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Author Topic: Super Symplex Shutter problem....(updated) Kara Tillotson Film Handler Posts: 87 From: Manistee Mi Registered: Jul 2006 posted 10-15-2006 04:24 PM                        So Im posting for my manager bec he doesnt have an acocunt here yet. there is a problem with our super symplexs shutter. Not the "main" one but whatever one it is that keeps movies nowadays from flickering like in old movies. ETA Apparently there are two gears, and these two gears no longer "meet" thus the shutter wont work. Do the gear teeth ever wear out or shift out of place?  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 10-15-2006 04:30 PM                        Rather than get too involved with expensive repairs with unavailable parts, now might be a good time for an upgrade to a projector made after 1935. Let us try to solve your problem, but know that a commercial theatre could benefit greatly by a slight modernization. Louis (Hadden Theatre Supply)  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 10-15-2006 04:34 PM                        That sounds more like a power supply problem. I have had that many times, that theaters complain about massive flickering and think it's the shutter, but shutters usually cause smaering and ghosting when they have a problem, not flickering. Unless it's really big and has long dark phases, of course. In this case, is it flickering very rapidly, with machine gun like light impulses?  |  IP: Logged Kara Tillotson Film Handler Posts: 87 From: Manistee Mi Registered: Jul 2006 posted 10-15-2006 04:43 PM                        ok, sorry for the poor evasive explanation. Apparently the "two gears" that the shutter has "arent meeting at all" Im sure this makes more sense to you than me...  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-15-2006 05:03 PM                     It would probably be best if you arranged for a service call by your service engineer  |  IP: Logged Kara Tillotson Film Handler Posts: 87 From: Manistee Mi Registered: Jul 2006 posted 10-15-2006 05:07 PM                        service engineer? whats that... we dont have a service engineer. Im just hoping someone has had this problem before and can walk us through fixing it.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-15-2006 05:17 PM                     If from what it sounds like is a case of a gear mesh problem it is best to have it delt with by a profesional who knows what they are doing It is possible but not advisable to try to talk someone through this as depending on the vintage some of those supers require a few specialized tools to repair properly So I would advise calling your theatre supply dealer and have them send someone out  |  IP: Logged Kara Tillotson Film Handler Posts: 87 From: Manistee Mi Registered: Jul 2006 posted 10-15-2006 05:21 PM                        Theatre Supply Dealer? Most repair people will want money, so thats not exactlly an option. This theatre is pretty much run and maintained, and has always been run and maintained by the employees.... the one guy (former manager/projectionist)who was supposed to walk the projectionist through fixing it just had bypass surgery so cant help for a while (he managed the place for 20 yrs...) The person who wil be working on it DOES know what they are doing, they just havent expirenced this specific thing before. Its not like some randomn person is back there pushing buttons and yanking on stuff.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-15-2006 05:49 PM                     quote: Louis Bornwasser Rather than get too involved with expensive repairs with unavailable parts, now might be a good time for an upgrade to a projector made after 1935. Man, do I disagree with that. Put a set of Posi-Trols on a Super and be very amazed. We have close to 30 Supers in 5 states still out there running just fine that have put out dam fine images for decades and continue to do so today. They just have to be oiled daily. I've seen many an X-L and Century running dry and the stars and cams of todays equipment are just about worthless. New or rebuilt doesn't guarantee a thing... it all in the person operating the booth. Kara, You will most likely HAVE to get a technician in for this one because its very possible that the shutter shaft may have become seized up causing the gears to strip. Its also possible that someone may have turned it over improperly.... by turning the shutter shaft instead of turning the sound reproducer flywheel... this can strip the gears. We still have alot of heads to strip parts off of in the CLACO dungeon. You will probably need at least the G-87 double spiral bevel gear and the G248 fibre shutter drive gear. The G-87's are getting scarce as hens teeth! There may be more hidden damage than that but this is definately more technical than the average person should try to deal with. If you ruin the new parts.... oh well! Another option would be to get another Super head and just swap that out. Thats a job the average person probably could accomplish. A good mechanic for sure could. Also, If you have to keep the old friends running watch E-Bay for used Super Heads... they can be very cheap to aquire on there and spare heads can be used for parts. Mark  |  IP: Logged Kara Tillotson Film Handler Posts: 87 From: Manistee Mi Registered: Jul 2006 posted 10-15-2006 07:41 PM                        where does one go to locate a technician? We are in northern michigan....  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-15-2006 08:41 PM                     Kara, You have E-Mail  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 10-15-2006 08:45 PM                       quote: Kara Tillotson Most repair people will want money, so thats not exactlly an option. As opposed to what, staying down? Operating a business takes money. Look at it this way; the fact that you're still running a Super indicates that you've gotten by without paying for upgrades for several decades. So you're well ahead of the game in the equipment expense department... moreso than most. The expense of calling a service engineer at this point isn't too bad by any measure.  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 10-15-2006 08:59 PM                        Kara's profile has a link to her theatre's myspace page. It looks like the Vogue was closed down in 2005 due to the owner not wanting to spend $15K on emergency repairs. Then it re-opened in July 2006 following some renovation. There are some before-and-after pics of the concessions and other stuff, but I don't see anything about the booth equipment.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-16-2006 08:38 AM                     Depending on the vintage of the super there were different gear train combinations used and it is possible that more than imediately apparent may have to be replaced Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and have it repaired  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 10-16-2006 09:16 AM                        I did not mean to infer that it was impossible to repair a Super; I did think that something "new" would bolt in place and give many years of service possibly without the expense of "service" from a person who might not have access to an unlimited supply of parts. Super parts, not made since the 70s, will only become more rare. "Film done right" sometimes must be done on a budget or incrementally. The theatre is better off with something that can be properly supported later. Sometimes the amount of money spent is common to two solutions: one way, you are not improved; the other would leave you better off for the future. Louis  |  IP: Logged

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