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Author
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Topic: Projector repair engineers - the need for new blood
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Adrian Winchester
Film God
Posts: 2941
From: Croydon, London, UK
Registered: Aug 2004
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posted January 03, 2018 09:34 PM
Recent posts here have touched upon concerns regarding the lack of suitably-skilled people offering projector repair services. Many of us can take on limited tasks guided by service manuals and/or forum tips, but that doesn't mean we have the remotest chance of acquiring the extensive specialised skills of an expert such as Bill Parsons, who I believe gained many years of experience working in related areas before he offered projector repairs. The fact that some people were willing to spend large sums on sending a GS1200 to/from him from overseas shows that they struggled to find anyone they would trust in their own countries. Bill sometimes needed to limit the numbers of projectors heading his way, so we can't assume that any remaining UK engineers will be able to easily absorb the extra work that may be offered to them.
I'm therefore wondering if there may be scope for us to proactively do something to bring new blood into this field? E.g. I expect the digital revolution caused some 35mm engineers to seek new work or opt for early retirement, so perhaps they could have the potential to pick up skills related to 8/16mm, if they became aware of the demand. David Hardy might be able to offer a view on this? Otherwise, who might be enticed to branch out into projector repair and servicing, if they like the idea of flexible work that they could do at home? I'm guessing that people with skills related to (e.g) car servicing or various domestic items with electrical/mechanical components could have potential?
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Adrian Winchester
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Steve Klare
Film Guy
Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted January 03, 2018 10:15 PM
I've done whatever repairs I can, mostly on my own machines. A big limiting factor is spare parts. An even bigger one is documentation.
When I'm at work and I need to troubleshoot a board, I have schematics showing the interconnections of the components, I have Bills of Material showing what their part numbers are and I have specs describing the components.
When I go home and work on a projector I usually have next to nothing. Sometimes the best I can do is replace entire assemblies when if they were fully documented I might be able to replace some components and fix them.
This makes projector repair kind of an iffy proposition. When I work on a friend's machine it is with the understanding I might not be able to fix it, but I'll at least leave it no worse than I found it.
I don't repair them for pay for this reason.
I had an adventure with a Forum Friend a few years ago. His 16mm machine had no sound. He emailed me schematics and I walked him through the amplifier by e-mail taking measurements. We found a shorted transistor, he bought a new one and replaced it and it worked again. That's the way it's supposed to go. Without those schematics I might not have been able to fix that machine if it was right in front of me.
In order for somebody to take this on as a job, this documentation gap needs to be closed. The veterans can get away with a lot because they've done it so long they have it all in their heads even without the paperwork, but for somebody new it's like driving with the windshield painted over.
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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...
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Tom Photiou
Film God
Posts: 4837
From: Plymouth U.K
Registered: Dec 2003
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posted January 04, 2018 06:28 AM
Simon, i said to Bill more than once, i'd give my left arm to able to work-along side him for a month and get some basic skill training, a month isn't long but i bet you could learn a hell of a lot. If only i didn't live so far away.
I work in the motor industry and that itself is changing very fast, today's mechanics cant repair fuel pumps or alternators because these items are now exchange throw away units, the new mechanics wouldn't have a clue how to do much more than replace a part. Now electric cars are coming in, and fast, this will all change again.
It has been said that projectors are not rocket science, well, all i can say is, yes if its an old silent machine or the most basic of basic models but i wouldn't touch a GS1200 or any other make of top model, there is being able to have a go, then there is doing it right. Even with the service manuals its nowhere near as easy as it looks to get those fine adjustments right. Thats when things will end up going from bad to worse. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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Tom Photiou
Film God
Posts: 4837
From: Plymouth U.K
Registered: Dec 2003
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posted January 11, 2018 06:27 AM
David, i fully understand where Mr Brown is coming from on this. I do have a scrappy spare NT1 that got damaged by Parcel Force. I used the motor from it for my main one, and now i have the new capacitor for the old motor, so i have one that i want to strip down and try and practice rebuilding.
BUT, although these only require a screwdriver to take the whole thing down, setting up is where the experience and expertise is required, as well as new parts, I had a go at my main one as it had stood still for ten years odd, everything was fine,(in a thread on here), but it still need that real professional service from Kevin to sort it properly.The two things i dont have are the correct setting up tools, (claw protrusion tool etc), and electrical know how.
So for me, this year i also wish Kevin to do mine and i will hopefully take it up to him and collect so as to avoid heavy costs, but also, i would like to meet him and go through everything with him
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Tom Photiou
Film God
Posts: 4837
From: Plymouth U.K
Registered: Dec 2003
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posted January 11, 2018 12:33 PM
We are also lucky here in Plymouth to have PEG engineering who recently made me a motor pulley to the size and quality i required, the one supplied by "a projector repair specialist", (being fair here, he had it made by an outsourced engineer),was utter trash and completely wrong, i was not amused, however, the point is for mechanical items there usually is people that can make up parts. Here is my pulley Vs the ugly hopeless one, mine is the one on the left, with correct pitch and also made to take the original square Elmo belts.
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