It was two vertical, open-style reels, placed in the same position as you'd locate a platter. The print was double-wound back on itself, on a reel (like you'd roll-up a sound loop, without breaking the splice apart). One side of the loop fed directly down to the takeup reel and the front half through the machine. Half way through the film, some arms would trip, which would reverse the direction of the reels, and reattach the film to the (now) empty supply reel. Then the second-half of the program finished and the process repeated at the end/beginning of the show. All this time, the projector ran continuously, with no interruption. It was pretty fantastic, from all accounts. I'd love to have seen one in action!

I only had a sales sheet on one of these things, but it looked like it'd be the only continuous loop system that would work.

Any war stories?

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It does not resemble a platter in the least and, Brad, I did not fully understand the operation either, until I took 20-30 ft of film, spliced it in a loop and "tested" it on the bench. It's one of those things that's brilliantly simple. It would even work without fail using the polyester film because, in that respect, it'd be like running it on reels.

I did learn that, in order to make-up a print, you first must measure each reel out to the foot. The makeup section holds TWO exchange reels. When you calculate the EXACT center of the movie, begin the makeup there, forming a loop, which is inserted in the center hub of the Loop-Matic reel. Whenever a head or tail is reached, stop and splice the next reel and proceed. You're actually winding onto the Loop-Matic TWO lengths of film, from two different shipping reels, at once. When you're all done, you end-up with the head of reel one and the tail of the last reel, which you then splice together and thread through the machine. Then you're done until the next change of bill.

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Better Projection Pays!

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I haven't seen one for real but I belive making up a print for
the loopmatic seems to be time consuming.

Christos.

Agreed, Scott. It probably wouldn't be a good idea in this day and age, where managers like to play "musical auditoriums" with the prints. But in the late 60s/early 70s, prints would stay for months (or years) sometimes.

Of everything I've read about this device (several manufacturers abroad had their own versions), it seems to have Russian origins. Last I heard, it was still used extensively over there.

Bring on the diagrams!

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Better Projection Pays!

F.Y.I. I have not yet received an email with the scan as of yet. Please check the address and send again. Thanks.

Anyway, when Christos mentioned the SMPTE journal it is shown in, I looked it up. It says that it was just distributed by Xetron (then Carbons, Inc.) It was made by Famco AG of Vaduz, Leichtenstein.

"The principle is known as bi-filar winding, the looped film being wound as a double-layer spiral on one spool."

When the drawing is posted, it's easy to see how it works. It is pretty cool.

Brad: did you get any other pictures? This says Fig. 10 and 11, like there's at least nine more... I'd like to see how the reel-reversals takes place.

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Better Projection Pays!