and another sepereate lever in which oyou use to close it with. i think that this is cool because it wont swing open since it is spring loaded. At least i havent seen it yet.

oh yeah i too have never had problems with closing the gate with the shoe pad connected to the gate. then again, i go bottom up. .

When I was working at skinemark oh im sorry i meant Cinemark. we had the centurys where the gate was spring loaded and locked into position. I was happy with these, although i have seen a couple of those swing open on a couple times.

"if you were a doughnut would you eat yourself? i know that i would."
--Homer Simpson
 

If you hold the film between your index and second fingers, (palms facing each other -- right hand on the bottom), you can position the film in the gate and then trip the release lever with your right thumb. If you "curve" the film under the intermittent sprocket so as to keep it aligned on the teeth, your hands will automatically be out of the way when the gate snaps shut.

After a while, you'll be able to do it blindfolded. (And EXACTLY 25% of the time you'll get it in frame! )
 

Try that trick exactly as you described, but switch hands. That way you don't have to flip your right thumb over backwards to release the lever.
 

(I have no freakin' idea what the movie is, bit I'm going to show one! -- I just got a phone call yesterday!) )
 

-Mike
 

As a side note, I've been in booths where there is almost no room in front of the projectors. Threading such that you have your right hand on the top of the gate requires you to face away from the front wall. In a small booth, you can't do this (especially if the projectors are tilted)- you can't get back far enough to see the gate, and your right hand would probably block your view of framing window.

Just my 0.02 worth......

BTW, loved that line from Homer Simpson... pretty racy, even for that show!

Oh, I forgot, I'm a Jedi now...

. These are not the doughtnuts you are looking for.

. "These are not the doughtnuts we are looking for."

. Put your doughtnuts in the back of my speeder.

. "Put the Empire's doughtnuts in the back of his speeder."

. Move along.

. "Move along!"
 

BTW I have an 18-year-old Simplex.

 

I threading a proj. that doesn't have digital, the top loop isn't as critical. If you have DTS/SDDS it is. The biggest complaints I get about digital sound is because it is slightly out of sync. (I call it "Chinese Disease") It happens because people don't watch their loop size. All the people I have taught to thread gate first don't have that problem. All the people that I haven't taught, thread the feed sprocket first and they are the ones that get the Cheinese Disease. They usually call me up on the radio from downstairs complaing that the DTS is broken. Try as I might, I just can't pound it into some people's heads that the upper loop size is CRITICAL!

I also tried Brad's idea and it works.
 

My treading technique developed out of the necessity to make the loops the same size every time. (I'm sure everybody has their own personal tricks to accomplish the same thing.)