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Matt Stephenson
Tuesday 12th October 2021
8:13 pm U.K.

Hi All, New to this chatting thing. I notice Kevin Lambert is on here who kindly sorted a few of my machines over the years. The Idler is now playing up on my VTC5000 does anyone know where I can get one from to fit myself. The belt seems ok so I am guessing its faulty idler it doesnt flip to the left upon rewind but does on picture search reverse for about 3 seconds then flips to centre and just stops. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Matt

Noel Higgins
Friday 17th September 2021
7:55 am U.K.

[email protected]

i4yfc.fabri,

Check out the SLC9 page under technical for Betamax models under the heading "irregular rewind/review."

It is likely to be due to increased friction due to wear on the upper drum.

You can use an ink rubber to scruff up the surface of the upper drum to cure this issue but take care to move the heads out of the way at the same time.

I have also used cleaning pads we call JEX pads (CLEANING SUPPLIES) here to do the same job.

regards Noel - (betaheaven.com) in Australia

i4yfc.fabri
Thursday 9th September 2021
4:04 pm U.K.

I have 2 SL-F1 that still work very well except for one little problem:

When I rewind a tape i often notice an annoying phenomenon as if the tape sticks and jumps off producing a series of tears: "strap" - "strap" - "strap" .... I have noticed that some brands of tape they do it more and others less, for example some Sony do it less while the Dupont do it a lot. It resembles the Stiking phenomenon.

In some cases the ribbon transport stops completely.

What can be done?

ivc
Saturday 4th September 2021
1:42 am U.K.

[email protected]

i have an NTSC SONY Betamax model SL-5400 VCR without owners manual Can anybody have the time t scan and send me the owners manual of the Sony SL-5400 VCR in english please

Any greetings wound wil apreciated my email is [email protected]

Thank you

ivc
Saturday 4th September 2021
1:40 am U.K.

[email protected]

i have an NTSC SONY Betamax model SL-5400 VCR without owners manual Can anybody have the time t scan and send me the owners manual of the Sony SL-5400 VCR in english please

Any greetings wound wil apreciated

Thank you

Karlos
Wednesday 25th August 2021
11:51 am U.K.

[email protected]

The supply voltage is ok, only 26, 38 volts are missing. Switches in lift tested again, cassette does not load.

Please help me.

Many thanks

Karlos
Tuesday 24th August 2021
6:00 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Hello i need a help please.

C9 does not eat the cassette.

The microswitches are OK.

Display and tunes led not light on. When turned C9 on, the mechanica moves and the heads second rotate. Power led and frame lighting.

What to focus on, please?

When the DC Dc converter is bad, it only just doesn't go on display?...others should work, yes?

Thank you wery much.

Kevin Lambert
Wednesday 18th August 2021
6:01 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Hi Betaphiles:

Hope all are enjoying life?

I'm looking to obtain a good, fully working SS28 servo board for a Sony HF100.

Anyone can help feel free to contact via e-mail address (under my name)

Cheers..................Kevin

mul
Monday 9th August 2021
4:03 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Hello, i am looking for a multi connection for Sony SL-F1E type: VMC 330

mul
Monday 9th August 2021
3:41 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Hello, i am looking for a multi connection for Sony SL-F1E

Chazza
Tuesday 3rd August 2021
11:29 am U.K.

[email protected]

Hi all

Would someone have a hard copy of the SL-HF100 service manual looking for the actual manual and not one downloaded from the net .

Thanks in advance

JamesL
Monday 2nd August 2021
11:34 am U.K.

[email protected]

Mark, I have a PSU for the SL-3000. Not sure what the pinout is though.

James

JamesL
Monday 2nd August 2021
11:25 am U.K.

[email protected]

Hi all, would anyone know if the Sony SL-HF150 shares i"s power supply with other VCR's

Or know of anyone who can help me find one?

Regards James

MoonMan
Sunday 25th July 2021
7:33 pm U.K.

Zane303,

Does your C7 eject the tape?

I'd recommend changing all the belts as they are likely 40 years old. New belts, with their 'youthful' firmness provide more torque for the aging mechanism and will certainly help waken the machine up, making it operate better!

I have a question about the Sony C6:

The clock display is probably about 60% brightness of what it should be. Is there anything I can do to restore the display to full illuminance?

Mark Ederveen
Friday 16th July 2021
1:42 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Hi! I am new to this site.

I just bought a SL-3000, but it came without psu. Does anybody know the pin out of the 4 pin DC connector which is on the right hand of the recorder?

Kevin Lambert
Thursday 15th July 2021
7:03 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Zane303;

Sitting for that long it's more than likely a belt or rubber idler slipping.These models are not only very heavy but have numerous belt's too.If they are NOT stretched (like soft elastic)or hard and cracked/split they can be refreshed with 120 grit paper and also a soak with washing up liquid helps too.Keep isopropyl alcohol away from any rubber though as it will dry it out.

I would also check the electrolytic caps in the PSU too as when they go high ESR they take out other components which can be a pain for some to source.

Good luck....................Kevin

zane303
Wednesday 14th July 2021
6:34 pm U.K.

Hi , i have a Sony SL-C7EC that has not been used for 15 years . When i turn it on everything works fine but when i put a tape in it starts doing a humming noise ( like a tape rewind noise ) . this noise noise fluctuates from high pitch gradually to low pitch . the tape does not need to be re-winded and i cannot play the tape . any idea what this is ?

Dickie
Friday 9th July 2021
10:08 am U.K.

Success!

You were right, Kevin. It was that .33uf 25v blue Sanyo capacitor that was causing the tracking centering problem. I replaced it with a .33 35v tantalum capacitor and it's working great now. Also the PSU caps arrived so I replaced all of them too.

One thing I noticed though was on the video board, 1 of the 1000uf 10v electrolytics was leaking onto the board and traces. Removed, board cleaned, traces repaired and new cap installed. All working great (touch wood) I'm going to leave it on test for the day just to make sure all is ok. All that needs to be replaced now is the front button membrane thing, but I doubt they're available now. Hey-ho.

Thanks Kevin!

Dickie
Friday 9th July 2021
8:34 am U.K.

Thank you Kevin. That's most helpful! I'm waiting for some replacement electrolytic capacitors to arrive for the PSU, so whilst I'm fitting those I'll mark the pot in its original position and give it a tweak. I'll change the blue Sanyo cap whilst I'm there too. I'll report back once I've had a proper look at it.

Many thanks again!

Kevin Lambert
Thursday 8th July 2021
10:19 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Dickie:

I've just had a look and the Adj pot you are after is labelled 'SUB TRACK' and is the first in a row of 4 at the top of the servo board to the left.It's level with the top board red screw you have to remove (one of three) to pivot up that board.Make sure when you try adjusting this you put the vcr's outer tracking control to the center.If it still does'nt eliminate all off tracking noise.You may have tape guide alignment issues.There is also a light blue Sanyo made cap on that board (near those 4 pot's).On some VTC 5000 's and 5150's these have gone bad causing non responsive tracking adjustment issues. Not seen that on any 6500's yet though.

......Kevin

Steve Luxford
Thursday 8th July 2021
1:37 am U.K.

[email protected]

Thanks Kevin,

You have given me somewhere to start, i'll first refresh the caps in the PSU. and take it from there..

Reagrds,

Steve

Dickie
Wednesday 7th July 2021
4:23 pm U.K.

Thanks, Kevin!

I'll take a look at those pots and try to find out which one is the tracking centering pot.

Thank you again.

Kevin Lambert
Wednesday 7th July 2021
1:13 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Dickie:

The internal 'tracking control' pot is located on the board that stands on it's edge to the left.

It's one of 4 controls at the top.You can adjust it from either side.

Always mark it's original position.

It's odd that it affects all recordings unless someone has 'had a fiddle'.

.......Kevin

Dickie
Wednesday 7th July 2021
9:21 am U.K.

Would anyone know where the tracking centering pot is located in a Sanyo vtc-6500 please?

I got the vcr yesterday and after the usual replacement of rubber parts to get it going again I noticed that the tracking knob has to be turned all the way to the left to get it to play all tapes without interference. It's the same on its own recordings. The a/ctrl head hasn't been messed with so I'm sure it's the tracking centering pot that needs adjustment.

Thanks

Kevin Lambert
Tuesday 6th July 2021
8:19 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Steve

Regarding your issues with the Sanyo VTC M10:

The info regarding this area is limited but first i would check all caps in the PSU.

On the SY1 board. IC3002 (LM6402A) is responsible for the start up of the Head motor,this also links to B3005 (11R 10K) and a diode (D3076) that links to that motor. Check those and also the rudimentary cracks and dry joints to those (and other) areas on the boards.

.......Kevin

Steve Luxford
Thursday 1st July 2021
4:45 am U.K.

[email protected]

Hi, Hoping someone can help me with this problem. I have a Sanyo VTC-M10 where the head drum motor does not spin up when you insert a tape. Voltage on the brown connector from the SY1 board CN4(pin4) to the head drum motor reads 6v when idle then increases to 7v when a tape is inserted, if I supply 12V to the brown wire connection the motor starts to spin the heads and you can start to see an image. Does this line suppose to supply 12v after a tape is inserted and if so does anyone know where I could start to look for worn components.

Cheers,

Steve

ivc
Thursday 24th June 2021
1:52 am U.K.

[email protected]

i have an Sony SL-5400 ntsc Betamax VCR with no owners manual can anyone take a time to scan and send me the owners manual in english PDF or JPEG and send me to my email [email protected]

Thankyou

ivc
Thursday 24th June 2021
1:46 am U.K.

ivcbetamax

Dickie
Monday 31st May 2021
10:05 am U.K.

Ok, so not a PAL vcr but I've recently come into possession of an NTSC Sanyo VCR7200 Beta hi-fi vcr which has a colour output problem.

The output is in black and white but very often a vertical rainbow effect of colour stripes come up on the screen, often in pause and picture search modes. The TV's I've connected to the vcr are capable of displaying NTSC signals, so it's not a TV problem.

Is there a trimmer capacitor or some sort of potentiometer on the video board that might cause this? I can't seem to find out any 'usual suspect' problems online for this model like we have in the technical section on here.

Thanks in advance 😌

Taghi Amirani
Sunday 30th May 2021
7:04 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Apologies for all the typos in the previous message. I was typing fast because of the excitement of finding a Betamax fan community!

Taghi Amirani
Sunday 30th May 2021
7:02 pm U.K.

[email protected]

I have a Sony SL-C9, the very first VCR I bought in 1982. It is an amazing machine and far too sophisticated for its time or even now. I made my first student film in 1984 on the SL-C9 by hooking up a video camera to the front socket. I am now a professional documentary maker. With the advent new digital techonolgy, the Betamax recorder got little use, but I was so fond of it, I decided to keep it. It's been sitting in storgae for nearly 30 years. Now I need it to solve a mystery about a 1985 Channel 4 documentary which I recorded off air in 1985. But have hit an obstacle. The tape loaded, and nothing happened on pressing play. Nothing happend on pressing eject. I mamaged to finally get the tape ejected, sadly with a litle force. No damage to the tape. But the de lace and eject mechanism is stuck. On pressong eject, I hear some de lacing noise and then a rattle, that sounds like gears not engaging properly. The fault is mmechanical. Broken gears? Belts not working properly. I don't dare touch anything.

I know I can buy a working SL-C9 on eBay, but am fascinated by how we can get this one working.

Any tips? If you can help you will contribute to solving a historic puzzle!

Thank you

Taghi Amirani

Andy Benham
Sunday 30th May 2021
12:59 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Moonman - The belt kits are available on eBay for a few pounds.

I have one of these lovely old machines that I've just serviced using Colin M's great video on YouTube, however, the machine played for about an hour before slowly dissolving into black and white.

Occasionally it does show very distorted colours and strong vertical blocks (five of them) up the screen.

The picture is sharp, just black and white - suggestions, please?!

Mark
Friday 21st May 2021
2:23 pm U.K.

07833966272

I have a Sony Betamax SL 8000 video recorder from the late 70s and just wondered how collectable it is.

It�s in working order and actually had a new recording head fitted just before we stopped using it in the early 90s,it has been boxed ever since.

MoonMan
Thursday 20th May 2021
9:18 pm U.K.

I've acquired a Sanyo VTC 5000 and would like to start by replacing the belts.

Can anyone point me in the direction of finding out the exact specs of the belts; diameter, thickness etc?

GaviBeta
Wednesday 19th May 2021
10:05 am U.K.

[email protected]

Kevin, you're a star mate!

Thanks for the tip and the access instructions. Think that board is called VP-1 (Video Pre-amp).

I'll take a look later today.

Gav.

K Lambert
Tuesday 18th May 2021
9:43 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Rob :

Two things to check...............Make sure the gear on the pendulum is free and not sticky.You can add a tiny drop of oil to the shaft on that if so.

Also at the end of the plastic pendulum arm that houses said gear ,make sure there is'nt a slightly raised lip as that has been known to get stuck at times on a spring when trying to unlace.Not all have this extra 'lip' so it can be removed if so.

..Kevin

K Lambert
Tuesday 18th May 2021
9:36 pm U.K.

[email protected]

H Gavibeta:

The DOC for the VTC 6500 is located in the head amplifier can NOT on the boards.

You can access this by pushing the two black tabs at the top part on the back panel section that has the VCR serial number on it.

You do this from the inside after removing the top cover.The DOC is the bottom hole in the silver head amplifier can.

Hope this helps?..................Kevin

GaviBeta
Tuesday 18th May 2021
9:41 am U.K.

[email protected]

Hi again!

Or, alternatively, it someone has a suggestion for where I could purchase a Sanyo VTC-6500 service manual that would also be great.

Happy to buy it if required.

TIA

GaviBeta
Monday 17th May 2021
7:51 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Hi everyone,

First time poster... just getting back into the wonderful world of betamax.

Does anyone have the service manual for a Sanyo VTC-6500?

In particular, I'm trying to locate the DOC preset pot on one of the video boards.

Thanks in advance,

GaviB.

MoonMan
Monday 17th May 2021
6:24 pm U.K.

Thanks, Betaboy.

I have a C6 Mk2 ready to take apart and only have Mk1 belts.

It gives me confidence to know the belt set is the same.

Betaboy
Monday 17th May 2021
4:52 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Moonman

All belts are the same mate for mark 1 and mark 2 C6

Any help needed drop me a line bud

Regards

Darrell

Rob COLLIS
Saturday 15th May 2021
3:55 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Hi again,

Apologies didn't read the tech pages properly before my last post. Do you think my issue is dothe first and last repair tip listed on the C2C20 page? I assume the safety resistor and transistor mentioned are in the SS servo board ?

Rob COLLIS
Saturday 15th May 2021
11:06 am U.K.

[email protected]

Hello everyone,

After a couple of years of working on Philips VCR machines, I have a Beta challenge to solve.

https://youtu.be/Fcw9TxgvKJA

I have a lovely Sony C20 that has an intermittent fault. All functions are fine except on-occasion, unlace is leaving tape loose in the machine. This only seems to happen if PLAY/FWD is in use before the eject button is pressed. It is also much more frequent a problem when the machine is warm/has been playing tapes for 15mins+

Interestingly if I get the idler to be on the supply spool when eject is pressed, the problem doesn't occur.

I have oiled the lacing ring AND the supply/take-up spools plus checked the idler - seems to flip about with ease.

Any ideas? I've seen this on the Sanyos but not on the Sonys.

Carol Heying
Wednesday 12th May 2021
7:57 pm U.K.

[email protected]

My husband and I are looking to part with a dust covered collection of more than 1,000 uncatalogued beta tapes, 5 beta players (Sony and Sanyo) and a high speed rewind as well as a"still in the box" Sony Betacom. My husband is a retired media professor who had viewed the Beta format as superior to the VHS format when these recording media were introduced. He persisted in his commitment to the Beta format over the years and acquired quite a collection of tapes and players. He was often offered holdings from rental stores that were de-accessioning beta tapes and he purchased Beta machines for his students to use to view them. He made use of many of the classics in his lectures and circulated films of all sorts for his students to analyze as class projects. He must have made good use of them as several of his students have achieved considerable acclaim as film makers. Some have received Oscars, Golden Globe Awards and Emmy Awards from USA professional organizations. Please advise as to anyone you know who might be interested in these items and note that we would like them to be taken as a single unit if at all possible. The collection is in our home in Pennsylvania USA, close to Philadelphia.

Hani Michel
Wednesday 5th May 2021
2:10 am U.K.

[email protected]

Hello,

I have a Sony SL-T30ME.

The transport works fine but the video is very bad.

I guess the rotary drum heads need to be replaced.

Any one knows where to buy the upper part that has the heads or the whole drum?

Regards.

Snarf
Sunday 2nd May 2021
12:10 pm U.K.

Has anyone got a working power supply unit for a Sanyo VTCM40 for sale please?

Many Thanks.

Noel Higgins
Thursday 29th April 2021
1:05 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Steven,

Seems like you have no forward reel pickup tension there at all. You can make the mechanism load without a tape to see if the pendulum drive is engaging properly as well.

It will still cut out after a short time but you can see if the pendulum arm moves freely to engage. The drive action for forward pickup is different than for fast forward. Don't rule out the pendulum arm as a possible issue. Some of them have the end bend up and snag a spring.

regards Noel

Bob Smith
Monday 26th April 2021
10:42 am U.K.

[email protected]

HF950 on eject it leaves a loop of tape out of the cassette I have raised the motor rotor to stop it rubbing on the coils which look ok. The tape rewind seems lively enough but it stops too soon leaving the loop of tape.

MoonMan
Sunday 25th April 2021
2:01 pm U.K.

I'm getting a Sony C6 mk2.

I have a set of belts for the original C6.

Are the belts for the C6 the same spec as the belts for the mk2?

Robert Gennari
Friday 23rd April 2021
12:24 am U.K.

[email protected]

I have a Sony SL-HF150 and the drum motor would bind when 'play' was activated, indicating a bad Hall Sensor. I replaced the complete coil board containing the sensor and now the drum motor spins, but after 3 -4 secs the machine stops. This is in all modes. Sounds to me like a reel sensor this time. Are the reel sensors the same type Hall sensors used as in the drum motor? Does anyone know where to access these hall sensors at a reasonable price? Thanks.

Steven Roberts
Monday 19th April 2021
8:53 am U.K.

Hi,

Thanks for getting back to me with a reply. I think I will park one C20 for now.

The one with the slack tape during playback I have had a look and located the variable resistor pot as shown below:-

https://ibb.co/ssr6htm

I have tried this all the way to both full CW and ACW, but it has made little / no difference to the tape take up?

(I have returned it back to its original position)

Just to confirm here is a video of the issue:-

https://streamable.com/sid5bx

Regards,

Steve.

Noel Higgins
Sunday 18th April 2021
2:57 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Steven,

I repair the drum motors by replacing the hall effect sensors. Rarely have I ever had one work again by just removing the glue.

If you have other beta machines for parts the same hall effect sensors are used in the Sanyo capstan drive motors and head motors.

They are also used in the SLC9 capstan motor which has three of them. You will have to extend the leads if you are using scavenged units.

It is quite a big job to fix the drum motor and you can easily damage the heads when you pull the head assembly out if your not careful.

For the lack of tape forward spool pickup problem you have to increase the tape tension by adjusting the pot marked torque (torq) toward the rear on the SS board which is

the second board down from the board with the AV connector on it when you turn the machine upside down and take the base cover off it.

Forward torque should be 70 gm but you can usually judge when you have enough torque by swapping between FFWD preview and play and seeing that the tape does not bundle

too much while going between those modes.

regards Noel

Noel Higgins
Sunday 18th April 2021
2:47 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Darrell,

I only have three new sets of Sanyo heads and they will probably be the last I can even get so it really depends on how much you want them and will pay.

Please contact me to discuss. The same heads seem to be used in all mono machines from the VTC5000 to the VTC M10 and M20 models. The M30 used a three video head disk and the M40 and M50 used HiFi heads (4 chips) and these have not been available since the mid 1990s.

I still get plenty of machines to repair, but the Sanyos don't wear out as quickly as the Sonys.

regards Noel

Snarf
Saturday 17th April 2021
1:58 pm U.K.

Hi everyone.

I'm looking for a working power supply for a Sanyo VTC-M40.

If anyone has one for sale in the UK please let me know.

Steven Roberts
Saturday 17th April 2021
12:32 pm U.K.

I have two C20 's One has several issues, no head rotation (I have removed glue off HE sensor) and no FF REW PLAY operation. The other one appears to function regarding FF REW, but when in PLAY the tape starts producing slack on the right hand side of the head. If I FF while in play the slack is taken up, and the same in REW with PLAY, but as soon as normal play resumes slack starts building up in the area by the pinch wheel. The pinch wheel looks ok, although I am far from a VCR expert.

Any ideas regarding this, I assume the pendulum is functioning for the FF and REW to work.

Many thanks

Steve.

Darrell
Thursday 15th April 2021
10:55 am U.K.

[email protected]

Noel

Re Sanyo heads, are you willing to part with one? What model .

Regards

Darrell

MR A J FEENEY
Monday 12th April 2021
7:23 pm U.K.

07936580292

Hello Kevin, if you could get back to me when you see this i would appreciate it. thank you

Noel Higgins
Monday 5th April 2021
10:58 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Darrell,

I still get parts from Wes components but mainly belt kits now. I have used heads from them for a number of machines in the past and still have some Sanyo heads left.

I recently tried to get heads for the later SLC35 etc machines but there were no stocks. Same for Toshiba V31 / V33 heads.

Regarding capstan rollers, most times I manage to refurbish them by buffing up the rubber surface.

regards Noel

Will Middlemass
Saturday 3rd April 2021
4:36 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Hi..

I have recently been donated a Sony C5 after years of sitting in storage.

Visually it all looks OK other than some dust.

The unit powers on, and the head drum spins, initially the eject function was stiff but this has corrected itself. When a tape is put in the machine and the carriage pressed down the head drum stops moving. Nothing else happens, the loading belt is intact but there is no motor noise. I am able to lace the tape by manually rotating the loading ring. After rotation, this clicks into place and it looks like a microswitch is activated. At this point nothing further happens.. None of the play, forward, rewind buttons facilitate anything.. The machine is silent.

If I press eject a motor (loading) sounds and the loading ring returns to the start position although a little sluggish, I guess the belt does need replacing..

Could anyone advise why the tape doesn't lace when inserted and why the machine is effectively dead at this point? I am thinking switches, power, sensors etc.. but don't really know where to start without a Service Manual.

I have looked at the tech pages on here to no avail.. Would this be similar to the C7 and the issues with that machine shared with this??

With Thanks.

Neil

Darrell Avery
Saturday 3rd April 2021
11:05 am U.K.

[email protected]

Morning Fellow Betamax Gurus

little question here

Sony C6 heads from WES Australia for UK machines

Sanyo VTC 5000 Heads From WES Australia for UK machines

has anyone used the WES heads as they are very competitive and readily available

(have purchased 2 of each)

Are they any good ??

can someone clarify this for me at all

have purchased other hard to find parts from them (SONY Idler Arms, Sanyo Idlers - Both types , Pinch rollers, Sony loading belts ETC)

customer service is excellent

Kind regards

Darrell

Noel Higgins
Wednesday 31st March 2021
11:20 am U.K.

[email protected]

Martin,

This is a test message. I used the normal link I previously used so if it works then it seems normal.

regards Noel

Martin
Wednesday 31st March 2021
8:49 am U.K.

[email protected]

Are people still having difficulty trying to post? I have not been able to recreate any problems so if you are having problems, please could you submit details of what is going wrong using this link:

http://www.palsite.com/tech.py?model=PALsite&submit=1

Noel Higgins
Sunday 21st March 2021
11:08 am U.K.

[email protected]

Martin,

Test message. I could only post this when I used the link you gave me.

http://chat.palsite.com/chat_page.py?r=1&cp=Betamax;

regards Noel

Martin
Sunday 21st March 2021
9:14 am U.K.

[email protected]

We are currently investigating problems with the chat page

Noel Higgins
Thursday 25th February 2021
11:46 am U.K.

[email protected]

Stan,

You need to find a Pal machine or use a multisystem machine such as a Sony SLT50ME or SL800ME that can play both NTSC tapes and Pal Tapes but also run off you countries local mains supply what ever that is - 110VAC 60Hz or 240VAC 50 Hz.

regards Noel

Stan
Tuesday 23rd February 2021
11:26 pm U.K.

[email protected]

I have a Sony SL-HF500 NTSC machine. I need to digitize approx . 200 PAL tapes (I have the Elgado hardware/software for digitizing). The SL-500 is switchable between 50Hz and 60hz; I do have a 60 to 50Hz converter. Is there a jumper on the SL-HF500 that will allow me play the PAL tapes.

Kind regards,

Venca
Saturday 30th January 2021
8:37 am U.K.

Greetings from the Czech Republic, excuse my bad English. SONY SL-T6ME. VCR playback is not a picture, just stripes; these stripes change.The picture is visible when fast forwarding or rewind.

Where can I look for a bug?

ivan
Tuesday 26th January 2021
4:26 pm U.K.

[email protected]

im looking for the Sony SL-5400 NTSC Betamax owners manual .Can anybody can send me and PDFor JPEG copy of the manual to my email [email protected]

Thank you

ivan
Tuesday 26th January 2021
4:25 pm U.K.

[email protected]

im looking for the Sony SL-5400 NTSC Betamax owners manual .Can anybody can send me and PDFor JPEG copy of the manual to my email

Thank you

Andy B
Tuesday 29th December 2020
9:16 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Hello all,

Can anybody advise on the best bearing to fit for a SL-HF950 reel motor?

Tried shimming but no success, then over shimmed and had a slight drilling accident trying to remove it...

Anyway, I now need a bearing, any suggestions on sizes?

Thanks :)

David Grant
Saturday 12th December 2020
12:49 am U.K.

[email protected]

Hello NOEL I was just asking in case you had a scrapper the remote has been in a cardboard box batteries removed in a dry place a normal remote would do I Have got a 950 Which has been rebuilt every single adjustment pot had been twiddled and it was for a while only working in black an white well thats now fixed faulty caps and a open circuit delay line ,the request for a power supply panel was from what I recall you used to fit a laptop supply in place of a failed power supply, it was so I could rebuild one in the event of failure ,the front panel can be glued and repaired if you do have one I do not mind postage costs there is a 950 on ebay its not yet ended but the seller has got no tapes and no remote but if the price is good and I win the auction i will send a detailed note about how to attach the skate securing screws,regards the C9 it seems to just need a replacement of the caps that power the reel motors oh and the 950 rebuild has received the brand new head disc as when I sent the disc to you I had one more sealed head disc which when I purchased one of my 950s the seller offered me the option to purchase the other head disc was found on ebay new in a sealed box as was 2 new pinch rollers . I Hope you are keeping well regards David .

Noel Higgins
Sunday 6th December 2020
9:52 pm U.K.

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David,

Sorry to hear about the remote now being dead. Strange because they are usually reliable except when contaminated by drink spill especially the later model units.

Most likely a battery connection problem. By the way VHS remotes with jog shuttle from the SLV777 and SLV815 work with the HF950 as long as you select VCR1 and not VCR2 or VCR3 on the internal setup.

Your list of issues is way too confusing plus given the cost of postage getting parts from me is not really a cost effective option nor do I have all the bits you need as I don't scrap potential fixer machines.

Re the HF950 power supplies there is probably and email note regarding repairs that I could dig up if that's all your after.

regards Noel

Harri Asunta
Thursday 26th November 2020
8:35 pm U.K.

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Sorry to get out of subject talking about NTSC machines

Got the EDV-9000 Japanese today.

No guarantee I took my chances.

It took the tape in and started to play it very slowly, I took the cover off and moved some of the tape reel parts, got some movement going.

After tbat no response.

David Grant
Wednesday 25th November 2020
11:50 pm U.K.

[email protected]

hello to Noel and Kevin,I have not posted for a while and have just purchased 2 hall ,I C units I have not fitted them yet and I require some bits for one of my 950s Noel do you recall the jog shuttle remote I got from you well a lot of my stuff has not been used for a long while 2 of my 3 950S were working very well but 2 of them the hall units have failed ,I have another 950 which has had brand new heads fitted but I replace the complete front outer cover and get a 950 remote control ,I would like to repair or replace the jog shuttle remote which was working but now shows no sign of life i removed the old batteries and the place everything was dry and warm ,one of my previous post was ,as I use sky HD I was not able to connect up using RF but I have now got 2 more sky HD boxes that have got this type of output so I have been able to tune in using the traditional ariel cables hopefully Noel you are able to supply these bits and if you have a complete dead 950 power supply panel that would be great.I have rebuilt one but since moving to my current location can not find my notes of what i replaced and would like to have a spare power panel to rebuild in case one fails ,I got a C9 which is in fairly good condition and have strip the DC-DC unit which was working but flickering so I have replaced all the caps with 105 types,the machine worked for about 2 months but has now failed but I think the problems are the caps in the reel motor circuits need replacing as its not rew/ ff modes regards David Grant.

Harri Asunta
Tuesday 24th November 2020
10:11 pm U.K.

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Hi, I haven�t been active online with Betas for about 20 years, but been collecting them all the time.

Thinking abput makng a new website for selling some of my Beta gear, or maybe just offering it on Ebay.

I have three fully working SL-HF950 �s, SL-HF150 and just getting a Japanese ED-9000.

Lots of 90�s and 00^s brand new tapes including Sony PRO-X, PRO-DX, Master HG etc.

Let me know if interested, located in Helsinki Finland (EU).

tel and whatsapp +358400843600

Cheers,

Harri

Gabriel
Sunday 15th November 2020
12:32 pm U.K.

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Hi Kevin,

Really glad to see you are back here.

Thanks for your suggestions and advice. I will put them into practice once I can get access to those machines again.

Take lots of care,

Gabriel

Kevin Lambert
Friday 13th November 2020
6:55 pm U.K.

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Hi Betaphiles

Sorry i've been absent from here for a while.Seem to be having huge issues getting access to this chatpage for some reason.

Anyways,i've seen you latest post Noel and the reason those tapes are not seating correctly is the insertion mechanism belt is worn/Stretched.

I've seen that fault on a M40.

Gabriel: those issues with your M20 is most likely the servo pot's for the head drum are going out a tiny bit.this does occur rarely but if they are set up perfectly you should get a instant picture stability from all modes.Like forward search to play.

Hope this helps and most are staying sane in this mad world we seem to be living in!

....Kevin

Rich
Thursday 5th November 2020
11:24 am U.K.

Sony SL-HF100 Repaired, thanks guys both faults were on the Palsite fault page.

No head drum rotation - replaced Hall effect sensor.

No Colout (Chroma) on playback, only on Pal tube tv and converter but worked on flatscreen colour was fine - Replaced CV001 in Video Board.

It really did bring back memories of repairs to Betamax VCR's from 1987 onwards. my first was an SL-C6.

Just to say cheers all.

Noel Higgins
Monday 26th October 2020
8:21 pm U.K.

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phelissimo,

That is a very strange picture issue. It is obviously relating to short term variations or lock issues relating to the horizontal sync pulse. I suggest you get a service manual and use an oscilloscope to see if you can track down were the fault is.

One thing I would check is the setting of the drop out compensator which is set incorrectly can produce a similar effect.

That circuit switches in a delay line to repeat the previous sweep lines information when a drop out occurs.

regards Noel

phelissimo
Sunday 25th October 2020
3:22 pm U.K.

hello, i have a problem with my SONY Betamax SL-C40ES PAL. When playing some tapes the recorder produces a distorted picture. This is although not on all tapes like that.

Here's a link to a capture I made. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZdl-G_ZTiU

Noel Higgins
Tuesday 20th October 2020
3:09 am U.K.

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Gabriel,

Kevin is the expert on the Sanyo machines so I would recommend you ask him what the trick of the trade are there.

I have just been playing and with trying to get a couple of NEC machines going. Never again - no manuals - no parts.

regards Noel

Gabriel
Wednesday 14th October 2020
4:49 pm U.K.

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Thanks a lot Noel,

Touching and varying by hand the back tension lever is usually within my check routine for VCRs. However, these two Sanyos don't seem to improve even a bit with this procedure so that was the reason for suspecting a servo issue.

I am also thinking on measuring capstan and head motors stability via speed/phase signals, just to see any possible jittering causing this issue. But honestly this will require me some time.

All the best,

Gabriel

Noel Higgins
Wednesday 14th October 2020
1:32 pm U.K.

Gabriel,

I have had quite a few where the back tension lever builds up an oscillation. I think its due to contamination on the supply reel or the belt that grabs it varying the amount of friction. See if just touching and applying pressure to that lever changes the picture shaking.

When this happens I pull the parts out and clean them., I scrape along the friction felt with a knife to rough the surface up and disturb any dirt particles lodged in it.

regards Noel

Gabriel
Monday 12th October 2020
12:02 pm U.K.

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Dear all,

Just a quick question I have with a couple "stubborn" Sanyo VTC-M10 and VTC-M20 with unstable picture when cold. The symptom is picture shaking.

So far the power supply capacitors have been changed and the tracking potentiometer has been checked to be OK.

Do you know any typical fault related to this symptom? I shouldn't blame a tape path misalignment because, to my experience, this is seldom found on Sanyos unless someone has fiddled the machine before (doesn't seem to be this case). Pinch roller is also in good shape and I have also swapped it with identical results, though.

Are these machines prone to servo capacitors failure?

Thanks in advance,

Gabriel

Noel Higgins
Thursday 1st October 2020
1:25 am U.K.

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Ian,

OK there is information on Palsite to address that issue. Send me an email if you want photos of circuit information/board layout or Capstan and video head electronic alignment procedures.

My contact details are on Betaheaven.com

regards Noel

and Hi to Kevin. I sorted out the alignment issue with the Sanyo M10s thanks. I still have an issue with the cassette mechanism not full lowering different tapes correctly into place for some reason.

K lambert
Monday 28th September 2020
4:18 pm U.K.

Hi

welshian
Monday 28th September 2020
4:17 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Hi Noel thanks for the reply. Picture sync is terrible so I'm led to belive that it the notorious electrolytics on the servo board.

Cheers, Ian

Noel Higgins
Sunday 27th September 2020
11:46 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Ian,

I can take photos of some pages if you send me your email address and tell me what you are specifically interested in. What faults are you trying to fix?

regards Noel (betaheaven.com)

Ian Martin
Friday 18th September 2020
3:28 pm U.K.

Welshian

Hello to all, Ive been trying to locate a service manual for a SL-C5UB for some time now but no luck, anybody on here have a spare or copy to help me on my quest to repair my machine.

Thanks, Ian

Alex
Sunday 13th September 2020
12:27 am U.K.

Hi Noel,

With the HF950 fast capstan issue - I have the exact same issue with a HF100. Started off as an intermittent fault but has progressively become worse, so much so that's now constant. I'm working through the circuitry and have a donor machine so have swapped components and boards narrowing it down to the main servo circuitry (not capstan motor or drive PCB). I'll post the fix when I find it in the the hope it helps you...

Many thanks,

Alex

Alex
Sunday 13th September 2020
12:17 am U.K.

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Hi,

I'm trying to get an AG-7 tape changer working with a C7. I have a later machine with the C7 logo on the front flap but I'm starting to suspect that the machine itself is of an earlier version which doesn't support the AG-7. I searched a while back and found info on the modification but for the life of me I can't find it now. Does anyone have the details for the modification at all? Would be so great to get this up and running finally...

Many thanks,

Alex

Gabriel
Friday 11th September 2020
6:53 pm U.K.

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Hi James,

As Noel suggested, the C80 was sold in Australia under the -AS suffix.

In Spain we had the C80E version, which was very common. Today, it is not difficult to spot one in an assorted degree of conditions. It wasn't sold in many different countries AFAIK.

It is an overall simple machine, despite its appearance. Its mechanism is mostly based on the C30 model with an improved three heads assembly for perfect pause and frame advance. Because of that, it makes use of a dedicated additional board.

From the ones I have serviced, I can say many of them suffer from common issues (black loading gear, 3H Hall sensor and its dreaded glue, planetary assembly and eject left gear among others). But they also develop poor loading and threading torque, muffled audio and display issues. The clock/counter one is usually quite faded. The secondary (timer) is usually bright but you can only enable it v�a the original remote: the huge RMT-220.

Right now I own a very special specimen in grey color. And the remote is also grey!

Greetings,

Gabriel

JamesF
Friday 11th September 2020
3:49 am U.K.

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I am in Australia Gabriel... Thanks for the info Noel.

James

Noel Higgins
Sunday 6th September 2020
11:50 pm U.K.

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James,

The Sony SLC80AS was the model sold in Australia and there are a few around but they are not that common. They were marketed as "sports" model with two timers and the most strangely designed remote control of any Sony beta.

You get a real time tape readout and perfect stills. (care of SLC9 heads)

Most of the ones I have seen have issues with the timer displays failing. I have never spent much time trying to fix that.

regards Noel

Gabriel
Sunday 6th September 2020
10:54 am U.K.

[email protected]

Hi James,

Un which country are you based? Depending on that, the C80 can be relatively common.

Greetings,

Gabriel

JamesF
Saturday 5th September 2020
12:42 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Hi all, who here know of the Sony SL-C80 is this a rare machine?

James

Roger Bailey
Saturday 5th September 2020
7:50 am U.K.

[email protected]

Thank you Noel. I did not know of that site. I have a manual for my SL-C30 now, thanks. I have found the fault - one of the plastic gears in the cassette loading assembly has lost 2 teeth because an axle used in the loading sequence was too tight for the teeth. (It's hard getting a cassette out of the machine when it is already lowered.) I only have 16 tapes I have to convert to digital so if I can't find a gear I will have to load and unload each cassette by hand. I think it plays OK but I have not got that far yet. Thanks again.

Gabriel
Friday 4th September 2020
3:46 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Dear Noel,

Have you checked you have the 4'43MHz signal in the servo board and main servo IC? This is usually generated within the video board so you can track it back.

Greetings,

Gabriel

Noel Higgins
Monday 31st August 2020
2:58 pm U.K.

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Roger Bailey,

The SLC30 has two actions when its loading and unloading. Dropping the tape into place while flipping up the cover flap - then threading the tape around the video head drum assembly. The second action is controlled by a small black gear that can break which affects the driving of the load ring which wraps tape around the head.

Your problem however sound like a broken gear inside the large clear/white disk gear on top of the load motor. The gear driving the planetary gear set that mounts over the motor shaft (and has a D shaped hole in it) often cracks and jams. They are under a lot of strain so it is unlikely you can repair it, you just need to get a replacement if you can. Also make sure that the swiveling end underneath the lever that is driven by the capstan roller solenoid has not accidently been placed the wrong side of the metal pin that sticks up. This lever controls the change between loading and unloading action from cassette in and down to the tape being spooled out of the cassette and visa versa when unloading.

regards Noel

Noel Higgins
Monday 31st August 2020
2:42 pm U.K.

[email protected]

Hello all,

I am wondering if anyone knows the cause of a fault I have on two SLHF950 machines.

I repaired the faulty slides on both of them. Now I try a tape in play mode and the capstan runs full speed tangling and damaging the tape. I can get the machine to pick up most of the slack if a hit rewind but that only work momentarily before it stops. The drum motor hardly spins at all. The three electronic fuses are OK - not blown.

I suspect there is a fault on the SS50 board. Voltages in measure correct. Any ideas?

regards Noel

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