This is topic Understanding Century model codes in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Matt Hale (Member # 1518) on 03-26-2003, 12:39 AM:
 
I have just inherited a pair of Centurys. The maker's plates say model DAW. D I know denotes a double shutter, and A is the series (these ones are pre 1976) but what does W stand for? Watercooled? How much would these differ from the model SA (1975) which is listed in the manuals section?

And exactly how rusty does a Century have to be before its a write-off?

Thanks.
 

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Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 03-26-2003, 12:44 AM:
 
You got it, the 'W' refers to a water cooled gate.

The SA manual should have addenda for the SAW and DAW versions (the water jacket and double shutter gearing are the only differences from a standard SA) in it.

it would have to be pretty bad to be 'written off' as the main things that would rust (trap bands, gate shoe, sprockets, bearings) are readily and cheaply replaceable compared to obtaining another projector head.

-Aaron
 

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Posted by Randy Bowden (Member # 587) on 03-26-2003, 02:39 PM:
 
Here is my understanding of the century codes.
"D" stands for direct drive(this is where the projector drives the soundhead). "S" stands for Standard drive. "A" is the model. Most double shutter machines have a "2" after the numerical listing, for instance DAW-2 stands for direct drive A water cooled with double shutter. A JJ-2 would be a double shutter 35/70 machine. Sometimes you see a "T" for Turret machines.
 

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Posted by Robert Throop (Member # 61) on 03-26-2003, 03:56 PM:
 
D is double shutter, S is single shutter, M is direct drive and W is water cooled.
 

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Posted by Matt Hale (Member # 1518) on 03-26-2003, 07:22 PM:
 
Thanks, guys. Now that I've had a closer look at them they are indeed watercooled.

Heres another question for you...

Now that one of the demolition contractors has rolled one of the units down the booth staircase and dropped it off the end of the balcony, breaking it into more pieces than I can count, how much should I be demanding from him as a replacement cost?

What he broke was:

Xetron XHC-35 console
Xetron Maxi-7 automation
Century DAW projector
Century R3-E soundhead w/ kelmar solar cell


 

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Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 03-26-2003, 10:01 PM:
 

quote:

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DAW-2 stands for direct drive A water cooled with double shutter.

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quote:

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D is double shutter, S is single shutter

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I have also seen these codes listed as meaning Drive-in and Standard (indoor) as there are the 'double-letter' models such as CC, HH, and JJ that the double letters refer to the double shutter variation.

Also on Century soundheads (actually reproducers, hence the 'R' designation), the ones with the 'T' prefix (TR3, TR4) had a transistor preamp in them.

-Aaron
 

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Posted by Dick Prather (Member # 1136) on 03-27-2003, 12:06 AM:
 
When all is said and done all the code means is what the projector came from the factory as and perhaps not what it is now. I have seen the codes explained in one of the parts manuals. I have rebuilt ones that seemed to have more letters then serial numbers. They all left as rebuilt SA's. Water cooled stuff was left in. The 1975 manual in the manual's section would probably work just fine.

You haven't told us how bad your Century's really are. Aaron was quite correct in saying unless you have a really bad corrosion or badly rusted steel such as the intermittent, trap, etc. most all parts are availible. Trap and gate parts can be had from people who updated them to Kelmar turrets. Find an old C for a lot of parts and so on.
 

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Posted by Matt Hale (Member # 1518) on 03-27-2003, 12:33 AM:
 
Well, the original plan was to run changeovers, but now that we're down to just one I guess that wont be happening. I had just reached the conclusion that they were worth rebuilding. The one thats left has been sitting disused for about 10 years now, in an abandoned theatre with a bad roof leak. Most of the exposed metal parts (sprockets, etc...) are rusted on the surface but not enough to jam.

Water has gotten into the back side and mixed with the oil, forming a sticky gunk all over the shafts and gears, but the mechanism has not siezed yet. I can still turn it with a bit of extra force on the flywheel. I think if it was taken right apart and some sort of industrial degreaser applied, it would probably clean up. I am fairly sure the water was drained out of the cooling lines when it was shut down, so I dont expect they're any more rusted than the rest of it.

Unfortuneatley, the one that got heaved was the better condition of the two.
 

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Posted by Justin West (Member # 920) on 03-27-2003, 10:07 PM:
 
Matt: I tell ya, the SA isn't that much different from the older "C" models and I, a novice, have broken down, cleaned, replaced parts, and reassembled several C projector heads. That's the nice thing about these Centurys, simplicity in repair.
 

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Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 04-23-2004, 07:31 AM:
 

It has been 392 days since the last post.

 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 04-23-2004, 07:31 AM:
 
Bump.

Random useless trivia question: do Century serial numbers start anew from "100" for each sub-model? I know that the serial numbers for the C, SA, and JJ models are in a different series (e.g. you can have JJ #101 and also SA #101), but is the same true for, say, SA vs. SAW vs. MSA vs. etc.?

I have "MSA" (and R-3) #952 and 953, which were originally purchased in 1970 (I have the shipping and delivery paperwork). In the past, I've worked with "MSA/2" #150 and 151, which were older by at least a few years (they had the H-style gate/trap). Did Century only sell 802 type "SA" projectors (and all variants) during that time period, or did the serial numbers start anew for the "MSA" and "MSA/2" series?

(Does the question even make sense? )

Also, according to the paperwork, these were originally purchased with the "Century 67 Sound System"; I've never heard of this before. Does anyone know what it is (was?)?
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 04-23-2004, 07:58 AM:
 
During the 1960's, Century did sell a modular solid state sound system for 1, 4, and 6-channel systems. Ads said "Recipient of the SMPTE Samuel L. Warner Award, 1962". One component was the JRE-100 power amp, with a whopping 35 watts output.

The Century Model 67 Sound System was "a compact, solid state sound system for regular theatres and semi-portable sound reproduction, self-contained in 35mm projectors, with an unbelievable 75Db signal to noise ratio".
 

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Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 04-23-2004, 09:10 AM:
 
In the early 1970's I visited the original Century projector factory in New York.....the sound department fabrication line consisted of two desks side by side with raw components on one end and finished product on the opposite...35 watts was "state of the art"
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 04-23-2004, 11:19 AM:
 
Richard: Was that when Jack Baer headed the Company, just before they moved to NJ?
 

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Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 04-23-2004, 11:44 AM:
 
Yes, in a loft type industrial building with about 12 - 15 employees...typical of the companies in operation at the time.
 

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Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 04-27-2004, 01:51 AM:
 

quote: Scott Norwood

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Also, according to the paperwork, these were originally purchased with the "Century 67 Sound System"; I've never heard of this before. Does anyone know what it is (was

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quote: Bruk Mogos

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If your Century are water cooled,you don't have to use the cooling system unless you are using higher than 4500W lamps houses.In this case you can save some $$$$$ by replacing only few needed part.

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Ditto to what Gordon said. Water cooled Century gates really aren't happy without a circulator if the xenon lamp is over 1000 watts. Sure it'll work, but the difference in focus stability alone is well worth it. Circulators are cheap. Strong makes a nice one.
 

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Posted by Lindsay Morris (Member # 1430) on 05-05-2004, 10:31 PM:
 
A hot running Century is exactly what I found with my upgraded setup. It is now a CC model (ex DI machine I think) and came with a water cooling jacket and as I had been running 6 & 7mm carbons at 50amps before on the Simplex pair I figured would not need to use the water jacket as the gates on the Simplex never got overly hot... very wrong on the Century... burnt my fingers on the aperture plate doing a format change on the run one night.
Now I have a 100litre drum outside the box and a small water pump ex a washing machine doing the circulation and the Century runs as cool as a cucumber with just under 2k on the lamp.
After a nightly session the water temp is barely warm so probably will down-size that drum to 20litres and shift it so there is less piping required. What amazes me is that the outlet pipe is virtually no different in temp to the inlet yet it carries away that excessive heat beautifully.
Some wags in the audience reckon I have setup a whisky still with this big drum outside the bio box and the pipes snaking off thru the wall
Lindsay
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-05-2004, 11:59 PM:
 
Lidsay,
The water cooling on the SA is more efficient then the C but without any water SA'sn will also get blazing hot.... Not a good thing for the dovetail or the main casting over extended periods either.

Mark
 

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Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 05-06-2004, 01:12 AM:
 
The Century solid state sound systems were all dreadful, including the Ana-Phet optical pick up. I believe the complete name was anamorphic photo field effect transistor.

There was a version for 70mm Mag that was good conceptually as the mag preamps, EQ modules and a fader were with the penthouse, instead of 20 feet of wire away in the sound rack.

On the best day of their life the sound was pretty good...However, they were plagued with picking up radio stations in the connection between the octal sockets and the cans. The only sure cure was to solder the module socket pins to the socket. So much for replaceable modules.

The only thing salvageable were the first rate multi-channel step attenuators.

Of course the most dreadful audio device was Century's reverse scan system.

I'd love to know the name of the individual engineer who came up with all this half baked stuff.
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-06-2004, 07:41 AM:
 
Sam,
They were pretty bad but they were also all Germanium which was what was available back then. There is a guy you know that I work with that actually likes em .
I can remember a photo or two on a couple of occasions of the guy that developed the system for Century along with Larry Davee in both International Projectionist Magazine and in the old Box office. He had an uncanny resemblance to Arnold Swartzanegar.

Mark
 

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Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 05-06-2004, 09:20 AM:
 
Usually I just replaced those century modules with the octal ones from OPAMP Labs much better devices
The worst solid state system I ever worked on was the early solidstate one for 70mm that balantyne built
 

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Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 05-06-2004, 09:55 AM:
 
I never worked on the Ballantyne system but had the task of trying to get the Simplex 35/70mm solid state stable. They used no transformers and the entire system would pop and click whenever you turned on a switch anywhere in the area. I swear you could even hear the toilet flush.

The auditorium sounded like there were three noisy showers going even with no film running.
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 05-06-2004, 10:40 AM:
 
Half-baked? Or was it fully baked but the recipe should have spec'd char broiling?



Odd that the connectors were so problematic since most if not all preamp systems, Dolby's included, have connectors of some sort in the low level path. I guess octals just weren't suited to the job.
 

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Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 05-06-2004, 11:07 AM:
 
Most plug in cards systems like Dolby have goldplated contacts the octals did not and that was the contact problem
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 05-06-2004, 11:26 AM:
 
...from Joe:

quote:

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But (Century's) earlier tube systems, designed and made for them by Altec, were top of the line, capable of the very best sound when properly tweaked up

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