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

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » installation strong ultra 80

Author Topic: installation strong ultra 80 Fredrik A Thulin Film Handler Posts: 17 From: Gothenburg, västra götaland, sweden Registered: Oct 2015 posted 02-04-2016 08:17 AM                        Hi there. I could use some help installing my ultra 80 lamp house. It is supposed to work with a 35/70 mm projektor. So I will need to use the beam expander. However. I cannot find out how it is supposed to attatch to the lamp house. This lamp house has a bracket for a heat filter. I guess that there should have been another type of bracket if you want to use the beam expander. My second question is about the distance of reflector and aperture. The manual states that it should be at a distance of 34.5 inches from the center of the reflector and the aperture. I did check an installation at an other cinema, and there they had placed the lamp house at a distance of 34.5 inches from the base of the reflector to the aperture. SO what is the recommended ? Thankful for all the help I can get  |  IP: Logged Dave Macaulay Film God Posts: 2321 From: Toronto, Canada Registered: Apr 2001 posted 02-04-2016 11:50 AM                     The setback distance is from the rear hole of the reflector - that's the "center" I suppose? The beam expander is also a UV filter and goes in the same place. The angle is important, obviously, unlike the flat UV filter.  |  IP: Logged Pete Naples Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1565 From: Dunfermline, Scotland Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-04-2016 01:58 PM                     Don't expect a lot. I've never seen a good light from a Strong Super or Ultra 80, far less so in 70mm. The beam expander in my experience leads to a 'hole' in the middle of the light. They are also prone to warped mirrors which has obvious consequences. I recently junked a pair of Ultra 80s in favour of Kinoton Lampenhausens, the difference is like night and day.  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 02-04-2016 07:16 PM                        That's interesting. Other than heat, which the filters only did a marginal job of dealing with, I got very good service from my Ultra-80.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 02-04-2016 08:36 PM                        As stated above: it comes down to the reflector. I "ate" 6 of them since we stocked them and Strong wouldn't take them back. (Too much time had passed.) The next 10 were seriously warped. Good ones were fine. I then had to "proof" every reflector from Strong. They had forgotten how to make them.  |  IP: Logged Victor Liorentas Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 800 From: london ontario canada Registered: May 2009 posted 02-04-2016 08:41 PM                     Is the warp-age caused by the manufacturing process? They are metal reflectors? If you get a good one,does it still warp from the heat while in use? I think this explains some of my focus issues with the Super Lumex.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-04-2016 08:51 PM                     quote: Louis Bornwasser I then had to "proof" every reflector from Strong. They had forgotten how to make them. They never made their own reflectors.... They were all made by Optiforms Link I have found that a Super 80 works best when it's moved so the cone of light just fills the 70mm aperature without the beam spreader. And you may want to have two optomized positions, one for 1.85 70mm and another for 2.21 70mm. Light is brighter and flatter when it is set up this way. Mark  |  IP: Logged Fredrik A Thulin Film Handler Posts: 17 From: Gothenburg, västra götaland, sweden Registered: Oct 2015 posted 02-05-2016 05:53 PM                        You were right about the poor light output. I get the same result from my Ernemann xeno lamp house with 2 kw bulbs, as I get from the ultra 80 with 4 kw. However. The top reading when testing the 35 mm projetors, are really low. About 4 Footlamberts. I use a pentax analog light meter. When I measure the light refexion from our christie, I get a full 14 footlambert response. Does any 35mm theatres really get the 16 footlambert brightness or is it a myth?  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 02-05-2016 07:32 PM                     I haven't had too much trouble with the Ultra-80's I've encountered, but I can agree with the comments about the reflectors. 5 or 6 years ago, an Ultra-80 was installed at one of the theaters I work at when they were 'upgrading' to the Technicolor 3D system. (HA!) No matter what I did, I couldn't get decent light out of it at first. I finally realized the problem wasn't "me" but a warped reflector. Long story short: It took 2 more tries before they sent me a good one.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 02-05-2016 07:39 PM                        Strong mounts the Optiform units in the mechanical mount. New guy thought force was required while the silicon set up. Probably ruined hundreds of reflectors.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-05-2016 09:35 PM                     Optiform is still very much around... they may be able to sell you a new one or repair your bad one. When I was at Wrong before they shut er down I saw the reflector shop and the jigs they used to mount them. Electroformed nickel is dam strong and shouldn't really deform from just siliconing it into a metal frame. http://www.optiforms.com/  |  IP: Logged Fredrik A Thulin Film Handler Posts: 17 From: Gothenburg, västra götaland, sweden Registered: Oct 2015 posted 02-06-2016 01:41 PM                        The reflector does not seem warped as I get perfect focus. The lamp house is almost new and has only 47 hours of run time at 4 kw. It just seems to be an inferior reflector compared to the Ernemann lamp house. So I do not think it is worth it to order a new reflector.  |  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.