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Topic: Who makes Hi-Tech automation?

Aaron Flack
Film Handler

Posts: 21
From: Hixson, TN, USA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 07-23-2000 03:26 PM

Our theater and several other theaters around town use Hi-Tech automation. I can't seem to find out who makes it. Does anyone know or use it?

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Ian Price
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1714
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-23-2000 04:11 PM

Hi-Tec automations are made by Megasystem.
www.megasystem.com

They suck big time. I had one unit fail on me and they couldn't tell me how to fix it. They kept saying that it was a power supply issue. I had both units removed and replaced by two 20 year old Kelmar Maxi 10C automations. They work great and all the replacement parts are available at your local electronics store.

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Aaron Flack
Film Handler

Posts: 21
From: Hixson, TN, USA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 07-23-2000 04:54 PM

One problem I've been having with several of them is cues. When the credits begin the lights are supposed to go up 50% on the first sound side cue. Instead, the scope lens will change back to flat. The lights may or may not go up, depends on how its feeling I guess. On the shut down cue, the lens changes again to whatever and the lights either go up or go down. But the masking always works.

Another problem I keep having is audio formats changing during a lens cue. But I think that mostly has to do with our fully programmable Smart MODIV processor, which the software never remembers what was programmed. But that is another story.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 07-23-2000 04:59 PM

Whatever happened to Neumade's up and coming new automation that has a touch screen and is supposed to do everything you could possibly think of, including tune your auditoriums, turn on your parking lot lights, flush your toilets, do your taxes, and even start your movie?

How was that for a run-on sentence?

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-23-2000 08:29 PM

The High Tech automation has been troublesome for me in the past. I ended up pulling them out and replacing them with other units. With all the driving that I had to do to get to the locations it was the best way to deal with it. I ended up eating two of the units. I have not used them since, but reportedly many of the old, previous problems have been delt with by High Tech.
Mark

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Richard Hamilton
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1341
From: Evansville, Indiana
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 07-23-2000 09:29 PM

AARON, please E-mail me with any problems @ RHamilton@megasystem.com and I'll see what i can do to help. Are you sure that all of the cues are correct??? Sounds like there might be some human error involved!

Ian, Why do they suck??? Please restrain from badmouthing a product when you have one product out of two fail. How old where these units if they were replaced by 20 year old units?

Hey Mark, What is so bad about Hi-Tech?? Just curious??

Rick

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-23-2000 09:32 PM

Basically very poor quality parts, particuluary the switches. The designs are ok, but the execution of them leaves something to be desired. I had used them on a few installs. That was enough. Thanks for your interest though.
Mark

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-23-2000 09:36 PM

By the way Richard,
How's the 10kw lamp comming here at your installation in SLC? You guys seem to be dragging along on that one. The light level is very unacceptable there with the 7kw lamp. Running a 10kw lamp is a very simple thing to do if you select the right components. I could fix the problem in about 2 hours.
Mark

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Oscar Neundorfer
Master Film Handler

Posts: 275
From: Senoia, GA
Registered: May 2000

posted 07-24-2000 05:56 AM

Aaron,

I am curious about the problem you are having with the MOD IV processor not remembering the format changes. It could be a bad memory-backup battery.

Why not e-mail me at oscar@smartdev.com and lets see what we can do to straighten this one out. Or you can call me at 1-800-457-6278.

Also, there are ways to connect a MOD IV with a simple automation in order to get multiple sound format changes. We can discuss that too, or you can stay with the simple changes offered by the automation.

Best regards,

------------------
Oscar Neundorfer
Chief Engineer
SMART Devices, Inc.

oscar@smartdev.com

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 07-24-2000 06:15 AM

Mark/Richard:

Relative to replacing a 7K with a 10K lamp in SLC --- I assume this is a 70mm installation? In my experience, 7K is about as high as you can go with any standard 35mm format without frying the film.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-24-2000 08:52 AM

Hi John,
Its actually a 70mm 8 perf system.
Mark

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 07-24-2000 09:41 AM

Mark: I'm thankful it is 70mm, so all that energy is spread out over a larger frame area. Even 5-perf 70mm has 4.5X the area of "flat" 1.85:1 35mm, and 2.9X the area of "scope" 2.39:1 35mm. The much larger image area allows "spreading out" the energy over a larger area of film, so heat damage and thermal effects are much less of a problem for 70mm on big screens.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-24-2000 10:53 AM

John, Speaking of putting high power through a 5 perf 70mm frame, take a look at the pictures of the AA-2 70mm gate I have that has a Cinefocus modification. Pretty neato. Brad will post pics of it later under my topic of the AA-2 gate with Cinefocus.
Mark

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-24-2000 11:41 AM

Most of the HiTech automations I have to deal with have the following repating failures
Timer transistor failing to have repeatable timing functions (one is in a changeover house and the changeover rarely happens on cue after the motor starts)
The switchs are low cost devices that fail repeatably
The timer I eventually replaced with a raven UJT type

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Dave Cutler
Master Film Handler

Posts: 277
From: Centennial, CO
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 07-24-2000 02:11 PM

Mark, that wouldn't be a iWerks 8/70 installation in SLC, would it?
Or is it the Megasystems installation I have heard about? Just curious.

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