Follow my dream of working on kit I wished I could have worked on back in the day plus revisiting kit I frequently did see a lot of. Lots of great Betamax repairs including lots of Sony kit which I just never had the access to back in the late 80's and 90's when I worked as a TV and Video engineer. All sorts of other kit covered too including V2000, N1500/N1700, VHS (of course!) plus IT kit repairs too. Also projectors, Minidisc, CD players, DVD and well really anything you can think of so come join the fun and my great editing techniques - we have a lot to get through! :-)
Hi there found you whilst looking for technics suz2 amp bulb change. Great video. Do you know a link where I might get replacement bulbs for the Technics by any chance. Thank you
Thank you so much. Have you tried Tascam Ninja? He does seem very good and sourcing lamps and you may well be able to find something that'll fit. Do you know the electrical spec of the lamps (current draw and voltage)?
Hi, Alex. I remember a exact same fault on a NEC PVC 744 model with no clock display and no 5V supply to IC1. TR1 (2SD774) was open circuit along with a diode D1 short circuit (6V2 zener). This machine is similar to the Sony SLC5. On the SLC5 if you have No head drum rotation you need to check for low voltage on pin 18 of IC1 which will result in a diode being short circuit (D1) part number 1S1555 on the A/S panel. Also if no lace or unlace then check Q501 for open circuit on LS3 pcb. I also noticed that all the motors are struggling to run (Reel, Drum, Capstan, Ring Loading motor etc). Best to check the power supply too.
Thank you so much - it's brilliant to have another brain! That's perfect and I'll check through what you've suggested. I do still wonder if i do have power supply issues although the rails seem ok but a service manual would be super useful but a little reverse engineering (and some time to do it!) from a C5/C7 manuals/ machines should help a lot! Thanks again - really very appreciated. 😊 I think I'll be mentioning you in the next installment too. 👍
I don’t think we sold NEC ones at Dixons when I worked there, though this would’ve been before Dixons took over Currys, so they might have. I was aware of them though. Always thought they looked a bit odd, as the tape loading mechanism was in the centre on most top loaders of the time, though Sanyo did move their Beta top loaders to the left like this on their 2nd generation onwards. As I’ve said before, I love these long, detailed videos, whether they result in a fix or not. Top marks for perseverance again. Cheers, Rob.
I'm not sure how they were distributed - maybe through independent retailers? I agree, back in the day I really didn't like the look of them them - they just looked dowdy somehow? These days I do really like them and the circuit design is a great twist on the Sony C5 and C7 and I suppose the SL3000 too. Really glad you enjoyed the video.
Good day, I'm from Turkey. I have a question. I have the same beta recorder as in your video. My image is good but the sound is low. What could be the problem?
There are a few things to check - clean the tape path and make sure the top end of the ACE head is clean on the Audio/ Control head. Check alignment - look for any tape curl and make sure the capstan is perfectly clean. Check the pinch roller has good roll on - spin the pinch roller as fast as you can - it should run on for several seconds. If it stops quickly then the bearings are gone and you'll need to replace. Finally, is the drum itself worn? Demagnetisation of the ACE head can sometimes help too. Hope this helps and good luck.
In Germany, NEC and TOSHIBA had practically no market relevance at Beta. The Japanese had "slightly" more competitors in Germany with Blaupunkt, GRUNDIG, ITT, LOEWE, Metz, Nordmende, PHILIPS, SABA and Telefunken.
@Zeem4 Oh wow - what's the model number of that? Never seen or heard of the portable. Maybe it's a rebadged Sony SL3000? If it's looking for a new home...
@video99couk Have had a a few of these and saw quite a few back in the day too - seemed relatively reliable too. Yes, I certainly went around in circles but it'll be done... one day... soon... maybe.. well, hopefully... No, it'll live to fight another day! 😊🤞
@TTVEaGMXde Interesting market in Germany and I guess surrounding countries too. I think I would have gone the V2000 route with Grundig back in the day although probably might have regretted it... Maybe. Still so love the V2000 format.
Just picked up a V-8000c. Seems tapes load and thread around the video head. However, both playback and rew and ff do not seem to be moving the tape at all. You seem to have a great knowledge of these machines, so where would be the first area to look into with this issue? Thanks from the Great White North !
First place I'd look are the belts under the deck - there should be one that goes from the bottom of the head drum to the idler drive pulley and these usually are the first to either stretch or break. The capstan belts also commonly turn to goo on these too. Good luck and let us know how you get on. 😊👍
I have just changed the belts on one of these. And it almost works well ...but.... The picture and sound are lovely for a minute or so and turn it almost sounds like the motor is running slower and faster and the picture starts to degrade. Sure it's not the head as the picture is mint for a minute or so . The whirring starts to sound slower and then the pic sometimes drops for a few seconds too . Any ideas ? I see you changed a capacitor at the start of the video. Is that likely to be relevant with my issue ?
What Happened TO PART TWO of this video,. You never told us what was wrong. Can you PLEASE LET US KNOW what the fault was, I have the same problem with that machine. Thanks for your second video. Or reply please....gary
Hi Gary. I never made the part 2! That is to come soon though - basically not done anything with the machine since making part 1 so keep an eye out... 😊
Thanks for another super detailed video. I feel confident that, god forbid, I have a fault on another of my Sony Betamax front loaders with this chassis, I could tackle it myself. Terrific! (& thanks for the name checks btw 🙂) Rob.
My pleasure Rob. Was great to get the front loading system working and reliable and that was an odd place for it to fail although I have seen that once before. I do wonder if excess grease does speed up the decline of the plastic.
Thank you 😊 The fast flashing timer lamp should go out once the clock has been set - it's just warning that it's lost all it's settings due to a power cut. Hope that helps.
I have a similar machine that will not power on. The right side shows the time, but the left is completely dead. I'm wondering if I change the fuses and caps might that fix the issue? Great video, BTW. If that doesn't work, what should I do next?
It's worth checking the fuses just in case as they can look good but the wire can fracture after all these years. Usually though it's the STK regulator chip that causes this issue. Be careful if you do swap it out as there are a lot of fake ones out there but I have found that LittleDiode on eBay seem to supply genuine ones and have told me as much too. Change those little capacitors in the power supply too as they do cause issues.
I do own a similar machine, and it doesn't power on. The right side shows a flickering time of 12:00, but the left side is completely without power. I'm wondering if the cause could be a broken fuse or bad caps? And if that's the case, I could probably fix it myself and avoid bringing it to a technician. Great video, BTW
@ramoroso2 It's worth checking the fuses just in case as they can look good but the wire can fracture after all these years. Usually though it's the STK regulator chip that causes this issue. Be careful if you do swap it out as there are a lot of fake ones out there but I have found that LittleDiode on eBay seem to supply genuine ones and have told me as much too. Change those little capacitors in the power supply too as they do cause issues.
Yes of course - it is detailed in the description for the video but the white gears are currently available from here: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-WHITE-PL... These should be the right ones - the original listing for 50 is no longer live unfortunately. They have 11 teeth and a 2mm bore. Good luck.
@@VideoLaFaSol Sorry - the link didn't copy correctly - try this one: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254207030048?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=CK4-D1xORZm&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=5-wKrEwvT26&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
When I turn on my vcr (Sony SL-T30ME), the drum and left reel motor starts to spin. There is no tape inside and it does not accept tape to load. At this time, no any buttons work, only way to stop vcr is to push power on/off button 5-7 secs. As I search the possible reasons for this issue on youtube and your channel, the hall effect sensor generally cause this type of problems which is located under the head drum. When I checked that part, there is some rust around there. I tried to clean with isopropil alcohol and remove the glue as much as I can but it did not work. Do I need to change hall effect sensor or any other defects cause to this. Any help would be appriciated. Thanks. You can see the procees I work on my vcr here : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2odb-IaGQFc.htmlsi=pzYh4i2jbW4bpUVX
I would say you#re missing a voltage more than likely on the SS board and more than likely it'll be a semiconductor fuse on that board. I'd also check all the key voltages from the power supply too. It won't be the hall-effect as when they fail you get no or little motor rotation.
Excellent & informative, as always. As I’ve said before, I really enjoy these longer videos. The head change video will be really helpful, can’t wait for that! Cheers, Rob.
I had three of these, all given to me because of tracking problems. The failure is a mechanical problem, and there was a potentiometer I could tweak to sort of correct it, but I ended up throwing them all into the electronics recycling bin. They weigh a ton! Good luck.
They are super heavy machines and solid too. Sounds like your three had quite worn heads too. We got this one going though in the end but it did have a really odd video issue which I fixed at the very last minute - that's shown in the second part where we also change the heads.
Yes, it's not a bad job - there are two connectors/ cable runs, one for the motor and one for the RF/ switching from the heads so trace and undo those first so you don't have to fiddle too much when you drop the drum out. Main thing is being careful of the head chips. There's no mechanical alignment to worry about apart from possibly some sligh entry/ exit guide tweaks if the tracking is a little out. You should check the RF from the heads as best practice but you'll probably find this won't be necessary. Somewhere on the channel I do shw this being done - I think on a C30 but I'll have to have a search!
Hi, I have a refurbished model and everything was going great but when I recently tried to record onto a tape all went well but on a second attempt the playback had lots of snowy interference, I cleaned the heads and normal playback is fine on prerecorded tapes but when trying to record again the playback picture is awful but the sound is fine? Any suggestions. Thanks in advance
It would but they can be pretty poor quality. One workaround is to pick up a late VCR like the Panasonic EZ48 that has composite and scart on the front and back but an HDMI output.
I have a Toshiba V-5250B which is an exact clone of this model. Brand new to this stuff, unfortunately I have a really bad picture - almost like you had but significantly worse. Tried cleaning the heads but i suspect they're done for. 😢
That's really cool - not seen the Toshiba clone. There can be head switching issues with these (much like in this video with this machine) but the heads do get quite a bit of wear in these. Is the upper drum shiney? That's usually a good clue as to whether the heads are worn. Also, have a look at the head chips themselves - do they look intact with a clearly defined gap in the centre?
@@MrBetaByte You can very definitely see the tape path on the upper drum, just assumed it was designed to be 'slicker'. Yeah heads visibly look alright, but then what do I know! Great vid by the way - liked and subscribed ;)
In the first German video test magazine, the SONY SL-8000E lost to the Panasonic NV-8600E (LQ VHS), the PHILIPS VCR N 1700 (LVC) and the GRUNDIG SVR 4004 EL (SVR) in the IMAGE SHARPNESS category.
@@crashbandicoot4everr Around 1980, Hitachi brought a VHS recorder onto the market, and the service manual states that the horizontal resolution is 240 lines in color (LQ VHS) and 300 lines in b/w (HQ VHS). But I have also seen TV recordings from 1980 where the 3 MHz lines can be seen in the test pattern at the end of the transmission.
I have the NV-8600 & SL-8000 amongst my extensive collection. The Panasonic is sharp but the Sony is more natural looking. Panasonic did make the best VHS video recorders at the time but Beta was the better format.
I can quite believe that too but I have to say I was really impressed by the picture on the SL8000 - it's the first time I've ever used one! Still have another to look at too.
Really nice video, it's so helpful. I wanted to ask if there would be any problem with changing the black gear for a metal gear to guarantee it's not breaking in the future.
@@MrBetaByte Hello, Finally I ordered the metal version but it was too small. But then I bought the one you recommend on ebay, and it also seems to be too small. I try to place it into the shaft but it doesn't fit. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong.
So in future, first check not only whether the video heads are still protruding, but also whether the reel platter spindles are still tight. I remove the old oil from the motor pulleys of the Panasonic K drive using a mixture of KONTAKTspray CLEANER 601 and methylated spirits. Only burst pulleys can no longer burst, and are therefore cleaned and glued. The Cleaner 601 can be used without a "bathtub". At least SONY has not built the extra resistor in at the factory😉
The silly thing is, I did check for spool wobble - just not thoroughly enough. A lesson learnt there. It's been a great and solid machine since though.
A completely pointless machine to restore from a technical standpoint, there are much better machines out there. But yes, this really take the biscuit in terms of looks. I got one working too, just for the hell of it. Can't be many of this model left in working order.
True but as you say, they look amazing and of a time. Love the LCD clock that stays ticking away for many many minutes after the power has been removed.
