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Author Topic: What's this bore for (Century)? John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 05-04-2009 11:29 PM                     What's the purpose of the 1/2" bore between the operator's side and the driving side on a Century, to the right of the intermittent and beneath the lens mount? Taking a decent picture of a Century from the Warehouse (Broadway Cinemas, Tillsenbourg, Ontario, Canada), here's the bore circled in green: (It has a 1/2" steel plug in it.) What's it for? Bypass roller or sprocket to skip optical sound? (What else do people use it for?) --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 05-05-2009 03:25 AM                     Is it a plug or could it be a shaft for a connecting gear? Just a wild guess. What's it look like on the drive side?  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 05-05-2009 06:51 AM                        Good question! I have always thought it might be to allow a different pad assembly for Cinerama, etc. (No optical soundhead) I've never seen it used otherwise. Perhaps a reference point during manufacturing??? Louis  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 05-05-2009 07:24 AM                     Given the age of the Century design, I am quite sure this wasn't the original intent, but I have seen Centurys that had a special cue detector mounted here. In fact the GCC Northpark theaters had them installed with the Cinemation 2000 automation, but we took them out and ran manually since the cues had to be over the picture.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-05-2009 07:39 AM                     Actually there used to exist a pad roller assy. they went in that hole. Over the years I've had a couple of C model machines with them. There were some conditions where the lower mounted pad roller couldn't be used such as in dailies projection. Cinerama was another good example. VistaVision also used that hole to mount the pad roller... Mark  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 05-05-2009 08:42 AM                     Mark, can you explain how that worked? The new pad roller would still clamp against the holdback sprocket, and then where would the film go to avoid the optical sound path? Surely you're not expected to modify the main frame...or is it intended for use with something other than an R3, or something mounted between the R3 and the projector head? (I'm mostly curious academically. I was thinking of mounting some fun stuff there, and of course the question of its real purpose came to mind.) Robert: It's posssssssssssible, but I think unlikely. Go look at the driving side of a century, there are photos in the same collection that that one came from. The bore appears behind the vertical shutter adjustment shaft, and in fact, if you protrude more than 3/8" or so into the driving side, you restrict the range of the framing carriage (which is to say: you hit it). If you were really fancy/lucky/whatever, you might be able to mate with the holdback sprocket's fiber gear... I expect the next Century C I see on EBay to be advertised as Cinerama Ready! --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 05-05-2009 09:49 AM                        John; sometimes the RCA soundhead film path, when misthreaded, can allow the film to contact the normal Century pad assembly near the pivot point. It may well be much worse with other old soundhead, long forgotten. I think Mark is right about VV and Cinerama and, possibly, other older systems. Remember in those days Century made a lot of different models. I believe the SA was meant to be able to cover a great deal of territory so that custom made machines were either not required or could at least be done easily. I think the "C" had a boss in that location, but not a hole. Louis  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-05-2009 10:27 AM                        Interestingly, the machine in the picture is an "H" or an early SA with an H style trap. Those traps suck!  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 05-05-2009 12:53 PM                     Fascinating. Actually, we've got a pair of Cs, both with the hole (and the boss). I'm afraid I was too lazy to trot out a camera... --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Bernard Tonks Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 619 From: Cranleigh, Surrey, England Registered: Apr 2001 posted 05-05-2009 03:47 PM                     I seem to remember that a special pad roller assembly was mounted into this bore replacing the normally used position pad roller, solely for the purpose of double head projection of picture and sound, the seperate track being magnetic or older optical. A slot was cut out at the lower back and front of the Century casing for the feed of the seperate sound track, and to the picture take-up split spool, also known as clover leaf projection. Picture and sound being constant driven together for sync through the lower Century sprocket. I saw an installation of double head Westar's (Century) at the old Academy Cinema Oxford Street in London often used for morning test screenings and trade shows.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-06-2009 12:21 PM                     If you look at the photos of my VistaVision projector in the picture warehouse you'll see one of those pad roller assys. mounted in that upper boss. Mark  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 05-09-2009 03:06 AM                     On the Century JJ's I run, the post on which the lower sprockets' dual 35/70mm pad roller assembly pivots open and closed is anchored through that hole by a flat-head screw on the gear side. I'm not sure if the screw is countersunk but it doesn't seem to interfere with the framing carriage.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 05-09-2009 05:37 AM                        Thanks, Jim. I should have remembered the JJ. (I have 6 of them) None arr still in use in theatres I service, although I once had 8 70mm houses. That sure is an old JJ you have. Where is it? (2 of mine are s/n 104-105 from Oakland.. . . . #4 and #5 ever made.) Louis  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 05-09-2009 09:30 AM                     Louis: The JJ in the picture is at The Presidio Theater (built in 1937) in San Francisco. Here's a wider shot of the whole machine. I'd say this JJ dates to the mid 1960's based on what I know about that theaters' history. I don't have the serial number in front of me- - I'll edit this message to include it later.  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 05-09-2009 09:41 AM                     Do all centuries use the same main frame casting? I had assumed it would be different between the C and the JJ, f'rinstance... --jhawk  |  IP: Logged

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