Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Standard Simplex intermittent--remove/replace/inspect

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Posted by Craig Hardy (Member # 10648) on 11-02-2018, 02:31 PM:

I've been reading through numerous threads on this forum for a couple hours and can't find answers to following questions. This is a casual home use environment, not a public theatre. I just fired up one of my old standard Simplex's for first time in about 20years, ran a few trailers, and it ran sweet and quiet, but I discovered one of the oil sight windows was disintegrated and no oil left in unit. I made a new sight window, glued it on with JB Quik and it seems to be holding oil, but before running it more I'd like to fix it correctly by installing new sight windows from the inside like they should be. One of my "parts" heads has identical intermittent which I've removed, opened up to study insides, then closed up and it hand spins smooth. OK, now my questions:
1. Can I remove the two gears, remove and re-install the intermittent and then the gears without messing up machine timing if I didn't rotate shutter or turn anything while gears and intermittent were out of machine?
2. Can I open up the intermittent to install new sight windows, then put the front back on and re-install unit without messing up running tolerances?

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-02-2018, 08:42 PM:

I can't say yes or no, but I can tell you that opening up an intermittent (and putting it back together) is not for the faint of heart. If you don't know what your doing, you could wind up with a shiny boat anchor.

Some of our resident techs will likely respond with more thoughts.

Posted by Craig Hardy (Member # 10648) on 11-02-2018, 09:36 PM:

Mike, yes I'm sure there will be other replies. I'm not talking about disturbing any of the bearings or changing positions of shafts in bearings or moving sprocket wheel on the shaft. I'm only talking about removing the 6 screws that hold front star wheel assembly from the main case so I can unscrew the rings holding the sight windows in their little bored wells.
Then after replacing windows with their seal gaskets, placing assembly back in main case and replacing the screws. When I've done this with a few extra units I had lying around, spinning them by hand they seem smooth as silk with no clicks or hangups.
I'm not a watchmaker, but I've worked on intricate mechanical things for most of my 77 years...

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 11-02-2018, 09:43 PM:

First understand that the clearance between the star and cam has to do with the two intermittent castings. You loosen all the screws and you have lost it. It takes a defecate touch to feel the correct mesh. Most shops had run-in stands and would slightly loosen the screws and tap the outer cover slightly one way or the other listening for the correct sound.

Second turn the gear that the flywheel attaches to until the arm that has the pin is on top the the other gear. Scrib the gear underneath on each side. You will want to get the two gears back together tooth for tooth where it was. They wear together and any other orientation will cause issues.

Posted by Craig Hardy (Member # 10648) on 11-03-2018, 12:46 AM:

Thanks Stephen. Your first paragraph makes complete sense, so for now I'll leave things alone and keep an eagle eye on the oil level as I put a few hours on the machine tomorrow night.
If later on I decide to go in I'll rig up a run-in stand first. I would suspect that the "right sound" is virtually NO sound at all from such a beautiful precision device...

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 11-03-2018, 04:00 AM:

There are two kinds of men who would take apart a Swiss watch: Watchmakers and fools.

Posted by Craig Hardy (Member # 10648) on 11-03-2018, 10:44 PM:

Thanks for all the advice and warnings, and you can RELAX now--ole Craig is going to leave well enough alone and not open up the intermittent!
Just ran it for couple hours this evening and my glued on external sight window is not leaking.
Rock steady image on screen, no shutter ghosting. The old beast is running sweet and quiet....

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 11-12-2018, 02:24 AM:

Those older Simplex Intermittent assemblies, the sprocket is held on the shaft by taper pins, meaning the pins only goes in one way.

I've done SuperSimplex intermittent units where they have the taper pins. But the trick is to get the starwheel and cam pin perfectly aligned when you put the two halves together, or you have a noisy assembly on your hands.

I do it by feel where I can "feel" the cam pin starting to enter the starwheel dead center. Then, I lock down the two halves and run it in prior to operation.
Good Luck with your project. Looks great !
-Monte