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Author Topic: Aside from lack of oil, what could cause the intermittent to fail on a Simplex 1050? Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 01-12-2009 03:44 PM                        I had to replace the intermittent on one of my 1050s on Friday. When it was threaded for the first show the machine was very difficult to turn by hand and was very loud when the motor was started. I've eliminated lack of oil as the immediate cause because the oil was at the correct level (just a small bubble from the top of the viewing glass on the front). Also, all the oil delivery tubes seems to be functioning just fine. However, the machine is 12 years old and I can not say it was never run low on oil before I took over the location about 3½ years ago. I realize mechanical parts sometimes fail for no identifiable reason. I'm just trying to rule out any operator errors.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 01-12-2009 05:39 PM                     Gate tension is horribly tight! On the inward side of the trap by the aperture plate, you'll see a small allen screw head. That is the gate stop allen screw. What has happened is that this screw eventually gets threaded in and causing the gate to close tighter than normal against the trap. How to adjust is to roll the screw out until the INT sprocket shoes just barely close completely over the sprocket with film in the gate. ...this has happened to me a few times as well.. Good luck - Monte  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 01-12-2009 07:18 PM                        Trying to get those screws set right has been driving me crazy. Not long after I took over the theatre we started having problems with the gate closing too far causing it to over extend the pivot. I tried backing out the screw to prevent this problem then I have problems with the picture bouncing or not getting a sharp focus. I move the screw back in and I have problems with print shedding. At one point when I thought I had it set right I put some lock-tight on the screw, but then I couldn't move it when I discovered it was too loose. Unfortunately there isn't enough room to get a hex wrench in to screw without completely taking apart the gate assembly (not just removing the gate as you would to clean). What makes it worse is I have yet to get a clear definitive answer on how to get the screw adjusted just right. I'll try your suggestion and see if I have any luck.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 01-12-2009 07:51 PM                       quote: Aside from lack of oil, what could cause the intermittent to fail Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 01-12-2009 08:46 PM                        Recently I swapped an XL rebuilt intermittent in the field, which had a severe gear mesh problem with the gear in the projector. Luckily the input gear was good on the old intermittent, so I swapped back to the old gear. Everything is now OK: bad gear!! (Ran perfectly in the "run in" projector.) Louis  |  IP: Logged Jonathan Althaus Master Film Handler Posts: 435 From: Bedford, TX Registered: Dec 2008 posted 01-12-2009 09:12 PM                     The first thing that comes to my mind is, wow only 12 yrs old? 12 of our models are 1989 and the other 3 are 91's. Been here 2 yrs now, no problems with the actual Simplex's. I'd check the shafts and bearings of the sprockets, but I'm a noob.  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 01-12-2009 09:12 PM                     quote: Tim Reed Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar. That's not what Monica says.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 01-12-2009 09:46 PM                     quote: Jonathan Althaus The first thing that comes to my mind is, wow only 12 yrs old? 12 of our models are 1989 and the other 3 are 91's. Been here 2 yrs now, no problems with the actual Simplex's. Mine are the same vintage: May and Aug of '89 along with some PR-1014's of 1994 and both experienced this problem that I brought up and had to adjust that stop allen screw for proper shoe/sprocket clearance - what this screw actually sets - where you make the band adustments with the tension knob. I cheated and used long needlenose pliers to tweak that stop allen screw, thus I could keep the trap mounted with just removing the gate to make my adjustment. If you got a screw that doesn't set, you could take the screw out and slightly 'mike' the threads so it will grab on to the threads inside the trap. What happened with me is that one machine, on startup, would rattle horribly and sounded like a train engine chugging away from the depot til it ramped up to speed. I did the same - took out the INT assembly, yet I could easily spin the flywheel with no problems. After reinstalling the assembly and doing the sprocket alignment with the gate shoes, is where I noticed how the gate was closing too tightly. Thus, sorry if I misunderstood the original question, for I automatically took it as this overtension by the trap and gate assembly. ................................................................. When you took the assembly out, were you able to turn the flywheel by hand real easily? One thing you could also check to see if the drain tube on the end of the funnel is inbetween the flywheel and INT casing. For the oil actually gathers in that little "U' shaped galley inbetween the flywheel and the driven and drive gear, and the gear shaft has a spiral that is cut in where this spiral actually "feeds" the oil to go inside the INT case..to oil the starwheel and cam. With the "FRAME" knob where you can read it normally, the rear of the INT case above the driven gear has two little holes where the oil exits after being fed in by that gear shaft. The main goal is to see oil gushing out of these two small holes during operation. Thus, you know that the assembly is being oiled ... and why I fully maintain that the "FRAME" knob is at this readable position so the INT assembly is getting the best oiling. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 01-12-2009 11:19 PM                        One of my assistants threaded this particular machine when it happened, but I was just a few feet away working on something else. When she started the motor it was making the worst noise I have ever heard. She stopped it immediately and I came over to check it out. The flywheel was so stiff I could not turn it by hand using pretty much all my strength. I removed the belt between the motor and the soundhead and the motor turned easily. When I tried to turn the pully that the sound head/projector belt attaches to, I could barely get it to turn. After turning it a few times it loosened up a bit but it was still very difficult to turn through pull down. I will say I was very surprised at how easy it was to change out the intermittent. I had done one previously on a Century projector, but this was my first time on a Simplex. I guess I just expected it to be much more complicated.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 01-13-2009 02:11 AM                     Shoot some oil in those two holes that I mentioned and all rotating surfaces and let it sit in a pan of sorts with the sprocket up to allow oil to seep past the rotating surfaces for a good day ..and hopefully, moving parts will begin to free up so you can rotate the flywheel freely. I don't think nothing will be damaged since you caught it in time and where you could be back online with that assembly reinstalled. Luckilly, you've never done an assembly on a PRO-35, for if you do, then we can say you've been 'seasoned' in. good luck-Monte  |  IP: Logged James Westbrook Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1133 From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa Registered: Mar 2006 posted 01-13-2009 02:56 AM                     Running a 1050 with the frame knob turned upside down for a long time will starve the intermittent of oil, casing it to fail. That's because the oil is not entering the holes mentioned by Monte earlier. The framing knob can be reset to show FRAME in the readable way but the intermittent could still be cranked way too far one way or the other.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 01-13-2009 04:29 AM                     James has some damn good advice there for those stuck running Simplexes. (Right Phil? ) And since he didn't clarify, you can press in on the FRAME knob and rotate just the knob without the shaft turning so that you can physically center the intermittent in its travel and then push in on the FRAME knob until it the printed "FRAME" word is level. Never, ever run a Simplex at the end of its range (except to get through a show).  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 01-13-2009 02:48 PM                        Just to be clear, my frame knobs are set in the center position. I am aware of the ability to reset them so "FRAME" is always horizontal, but I prefer to have room to adjust in both directions. But it's certainly good to know.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 01-13-2009 06:03 PM                     For the curious... and please excuse the camfone picts..had to do some color editing and resizing to fit... the two holes that should be in this position with FRAME knob readable.. Oil gushing out of the two holes during operation.. thx-Monte  |  IP: Logged Dave Macaulay Film God Posts: 2321 From: Toronto, Canada Registered: Apr 2001 posted 01-13-2009 11:37 PM                     Make sure oil is actually getting to the intermittent. The dribble tube can be bent or slid in its clamp and either miss the governor (or paddle) or hit it where little or no oil sprays into the collector funnel. Framing down to where you can see the delivery tube, you should see a quick dripping or constant dribble of oil down onto the intermittent valley around the little drive gears. The gears perform as an oil pump - forcing oil into the intermittent case through a hole below the mesh point. If the flywheel is not pulled in tightish to the case - there's a groove at the end of the shaft you can pry the shaft out of the flywheel with as you tighten the screws - this pump works poorly as the gap beween the flywheel and case lets a lot of the oil just leak away.I usually pull it tight, snug up the screws, then gently tap the shaft end with a screwdriver handle until the flywheel turns freely (not actually rubbing on the case). The intermittent doesn't really need a lot of oil, it just shouldn't run dry. Failures in my experience are from some kind of film crash breaking or bending the pin, or from way high gate tension for a long time. The little indicator bushing on the sprocket end of the shaft sets the free axial play of the cross shaft. The sprocket shouldn't move in-and-out enough to feel, too much movement and the pin and cross can be rubbing together. Unfortunately the tiny Bristol Spline tool needed for the setscrews on that bushing is pretty hard to find.  |  IP: Logged

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