Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: aw3 platter keeps spinning

This is topic aw3 platter keeps spinning in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=005293

Posted by Shane Hoffmann (Member # 1620) on 09-06-2003, 12:53 PM:

We are having troubles with our Christie Autowind 3 platter. We are currently showing two movies in this theater, and when I laced up the film to rewind onto the bottom platter, it kept on rewinding and I had to turn off the platter, remove the second movie (which wasn't being shown) and rewind it onto the top platter. I tried to adjust the film return photosensor like the troubleshooting section in the manual said to do, and it either wasn't helping, or I was doing it wrong. I would like to have it fixed soon because it is a hassle to take one movie completely off the platter just to show the other one. Has anybody else had this problem?

[ 09-22-2003, 08:37 PM: Message edited by: Shane Hoffmann ]

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 09-06-2003, 01:19 PM:

So does the platter turn continuous in both take up and pay out does the platter keep turning when the arm is in the off position. Are these platters using the green motors?

Posted by Shane Hoffmann (Member # 1620) on 09-06-2003, 02:27 PM:

It happens only with the take up, not in the off position, and it is not with the green motors.

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 09-06-2003, 03:42 PM:

If you are unable to adjust the speed using the tips section there may be a problem with the speed control board. Try swapping the board with another and see if the problem moves with it.

Posted by Scott Manley (Member # 867) on 09-06-2003, 03:45 PM:

I would try to set the LED levels and then go thru the speed adjustments. If it still acts up I would suspect the variable density filter.

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 09-06-2003, 03:48 PM:

oh one thing to check that could be a problem is with the variable density filter becoming loose for some reason.

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 09-06-2003, 03:57 PM:

Do you have a braion in the deck when you are trying to take up? I have had this problem and found that sometimes if you put a brain in the deck it will solve the problem until someone can come out and fix it. I believe it is caused by A plastic piece that is connected to the take up arm getting caught up.

Posted by Shane Hoffmann (Member # 1620) on 09-06-2003, 04:35 PM:

yes- there was a brain on the deck when i tried. thanks for all of your suggestions. I think we'll have a technician in soon anyway if we can't figure it out.

Posted by Mike Pennell (Member # 1692) on 09-06-2003, 05:13 PM:

Check and see if the fingers on the payout head arm are going all the way back. Sometimes that arm needs to be slightly adjusted. [beer]

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 09-06-2003, 11:18 PM:

The platter comes to a stop when at the "0" position (ready for payout) but doesn't stop on take-up....

Likely causes are if there is a centerfeed in place (fixed or removable), the feed fingers may be bonking into the first of the 3-roller cluster and preventing the feed fingers from swinging all of the way back (yes they move on take up). If this is the case, bend the feed finger arm such that the fingers clear the roller on take up.

If the feed finger arm is loose (held on by one screw) then tighten the screw (located below the dust plate with the two guide posts).

The next likely problem is the nylon finger on the take up arm is broken and is not pushing the feed finger shaft all of the way back (btw if this is the problem, you have other issues..since a free swinging feed finger spindle with the proper return spring tension will move on its own).

The nylon finger is located on the take up arm but the business end is sticking inside the arm of the platter deck. In short, you aren't going to see it from the outside.

A simple test of it being in one piece is to move the take up arm towards the vertical post, and try to move the feed fingers (GENTLY) towards the payout position. You should feel some resistance and a spring action to force the feed fingers back toward the cluster rollers. DO NOT FORCE THE FEED FINGERS ANY MORE THAN IT TAKES TO FEEL THE RESISTANCE. If you don't feel any resistance the nylon finger is broken.

Lastly, move the take up arm back and forth at a slow but reasonable amount of speed (like the film moves it on start up)...look at the feed fingers...are they tracking with the take up arm or are they moving in a herky-jerky fashion? They should track the take-up arm. If they don't you have binding somewhere or dirt mucking things up.

Steve

Posted by Michael Elam (Member # 788) on 09-07-2003, 02:06 PM:

I work on these things all of the time, You either have a bad
control card, or a sensor. If you have the type control card
that has a white resistor near the top then suspect it, if you are using Infared Red sensors instead of Photocell then suspect
the sensor. The disc MUST be at a dead stop at 20% or the first
notch on the feedplate.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 09-07-2003, 02:30 PM:

If everything mechanically checks out OK after you did the tests like Steve mentioned, then I would think you have a bad control card or the LED sensor unit. There is really not too any things that can go wrong with the AW-3.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 09-07-2003, 03:10 PM:

How fast is it spinning? If it is spinning somewhat slow, did the payout arm make it's way all the way back to the ZERO point when the movie finished?

Posted by Shane Hoffmann (Member # 1620) on 09-07-2003, 11:38 PM:

the platter does spin at it's normal speed. It also has the red light sensor-- I played around with the return shutter some more and I had it working, but when i tightened the set screw again, the very slight movement made it go out of whack again and I was back to where I started.

Posted by Trevor Bailey (Member # 75) on 09-08-2003, 06:54 PM:

I have to go with Steve on this one...95% of the time that this problems appears, it is one of the items Steve has mentioned. Another thing that I have noticed it that the variable density disk can be slightly out of alignment on older AW3s. When the platter is at rest, looking into the end of the support arm, if the variable density disk can be moved to the right (counter-clockwise) slightly and then the problem disappears, it's time to take things apart, re-align, and tighten everything back up.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 09-08-2003, 09:00 PM:

When this has happened to me it's almost always been the little white guide things on the feed plate being bent. I was nodding in agreement as I read Steve's post here because it used to happen quite a bit until we got everyone re-educated to prevent the damage.

Posted by Manuel Francisco Valencia (Member # 710) on 09-09-2003, 10:07 PM:

Steve mentioned that a free swinging feed finger with the proper tension should move on its own. I have had an incident when it wasn't and it turned out to be the bearing on the filter shaft. If this is happening then check that and the bearing on the arm shaft of the brain.