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Author Topic: Anyone have a RCA soundhead thread pattern? Richard Greco Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1180 From: Plant City, FL Registered: Nov 2003 posted 12-01-2004 10:31 PM                     At my new booths, we are running ShittyPECO platters, strong lamphouses, Century SA projectors, and RCA soundheads.. I can thread everything up(I haven't yet because I havent worked a shift yet) by memory since I used this equipment @ Carmike, but I never threaded a RCA soundhead before. Does anyone have a schematic that shows the thread pattern? Thanks Richard  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-01-2004 10:34 PM                     I call those things "boat anchors"...and there are 5 RCA soundhead manuals in the manual section available for you to download and peruse.  |  IP: Logged Richard Greco Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1180 From: Plant City, FL Registered: Nov 2003 posted 12-01-2004 10:36 PM                     Thanks Brad, Cruising the manuals section now  |  IP: Logged Dan Lyons Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 698 From: Seal Beach, CA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 12-02-2004 12:55 AM                     I call them "oil pissers". Such a shame that people put nice Century's on top of them.  |  IP: Logged Pete Lawrence Expert Film Handler Posts: 192 From: Middleburg, PA Registered: Aug 1999 posted 12-02-2004 11:46 AM                     Such prejudice against older equipment. I have a pair of RCA MI-1040's (from 1936) and a pair of MI- 9030's (from around 1942) that I've rebuilt for home use. They don't leak. Just replace the gaskets and bearings every 20 years or so and be very careful how much oil you pour into them. The other trick is to use seal screws in any threaded hole that goes into the gear box. Like any other piece of hardware, a lot depends on how you treat it.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-02-2004 11:55 AM                     quote: Pete Lawrence Like any other piece of hardware, a lot depends on how you treat it. True, but no matter how perfect of condition your soundhead is, those models still have the "dirt embedder roller", which damages film. Hence the term "boat anchor", because that's what they are good for.  |  IP: Logged Chris Trainor Expert Film Handler Posts: 161 From: Greenville, RI, USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-02-2004 12:16 PM                        Brad, Can't those rollers be replaced? I know they are similar on the SH1000 which I have at home and after I replaced it I had no more issues with picture area getting worn from it. Also, a filmcleaner with FilmGuard helps quite a bit from keeping the dust off the film which would eventually get embedded in that thing. Tho granted, if I had my choice, I would use a soundhead that didn't have that 'pinch'roller. --Chris  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 12-02-2004 12:34 PM                    I agree that it was a questionable idea to begin with but how bad are they really? I've never had any problems with this design whether RCA, old Simplex, or new Simplex, but then I'm not running prints endlessly. Are you saying every such theatre (and there must have been and are many thousands of them) ended up with marred prints after a long run? Maybe nowadays few would notice but I'd bet in the days of single screeners and fulltime professional projectionists with little to do over the course of each reel they would notice every difference from run to run.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-02-2004 01:31 PM                     It's not an immediately seen thing. It does take some passes, but in theaters where there are projectors with and without that pinch roller, the prints ran on the ones that had it always had nice embedded dirt patterns. Some people claim this isn't so, but clearly they aren't very picky, or maybe their screen illumination levels aren't all that great (so the image is bright enough to see), but film damage IS happening. Yes running the film cleaner with FG will make it such that the roller doesn't matter, but honestly how many people diligently do this? The complaint here is the design. I have modified many 5 Star soundheads to eliminate this roller. I actually got around to taking some pictures of the modification earlier this year. Not sure if I posted them or not, but I'm sure I have them on my office computer. I'll upload a couple. Besides the obvious benefit to the film, the other nice thing is once modified, it's a done deal forever. There are no parts to wear. You can't do it on those old RCA/SH-1000 type of soundheads though.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 12-02-2004 04:38 PM                    I've never really understood the 5-Star design (and I own two). Tension and pressure roller? Is that like belt and suspenders? What's the logic? The Simplex 10XX and RCA designs divided the function of pulling film through the soundhead and take-up holdback between two sprockets but other than that the major difference is the solid flywheel on the 5-Star instead of the old fluid-damped one. Not sure if that account for the need to combine both techniques.  |  IP: Logged Dan Lyons Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 698 From: Seal Beach, CA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 12-02-2004 05:13 PM                     My theatre has Century C's on top of RCA 1040 with the nasty rollers, they are segmented foam/rubber, not just one flat roller. On the rare occasion we recieve a new print, after only a week, or 14 shows, during breakdown the "track marks" on the emulsion from that roller can be clearly seen. I haven't seen any damage show up on screen, but it's obviously abrading the film. Hopefully the RCAs will die soon and they'll get me some used Century soundheads. Damn things have been running since 1947! I'll take a photo of the threading pattern on it tonight at work. Below is the pic of the 5-Star modification. As promised, pics of the RCA 1040 threading pattern and roller. For use with a Century, close the pinch roller on the film, then pull it taught to the first soundhead sprocket, then back off two perfs. This gives the you the slack lower constant feed to the sound drum. As you can see, these can't be modified. If you took out the rubber bit, the flanges would cup the film over the edge of the sounddrum, yuck! On the Simplex 5-star, see above, the inboard flange rests against the inner part of the drum. Below are the "track marks" these icky things make. [ 12-03-2004, 01:19 AM: Message edited by: Dan Lyons ]  |  IP: Logged Ian Joseph Parfrey Film Handler Posts: 56 From: Bollier Queensland Australia Registered: Sep 2004 posted 12-03-2004 03:59 PM                     Here's a few points to consider when "dissing" the RCA soundheads of old. Many of you are bitching about the roller that is in contact with the film and the resulting "track marks" let by that dirt embedded roller and the fact that it is in contact with the film's picture area. Judging by the disgusting interior condition of that soundhead I'm not surprised that oil and shit is ending up on the film! Oil attracts dirt like the plague. Now, whether or not there is a full contact roller, that oil will eventually find it's way through the roll (platter or spool) and there is where you'll find oil mottling.... and THAT is going embed more dirt and cause more film damage than any roller. And as oil attracts dirt, air-borne or otherwise, when the flm travels to and from the projector head, dirt is gunna stick like glue. So you're complaining about those soundheads running since the 1940's???? This has got to be the first time of heard anyone complaining about a reliable bit of gear!!!AND you want the thing to shit itself so you can get a Century s/head. WOW.... and I do mean WOW is what you're gona get if you junk the RCA's for Century's. Century make BRILLIANT projectors but the s/heads SUCK...SUCK...SUCK RCA's with the double loose loop and mag-coupled flywheel have the lowest wow/flutter ratio in existance, why else would sound camera designs use similar methods????? And I'll bet 60 years after their manufacture they'll STILL have great specs. I'm not one for waving the flag for all things American, but DAMN, those RCA guys nailed that design on the head, they knew their stuff and credit must be given where credit is due. I'd be proud to have a bit of gear like the RCA's. (Incedently, I do have a pair of 1018-F's that do leave a bit to be desired) So don't knock a bit of gear just because it's old and projectionists are too damn lazy to keep things CLEAN.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-03-2004 04:31 PM                     I didn't know there was an I-30 in Australia!  |  IP: Logged Justin West Master Film Handler Posts: 271 From: Peoria, IL, USA Registered: Jul 2001 posted 12-03-2004 05:28 PM                     So, a Century projector head was mentioned...and I am working on one and need some input: I have a Century C and I am missing one of the thumbscrews that hold the exterior plate over the gear-side base or the projector head. The steel plate is mostly cosmetic but I want to replace the missing thumbscrew. I tried to find something acceptable (like a hex head screw) at the hardware store and have found that neither of the threads they offer (coarse-20 or fine-28) will work on what essentially is a 1/4" diam. screw. Darned if the mfr (Century) hadn't made up their own thread count. It must lie somewhere between 20 and 28... can anyone advise (short of contacting a dealer for a replacement part)?  |  IP: Logged Dan Lyons Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 698 From: Seal Beach, CA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 12-03-2004 06:31 PM                     quote: Ian Joseph Parfrey So don't knock a bit of gear just because it's old and projectionists are too damn lazy to keep things CLEAN. Watch your mouth sweetie, no need to insult me like that. I keep those machines clean. The film path is spotless. What you're seeing is 50 years of oil stains and worn off paint. I never said anything about oil on the film; none gets on my film , ever.  |  IP: Logged

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