Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: platter update?

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Posted by Scott Balko (Member # 438) on 02-01-2003, 02:39 PM:

I've got some old xetron xnr335 platters. While they do work reliably, they don't have any device for back tension and the film path is loose and droopy. Are there any updates to give proper back tension and also some updated rollers that are smoother and quieter than the stock jobs.

Posted by Gregory N. Jones (Member # 805) on 02-03-2003, 08:23 AM:

Scott,

There are only a couple of parts on the old XNR platter that you can upgrade:
110106151A - flanged roller with sealed bearings
XNR361 - converts payout heads old reed switches to microswitches
XNR35PHP - complete new payout head with polyester film design and microswitches.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 02-03-2003, 08:28 AM:

Yea, I had a customer in WY. not too long ago that just could not figure out why the platter would not keep up on payout.... I found that many of the tiny set screws on the reed switche mounting posts had come loose and some were not making contct. The reeds were still all good , but we sent out the upgrade kits to him anyway. The reeds can be somewhat of a pain from time to time.
Mark @ CLACO
www.clacoequipment.com

Posted by Scott Balko (Member # 438) on 02-04-2003, 09:07 PM:

I have already updated to the micro switches and they work great that way, I just don't like the way the entire supply film path just feeds so limp. [Frown]

I mean the film on these things just slops its way to the projector. I guess that's what I like, among other things, about the AW3. Is it possible to get just the sealed bearings for the stock flanged roller, or is it just sold as an assembly?

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 02-04-2003, 10:04 PM:

The reed switches were a good idea when they built that thing....

I am surprised they lasted as long as they have. I converted mine to micros about one year after I bought them.

Are you talking about the back tension on the payout or take up? If it is pay-out, the previous suggestion will probably do the job. Xetron's "free fall" was feather touch. There was no impedance whatsoever. It drove me nuts, too. It was funny to see the sag get greater and greater until it touched the floor before it would stop.

The platter said:

"Fine...You want some more, here it is..if you want it to pile up on the floor, that's your problem, not mine." (nothing like walking into the booth and find 2,000 feet of film on the floor, and the platter giving it more without the projector running)...The answer to that problem was to make sure the elevator was clear to the top! (and not mid-way because you forgot to turn on the take-up motor.) [Big Grin]

I am sure you XNR owners can relate to that one. [Smile]

Those platter had a mind of their own. [evil]

For the pay-out mode, hanging the anchor on the variac arm may not be needed in your case, but it was on mine. I had about a 25 foot run from the projector to the platter. The projector was a fast starter and the platter's elevator could not compensate for it fast enough most of the time. And, even if it did, the film was so saggy that it wanted to drag on the floor. Even with a weight on the variac arm, the film sag still got too close to the floor. I had to install roller brackets mid-way, and that corrected the problem.

I have to admit, I really did like that old XNR machine. If threaded properly, that thing would not damage film! But they were really a cantankerous bitch to time, especially the 5-stacker. [Big Grin]

Posted by Gregory N. Jones (Member # 805) on 02-05-2003, 10:07 AM:

Scott,

Unfortunately, we could not find sealed bearings with the same depth (thickness) as our original ones so if you did swap out just the bearings, they would protrude out about an 1/8 of an inch from the rollers you currently have. The new flanged rollers we supply compinsate for the increased depth of the sealed bearings.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 02-05-2003, 10:00 PM:

Xetron's bearings are funky.

By the way, if you adjust the "keepers" on the rollers, it could create enough back-tension to help film sag bounce while the machine is running. Don't get carried away with that, though....