my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Strong Platter Motors

Author Topic: Strong Platter Motors Richard May Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1057 From: Floral Park, NY USA Registered: Aug 2004 posted 01-29-2010 03:06 PM                     After searching previous post and finding so many responses on different ones, I decided to start a new post. This has to do with the the older grey motors and the newer black motors. Many people including myself have had issues with the newer black ones being used with the older grey ones on the same platter. I have read posts saying to bypass the diode.....not to bypass the diode.....and so forth. I had called Design and Engineering a few month ago about it, and they told me that they have not heard of any problems. I find that not only hard to believe, but impossible. Anyway, I spoke with someone at Strong the other day who actually has dealt with this issue. He said that as long as you use the black motors on all 3 decks, you will be fine. He also said that if you have to use 1 black motor only, to put it on the bottom deck. He said that they are too unreliable when mixed with the grey motors. As far as the diode goes in the black motor, bypass them when used on the older strong platters regardless of whether or not all 3 decks have them. This has been a problem for a long time around here since these new motors came out. Obviously, rebuilding the old grey ones is the best solution but in case you buy a new black one, this is what you have to deal with.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-29-2010 06:41 PM                     quote: Richard May I had called Design and Engineering a few month ago about it, and they told me that they have not heard of any problems. You are spot on by saying you find that had to believe. Actually they are outright lieing to you! There are differences from the new motors to the old motors and it is mainly in the torque they develop. The newer motors have lower torque than do the older ones. Strong actually put out a bulliten on this because it's almost impossible to time a new motor to an old one or vice versa. You have to change out the sleeve on the end of the motor shaft to a smaller sleeve to get the older motors to match the newer ones. Also, if you rebuild an older motor it will run with less torque than it did necessitating changing the sleeve to be able time them. No one seems to know exactly what has been changed or why but it's possible both the brushes AND the commutator have seen changes. I have changed out brushes and also found the motor is developing less torque even after a lengthy brush seat in time. Installing a new commutator and brushes together gets you less torque... I have to deal with this very situation tommrrow afternoon at a theater!!  |  IP: Logged Richard May Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1057 From: Floral Park, NY USA Registered: Aug 2004 posted 01-29-2010 07:00 PM                     I have found that even changing the shaft on the motors doesn't help a lot of the time. Strong said that the black motors work better on the newer Strong platters. So apparantly, they don't really care as much about the older ones most people have. This has been nothing but a pain in the ass. It sucks having to tell the customer that they have to buy 3 new motors to fix the bad one they have.  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 01-29-2010 10:34 PM                     I must post the solution to your problem by quoting myself from another thread: quote: ME Christie part # AW3R Save your self the effort and cost, as you can easily find used, good condition AW3r's at reasonable prices as lots of theatres do their D-Crapema conversions. The cost could easily be less than the parts from Wrong. (Locally I have found good used AW3's with MUTs for as little as $500.) Maybe even free if you're willing to pick up and haul off the platters. Take some time and research this, the AW3's will give you a LOT less headaches in the long run. No matter what Gordon is gonna say soon..  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 01-30-2010 12:16 AM                     I know that I've chimed on this before, but agree that you buy a motor from STRONG, they're about $440 apiece. But I did post how to rebuild these motors from using vacuum motors from Grainger (2M262 motors),but somehow their operation now is a little different. Thus, I had to go to the 1/2" sleeve for these rebuilds and will work better with microswitch brains. If you use these retrofit motors on phase control brains, the slight voltage difference caused by the phase control can make the deck run slower in payout RPM's and you'll have wrap problems for the first 10 minutes of the payout. Yet, the big, big trick in any motor swapout to a new one, is to get the new brushes seated completely on the "com"..and how you do that is mount the motor on the platter tower, unlock the motor from the deck, then plug the MUT in and put the system to "build". Then run the motor in with the knob 2/3'rds open and keep it there for a good hour. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-30-2010 06:04 PM                     The trick in my service call today is that all three motors are now rebuilt and they time up adaquately. Mark  |  IP: Logged Richard May Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1057 From: Floral Park, NY USA Registered: Aug 2004 posted 02-01-2010 12:40 PM                     I think that's the key. As long as all motors are the same, there won't be any problems. BTW, if anybody wants to get rid of their "troublesome" Strong platters, I will gladly take them. Other than the FEW issues I have had with strong platters, they have given me, and most people I have spoken to, far less problems than Christies.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.