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» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » DTS reader light blinks irregularly (Page 1)

 
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Author Topic: DTS reader light blinks irregularly
Richard May
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1057
From: Floral Park, NY USA
Registered: Aug 2004


 - posted 07-12-2005 07:12 PM      Profile for Richard May   Email Richard May   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Can't seem to find this topic covered anywhere. The timecode seems to drop out for less than a second at a time. This does not happen often. The green light on the reader is bright and steady. Every 30-40 seconds or so, the reader light will blink off for half a second. The operators tell me that it keeps defaulting back and forth from digital to optical. Everytime I am there, it does not default. Either way, I do see the green light on the reader flashing every so often. There is no pattern to it to connect it with the platter or any other piece of equipment. They have Christie platters. I tried with the spring installed and removed from the center brain roller. All the rollers are running smoothly and aligned perfectly. It's weird because it will run for minutes at a time without flashing. All upgraded boards and chips installed in DTS6.

[ 07-12-2005, 10:32 PM: Message edited by: Adam Martin ]

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99


 - posted 07-12-2005 07:22 PM      Profile for Brad Miller   Author's Homepage   Email Brad Miller       Edit/Delete Post 
It's not dropping to analog, and yes that is normal.

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Michael Schaffer
"Where is the
Boardwalk Hotel?"

Posts: 4143
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Apr 2002


 - posted 07-12-2005 11:55 PM      Profile for Michael Schaffer   Author's Homepage   Email Michael Schaffer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Timecode has to be lost for a continuous 4 seconds for the DTS system to drop out of digital. Like Brad said, a flash once in a while is perfectly normal.

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Richard May
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1057
From: Floral Park, NY USA
Registered: Aug 2004


 - posted 07-13-2005 08:41 AM      Profile for Richard May   Email Richard May   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I know that it will not default until timecode is lost for 4 seconds. My question is what could be making it lose timecode at all. None of the other units that I work with are doing that. Also, the operators are saying that it is defaulting to analog. Everytime I watch it, it stays in digital but I have to assume that it is doing what they say.

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999


 - posted 07-13-2005 11:37 AM      Profile for John Walsh   Email John Walsh   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
How's the adjustable reference voltage inside the reader?

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Bruce Hansen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 847
From: Stone Mountain, GA, USA
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 07-13-2005 12:40 PM      Profile for Bruce Hansen   Email Bruce Hansen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Your opperators may THINK it is defaulting to analog, whenever the light blinks, but it takes 4 or 5 seconds of the light being out before the DTS unit defaults. Try cleaning the red LED and the lens of the reader. Check the gain adjustment (DTS calls it the LED voltage adjustment).

BTW, the other day, just to find out what would happen, I tried turning that adjustment slowly from one end of rotation to the other, at no time did the green time code LED go out. Leaving me to believe that the adjustment is not as critical as we may believe (but, it should still be done correctly).

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Brad Allen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 688
From: Evansville, IN, USA
Registered: May 2000


 - posted 07-13-2005 01:16 PM      Profile for Brad Allen   Email Brad Allen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I had a dts timecode reader do as Richard has outlined. It did cause the sound to drop in and out of digital. The solution was to send the timecode reader in for repair. Problem solved.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99


 - posted 07-13-2005 01:40 PM      Profile for Brad Miller   Author's Homepage   Email Brad Miller       Edit/Delete Post 
Guys, it even says in the manual that occasional blinking of the timecode light is normal and no need for concern. [Wink]

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Michael Schaffer
"Where is the
Boardwalk Hotel?"

Posts: 4143
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Apr 2002


 - posted 07-13-2005 05:59 PM      Profile for Michael Schaffer   Author's Homepage   Email Michael Schaffer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Richard May
Also, the operators are saying that it is defaulting to analog. Everytime I watch it, it stays in digital but I have to assume that it is doing what they say.
Or you could assume that maybe they don't know the right terminology. Do they know how to interprete the lights on the DTS unit? Which ones go off when it reverts? What the main processor (which one, BTW) does? If it bugs you, stay after the last show, run the print again and make short droputs yourself by inserting a business card or other piece of stiff paper (but no plastic cards - scratches!) for a split second, half a second, 2 seconds etc. and observe the behavior of the system.

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Richard May
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1057
From: Floral Park, NY USA
Registered: Aug 2004


 - posted 07-14-2005 08:31 AM      Profile for Richard May   Email Richard May   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Brad, I know that it may occasionally blink. If they say though that it is switching to analog, then there is something wrong. Michael, they did observe the optical processor switch back to SR when it happens. I just wish it would do it when I was there. Also guys, 99% of the time the light stays on bright. It's almost like the timecode disappears on the film for a second.

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Bruce Hansen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 847
From: Stone Mountain, GA, USA
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 07-14-2005 09:18 AM      Profile for Bruce Hansen   Email Bruce Hansen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I have also seen grounding problems cause the reader to malfunction. Try losening the screws that hold the reader in place, and then tighten them again. If you have a scope, look at the output of the reader.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99


 - posted 07-14-2005 10:40 AM      Profile for Brad Miller   Author's Homepage   Email Brad Miller       Edit/Delete Post 
What kind of projector is this dts reader running on? The belt tension on a Christie projector can actually affect dts tracking if it is too loose or too tight, much in the way that the belt tension will royally screw up an SRD basement reader on a Christie projector.

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Frank Dubrois
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 896
From: Cleveland, OH
Registered: Mar 2005


 - posted 08-07-2005 04:30 PM      Profile for Frank Dubrois     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
We had the same problem, however, the problem was solved by simply turning the voltage up on the reader.

Brad, how does belt tension affect the dts reader? I'm curious. Do the belts have to be WAY to tight or WAY to loose for that to affect the reader? I know Christie doesnt really give an "exact" way to achieve perfect belt tension, so I'm interested to know if this could be affect our other readers.

Thanks

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99


 - posted 08-07-2005 05:29 PM      Profile for Brad Miller   Author's Homepage   Email Brad Miller       Edit/Delete Post 
If the belts are too loose, they will "jump teeth" when the machine is started or turned over by hand. Obviously you don't want that.

If the belts are too tight, they can cause the entire machine to shake which can cause the dts to mistrack. (This also obviously prematurely wears the belts and pulleys too.)

You want them as loose as possible without any chance of them jumping teeth on the pulleys.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004


 - posted 08-07-2005 06:34 PM      Profile for Monte L Fullmer   Email Monte L Fullmer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Brad Miller
You want them as loose as possible without any chance of them jumping teeth on the pulleys
..I've always done the quarter-inch deflection on those belts-the deflection before noticing the belt tightening between the sprockets. One needs to press down on the belt that is between each sprocket to measure this deflection.

Had a few readers that would blink on occasion, but some would say off for a few seconds, enough to allow the sound to drop back into optical. I would then realign the scanner roller a bit and it would track back into play by taking off that seal sticker, and tweeking the pivot screw. Sometimes, you have to do that even though the sticker mentions factory alignment. Done this many times...

If old readers, the LED voltage probably needs to be cranked up a bit by taking off the cover and with a "tweeker" screwdriver, turn up that small trim pot up a bit with a VOM across the LED leads to get your 4volt adjustment range.

-Monte

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