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Topic: Westrex R9 mag penthouse

Josh Jones
Redhat

Posts: 1207
From: Plano, TX
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 09-16-2001 02:49 PM

whats the word on these? I have one and thinking about turning it into a DTS reader. My only concern being the high tension used to keep the flyweels spinning. Perf damage could result, but then again these were designed to run on acetate stock.

What do you think?

Josh

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-16-2001 03:27 PM

I guess the first question is why not just use the DTS reader as is?
The R9 is a very stable mag penthouse it is also the only one other than the motiograph that will sync ona century without adapter plates
On the DTS issue I used to mount the reader in many simplex and motio penthouses in theatres that had too much slack forming in the payout of there platters causing a speed fluctuation across the dts reader that caused drop outs
the newer firmware didn't require it

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Josh Jones
Redhat

Posts: 1207
From: Plano, TX
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 09-16-2001 03:50 PM

DTS readers dont look as cool as the old penthouses do. besides that, the mag heads in mine are shot and I dont want to go hunting for a new one.

Josh

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-16-2001 04:01 PM

You will end up loosing the door and cutting the front off

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Josh Jones
Redhat

Posts: 1207
From: Plano, TX
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 09-16-2001 04:44 PM

Not if you build the reader's guts from scratch

Josh

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-16-2001 04:46 PM

you do like to reinvent the wheel

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 09-17-2001 01:58 AM

Josh, just keep up your dreams and ambitions. From time to time, the "wheel" has to be not only re-invented, but modified.

Remember in 1900, some idiot said, "All that can be invented or made better has already been done".

HAH!!!! Now we have automatic toilet flushers in the theaters that "inspect" the user as he or she gets up off the seat. Then the toilet flushes.

Electronics might be getting too personal... We have two such devices in our new tri-plex, and already, some lady was complaining about one of those devices. (I am not kidding)

Paul

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-17-2001 02:20 AM

Paul,

I went into the facility at a rest stop in Switzerland one time while on a trip from Belgium to Italy. When I finished, I turned around and looked for the flusher. I couldn't find it and I must have stood there for five minutes with a stupid look on my face. It wasn't until I saw a guy in the stall next to me step on this tiny little button embedded in the floor that I figured out how to flush.

It was kind of embarrassing, not knowing how to do something so simple as flushing the crapper!

I hear the facilities in Japan can be even worse!

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 09-17-2001 02:48 AM

Randy, when I was in Japan in 1962, the natives simply "watered" the side of a building, or used a Binjo Ditch. (spelling may be wrong.)

Seen it! But didn't do it.

I have heard of some of our young sailors getting drunk on their butt and falling face first into those ditches. Not the most tastiest thing to think about.

Also, that tiny button may have been a frog. (kinda like stepping on a plumb that goes "Pbpthbpthbthp!")

Paul

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Aaron Sisemore
Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day!

Posts: 3061
From: Rockwall TX USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 09-17-2001 03:37 AM

Paul: We had the Binju ditches all over the place in Korea as well. What lovely odors emanating from them during the summer...

Randy: We have the floor button flushers in our Clearlake Cinemas, both for the toilets and the urinals... Pretty cool.

Aaron

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John Anastasio
Master Film Handler

Posts: 325
From: Trenton, NJ, USA
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 09-17-2001 04:57 AM

Bravo for you, Josh. I wish that some of my students were as amitious as you are. As long as you have a light source (like an LED) and something to focus it with that will only read through the timecode marks onto a solar cell that's sensitive to the frequency of the source, it should output the code properly. I don't see why an IR LED wouldn't work. The hard part is going to be getting the optics just right so that the spot is the right size and in the proper location...and bright enough. Watch out, Kelmar!

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 09-17-2001 07:28 AM

John said: "I don't see why an IR LED wouldn't work."

A red LED would be a better choice. Film dyes are relatively transparent to infrared energy, and the DTS timecode track is at the edge of the area that is now "applicated" in the lab to redevelop silver in the analog soundtrack. When cyan dye analog soundtracks are implemented, there will be no silver to modulate infrared light, and a red LED will be required.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

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John Anastasio
Master Film Handler

Posts: 325
From: Trenton, NJ, USA
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 09-17-2001 04:27 PM

John's absolutely right, of course. One of the new high intensity red LED's would be perfect, and they're dirt cheap. You'll need to run it off a really well-filtered power supply, but considering the amount of current an LED uses, that should be simple to build. You could even take a tap off your exciter supply.

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Paul Mayer
Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under!

Posts: 3836
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Feb 2000

posted 09-17-2001 06:36 PM

Just for the record, the term is "benjo." The chinese character (the Japanese use the same characters) pronounced "ben" can mean either "excrement" or "convenient" depending on context; "jo" means "place." So, you do your business in a "convenient place."

Yes we still have benjo ditches out in the sticks, but city slickers now all have flushing ceramics. But most are the asian "squat" style--much more hygenic once one gets used to it. You only find the "sit down" style in places where westerners are expected.

Pedantically yours,

Paul
SMPTE Hollywood Section
"Otaku wa tsurai yo!" <-- Bad Japanese pun. So sue me.
It's tough being a fan.

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 09-17-2001 08:49 PM

John Anastasio, I think Josh can probably make that work.

John Pytlak, Yes, red LED's are the way to go for the reasons you cited.

Paul Mayer - thanks for the info on Benjo Ditches. All I wanted to know in one neat little paragraph.

Paul

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