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Topic: What was so bad about the Christie AW2?
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Monte L Fullmer
Film God
![](http://www.film-tech.com/ubbmembers/2797c.jpg)
Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004
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posted 01-08-2006 02:02 AM
Modules, which are now dinosaurs and if available are pricey to get a hold of. That geared platter motor, if the "com" isn't worn out, would love to eat the brushes up real bad. One could go through a set of brushes in a week. Also, that formica deck can be pretty slick and if that module gets a little grumpy, the unit would sling prints without even thinking.
Then you get booth clowns who would "round" out the ring pin holes to where the ring wouldn't even be centered, and most AW2 decks that I've seen where somebody drilled new ring pin holes in that particle deck. That screen door closure for the return arm loves to get out of adjustment when it wants to.
Then the brain..that's another story in itself.
Yet, if "cooed and burped" good enough, AW2's can be decent in themselves.
AW3(r) are a blessing for Christie.
-Monte
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Michael Wilkinson
The Entertainment King of Colusa and Beyond
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Posts: 89
From: Colusa, CA USA
Registered: Apr 2004
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posted 01-08-2006 03:22 PM
Wow... Complaints many I see.
Yes, I dealt with AW1 & 2's for several years at a theatre I worked at. Yes they were very noisy and on unfortunate rare occassion they would throw the last 30 minutes of a three hour film. But when we kept them tuned, we rarely, if ever, had problems.
When I had the opportunity to take over my first theatre, the place was in need of quite a bit of work. To make matters worse-the rather sound transparent booth was equiped with a badly neglected AW2. Since I had experience in dealing with them, I decided to spend the money on other things and just tune up the existing platter.
After being open for a few months it was obvious that something still had to be done about the noise issue. There were still many other bills to pay so a new platter (except maybe a used Super) was out of the question.
In order to repair the existing platter, I had already taken a couple of trashed AW2's for free so I had many extra parts. Knowing how the Speco's run I decided to see if I could convert my platters to have a quite, low torque, outside ring drive.
To make a long story short. What was originally intended as a temporary fix, has now been in operation-completely uneventfully-for almost 10 years. In using lower horsepower direct drive (AW1-2 build up motors are suitable) motors on the outside, I was able to make the AW2 quiet, smooth running, and much more reliable. Apparently the lower current motors must help keep the control modules from burning out as that has not occured.
The system worked so well for me that I have prepared two more AW2's in the same manner for screens that I am adding. I guess I could do the 2.5 conversion too but three AW2's will be enough for me.
I don't really know if I am giving the stock AW2 a fantastic review other than I think that they are reliable if well maintained. I can certainly think of worse platters.
I'll take pictures of King Kong running today and post them tonight.
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Monte L Fullmer
Film God
![](http://www.film-tech.com/ubbmembers/2797c.jpg)
Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004
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posted 01-08-2006 07:13 PM
One of the first times that I played with a AW2 was back in the fall of 1977. This was the actual first time that I ever played with any form of a platter transport system when getting used to the Cine 4X 13k reel tower system.
I used to experiment with goofy things with the AW2 and the main one that can be prominant is that I put a film together that came in tails out and was in a hurry to get that print on the screen afterwards. Thus I made the print up as if it was going on a reel - with the first reel being the last reel to be wound on the deck.
Then, as Sam mentioned with the one sided roller assembly, I took the lead of the film, sent it through the screen door roller, then to the rollers on the tower, over to the upper guidance roller and over to the Cine V-4E machine. I unlocked that motor from the deck and the film played out with no hitch whatsoever on the first run.
Also, the fun thing with the AW2 is, that with the geared motor for takeup, it would wind that film on the ring so tight that I could lift that print off of the deck and could actually roll the print down the hallway to the other house, lift that print like a big flywheel onto the deck, over the brain (in which I knew it as the payout assembly back then...who ever heard of it being called "the BRAIN"..) and struggle to get that ring out.
This is when I started to repect Christie products.
-Monte
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