Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: tension roller keeps popping open

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Posted by Julius Alan Vichinsky (Member # 3081) on 08-23-2008, 06:18 PM:

First I apologize for my lack of expertise in this area and appreciate any assistance I may get.

I have a pro 35 that film on the middle sprocket just under the gate continues to come off during play. Currently the house is due to this issue. The tension rollor is being forced off the film the somehow and the film then comes off the sprocket. I have inspected the film very closely and have found no broken holes or bad splices. It seems to look at it that all is well witht he machine yet we continue to have this problem. The film that played in it prior had no issue and ths is a film that has just been moved into this theater. It has not played correctly since the move. I have moved another film into that theater to see if I have missed anything. I will check back for any help I may get. Thanks again for this wonderful resource.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-23-2008, 06:57 PM:

..Wonder if your pad roller over the sprocket is set too tight over the sprocket. That can push film right off of the sprocket.

Distance between the working face of the pad roller to sprocket is two film thicknesses with pad roller closed.

-Monte

Posted by Jeremy M Smith (Member # 4913) on 08-23-2008, 10:21 PM:

We had the same problem. The main problem was people not removing the splicing tape so there was to layers. With my simplex I could tighten the roller it was a lot harder to open but it fixed our problem.

Posted by Tristan Lane (Member # 1169) on 08-24-2008, 12:20 AM:

Usually this problem is due to the gate tension being set too tight causing the film to bind at splices and pop open the lower sprocket pad rollers. use the eccentric adjustment screw to set proper gate distance. Commonly this happened in my theaters due to an operator trying to cure a bouncing picture by setting the gate position closer than it should be.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 08-24-2008, 02:39 PM:

Pro 35's prone to shaky pictures. The local Mann Fox theatre their employees were shoving pencils (and erasers) between the lens mount and the film trap to make the picture stop jumping. I would clean out the intermittent pad shoes and sprocket, clean out the gate and the picture would run fine for me. Then I come back next week, and find yet another pencil lodged between the gate and the lens mount...

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 08-24-2008, 03:24 PM:

Say wot? A bouncing picture in a Ballantyne? (They put the "motion" in motion pictures.) Louis

Posted by Tristan Lane (Member # 1169) on 08-24-2008, 04:32 PM:

Bal projectors will run fine if you stay on top of replacing the coupler bobbin and outboard bearing. I've seen plenty of steady machines.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-25-2008, 12:08 AM:

I agree with Tristian. Now these are far from my favorite machines but they CAN put out good images. Another thing to consider is this... If you've had any really bad film pile ups in the mechanism then also carefully check the star wheel in the intermittent. You may find that one segment binds slightly and this is indicative of a bent star... something all to common in these machines since the advent of Estar base Filum.

The biggest problem with these projectors is the 1. High Parts Prices. 2. Lack of availability of some parts particuluarly some of the gate parts.

Mark

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 08-25-2008, 12:36 AM:

What Tristan said. I have 8 in Poughkeepsie; rock-steady.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-25-2008, 04:05 AM:

Also, if one threads a PRO just right, these things can really be quiet and really do the image.

Big problem I've also notices is that when one makes that upper loop too small due to the flat trap design and lower loop too big, it becomes one noisy machine.

quote: James Westbrook
Then I come back next week, and find yet another pencil lodged between the gate and the lens mount...

Dang! some serious tech service and operational personnel retraining involved here. Yet, who's gonna listen to who in this area?

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 08-25-2008, 02:36 PM:

When I was there they had an intermittent sprocket that had been worn to the point a new one should be ordered. I told the manager I can replace it myself and gave him the part number (which as I recall is the same "universal" intermittent sprocket that fits on the Simplex and Century) which the manager simply didn't do. This manager had trouble keeping toilet paper in stock in the building.Most of the pictures on screen were dim, and xenon bulbs were only ordered when one went completely out. The booth tech arrived once to install phones and ignored the projection equipment. Since their bookers worked out of LA, this chain got the big movies more often, and the building was busy. I threw in the towel.
The building has since been torn down to make way for a freeway.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-25-2008, 09:31 PM:

quote: James Westbrook
local Mann Fox theatre...

That must have been moons ago when this was, for MANN pulled out of Texas over 20yrs ago - it seems like.

I remember when Ted Mann took over NGC back in '73 and there were Mann Theatres all over the country. But Ted had a goal to meet by getting rid of some of these barns that NGC inherited from Fox Intermountain within a certain time, or his purchase would head back to NGC. Montana had the largest hit of barns that were on the chopping block.

-Monte

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 08-26-2008, 01:27 AM:

Cinemark bought out the Mann theatres in Lubbock and Amarillo in 1992.
I had heard since 1981 that the theatres had been up for sale, and UA looked into them, but passed.
Interestingly, Cinemark bought the UA location in Lubbock a month after they bought the Mann theatres. This is how they would dominate Lubbock, even now.
I recall the Pro 35s had a more sturdy fibre coupler that replaced the originals that the machines in the early 70s had. The originals were grey, the newer ones were black.