Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Washer replacement on a Ballantyne Pro-35

This is topic Washer replacement on a Ballantyne Pro-35 in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 07-10-2004, 11:02 PM:

I recently had a problem with one of our projectors shaking, and I couldnt figure out why. I finally found out that it was a broken washer on the track that one of the belts runs on. I'm talking about the belt that runs from the motor on top of the projector to the intermittent. Does the whole track have to be replaced, or can just the washer be switched out?

Edited by me.

[ 07-26-2004, 10:06 PM: Message edited by: Jeremy Fuentes ]

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 07-11-2004, 12:49 AM:

What do you mean by "track", Jeremy?

The Pro35 has a motor pulley and an intermittent pulley. The belt runs from one to the other.

If you haven't already, why don't you download the manual from here and use it to describe where that washer comes from?

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 07-11-2004, 09:27 AM:

Actually Ballantune made some pro(?)35's with a motor mounted on top of the projector. These have larger usually Bodine sync motors that will not fit inside and there are also a couple of BB idler pulleys to get the belt around through a slot in the top plate and over to the intermittent pulley. I am assuming this is the Pro(?)35 6hat he has. What exactly he means by washer I don't know though. Shaking or verticle unsteadiness is usually caused by one or more of the following.....:

Bad coupler

Bad outer intermittent sprocket shaft ball bearing

Worn thrust washers and BB's inside the coupler

Bad Star which is usually caused by an Estar pile up and bends one or more radius's of the star itself. This can even happen with the webbed version, or on any projector that uses a star wheel for that matter.

Mark

Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 07-11-2004, 12:37 PM:

Mark, thats what we have. The Bodine sync motors on top of the projector. The belt runs from there to the intermittent. In between it runs along a "track", I guess you can call it. It doesnt go around it, it just runs along it. That part has a gap in the middle of it, with a washer in between to keep it seperated. That "washer" was broken. Just the seperator, not the entire part. I looked at the manual, but I couldnt find the part that I am trying to describe.

Posted by Dan Lyons (Member # 1454) on 07-11-2004, 01:55 PM:

Jeremy,

Is there any way you can take a picture of this for us? My "parts machine" is the motor on top version, and the belt goes straight down into the machine, there are no "tracks" or anything between the motor pulley and the intermittant pulley.

danny

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 07-11-2004, 05:54 PM:

That's interesting to me, too. The only motor I ever saw on top of a Pro35 was for rewinding in reel-to-reel configurations.

Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 07-11-2004, 05:56 PM:

On Tuesday, I will post pics of the motor and the part I am referring to. Then you can tell me what it is, and I can feel dumb for not knowing in the first place. [Wink]

Posted by Don Sneed (Member # 955) on 07-11-2004, 09:12 PM:

I'm wondering if Jeremy means the belt tenison roller assy...that would be the part between the motor & intermittent...

Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 07-12-2004, 06:27 AM:

Don, I think thats what it is called. The belt runs along it, not around it. Thats why I called it a "track". This one seemed to be a roller that was split in the middle, but the others that I have looked at are not split. In the middle was a rubber, or plastic washer/divider, that was broken. The replacement roller is not the same kind as before.

Here are the pics..

This is the part that I am talking about. It doesnt have the washer/spacer/ring on it, that was broken.

The pic below is the synch motor that sits on top of the projector.

This is how the belt looks running along the roller, and not around it.

Here is the same part on a different projector. If you look closely, it has the black ring around it on the right, not down the middle like I thought it was. Thats all that was broken, and the whole part was replaced. This might not be a big deal, but if the whole part didnt need replacing, then I wonder what else is being unnecessarily replaced, costing us more money.

[ 07-21-2004, 07:11 AM: Message edited by: Jeremy Fuentes ]

Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 07-21-2004, 07:07 AM:

Bumping back up, to show pics.

Posted by Ron Yost (Member # 1850) on 07-21-2004, 02:00 PM:

Jeremy,

I'm NOT a tech, and have never seen a Pro35 'in person', but that's a simple toothed-belt (also called a timing-belt) drive with an idler/tension pulley.

See page 34 of the Pro35 manual here on Film-Tech for an exploded view of the belt tension roller assembly on a 'regular' Pro35. Other than the different mounting bracket, I'd guess the roller design is very similar to what you have there. They're possibly different part numbers, however. I wouldn't know about that.

The idler pulley has sealed ball-bearings (properly called shielded ball-bearings) in its center. Lubricating grease is sealed inside the bearing by those black plastic shields (they can also be metal), and they keep crud out of the bearing, too. This makes the bearings 'self lubricating'.

BTW: The black shields are an -integral part- of the bearings themselves, and are crimped into the bearing when it's made. In other words, it's not a replaceable 'washer' or spacer.

Sounds to me like you had a bearing failure (one, or both) in that idler/tension roller.

Am I anywhere close to what you're talking about??

Ron Yost

Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 07-21-2004, 08:36 PM:

I understand what you mean Ron. You pretty much explained it all to me. It must have been a different type of idler pulley, with a black ring wrapped around it, rather than one without the ring, like in the first pic. Thanks all. Sorry for being difficult, and not being able to explain what I was talking about.