6K Reel Issue on Simplex 35mm Model#PR1014

[Yves Leibowitz]

Back Again,

So one of the Simplex Projectors has an issue with Reel To Reel. Proj. 2 seems to run just fine and very smooth, but Proj 1 When you thread up and start the motot a weird sound occurs above the intermittent in the gate area. I noticed when running a test 6k reel of a test print, the picture was shaky a bit upside down and there was a strange clanky sound happening which indicated something was wrong. Originally this was tied to another issue where I replaced the gate(due to base scratches) for a new one, but the sound came back attempting to run a 6K reel. I consulted with a couple of people on the issue and they said the gate and the arms have nothing really to do with each other and if i wanted to adjust the tension springs on the mag arms which I did and the sound would somewhat go away but not really, picture also straightened out. Are there any adjustments that should be made or should a 6K Reel go on no problem with a slight adjustment to make room? I have ran 6Ks in the past on century and kinoton projectors, no real adjustments were made except for the kinoton where I had to pick what size reel i was using if I remember correctly. Any insight appreciated.

[Jim Cassedy]

It's true that the reel arms and gate issues are totally unrelated. I recently had a slight 'ticky' noise on a
Century, and slight picture unsteadiness, but discovered that a co-worker had slightly knocked the
intermittent gate shoe out of alignment after taking it out to clean the projector. Once I re-sat it in its'
proper position, the 'tick' went away, and picture was steady again. (Fortunately the error did not
damage the intermittent sprocket teeth, or the reel of film I was running at the time) Not sure this
can happen on a Simplex, since, as I recall, the sprocket shoe is part of the film gate and opens &
closes with it. - - although I suppose it "could" get slightly outta alignment in certain circumstances.

[Randy Stankey]

It's funny how, after you have run projectors for a while, your hearing tells you more than half of what's going on. Everything can be running smoothly until you hear some unusual sound then spring to your feet like a cat.

If your projector makes a sound when it is pulling a heavier load then my money is on the upper feed sprocket, first.
Look at your pad rollers to see if they fit tight to the sprocket with a space that is the thickness of two layers of film. Take a piece of film, doubled up, put it on the sprocket, close the pad roller and adjust until it is just snug. Any closer and there could be film damage. Any farther apart and the film could slip. Both of these situations could be made worse when the projector pulls a heavy load.

On a Simplex projector, your sprockets should all stay in time because the machine is gear driven. On a projector like a Christie, they are belt driven and I have seen them slip out of time when the belts or pulleys get worn. That shouldn't happen on a Simplex...BUT...

What if your projector's gears are slightly worn or out of mesh? Extra load on the upper feed sprocket could cause a backlash which travels through the gear train, causing noise and wonky behavior.

The gear train on a Simplex isn't too complicated. If you've got good mechanical ability, you should be able to troubleshoot it if you put your mind to it. There are a couple of gotcha's regarding shaft spacing and gear mesh but, if you take your time, you should be able to do it.

There were two times when I had to tear apart the gears on a Simplex. One was a simple sprocket shaft replacement. I took my time, paid attention and worked carefully. Everything came out with no problems. The other was a complete teardown and I was shitting bricks the whole time. I ran a test reel, I went back to make a couple of tweaks and I got 'er done.

I don't know, for sure if any of this is true. I'm just throwing it out there, if you know what I mean.

Even so, it wouldn't hurt to take the back cover off the projector, give it a good cleaning, change the oil and have a look-see while you are there.

Just remember the old saying: "There are two kinds of people who would disassemble a vintage Rolex watch. A watchmaker and a fool!"