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Topic: Orphan Simplex Turret help needed ASAFP!

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

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

posted 06-11-2006 02:14 AM

I got six of these NSS Simplex (Ballantyne reps dated them ca. 1980) PR1050 heads with VERY early and possibly unique TU-2000 manual turrets:

My problem is that I just recently changed out the straight gate assembly for a curved one to correct a noise and stability problem that nothing else I have tried would fix. My scope picture is still aligned fine with the screen, but the flat picture is almost 2 feet off center to the right. There is no visible way that I can see to do a per-lens lateral adjustment (like you can do with the current style TU-2000 turret) to correct the off-center flat picture.

Screen is common height with moveable top masking FWIW.

Anyone have some ideas??? Anyone else ever come across one of these?

Does anyone else out there have any clues?

Thanks in advance!

-Aaron

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Adam Martin
I'm not even gonna point out the irony.

Posts: 3686
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 06-11-2006 02:20 AM

Maybe insert a shim in the lens collar?

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Phillip Grace
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 164
From: ACMI. Melbourne. Australia.
Registered: Mar 2004

posted 06-11-2006 02:54 AM

Can you fit an eccentric sleeve around the ends of the focus shaft? The lens barrel must run backwards and forwards along some kind of shafts, so it might be possible to fit an eccentric bush for one or both, and adjust the lens position that way. Cinemeccanica do it using shafts with eccentric ends, for the same effect.

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Stan Gunn
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 176
From: Clematis, in the hills near Melbourne Australia
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 06-11-2006 07:22 AM

The lense mount screws are adjusted to alighn the lens, memory cant go back further as to method. [Confused]

Hi Phill.

Stan.

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Richard Hamilton
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1341
From: Evansville, Indiana
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 06-11-2006 08:25 AM

was it ok before you changed the gate assembly? if so, the turret has nothing to do with the problem.

rick

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 06-11-2006 10:42 AM

Are you judging the 2-feet based on target film or based on apertures? Take target film and a laser; if the laser bullseyes to the crosshair of the target film, it is dead on.

Aperture plates are notorius for being inaccurate for Simplexes. Often the end of the plate needs to be filed to allow it to go into the trap far enough. Also watch out for misformed aperture plates...the slanted portion is also often wrong and will prematurely stop the plate from going in far enough on a Simplex curve gate...some simple rebends will allo it to properly bottom out on the end of the plate.

Again, I would verify with target film your problem. As I am not familiar (other than seeing it in advertising way back when) I can not comment on the turrets functionality.

Steve

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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 06-11-2006 11:59 AM

quote: Richard Hamilton
was it ok before you changed the gate assembly? if so, the turret has nothing to do with the problem.

I wasn't the one who did the setup on these projectors, I was busy with sound systems at the time, so I have no idea if the picture was off-center from jump (but if the aperture is now casting a 2' shadow, something has gotta be amiss. As for the gate being the culprit, wouldn't that affect BOTH formats?? As I stated initially, scope is practically dead-on perfect on screen.

quote: Steve Guttag
Are you judging the 2-feet based on target film or based on apertures?

Both. Its way off with the PA35 as well.

I'll try to get some time to investigate this further and report back. Until then, any other suggestions are welcome!

-Aaron

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Richard Hamilton
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1341
From: Evansville, Indiana
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 06-11-2006 12:46 PM

what kind of plate? If it is a dual formart plate, then yes one format could be offset because of one of the stops being set incorrectly. Your pictures did not show, so I was just curious.

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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 06-11-2006 01:09 PM

Standard Simplex single format plates.

-Aaron

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 06-11-2006 02:36 PM

One word Aaron, one word...

Can you get some brighter pictures of the film side of the turret? It's hard to make out any screws or potential adjustments. I see some allen head screws on the front. If you loosen them, can you move the entire lens around possibly? (I've never seen one of these turrets before.)

If you end up not being able to find an adjustment, Adam's suggestion above will certainly work. I've done it many times.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

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

posted 06-11-2006 11:21 PM

I have this pix of the early TU-2000 turret mounted on a studio gate NSS Simplex PR-1050

..maybe, this can help out some...

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Dave Macaulay
Film God

Posts: 2321
From: Toronto, Canada
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 06-14-2006 09:21 AM

These turrets were originally made for Famous Players in Canada, they may have been sold elsewhere but FP wanted a manual turret - maybe the electric ones were too expensive? - and this is the result.
The left/right adjustment is pretty simple.
Look in the hole on the outside edge (visible in the fourth photo just left of the bottom of the "handle") and adjust the lens focus until you see an allen head screw aligned with that hole. Loosen it. The lens mounting barrel will now rotate, it is eccentric and the lens centre will move. With RP40 set the image left/right position, ignore up/down. Then lock with that allen screw and set up/down with the adjustable turret rotation stop. There isn't a LOT of travel left/right, you may need to shift the projector and adjust both lenses.

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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 06-14-2006 02:10 PM

quote: Dave Macaulay
The left/right adjustment is pretty simple.
Look in the hole on the outside edge (visible in the fourth photo just left of the bottom of the "handle") and adjust the lens focus until you see an allen head screw aligned with that hole. Loosen it. The lens mounting barrel will now rotate, it is eccentric and the lens centre will move. With RP40 set the image left/right position, ignore up/down. Then lock with that allen screw and set up/down with the adjustable turret rotation stop. There isn't a LOT of travel left/right, you may need to shift the projector and adjust both lenses.

I was told this a while ago, and that was the first thing I tried. 'isn't a lot of travel left/right' is a gross understatement. I saw ZERO movement of the image by rotating the barrel. I might try again, but am not expecting any improvements. [Frown]

Next?

-Aaron

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-14-2006 09:30 PM

quote: Aaron Sisemore
Next?

I would seriously consoder retrofitting these with JUST the Kelmar manual turrett section. Keep in mind that these turretts are no longer servicable as far as parts go unless you get another one to steal from... Or perhaps a local machine shop.... None of the TU-2000 series was anything to write home about anyway.

Mark

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Chris Unwin
Film Handler

Posts: 20
From: Langley B.C. Canada (Vancouver)
Registered: May 2006

posted 06-15-2006 04:26 AM

Hey Dave!...............Damn Famous Players and their cheap equipment they used to make us work with! I hated working with those turrets too.
Aaron, I would follow Marks' advice & replace them.

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