Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: installation strong ultra 80

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Posted by Fredrik A Thulin (Member # 9115) on 02-04-2016, 08:17 AM:

Hi there.
I could use some help installing my ultra 80 lamp house.
It is supposed to work with a 35/70 mm projektor. So I will need to use the beam expander. However. I cannot find out how it is supposed to attatch to the lamp house. This lamp house has a bracket for a heat filter. I guess that there should have been another type of bracket if you want to use the beam expander.

My second question is about the distance of reflector and aperture. The manual states that it should be at a distance of 34.5 inches from the center of the reflector and the aperture. I did check an installation at an other cinema, and there they had placed the lamp house at a distance of 34.5 inches from the base of the reflector to the aperture.

SO what is the recommended ?

Thankful for all the help I can get

Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 02-04-2016, 11:50 AM:

The setback distance is from the rear hole of the reflector - that's the "center" I suppose?
The beam expander is also a UV filter and goes in the same place. The angle is important, obviously, unlike the flat UV filter.

Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 02-04-2016, 01:58 PM:

Don't expect a lot.

I've never seen a good light from a Strong Super or Ultra 80, far less so in 70mm. The beam expander in my experience leads to a 'hole' in the middle of the light.

They are also prone to warped mirrors which has obvious consequences.

I recently junked a pair of Ultra 80s in favour of Kinoton Lampenhausens, the difference is like night and day.

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 02-04-2016, 07:16 PM:

That's interesting.

Other than heat, which the filters only did a marginal job of dealing with, I got very good service from my Ultra-80.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 02-04-2016, 08:36 PM:

As stated above: it comes down to the reflector. I "ate" 6 of them since we stocked them and Strong wouldn't take them back. (Too much time had passed.) The next 10 were seriously warped. Good ones were fine. I then had to "proof" every reflector from Strong. They had forgotten how to make them.

Posted by Victor Liorentas (Member # 5272) on 02-04-2016, 08:41 PM:

Is the warp-age caused by the manufacturing process? They are metal reflectors?
If you get a good one,does it still warp from the heat while in use?
I think this explains some of my focus issues with the Super Lumex. [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 02-04-2016, 08:51 PM:

quote: Louis Bornwasser
I then had to "proof" every reflector from Strong. They had forgotten how to make them.

They never made their own reflectors.... They were all made by Optiforms Link

I have found that a Super 80 works best when it's moved so the cone of light just fills the 70mm aperature without the beam spreader. And you may want to have two optomized positions, one for 1.85 70mm and another for 2.21 70mm. Light is brighter and flatter when it is set up this way.

Mark

Posted by Fredrik A Thulin (Member # 9115) on 02-05-2016, 05:53 PM:

You were right about the poor light output. I get the same result from my Ernemann xeno lamp house with 2 kw bulbs, as I get from the ultra 80 with 4 kw. However. The top reading when testing the 35 mm projetors, are really low. About 4 Footlamberts. I use a pentax analog light meter. When I measure the light refexion from our christie, I get a full 14 footlambert response. Does any 35mm theatres really get the 16 footlambert brightness or is it a myth?

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 02-05-2016, 07:32 PM:

I haven't had too much trouble with the Ultra-80's I've encountered, but I can agree with the comments
about the reflectors. 5 or 6 years ago, an Ultra-80 was installed at one of the theaters I work at when
they were 'upgrading' to the Technicolor 3D system. (HA!)

No matter what I did, I couldn't get decent light out of it at first. I finally realized the problem wasn't
"me" but a warped reflector. Long story short: It took 2 more tries before they sent me a good one.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 02-05-2016, 07:39 PM:

Strong mounts the Optiform units in the mechanical mount. New guy thought force was required while the silicon set up. Probably ruined hundreds of reflectors.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 02-05-2016, 09:35 PM:

Optiform is still very much around... they may be able to sell you a new one or repair your bad one. When I was at Wrong before they shut er down I saw the reflector shop and the jigs they used to mount them. Electroformed nickel is dam strong and shouldn't really deform from just siliconing it into a metal frame.

http://www.optiforms.com/

Posted by Fredrik A Thulin (Member # 9115) on 02-06-2016, 01:41 PM:

The reflector does not seem warped as I get perfect focus. The lamp house is almost new and has only 47 hours of run time at 4 kw. It just seems to be an inferior reflector compared to the Ernemann lamp house.
So I do not think it is worth it to order a new reflector.