Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
November 23, 2024, 11:09:54 AM

Login with username, password and session length
* Home Help Arcade Login Register
.
+  Forum
|-+  Other Hobbies and Interests that our NLG members enjoy.
| |-+  Other Hobbies and Interests
| | |-+  Drive in theater speakers		 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. « previous next »
Pages: [1] Go Down Print
Author Topic: Drive in theater speakers  (Read 23341 times)
Ken Layton
Contributing NLG Member
NLG Member 101 to 500 Post
*

Total Karma Storms: 88
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 125
« on: November 13, 2009, 02:25:24 PM »
Some people are collecting drivein theater speakers and junction boxes. Here are a couple of pictures showing the RCA speakers along with the RCA "Old Style" junction box. These date around 1948.

* RCA Speakers & box.jpg (46.26 KB, 600x467 - viewed 749 times.)

* RCA speaker 1.jpg (27.6 KB, 250x480 - viewed 651 times.)
Logged
Ken Layton
Contributing NLG Member
NLG Member 101 to 500 Post
*

Total Karma Storms: 88
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 125
« Reply #1 on: November 13, 2009, 04:53:10 PM »
SPECO (Systems & Products Engineering Company) formerly known as Drive-in Theater Manufacturing Company is still the world's largest drive-in theater speaker manufacturer and parts supplier.

http://www.speco-usa.com/SiteResources/Data/Templates/homepage.asp?docid=514&DocName=Home%202

They make (under license) reproduction RCA drive-in theater speakers from original RCA molds. Speco supplies repair/replacement parts for many other brands of drive-in theater speakers such as Eprad and Koropp. However, they do not sell to end users. You have to purchase through your local theater equipment dealer. In my area that would be McRae Theatre Equipment in Seattle, Washington or American Cinema Equipment in Portland, Oregon.

Many drive-in theater speakers were held together with tamperproof screws such as the "Gulmite" head and "Holt" head. Speco still has some of those special screwdrivers for those kind of screws.

* Eprad speaker.jpg (19.6 KB, 348x400 - viewed 746 times.)

* Koropp speaker.jpg (29.75 KB, 266x284 - viewed 5207 times.)
Logged
Jimise
Don't pick it up by the candle!
Contributing NLG Member
Sr.NLG Member 501 to 1000 Post
*

Total Karma Storms: 75
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 752
« Reply #2 on: November 14, 2009, 03:32:10 PM »
Hey Ken, What can ya tell me about these speakers??  Thanks!

* DCP03710.JPG (221.38 KB, 1152x864 - viewed 710 times.)

* DCP03711.JPG (235.32 KB, 1152x864 - viewed 661 times.)
Logged
Jimise
Don't pick it up by the candle!
Contributing NLG Member
Sr.NLG Member 501 to 1000 Post
*

Total Karma Storms: 75
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 752
« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2009, 04:34:09 PM »
Here is the RCA knockoff

* DCP03712.JPG (233.18 KB, 1152x864 - viewed 734 times.)
Logged
Ken Layton
Contributing NLG Member
NLG Member 101 to 500 Post
*

Total Karma Storms: 88
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 125
« Reply #4 on: November 14, 2009, 09:49:47 PM »
Quote from: jimise on November 14, 2009, 03:32:10 PM
Hey Ken, What can ya tell me about these speakers??  Thanks!


Those are Reed speakers. Manuals/parts lists at www.film-tech.com -> Manuals -> Drivein Equipment.

That website disables direct links. There are other drivein speaker manuals there too.

Download the SPECO, Projected Sound, Eprad, and REED manuals there.
Logged
Ken Layton
Contributing NLG Member
NLG Member 101 to 500 Post
*

Total Karma Storms: 88
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 125
« Reply #5 on: November 14, 2009, 09:52:11 PM »
Quote from: jimise on November 14, 2009, 04:34:09 PM
Here is the RCA knockoff

In SPECO's manufacturing agreement with RCA they had to remove RCA's famous "meatball" logo from the reproduction castings and replace it with SPECO's "Drive-ins" logo. Funny but that agreement did not apply to the logo on the plastic volume knobs!
Logged
Jimise
Don't pick it up by the candle!
Contributing NLG Member
Sr.NLG Member 501 to 1000 Post
*

Total Karma Storms: 75
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 752
« Reply #6 on: November 15, 2009, 02:12:27 AM »
Quote from: Ken Layton on November 14, 2009, 09:52:11 PM
Quote from: jimise on November 14, 2009, 04:34:09 PM
Here is the RCA knockoff

In SPECO's manufacturing agreement with RCA they had to remove RCA's famous "meatball" logo from the reproduction castings and replace it with SPECO's "Drive-ins" logo. Funny but that agreement did not apply to the logo on the plastic volume knobs!
Yes I noticed the RCA on the knobs too  Scratch Head
Logged
Ken Layton
Contributing NLG Member
NLG Member 101 to 500 Post
*

Total Karma Storms: 88
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 125
« Reply #7 on: November 15, 2009, 04:06:34 PM »
Reed speakers frequently were held together with "HOLT" head theftproof screws. Depending on the age of a particular Reed speaker, it may have had a 3 slot holt head or a 4 slot holt head. Both of those require different Holt head screwdrivers to take out the screws. Towards the end of the run for Reed spaekers, they were using Phillips head stainless steel screws.

RCA and Projected Sound liked to use the 4 slot Holt head screws. Eprad and Speco (Drive-in Theater Mfg) liked to use the Gulmite head. Eprad used the #10 Gulmite while Speco used the #8 Gulmite. Again, these required seperate special screwdrivers.

Holt heads were really hard to get out even with only the slightest corrosion of the screws. The nice thing about the Gulmite heads is that even if the screw was totally corroded the Gulmite screwdriver gripped the screw head like visegrips and easily removed it.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2009, 04:11:50 PM by Ken Layton » Logged
Rick
New NLG Member 1 to 100 Post
**

Total Karma Storms: 1
Offline Offline

Posts: 8
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2012, 11:55:20 AM »
Here is a set of RCA speakers I just finished restoring.
I picked these up from a drive-in theater in Guthrie, OK several years ago.
I'd love to know how old they are?

* _DSC5310.jpg (120.63 KB, 800x1202 - viewed 613 times.)

* _DSC5311.jpg (59.95 KB, 800x532 - viewed 583 times.)
Logged
Rick
New NLG Member 1 to 100 Post
**

Total Karma Storms: 1
Offline Offline

Posts: 8
« Reply #9 on: June 22, 2012, 11:56:26 AM »
Here's another pic.

* _DSC5314.jpg (117.7 KB, 800x1202 - viewed 606 times.)
Logged
stayouttadabunker
Senior Full time Member.
Sr.Tech NLG Member 1000+ Post
*

Total Karma Storms: 1039
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 13447
« Reply #10 on: June 22, 2012, 11:59:47 AM »
Wow! Don't THOSE ever bring back some memories!
Neat!  yes
Logged
Ken Layton
Contributing NLG Member
NLG Member 101 to 500 Post
*

Total Karma Storms: 88
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 125
« Reply #11 on: July 26, 2012, 03:17:06 AM »
Quote from: Rick on June 22, 2012, 11:55:20 AM
Here is a set of RCA speakers I just finished restoring.
I picked these up from a drive-in theater in Guthrie, OK several years ago.
I'd love to know how old they are?

1948.
Logged
COH2000
Guest
« Reply #12 on: September 09, 2012, 07:30:51 PM »
Hello Ken,
Can you help me with this? I have a single Projected Sound speaker with the 4 slot Holt Head screws.
Do you know what size Holt driver is required and where I can get one?
What brand of junction box was used with the Projected Sound speakers?
« Last Edit: September 10, 2012, 01:01:43 AM by COH2000 » Logged
Ken Layton
Contributing NLG Member
NLG Member 101 to 500 Post
*

Total Karma Storms: 88
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 125
« Reply #13 on: September 27, 2012, 03:12:46 AM »
Speco sells the Holt head screwdrivers. You want the 4 slot #8 size.

http://www.speco-usa.com/SiteResources/Data/Templates/homepage.asp?docid=514&DocName=Home%202

Speco does not sell direct. You have to purchase through your local theater equipment dealer. I've heard of people googling "4 slot holt head screwdriver" and finding some companies selling them.

As to the junction box question, Projected Sound speakers were usually sold as a package deal to be used with Projected Sound junction boxes. However, the speakers can be used with ANY brand of drive in theater junction box. In fact, many drive-in theaters mixed and matched speakers throughout their fields.
Logged
Pages: [1] Go Up Print 
« previous next »
Jump to:  

SimplePortal Classic 2.0.5

If you find this site helpful, Please Consider Making a small donation to help defray the cost of hosting and bandwidth.



Newlifegames.com ™    Newlifegames.net ™    Newlifegames.org ™
   New Life Games ™    NewLifeGames ™  NLG ™ We Bring new Life to old Games ™    1-888-NLG-SLOTS ™
Are all Copyright and Trademarks of New Life Games LLC 1992 - 2021


FAIR USE NOTICE:

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
We make such material available in an effort to advance awareness and understanding of the issues involved.
We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those
who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

For more information please visit: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.

If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use,
you must obtain permission directly from the copyright owner.

NewLifeGames.net Web-Site is optimized for use with Fire-Fox and a minimum screen resolution of 1280x768 pixels.


Powered by SMF 1.1.20 | SMF © 2013, Simple Machines
Loon Designed by Mystica
Updated by Runic Warrior
Page created in 0.1 seconds with 20 queries.