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Author Topic: Sound Head Azimuth -- Effect of Screw Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 04-10-2003 02:00 PM                     I've been doing a lot of A-Chains lately and here's something I've always wondered about... How come the XY result on my scope goes from being a lovely razor-thin line to being fatter shape when I tighten down the retaining screw for the soundhead lens? I'm tempted to relax a little and not tighten that screw all the way. It happens on every machine. (Century/Monee/Westar R-3 type heads with Kelmar reverse-scan LED readers.)  |  IP: Logged Bob Koch Expert Film Handler Posts: 183 From: williams ca Registered: Nov 2001 posted 04-10-2003 03:20 PM                     Frustrating, isnt it Manny, all Century`s were prone to this even when I was young using 10kc loops.  |  IP: Logged Richard Fowler Film God Posts: 2392 From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA Registered: Jun 2001 posted 04-10-2003 04:10 PM                     It is a given on Century and their clones. I have a special clamp wrench which a old timer Westrex service guy made which makes the job less tedious. The design of the Century holder almost guarantees that the lens tube will rotate when locking down. Richard Fowler Kinoton America Inc.  |  IP: Logged Don Sneed Master Film Handler Posts: 451 From: Texas City, TX, USA Registered: Aug 2001 posted 04-10-2003 06:34 PM                        Hey Richard, I remember that clamp you are talking about, that was a great tool to use when stereo solar cell first came out, I had one, but lost or left it somewhere....it was great on Century & their clones....thanks for the memory, I forgot about that tool.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 04-10-2003 08:07 PM                     Manny, when I do A-chains on Centurys I get a pair of 8 inch vice grips and clamp it down (not too hard...just enough to do the job) onto the lens. Then I make sure the set screw is tight, but not locked, such that I can still rotate the lens a little bit. Do everything like you normally do, but once you have things generally set, tweek the focus by expanding your RTA such that you are only seeing 1db per line. Now tweek the focus to perfection by watching the 16K or 20K reading while still keeping and eye on your azimuth. Once your focus is set to it's optimum, adjust the azimuth by moving the end of the vice grips. This allows you to make much more precision adjustments than putting your fingers on the lens barrel itself and most of the time adjusting the azimuth this way does not throw off your focus. Once you are satisfied with your results, hold the vice grips such that they are not allowed to move while you tighten down the set screw. This way your adjustments do not drift as you are locking things down.  |  IP: Logged Bob Koch Expert Film Handler Posts: 183 From: williams ca Registered: Nov 2001 posted 04-10-2003 08:45 PM                     Boy, Brad, this is what we used to have to do on WE universal bases[1a reprod and WE206-6 reprods]. It gives me a warm feeling that you people are still struggling with these problems.  |  IP: Logged

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