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Author Topic: Closing changeover during lens change Ken Lackner Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1907 From: Atlanta, GA, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 03-12-2004 01:39 PM                     I am using Xetron Maxi 12 XPC automation. I've read through the entire manual and there doesn't seem to be a way to get it to close the changeover during a lens change. Is there anything that can be done to modify this automation to get that to happen? Just so you know, I won't be performing such modifications (unless really really simple), but I'll bring it to the attention of my tech.  |  IP: Logged Adam Martin I'm not even gonna point out the irony. Posts: 3686 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Nov 2000 posted 03-12-2004 02:02 PM                     If you're just looking to keep the image from zooming around the ceiling and walls during a turret change, I would just insert a strip of black film or fullcoat into the program timed to cover up the change. I usually kept several laying around pre-made with the lens change cue already on the strip.  |  IP: Logged Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 03-12-2004 03:06 PM                     Or you could send one of your minimum-wage flunkies up to the booth to shut the douser on the lamphouse while the lens changes. Beside, by that time you'll need a focus adjustment anyhow. So be sure to tell them where the focus knob is and what it's for.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 03-12-2004 03:48 PM                     Robert, running on platters doesn't have the focus drift issues like when running on reels. Also a properly set up turret will not require a focus adjustment after the lens switch. It's called automation.  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 03-12-2004 07:26 PM                     I don't know much about the automation you have, but if there is a manual override switch on the automation unit like most have, the lens cue can also be used to trigger a relay the will reset after a pre-determined time delay. If you find one, just pick up the wires on the manual override switch. There are probably all sorts of ways it can be done in addition to what I just mentioned.  |  IP: Logged Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 03-12-2004 10:54 PM                     OK, who are you, why did you post your picture there and what happened to the REAL Brad Miller?  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 03-12-2004 11:55 PM                    quote: Or you could send one of your minimum-wage flunkies up to the booth to shut the douser on the lamphouse while the lens changes. Beside, by that time you'll need a focus adjustment anyhow. So be sure to tell them where the focus knob is and what it's for. I don't allow those people to touch anything in the booth.  |  IP: Logged Chris Hipp Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1462 From: Mesquite, Tx (east of Dallas) Registered: Jul 2003 posted 03-13-2004 12:15 AM                     You are lucky, some of us have to rely on them to run the booth.  |  IP: Logged John Walsh Film God Posts: 2490 From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way Registered: Oct 1999 posted 03-13-2004 01:07 AM                     Closing the c/o shutter during lens change is almost always a function the turret controller does, not the automation. I have seen two automations that did, but it's not the norm. What make of projectors do you have? There is no fuction in the MAXI12XPC to close the turret between lens changes. I can't even think of a way to 'fudge' it into providing it.  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 03-13-2004 01:20 AM                        If the changeover shutter is kept open by a constant current you could just wire it through a relay controlled by the power to the turret motor. So it all depends on how your changeover works, if the automation can't do it itself and the turret controller doesn't support changeover controls.  |  IP: Logged Matthew Nock Film Handler Posts: 82 From: Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 03-13-2004 08:54 PM                     I found a simple way of doing it with our Panalogic automation which you may be able to adapt (I havent used the automation you mention, so I am not sure if this will work). When the cue arrives for the change over, the automation executes two steps. 1. CNTR-CUE (waits for a centre cue), PIC1-OF (closes changeover shutter), LENS-CS (changes lens format), plus anything else, like lights out.. 2. WAIT-2 (waits two seconds - our turrets take 1.8 senconds for a format change), PIC1-ON (Opens the change-over shutter), anything else necessary. So for a format change, we have two events, that are triggered (the second one is just a little bit after the first). Cheers, M@  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 03-14-2004 12:25 PM                        Ken, What did they do before you got there? Did they let the picture swing across the auditorium like Adam said? Surely they had some means to prevent this....or did they? The black film slug seems like it would be the easiest way to get around the problem. Or, another solution would be to install a second projector and do change-overs to a proper lens and aperture already in place. Frank  |  IP: Logged Ken Lackner Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1907 From: Atlanta, GA, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 03-14-2004 02:46 PM                     quote: Closing the c/o shutter during lens change is almost always a function the turret controller does, not the automation. I have seen two automations that did, but it's not the norm. What make of projectors do you have? I have a mix of Simplex 1060 and Century (not positive of the model off hand) projector heads. The Simplex heads have the TU2020 turret. One of my former theaters had Simplex Millenium heads with the TU2020 and CNA-150 automation. Closing the changeover was a feature of the automation. With the CNA, there is an option somewhere in the menu to program how long, in seconds, it takes for your turret to rotate. That is how long the changeover would close whether it the lens change was cued or you pressed the manual button. quote: What did they do before you got there? Did they let the picture swing across the auditorium like Adam said? Surely they had some means to prevent this....or did they? Unfortuneately, I have seen the picture swing around on the screen too often. It even happens when I am running the booth if I am not careful to close the manual dowser. Yes, I know the strip of black film would prevent this, and I always do that when I build a film. The problem I see with other films (and I am trying to get rid of this problem), is that for a scope film, the lense change cue will be right before the first trailer, without sufficient black leader to allow for the lense change. So if I press the start button and forget it's a scope film, and if there isn't sufficient black leader, the green band of the first trailer will be swinging around the screen while the lense changes. I usually try to check what format the program is and if it's scope, I set it manually before I press start, but sometimes I forget to do this. FYI, the whole reason we have this problem is because everything goes back to Flat at the end. Yes, I KNOW this is a bad idea. It has been discussed numerous times before. I have no power to change this. Please do not start ranting on this, that is not why I started this thread.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 03-14-2004 03:32 PM                     Do you HAVE to go back to flat, say for some ridiculous "on screen advertising" nonsense...or do you just not know how to defeat the automation from doing that?  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-14-2004 04:03 PM                        I'm not sure I understand the problem here. Why not just add black leader to the start of all scope films and put the automation cue on the black leader? Maybe you should just add black leader to the start of _all_ films; a couple of seconds' worth of black isn't going to hurt anyone. $50 will buy you 1000' of FPC mag fullcoat, which should be a lifetime supply. And, yes, I agree with everyone else that switching formats unnecessarily (e.g. at the start of very show) is dumb and causes unnecessary wear and tear on the masking motors. It also looks bad if you have top masking and the screen appears to get smaller for scope.  |  IP: Logged

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