Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: 5 star soundhead mounting

This is topic 5 star soundhead mounting in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Richard May (Member # 2627) on 03-06-2012, 07:37 PM:

Will a 5 star soundhead mount to a pedestal that had an SH-1000 soundhead before?

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 03-06-2012, 09:01 PM:

Perfectly, but it is debatable which is better. I would rather have the sh1000.

Posted by Richard May (Member # 2627) on 03-07-2012, 08:21 AM:

Thanks Louis.

Posted by Robert Koch (Member # 3728) on 03-10-2012, 02:18 PM:

Amen to Louis reply. They were going backwards when they made the 5star.

Posted by Victor Liorentas (Member # 5272) on 03-10-2012, 02:25 PM:

I just wish there was a way to replace the dirt embedding roller. [Frown]

Posted by Jeremy Weigel (Member # 4208) on 03-10-2012, 07:33 PM:

You can get rid of it all together.

Modifying a Simplex 5 Star Soundhead to be More Film Friendly

Posted by Victor Liorentas (Member # 5272) on 03-10-2012, 08:19 PM:

I was told you cant do this to the sh1000.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-10-2012, 08:24 PM:

I tried that trick on a 5-Star and it did work real good (reminds me of the split roller assembly of the Cinemecanica V series), but the owners didn't like my mod saying that it could really damage film..so out it went and back to the rubber pressure roller..

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-11-2012, 07:06 AM:

It won't work in a changeover set up either. Without the pinch roller, the drum won't come up to speed in time. To make this mod really work one would have to machine their own drum so that the guide rollers could put pressure on the drum in lieu of the pinch roller.

Posted by Paul Gordon (Member # 3320) on 03-11-2012, 10:01 AM:

Or just use a Century Sound head

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 03-11-2012, 10:03 AM:

Yes, Century. No shortage now! Louis

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-11-2012, 04:45 PM:

The Century was a far cry from perfect either...normally really poor machining and very poor consistency from unit to unit.

Posted by Robert Koch (Member # 3728) on 03-11-2012, 07:40 PM:

Steve is certainly right on [as usual] with comments on the Century. Poor workmanship was the norm on these reproducers.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 03-11-2012, 08:45 PM:

Has a Davis bridge, though. Besides Westrex who else does? Louis

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-11-2012, 11:14 PM:

Not really...it is Davis like. A real Davis loop is what you see in a 4-track penthouse, a digital penthouse. It is fully isolated. Due to the method the Century machined their bearing retainers, the drum can/does orbit a bit. There is an inherent slop between the feed and holdback sprockets and no two dampers are the same. Most of them also laterally shift the film as the lateral guide roller moves up and down. Note this is not an endorsement of the Simplex design but they did have superior matching from unit to unit.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 03-12-2012, 07:58 AM:

At one time, I did wow & flutter surveys on all kind of equipment. The clear winner was Direct Drive Century. Less so (as Steve describes) for standard drive Century. All else was worse, very worse.

The direct drive Century has virtually no slop from sprocket to sprocket and is as good as the mag penhouse or full coat reader.

There is some possibility to improve the standard drive, but only if gear wear is minimal and the belt idler is moved to the inside, like a 5 star. Unfortunately, the 5 star has its other problems. Louis