Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: No more spare parts for DP70?

This is topic No more spare parts for DP70? in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Thomas Jonsson (Member # 1902) on 02-24-2004, 02:56 PM:

Asking a Swedish dealer about the spare parts situation
for DP70/Norelco AA, he tells me things are getting bad.
So I sent an email to Kinoton Germany and got the following
answer today:

"When requested we still produce parts for the DP70. However,it is right that we cannot guarantee the availability of parts for
the projector which has not been produced for almost 40 years".

This is bad news, unless there are other companies that can
produce spare parts for this great machine. Does anyone know?

Thomas

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 02-24-2004, 03:08 PM:

A similar situation, I guess, to GK-37 spares in Britain now. It's a question of who you know who has access to a part from a cannibalised machine in someone's garage. AFAIK, there's no 'official' dealer anymore, and certainly no way of buying mechanism-specific parts straight off the shelf.

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 02-24-2004, 03:21 PM:

The only real way to assure yourself of parts for the DP70 is to get a spare machine to strip. I have the one I use for projection and now have 3 others for parts. The last one, I got just last week. Still some of the parts are impossible to find. For example, magazines that have not been cut for platter operation. Some of the other small sheet metal parts are almost non existent too. Still, once rebuilt, they will last probably another 40-50 years because of their incredibly great construction.

Posted by Christian Appelt (Member # 1067) on 02-24-2004, 05:05 PM:

A friend of mine who runs two DP70s told me that Kinoton claimed ten years ago told that there were no DP70 parts any more. This scared off some theatres from rebuilding DP70s, and because they could not afford new Kinoton machines, they gave up 70mm as an option. Others may have bought new FP75E's instead...which may have been a good idea...or not!
I know at least one theatre where they never get their E's images steady with the electronic intermittent, no matter how often the tech arrives and plugs in his laptop - please don't tell me that it IS possible. I know, and it's cheaper, and who cares about what happens in 40 years anyway... [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 02-24-2004, 06:00 PM:

I did see a Kinoton "E" running 70mm at the Cinerama in Seattle for the rerelease of 2001 and it did have a rock steady picture. Sorry Christian, I know you asked me not to tell you....

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 02-24-2004, 07:01 PM:

This is somewhat hogwash and somewhat true. there are some parts that are NLA but all of the mechanical parts are still available. There are still may new intermittents available as well... the originals were so well made that very few intermittents show any wear after over 40 years. We have many customers that use these machines, in fact we probably have close to 75 that we service...on rare occasion. Only one last year in fact.

We will be producing a run of the small Xenon lamphouse tables later this year as well as a new motor mount designed to accept 3 phase variable speed motors. Mid last year we bought 30 machines and have sold about half of them. It would also be VERY easy to have any of the parts in the projector produced by a competant machine shop and we have already looked into that sort of thing just in case someone pulls the plug.

Literally, if they stop supplying commonly used parts we will start to have them made or simply produce them ourselves. We're not about to let any of our customers dangle or let these wonderful machines end up in the scrap heap.

Mark @ CLACO

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 02-24-2004, 09:19 PM:

I agree with all the above and just broke my back getting one out of a balcony house today. I'm actually selling two for OK money to a post house in LA.

I've also sold a few of my Red readers for these which extends their effective life for years. The exciter and optics was one of the few weak links in this fine projector and my reader eliminates all of them.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 02-24-2004, 10:28 PM:

Sam's new readers are definately the cats meow for DP-70 users [thumbsup]

!! A few photos of both Sam's analog reader retrofit and our DTS adaptor plate which retrofits into the mag penthouse location. Either the 35 or 70mm DTS reader can be accomodated and it takes only a mninuite to change to either time code reader! If you ever run 70mm again it will more than likely be DTS.

Mark @ CLACO

The BACP reverse scanner retrofit in a DP-70

DP-70 sound reproducers in the process of retrofit and rebuilding.

Showing a completely refurbished DP-70 with both the BACP scanner and the internal DTS modification.

Inside a 40 plus year old DP-70 intermittent. The conical finished radius of the star wheel is clearly visible. the cam pin is ecentrically mounted to align and drop dead in the center of the star slot. These guys thought of everything! There was no visible wear in this movement even when examining it with a 10 power scope [Cool]

Posted by Warren Smyth (Member # 1838) on 02-25-2004, 01:32 AM:

A number of DP70s are still in active service over here and shutter gears seem to be about the only failure from time to time, so fortunately there hasn't been a great demand for parts.

Leo said

quote:
a similar situation to GK-37 spares in Britain now

I hope I'm not breaking the rules for mentioning it here as I don't actively promote sales. I'm just a collector of things which some might say is junk which I like to see continue to run, so please don't be offended that you are not reading this in the 'for sale' section.

quote:
There's no 'official' dealer anymore, and certainly no way of buying mechanism specific parts straight off the shelf

If someone desperately needs Kalee 37 or 21 parts, I just MAY be able to help. I bought remaining stocks of spares from the agents here some time ago to support my GK19s. Most of these are unused and still in their grease paper from Rank. I can't guarantee availability because I've helped a number of others who have wanted the commonly needed parts, but I just may still have that gear, or maltese cross you are looking for. Just e-mail me.

Posted by Larry Shaw (Member # 388) on 03-01-2004, 09:11 PM:

When this topic was started last week I happened to be in Germering, Germany, HQ of Kinoton. I asked the Managing Directors what the DP-70 part situation was. Essentially as before, they will make DP-70/AA-II parts as long as the tooling holds up and materials are available. There is absoloutely no plan to stop making parts for these machines. Of course, if there were such a plan, why would Kinoton have invested the money to design a basement reader for the DP-70? Well there you have it, from the horse's mouth.

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 03-01-2004, 10:01 PM:

Someone needs to contact Norelco and see if they would be
willing to sell the blueprint diagrams, along with any tooling and casting patterns.This would be the best way...although expensive...to insure a continuing parts supply.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-01-2004, 11:06 PM:

Will,
It would be no problem to have any of the castings duplicated by any knowledgable foundry. In our case we will more than likely put the Xenon Lamphouse table back into production on our own. A good friend of mine had several cast one up from one of the Xenon tables I had on one of my DP-70's some years back. Although its quite a hefty casting its not that big of deal. Its also about the only part of the machine that others might have an interest in purchasing for upgrading their DP-70's.

It would be far more likely that Strong would have the blueprints or perhaops even the patterns for the Lamphouse table, and the lower and upper base sections. Although they would more than likely deny any knowledge of it. The original Ballantyne Co. was the manufacturer of these parts back in the 60's and into the 70's. Also in the 70's they were the U.S. distributer of the Phillips/Norelco projectors. The adjustable lamphouse carrage is still manufactured today and is used on the Ballantyne base. Strong is also using that same foundry.
Mark @ CLACO