Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Help with Christie Platter

This is topic Help with Christie Platter in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 4594) on 02-18-2002, 09:23 PM:

This is probably a real easy problem to fix but I'm just not up there enough to fix it without a walk through...

We have a AW-3R Christie deck where the middle platter keeps jumping "on top" of the motor so that you can not turn the platter without scraping the top of the motor. It has happened twice that I know of in the past 2 months and to temporarily fix it you just pull out the motor a bit so it goes back to normal. I believe it has only happened after print moves with makes me think it is happening because someone is putting too much pressure on the oposite site of the platter (from where the motor is) causing the actual platter to tilt upwards where the motor slips underneath. I may be way off...is this a normal problem and can it be fixed easily?

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Brad, you're pretty darn Chipper yourself!!!

Posted by Michael Labbe (Member # 148) on 02-18-2002, 10:01 PM:

Rachel,

I have an idea it will not be as easy a repair as you hope. Normally the platter motor drive wheel completely rides against the edge of the platter. The only way for the motor to end up under the deck is the deck would need to have at least an inch of play in the axle. If you take the end of the deck and wobble it up and down how much play is there. There should be very little. If the play is substantial then the deck sleeve seperated from the deck or the platter axle itself seperated. I have seen both happen frequently at theaters where the operaters move prints themselves. As they set the print down on the edge of the deck there is a tremendous amount of weight applied to the axles, more then they are designed to handle, and over time they fail. If you find the platter sleve is at fault it can be repaired, but if the platter axle failed then it will need to be replaced. Either way Not Good....

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 02-18-2002, 10:02 PM:

Check the motor drive belt. (It's the little orange or pale yellow round wheel-thingey on the top of the motor.) It could very simply have been put on too "low" on the motor shaft. If so, a quick turn of an allen screw will fix you right up. Just make sure the allen screw is lined up with the flat spot on the motor shaft.

While you're down there looking at the motor belt, is it deformed? Many a bad batch of those are in the field and if it has turned into silly putty, then you need to replace it.

Edited addendum...Michael's post above me could also be a problem. I see this mostly not from moving prints by oneself, but from people who splice on the platter, pushing down hard into a crappy splicer (probably a CIR), thus bending one edge of the platter deck downward. Fortunately, the odds are better that the motor belt was improperly installed or has slid down on the shaft.

Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 4594) on 02-19-2002, 02:51 AM:

"Check the motor drive belt. (It's the little orange or pale yellow round wheel-thingey on the top of the motor.)"

Well, thanks Brad for the great discription, it helped me find that funny little looking thingy in 2 seconds flat...HOW CHIPPER!!! I know what a motor drive belt is... Give me NO credit will ya?

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Brad, you're pretty darn Chipper yourself!!!

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 02-19-2002, 08:51 AM:

Sorry Rach, many people don't think of that part as a "belt", which is why I clarified it. Also, the biggest complaint I get from people reading this site that are trying to get help is that the answers to some of the simplest problems are given in "tech talk" and a lot of people don't understand that, thus I always try to word any post of mine that is offering assistance in a manner which most people can understand.

Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 4594) on 02-19-2002, 01:12 PM:

Yeah, I know...I was just joking. Normally that would help me a lot considering I'm a bit booth illiterate but you hit one of the technical terms I actually know...WOW.

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Brad, you're pretty darn Chipper yourself!!!

Posted by Trevor Bailey (Member # 75) on 02-20-2002, 10:47 PM:

Rachel,

I have had several decks with the sleeve separated and the deck has enough wobble to ride right up onto the motor. I have also seen the drive "wheel" slip down on it's shaft but when that happens, the "wheel" usually shows obvious disintegration or warping. It's top should be flush with the top of the motor shaft. As Brad said, that's an easy fix. But I would lean toward the sleeve or the axle.

One quick thing I just though of...I've had a couple of axles with loose mounting bolts. That's also an easy fix...7/16" wrench. Be careful not to over-tighten the bolts or the nutserts might loosen.