quote:

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It's best to use all equipment so that it wears evenly.

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what do others think about this? my feeling is that in general it's better that everything not fail at once so you know you have a backup.

someone recently mentioned trying to spread out their bulb changes, if only because it looked better on paper.

another example is the bottom platter. we don't use it unless we have to. we still clean it at least once a week which exercises the drive puck. but why go to the trouble of stooping when you can just use the top two decks? if one of them fails, we know the bottom one works.

carl
 

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Posted by Bryan J Arseneau (Member # 1832) on 02-19-2004, 02:52 AM:
 
And what happens when you have to use it?
Just because you cleaned it does not mean that it will work.
It has been my feeling if it is there USE it, that way you know that it is working.
 

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Posted by Wolff King Morrow (Member # 2226) on 02-19-2004, 03:56 AM:
 
Edit:

My apologies for editing my posts. I was informed by my employers that I am not allowed to discuss anything pertaining to operation, proceedures, profits, or wages of the company I work for on this or any other public media. Please note I was NOT aware of such a policy, so I apologize for the disruption of the thread.

Thanks for your understanding on this. -Wolff

[ 03-02-2004, 09:43 PM: Message edited by: Wolff King Morrow ]
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 02-19-2004, 06:15 AM:
 
it's not that unusual for us to use the bottom decks. when we double up prints, they tend to make their way to every screen because of our rotation schedule. also, in anticipation of moving a print, the bottom platter may be used once to get the print on top at the end of the day. prints are sometimes built onto and broken down off the bottom platter. and the cleaning will if nothing else verify that the deck spins. but for the bulk of the shows, i'd rather just stick to the more accessible decks.

the bottom platters on our older aw3's take up quite a bit tighter than the other decks, presumably because they've been used less. thus i have a basis for comparison to say, gee, maybe i should try out brad's spring replacement tip. getting permission to do that is another matter, though.

carl
 

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Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 02-19-2004, 09:54 AM:
 
"Wearing evenly" is not in conflict with avoiding "everything failing at once."

To pick a hypothetical example: Let's say your xenon lamps last 12 months and you have 12 projectors. You'd *like* to stagger them such that you replace one a month, so they all wear evenly but you only need to replace each one them every 12 months. So like clockwork, you replace one/month.

It's getting to that point that is tricky, of course. With cheaper components than xenons, just replace them early to get yourself on the cycle...you can also hold out prematurely replaced components as emergency spares.

--jhawk
 

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Posted by Manuel Francisco Valencia (Member # 710) on 02-19-2004, 01:04 PM:
 
People can try and make a schedule for their bulbs all they like but in the long run it will not make a difference unless you are changing them early or late as jhawk said. Reason being is that in a given time frame one bulb will not accumulate the same amount of hours as another. Assuming you have a bulb hour meter, check it and see if they are all the same. Not only that but many large theatres have bulb with different wattages which means different life span. Some people also rotate bulbs getting more life out them. Don't forget what is most important.

Looks good on paper
Looks good on screen

There are many pros and cons on the platter issue.

Equipment wearing evenly and breaking all at once is a very rare thing. If it did ever happen then it would not be good on the dollar side of things. Buying parts throughout the year is a lot better than buying an ass load all at once.
 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 02-20-2004, 09:56 AM:
 
Wear them evenly. They're not on a time-delay "break" cycle.

Case in point would be diodes -- so far, it's only ever been one diode that needs replacement, even though they all went into the projector at the same time.

I can tell you that if you let platters sit still too long they can break quietly on you. At the very least, you'd be setting yourself up for a flat tire.
 

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Posted by Adam Fraser (Member # 1074) on 02-20-2004, 11:26 PM:
 
We try to wear everything evenly. 2 projectors, 1 platter in a single.

Every movie is rotated between projectors. Typically we can just leave a flat lens in one and a scope in the other since movies are about 50/50. When the new week's print comes in we go from projector 1 to projector 2 or vice versa.

I don't see what the big deal is with using the bottom platter, I actually prefer it to the top as everything is easily accessible without standing on my tip-toes (I'm average height, 5'10"). Middle platter is usually used for break down and bottom for build-ups. All 3 decks get used about evenly.
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 02-21-2004, 04:54 AM:
 
i'm 6'4", so that skews things a bit. actually, i hate using the middle deck for breakdown. too low for standing, too high for sitting on a milk crate. it's really cramped using the mut in 2 of our booths and i end up stooped over, leaning against the wall, and get a sore back.

i agree that there's no sense in bending over backwards to incur uneven wear, but on the other hand don't think one should do the opposite. equipment will break when it feels like it. not to be fatalist or anything. just as long as everything is used every so often to verify that it works and doesn't rust into place.

carl
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 02-21-2004, 04:17 PM:
 
Bulb changes - Assuming you will go through 12 or less bulbs in a typical year, order one bulb per month whether you need it or not. Then keep doing that until you reach the point where you have an equal number of bulbs per screens in your complex. Then guesstimate the rest with simple math as to when to start back up to keep things spread out over the year.

Bottom deck of the platters - The deck itself isn't going to wear out just sitting there. Don't worry about it. About the only thing that can not wear evenly would be the motor's drive wheel. If that is an issue, whenever you won't be using the bottom platter just stick a screwdriver to seperate the drive wheel from the edge of the platter (good models) or flip the motor away from the platter using the latch (crappy models).
 

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Posted by Stewart Anderson (Member # 1809) on 02-23-2004, 11:31 AM:
 
If you are fortunate enought to have platters with out support beams built in to the bottom of the platter itself you probably don't have to worry about creating a lot of wind under that platter when you break down or build up on a platter directly above the payout platter (possibly causing a brain-wrap). This is one reason I believe in keeping the bottom platter empty on a screen that only shows one movie. It may not wear evenly on the equiptment, but I still think its a good idea.
 

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Posted by Larry Zuverink (Member # 1483) on 03-16-2004, 07:06 AM:
 
Lets see, You don't use the bottom platter and then two movies are split in that theatre and there is a problem with the bottom deck and your moving prints. Lack of preperation on your part does not constitute a emergency on my part. Every theatre in our circuit threads down. Top to middle, middle to bottom, bottom to top. If you can't do it, go back to the floor.
 

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Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 03-16-2004, 11:30 AM:
 
I've worked in *way* to many booths with roof leaks. The last show of the day gets run to the lowest platter possible and gets covered with plastic overnight.
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 03-16-2004, 01:13 PM:
 
funny you should mention that. we do have a roof leak over one booth. so far it just drips down the wall (disintegrating it, i might add). i'd almost welcome it dripping on a (lousy movie) print so my boss would make fixing it a priority.

for the record, we do use the bottom platters, just not "obsessively". maybe twice a week, on average. can't recall ever having a platter go down in the last 6 years, actually <jinxed>.

carl
 

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