Pedestal size for Century C

[Adam Liberman]

I will have the opportunity to obtain an iron pedestal to set up my Century C / R5 / 1kW Xenon in the basement of our house. The projector is pictured below on a roll-around cart that is too big. One of the pedestals available currently has a Simplex Regular/Standard with sound on it. There's also some beefier ones. (all pictured below) My questions are:
1) Can the pedestal currently holding the Simplex Regular support the heavier Century with its motor without being unstable? I plan to not bolt it down, at least initially -- will either be free-standing, or with added casters.
2) Will the attachment holes on this pedestal for the side of the sound reader be in the correct place to just swap out the heads without modification?
3) Do I need to use one of these beefier grey pedestals (I'd prefer not if possible due to their size)?
4) I don't see where the sound reader / projector head attaches on the grey pedestals. Does it need an L bracket off of the sled for the lamphouse?
Thanks

century-C.jpg simplex-pedestal.jpg large-pedestal.jpg

[Steve Guttag]

The projector isn't the driving force. It is the soundhead. The "knuckle" of a pedestal mounts to the soundhead. Simplex and Century (and Christie and...etc) all use the same bolt pattern. But, RCA, they're different. As I recall, the PS24 was the exception there. Back when there was a Wolk, you could get the knuckle that was right for your soundhead, if you had the wrong one. Beware, as you go back in time, RCA was the manufacturer of most of those early sound systems and soundheads. You'd need to check the bolt pattern. Honestly, the footprint of the Century pedestal you pictured isn't all that different than the 3 and 5 point pedestals. The Century and Simplex pedestals just have a can around it.

[Phillip Grace]

I would stick to the box pedestal, which is a Century "C", at least for the time being. Trying to mix and match the available options is likely to cause more grief than satisfaction.

1) Can the pedestal currently holding the Simplex Regular support the heavier Century with its motor without being unstable? I plan to not bolt it down, at least initially -- will either be free-standing, or with added casters.

This is a Simplex "L" stand, which dates from the Silent era, adapted to carry a sound-head. They are stable in themselves, but larger lamps and soundheads can cause overloading and balance issues. If you attach castors directly to it it will probably fall over.

2) Will the attachment holes on this pedestal for the side of the sound reader be in the correct place to just swap out the heads without modification?

Probably not. The chance of finding a match between these two different types is pretty low. It is quite likely that the older soundhead does not have a coupling surface as such. The arm which projects from the head, through the tilt pivot to the lamp table could be cast in one piece with the soundhead. Some makers supplied a changeover bracket to fit their soundheads to these "L" stands, of which there were many in service. The bolt patterns vary quite a lot, and evolved over time. For example, some RCA soundheads used 6 bolts - two vertical and four horizontal and a stepped bracket. Later models used just four horizontal bolts and a different bracket. The Century soundheads use four horizontal bolts at their own spacing, and may need a specific adaptor plate to match an "L" stand.

3) Do I need to use one of these beefier grey pedestals (I'd prefer not if possible due to their size)?

Stick with it for the time being. None of the other options offer much hope.

4) I don't see where the sound reader / projector head attaches on the grey pedestals. Does it need an L bracket off of the sled for the lamphouse?

The lamphouse is mounted on an adjustable cast iron table, which itself is adjustably mounted on a "horizontal" beam which runs fore and aft across the top of the pedestal. The projector tilt axis pin passes through it, more or less at the balance point. The projector end of the beam, where it attaches to the soundhead has two mounting surfaces, at 90 degrees to each other - nominally horizontal and vertical, with two vertical and four horizontal bolt holes. I think the Century "R" Series soundheads will bolt directly to it, and line up properly with the lamphouse. In the case of all other types of soundhead an adaptor plate is used between the beam and the soundhead to locate it in the correct position, horizontal and vertical, in relation to the rest of the machine.

Thanks

With a bit of luck, you should be able to find a suitable smaller stand which will make the changeover much simpler.

[Adam Liberman]

Thanks for all the info! Phillip, I'm unclear under number 3: "Stick with it for the time being. None of the other options offer much hope." Are you referring to the box pedestal that it is currently mounted on? How much trouble would it be for me to disassemble the box pedestal so that I could transport it and get it down stairs without hiring movers?

Are you saying that the Simplex "L" stand may work if the soundhead is bolted to an adapter and doesn't have the support arm cast into the soundhead housing? There's what appears to be a knuckle already attached between the soundhead and the box stand. The lamphouse is 85 lbs, and I'm estimating the projector/soundhead/motor at 100. Thanks

[Phillip Grace]

Sorry if I wasn't clear.
I would keep the box pedestal the the Century is already mounted on.

If you oecide to go with the Simplex stand, I think you will find that this particular one does not have the parts that will be needed to attach the Century Soundhead to it, and they will be hard to find on their own.

How to go about moving the pedestal will depend on the exact circumstances. It can be dismantled if necessary. The top casting is supported internally on four long threaded rods. You can see the nuts on top. They should be reasonably easy to undo, but make sure the rods do not rotate in the process, as it will upset the reassembly. With the top casting removed the sheet metal casing can be lifted off. I would not bother trying to remove the tilt pivot pin. Unless you are really lucky it is probably stuck solid in the casting.
For myself, I would strap the whole pedestal to a removalist trolley, and walk it slowly down the stairs with the aid of a friend.

[Adam Liberman]

OK, thanks for all the info! Maybe I'll post a picture here when I get it figured out and put back together.

[Ryan Gallagher]

As far as stairs, I would recommend one of those stair capable dollies that they move appliances with, and some ratchet straps to hold it on the dolly. Prices range pretty wildly though:

Northern Tool Example:
https://www.northerntool.com/product...capacity-67972

ULine Example:
https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail...-Truck-4-Wheel

Keywords
"Stair Climbing Appliance Dolly/Truck"

[Adam Liberman]

Thanks for the suggestion and links. If I get it to the top of the stairs and can't carry the pieces down, then I'll consider the stair dolly.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Once you remove the projector from the pedestal, the pedestal comes apart in three sections and you can carry the sections into your basement. Simplex pedestals are pretty much the same, and the same projector mounting foot. Stay away from the old 3, and 5 Point pedestals. They do not offer the adjustment range for the xenon lamp house. I moved lots of these by myself, sometimes with one other person, over the years setting up on dailies jobs. The most I used was a regular hand truck and some moving blankets...

[Adam Liberman]

Thanks all of you for your input! It sounds like I should heed to your collective wisdom and take the box pedestal! I just need adjustable and socket wrenches to get it apart? (I have limited access, so I don't want to forget to bring something.) And somehow it will fit in my Chevy Bolt (I already have the picture & sound heads and reel arms)???

[Ryan Gallagher]

Thanks all of you for your input! It sounds like I should heed to your collective wisdom and take the box pedestal! I just need adjustable and socket wrenches to get it apart? (I have limited access, so I don't want to forget to bring something.) And somehow it will fit in my Chevy Bolt (I already have the picture & sound heads and reel arms)???

Unsure if Metric or SAE will be demanded. I'd bring a socket set (both deep-well and regular if you have em), an adjustable wrench or two, though spanners are better, assortment of flat-head and Phillips head screw drivers, and a good set of allen-keys, and decent cable cutters if you have to free any of the interconnects to the pedestal the destructive way. Also expect some bolts to be seized perhaps. A breaker bar or some kind of penetrating oil might be handy.

The lamp-house should be bolted on, as should the reel Arms and sound-head to the hanger. I would expect hex head bolts for all that but you might encounter some Allen machine screws too.

If you aren't taking the projector at least do them a solid and remove the lower reel arm so the sound-head can be set down on something in the upright position.

The rest of the pedestal breakdown depends on what you can carry and/or what can fit in your vehicle. And definitely yes to packing blankets. If your Chevy has bed tie down points bring some ratchet straps or cordage.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Wrench set and crescent wrench should do it, since you already have the projector. But the projector is a 9/16" bolt size if you want to take a ratchet with.

[Adam Liberman]

Great, thank you.

[Adam Liberman]

Thanks all for your help and advice! I decided to go for it and hired a moving van. It took 4 people (started with 2 and they said they'd need two more) to get it all into my basement. Two complete Century C's with ORC 1000 lamp houses on their pedestals with rolling bases (custom made?), two Simplex "L" stands with 3 Simplex Standards (enough parts for one working projector), a Strong Junior-Hi carbon arc, and two B&L glass slide projectors!