This is topic Thoughts after 1st booth time in 17 years in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by David E. Nedrow (Member # 4981) on 11-03-2009, 08:29 AM:
 
After taking nearly twenty years off from working in a theatre, I ran my first show a couple of weeks ago. We won't be finished with renovations until the end of this month, or the beginning of December, but we've been getting temporary certificates of occupancy for one offs. The first film-based event was a 24-hour horror marathon a couple of weekends ago.

Here are some general thoughts...

Having a rewind bench without dual drive control really blows. Plus, this bench has apparently been beaten with a ball peen hammer AND dropped from a two story building. 24-hours with this bench convinced me that I will order my Kelmar dual drive bench before we re-open.

I hate Simplex SH-1000 soundheads. The threading path is really awkward and time consuming. I'd love to replace these with 5-Stars.

Kinoton Spool Towers are great. To free up space for a second projector, we replaced a Christie platter with a spool tower. Ideally, I would purchased the over/under version, but we don't have the ceiling height. Even so, the side-by-side was a great investment.

Renting video projectors sucks. I hate blowing a grand for a day, when that money should go toward the purchase of a projector for "permanent" installation. Hopefully, a community development grant we're working on will allow us to purchase a projector. We have a 107' throw with a 12' tall, fixed width screen, though next spring we'll be replacing that with a 16' tall, fixed height screen. So, planning ahead, it's not an inexpensive purchase.

"Loose" splicers are rotten. I'm still waiting on a new splicer, so I ended up having to use the existing Neumade Splicemar. This thing needs a complete overhaul, which I'll do ASAP. I'll keep it around as a backup. I could swear they were using this to punch holes in sheet metal.

The lack of port frames and glass is an irritation and uncomfortable. I have enough heat building up in the booth without the heat from the auditorium bubbling through the ports into the booth.

Even with all of the above, it was just as fun as I remember.

-David
 

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Posted by Demetris Thoupis (Member # 833) on 11-03-2009, 08:41 AM:
 
Hello David,
You did not get into a Digital booth. That is when the fun goes away
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 11-03-2009, 09:33 AM:
 

quote: David E. Nedrow

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I hate Simplex SH-1000 soundheads. The threading path is really awkward and time consuming. I'd love to replace these with 5-Stars.

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HA? You are joking are you not ? You consider one extra sprocket to be awkwards? The 5 star is no where near the reproducer the SH-1000 is. 5 Stars typically have anywhere from 3 to 10 times the flutter level depending on the era of the 5 star. You have she same lateral guide roller in both reproducers. You can slso do sync motors on SH-1000s easily. I think if you ask any really knowledgable technician he would scoff at your statement!!

Mark
 

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Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 11-03-2009, 10:20 AM:
 

quote: David E. Nedrow

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I hate Simplex SH-1000 soundheads. The threading path is really awkward and time consuming. I'd love to replace these with 5-Stars.

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You sure that's not the other way around? You can't get much simpler than an SH-1000.
 

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Posted by Bob Koch (Member # 1062) on 11-03-2009, 02:07 PM:
 
You are showing your time away from the booth worked to your detriment. Wanting a 5 star rather than an SH1000 is certainly going backwards.
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 11-03-2009, 02:24 PM:
 
Bob.
I'm glad you came here and cleared up the air!!!
 

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Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 11-03-2009, 02:40 PM:
 
I too am a sh-1000 person. Perhaps his are really really bad?? My remanufactured ones are just like new! (25 in stock) Louis
 

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Posted by Dick Prather (Member # 1136) on 11-03-2009, 03:14 PM:
 
Well Said, SH-1000 is a very good soundhead.
Would even take a RCA over a 5-Star.
Dick
 

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Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 11-03-2009, 03:35 PM:
 
I prefer the XL version of the sh1000 as the pad roller assemblies were better built
 

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Posted by Bob Koch (Member # 1062) on 11-03-2009, 06:01 PM:
 
Gordon;
Not much.
 

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Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 11-03-2009, 06:53 PM:
 
The majority of my soundhead service calls involve the 5 Star....a great income producer
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 11-03-2009, 10:02 PM:
 
Hey!... I said if he were to ask a really knowledgable technician.... now what the heck are all you guys doing around here ??

I'll second that Richard! I stock at least a dozen of all the 5-Star bearings! Lots of them still in this area...

Mark
 

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Posted by Eric Robinson (Member # 2966) on 11-04-2009, 12:52 AM:
 
At least 60% of my Simplex repair time is consumed by 5 Stars. I thought I was the only one going through 5 star hell

I like the SH1000 pad roller arms, none of those crappy springs shooting out or sheared off pins.

The film path seems odd when your used to a 5 star; however, it seems simpler to me. I didn't know the vertical jitter specs were better on a SH1000, why is this?
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 11-04-2009, 04:42 AM:
 
...just keep the oil sump clean so you can see the oil level in the sight glass drop a bit with the brass gears swinging the oil around inside the transmission...

Dang! I love "4star" heads! I remember seeing my first 5star in the early 70's and wondered who designed this POS!
 

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Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 11-04-2009, 08:49 AM:
 
Gordon & Eric: On the "XL" version of the sh-1000, I enlarge the 3 screws that hold the bearing retainers to 10-32 Hollo-Krome and use locking nuts inside the oil bath. Strong and they won't move. I then slightly weaken the coil springs by removing a turn. They still hold the film, but they require less muscle. Louis
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 11-04-2009, 09:33 AM:
 
Eric... The trick is to use bearings with rubber seals on the main drive shaft... then the grease inside won't evaporate/dry up near as quickly. Don't over tighten the belts, lube all the shafts on re-assembly with some type of synthetic oil so getting it back apart the next time will be easier. On the stabilizer and lateral guide you can only use bearings with shields but a tleast you don't have to tear down the whole dang thing to get to the bearinbgs!! Convert any old square tooth drive machines to round tooth drive as these belts allow one to run them at much lower tension then the square tooth belts, bearoings will last much longer as a result.

quote: Eric Robinson

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I didn't know the vertical jitter specs were better on a SH1000, why is this?

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quote: Eric Robinson

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I didn't know the vertical jitter specs were better on a SH1000, why is this?

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The SH1000 type soundheads used rotary stabilizer (oil filled) flywheels on the scanning drum. I think that is a big reason.
Bob
 

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Posted by David E. Nedrow (Member # 4981) on 11-06-2009, 07:16 AM:
 
re: the SH-1000 v. 5 Star.

I stand by my statement that the threading path is awkward. Jamming the constant-speed sprocket at the top of the chamber means that it can't be seen -- at least by someone 6'4" -- without crouching all the way down. And I don't like to thread by touch.

Don't worry, John at American Theatre Equipment has said the same, re: the repro quality. It's a good thing too, since I have two of them and wouldn't replace them just because they're awkward to work with (for me).
 

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Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 11-06-2009, 11:52 PM:
 
So you're saying that you would opt for not having to crouch a bit over better sound reproduction for your audience? You didn't say that, did you?

Did you originally work for Carmike?
 

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Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 11-07-2009, 01:28 AM:
 
How did you read that he "wouldn't replace them just because they're awkward to work with" to mean that he would?
 

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Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 11-07-2009, 07:16 AM:
 
Personally, I'm wondering how the upper sprocket on the 4-star is any more difficult to deal with than the upper right idler roller on the 5-star. They are physically about in the same place. Then you have to send the film diagonally down to the lower left idler/damper arm...and then finally over the sprocket and down. Thats three things to hit on the 5-star after the drum versus the 4-star that has two things. The logic is just flawed on why the 5-star is easier to thread than the 4-star.

I can accept one prefers the 5-star over the 4-star...we all have our personal preferences...some may seem illogical but that is why they are personal. But the rationalization is another thing...the argument thus presented does not fit the facts.

Steve
 

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Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 11-07-2009, 07:26 AM:
 
Unless we're talking a drive-in with a steep negative rake, I don't know of many projector installations that can be threaded without crouching or squatting when you get to the reproducer.

???
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 11-07-2009, 08:49 AM:
 
He hasn't found out that all of us are under 5'8" yet...
 

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Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 11-07-2009, 10:25 AM:
 
I'm 5'8" and still have to squat to thread the Sh 1000s, keeps the knees flexible.
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 11-07-2009, 11:03 AM:
 

quote: Tim Reed

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Unless we're talking a drive-in with a steep negative rake, I don't know of many projector installations that can be threaded without crouching or squatting when you get to the reproducer.

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quote: Tim Reed

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Unless we're talking a drive-in with a steep negative rake, I don't know of many projector installations that can be threaded without crouching or squatting when you get to the reproducer.

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Odd, I fail to see the problem.
 

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Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 11-07-2009, 04:23 PM:
 

quote: Chris Slycord

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How did you read that he "wouldn't replace them just because they're awkward to work with" to mean that he would?

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Easy -- it was 12am and I had been working pulling cable through tunnels since 7am -- the kind of work that makes you say, "I am too damn old for this kind of sheet" and can cause you to miss read a sentence or two.

Still, crouching to thread a soundhead for less than a minute is part and parcel of running 35mm projectors and should not be any big deal for a projectionist.
 

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Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 11-07-2009, 10:46 PM:
 
Or you can do what one of my projectionists with a leg in a cast is doing -- sit on a folding chair.
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 11-09-2009, 05:24 PM:
 
Funny Martin... We had a one armed operator in Chicago. He was a really nice guy but not the right guy to run 70mm on a platter.

Mark
 

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Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 11-09-2009, 05:32 PM:
 
I once worked in a booth where the projectors HAD to be very low to get under a bulkhead. Everything you did...threading, changeovers etc. was done sitting on a chair. When you stood up you were taller that the mag penthouse.

Or in Brad-height you could look straight at the gate.
 

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Posted by Damien Taylor (Member # 4255) on 11-09-2009, 05:39 PM:
 
Well it's been nice knowing you John.
 

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Posted by Ian Parfrey (Member # 5122) on 11-09-2009, 08:02 PM:
 
Alas, poor John! We knew him well:
a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath
borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how
abhorred in my imagination it is!
 

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Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 11-10-2009, 03:30 PM:
 
Hello.
 

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Posted by David E. Nedrow (Member # 4981) on 11-12-2009, 11:36 PM:
 
I think people didn't pick up that I acquiesced to the opinions held here, and by our maintenance guy, that the SH-1000 is worth the trouble. And as I noted earlier, the point is moot in any case since I already have two SH-1000s and I'm not going to dump them because I find them awkward.

And, after much pondering, I think I know why it is "wrong" for me. It's because there isn't enough room in the upper right part of the chamber between the sprocket and the two adjacent walls.

Now, I know everyone is going to jump on me with, "well I don't think it's too close, you're just lazy" type responses, or "I have teeny-tiny hands, and it's just fine for me." I don't care if it's just fine for you. All I know is there isn't a comfortable amount of room for my right hand in that area. (Looking back at that last sentence, I hope everyone knows I'm talking about the SH-1000). I'm sure that, once I've "unlearned" the ingrained threading path for the 5-star, I'll be happier with the 4. Nothing I can do about the size of my hands, so that remains awkward.

In any case, thanks for the input. It was consistent with what I've heard locally. It's funny how all this came from a throwaway line in the original post.
 

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Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 11-13-2009, 11:49 AM:
 
That's the group, David. Keeps it dynamic and interesting.

People seem to have a preference for the equipment they originally learned on. And that's understandable, since it's totally fresh and you're discovering an exciting new world. There's an element of nostalgia in play.

To me, there was nothing better than a pair of large-barrel Century Cs, with Ashcraft Dyn-Arcs behind them, and RCA 9030s. Later, however, I much preferred SH-1000s over the RCAs.

But I still love Centurys and Ashcrafts.
 

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Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 11-13-2009, 12:17 PM:
 
Interestingly I cared more for the condition of the booth rather than the type of equipment. I worked some really nice environments and some real rat holes. As long as the machines ran it made little difference to me what they were.
 

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Posted by Eric Robinson (Member # 2966) on 11-17-2009, 01:12 AM:
 

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen

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The trick is to use bearings with rubber seals on the main drive shaft

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I'll be checking back with you next time I rebuild a 5 Star. Thanks

So...you'll be hearing from me soon.
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 11-17-2009, 09:52 PM:
 
Not a problem.... just shoot me an e-mail or call me...

Mark
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 11-18-2009, 12:55 AM:
 

quote: John Wilson

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Everything you did...threading, changeovers etc. was done sitting on a chair. When you stood up you were taller that the mag penthouse.

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