Noel,Thank you for the tip! Replaced fuse 6 and the mains switch and now I have the clock working! But the machine still doesn't want to turn on past that. Any further suggestions?

Our problems are solved concerning the "top of the range" betas. I'm been looking for 4 head video discs (eyes) for years. Well, according to this gentleman:

http://cgi.ebay.com/MINT-Sony-Superbeta-Betamax-VCR-SL-HF750-Exc-Cond_W0QQitemZ320221284909QQihZ011QQcategoryZ39830QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

ASTI now supplies them. He also has a full stock of Hall Sensors. He wouldn't respond to my inquiries as to where he gets the sensors....at least we know where we can get 4head discs for the SL-HF750 and possibly for the SL-HF1000 and 900.

Great news for us Betaphiles!!!!!

Can anybody help me with this fault on a Sony C7 which has been in storage for may years after switching on the clock comes on and the unit power up and everything works okay but if the clock display is switched to bright rather than dim i get extra areas lighting up on the clock area so 12 looks as it it's 18 and i also have 2 or 3 day indicators alight when i should only have 1 all the push swithes are fine i checked these first as i know these are a common problem on the C7 i wondered if anybody has had this fault and managed to fix it, I have a feeling it might be the caps in the switch mode power supply but i don't want to rush in and cause any more problems so if anybody can help i would be most greatful regards Andy

Roderick,

On the C7 if you take out the timer unit (clock/buttons assembly) then you will find the fuse under it. However, that might not fix it unless the fuse went due to a mains surge, because they often die in the end as a result of capacitor failure in the switchmode power supply.

cheers Noel

I recently bought a rather dead C7. I have checked the fuses on the fuses board, but can't find Fuse F006, it jumps from F005 to F007. Any suggestions?The mains switch at the bottom appears to be stuck, but how do you get to it? Does anyone have dismantle instructions for this machine?

Hi, has anyone bought anything from Craig who advertised a load of beta stuff here on the 3rd of feb? If so what has the outcome been as I would like to know please.

Hi, i have a sony sl-f1 that stops after a couple of seconds in play/ff/rew it is fine in pause mode, the heads are spinning ok and picture in pause is fine, does anyone know how to fix this problem? any help would be much appreciated

Wassau

Congratulations on getting a Sont SL-800ME multi-system machine. I also have one of these one in mint condition and the manual.

To answer your questions.

1/ Mine does not have any indication that itis a "super beta".

2/ The voltage range stated is 110V to 240VAC (50 or 60Hz) so I assume the switch mode power supply can handle this range automatically much like the SLHF950.

3/ You did no say where you live but I assume america because you mentioned 110V and your system wouldbe NTSC. You need to set the unit to the correct system mode when you play back your tapes. 4/ Connections to a DVD recorder or the ATI All-In-Wonder 2006 video capture card is easy enough. You need a BNC to RCA female adaptor for the video lead and a three connector lead. (male RCA to male RCA - yellow /red/ white) The video uses the yellow lead.

The sound is only mono so you need another RCA adaptor male RCA to two female RCA to provide the mono sound to both right and left channels (red/white) of the recording device. I would not takethe unit apart unless it fails to operate and even then you might want to claim against the seller if it is guaranteed.

Put the Beta player in play mode and the recorder to line in mode.

Hope that helps. cheers Noel (betaheaven.com) Australia

Hi Group:

This is my first post.

Today I received my "new" Sony SL-800ME Superbeta VCR. I make note of the SuperBeta because it has stickers on it to indicate that capacity. From what little I have been able to find on the web, SuperBeta has not been specifically mentioned. I want to use this to convert some PAL-Beta tapes that i have into DVDs.

I got this on Ebay and it seems that at the last minute, nearly everyone in the world was bidding on it. We - now I have it and I don't know what to do next as i don't have any kind of manual.

It has a 110 volt style adapter plug on the cord and I can find no toggle switch on the machine that would switch it from 240 volts/50 cycle to 110 volts/60 cycle. I don't want to kill it by plugging it in. I have no idea if the switching is automatic on this unit.

From reading web site specs for the unit, I have found that the video output is a BNC Connector 1.0 v (p-p) whatever that means so I am going to need some sort of an adaptor to the ATI All-In-Wonder 2006 video capture card which has RCA (Red-White-Yellow) inputs (plus S-VHS). The Audio output is a Phono Jack with a load impedence less than 10 kilohms, -10 dbs with 47 kilohms load, unbalanced, whatever that means.

Please help - what to do next (take it apart and inspect, oil, check? What to look for? What adapter do I need?) Thanks

Wassau

I remember that someone request me a PINCH roller, I happened to manage 2 pcs ( a HF950 and C9 ). I'll sell those 2 for a rock bottom price...it spins good, tho second hand one.

Cheers,

Boby

Boby,

OK thanks - got that.

cheers Noel

Noel,

I'd sent you important email,please read.

Thanks

Regards,Boby

Stuart, It could be that the inpit side to the drum assembly has shifted and the tapes are being slighly creased. Whatever the reason - the fact is that the alignment of the ACE did not match tapes from other machines. Glad my suggestion worked. You have to be sure it is not creasing the tape however.

On the question about the SLO420. It uses many of the SLC9 features but takes away the top "tuner board" and replaces it with a controller board allowing the SLO 420 to be controlled the same as its big brother UMAT Hi8 and betacam units. A professional deck really. I have repaired one in the past and still have one with SS11 control board issues.

cheers Noel

Davy,

The 750 and the 950 look similar but there are a lot of differences. Many fundamental because of PAL vs NTSC and a difference voltage mains voltage system though the 950 will work down to 110V. The reel motor is even different in the connection plug and layout of the circuit but the actual cicuit is identical there. I think they shared a lot of mechanical parts.

cheers Noel

The slo 420 is I believe virtually identical to a c9, but as it is an industrial machine, it has no tuner.

Hi, yes a 750 is very similar to the 950, but obviously the tuner is different (ntsc) as will be the power supply block. If you intend to use it for spares, I would say the most valuable part is the skate mechanism and drawer which I would say will fit a 950.

hi there many thanks to noel stuart and kevin I am trying to find out is a sony SLF750 the american version of theSLF950 and I also saw on ebay.co a sony SLO 420 which was claimed to be top of the range when I printed off a picture it looked identical to a c9 any thoughts on this ? .k lambert can you possibley help with sanyo vtc9300p idler tyres?and belt kits and pinch roller I used to get my parts from Grandata but nothing in stock for ages .many thanks everyone

Hello Noel, I have had a little fiddle with my non recording hf100, and after screwing down the right hand side of the audio control head assembly it now records and plays its recordings back even when cold. Question, could this be due to wear on the ace as it seems unlikely it could have worked loose to need screwing down one revolution?

Yes ...I remember that the noise disappear for a while when I F-Foward the tape while in play, ...

Thanks Noel, I will look at adjusting said guide post this weekend and let you know the results.

Hi Kitten:Please let me know the model number of the Sanyo model you purchased and i'll see if i can help you.I have a lot of experience with their machines.If it's the 5600,or 9300 it will be difficult to sort though as spares for these are scarce.Let me know and we'll go from there.............Kevin

Stuart,

Re your SLHF100 machines. You need a CRO to fix both ideally. Play back a known good tape - commercial pre-recorded if possible.

The first machine sounds like the last guide post before the capstan (after ) the ACE audio/tracking picyup head is set incorrectly. Note that a full alignment is the best thing to do but if this one is set incorrectly both tracking pulses and linear audio will be affected. Before you adjust anything chaeck that the capstan rollers in both machines are not grabbing the tape unevenly and causing it to crinkle or skew off the normal path. This will be exaggerated if you press FFWD (preview).

If you adjust for loudest mono audio (highest waveform on CRO when monitoring right or left channel) - tracking should be right to. They are at opposite sides of the tape from each other. A damaged (stretched) tape has reduce width so dont judge by any tape that is at the very start or has had a hard life.

The second machine sounds like it needs its video path adjusted and maybe tracking centre position set. Follow a service manual instructions. You may be in for hours of enjoyment.The CRO monitors the A/B video head waveforms on the front pin of 5 pin of the centre white connector on the left side of the machine when the front is facing you. (a little confusing perhaps)

good luck - Noel

Kitten, what is the model number of the sanyo? there is no difference between betamax and betacord, it was just a name sanyo adopted for their later machines. if it wont accept tapes then there is a fault with the loading mechanism or motor most likely. My advice is to spend a few hundred pounds on a sony or sanyo beta on ebay and that way you know you will be getting one that works as it should when you recieve it. Was yours an ebay buy?

Hi.....We have a Toshiba Beta machine that wont work although we've had it serviced twice. We are attempting to transfer old Beta tapes to DVD so we have now purchased a Sanyo Betacord machine for our purpose. Unfortunately, the Betacord machine will not even accept our old Beta tapes. HELP! Is there a difference in the Beta and the Betacord machines? Have we purchased the wrong thing? I know so very little about this machine and would realllly appreciate someone's advice or input. If this Betacord isnt gonna work, then I need to return it to the "seller" this week. Thanks to anyone who can help me.....

Manyy thanks, Kitten

PS; this noise appear only in a second in each occasion (no specific time).

Mine has noise thin-bar(like scartch) swapping rapidly along the screen in timely random...had anyone resolved the same issue..?.

Hi, I have hf100 problems guys...This one has stumped me. 2hf 100s, I will describe issues.1st one wont record when cold. Well it does record but the pic can only be seen in pause or ff rev search. Normal play produces muted picture and sound. Problem vanishes when unit is very warm. Plays any other tape including hi fi perfectly weather warm or cold. I have swapped the power supply and then the headamp can but neither cures the issue.

Other hf100. This is one I was given as a donor to fix the above one. This one plays and records ok but with a constant noise bar across the screen 3/4 way down, and also will not record hifi though mono is fine. Plays hifi sound on tapes from other machines fine just wont record hifi...

Is it possible to use parts from the 2nd one to fix the first and if so what parts / boards? Any help appreciated as I am stumped. Thanks

I have for sale, a remote control for a Sony Betamax SLHF 950 in perfect working order. Part No .RMT 223. Should anybody be interested in it, before my putting it on eBay, please let me know via this website.

Harold Koster

Can anyone advise me on how to fix my display on a Sony Multistandard SL-T50Everything works ok but the clock/display does not work, any help please, or advice.I have a lot of other betas so if parts can be switched i'd like advice on how to do so.

I assumed the 950 head is the same as SL-HF1000D (Digital ntsc) as the Capstan motor is the same and am pretty sure the 950 's head is the same with SL-HF99ES, maybe if one of you guys have those decks swapping wouldn't be problem //

Supposed I would sell my best 950 for £366 would anyone interested in?

(don't jump into conclusion on my HF950 )Greets,Boby.

Hi Harold:I'm doing fine and thanks for asking.Stuart: The heads could be expensive because they are for SuperBeta and not regular and i'm not sure but hav'nt they got a flying erase head too?I'm glad i've never had to relpace any...................yet!I believe the Sanyo M40 ones were around £ 200 -£250 when they were available ( so i'm told).It's just as well they last for a long ,long time:).............................Kevin

Hi, I've just recently bought a Betamax plyaer ( SL-C6UB ) but I don't know how to plug it into my TV. It came without any leads so I don't know how set it up and what cables to buy.

Can someone please help?Thanks,Harry

I will be looking for other sources, and may contact sony direct. Considering I just bought 2 sets of brand new c9 head disks for £66 and an hf150 /100 disk for £45 including delivery, how can a 950 disk cost so much more?

Stuart,Depends how keen you are to want one to repair your 950. If you consider that I was foolish enough a year or so ago, to take my 950 to the tip because the heads had gone after 15 years; rather than sell it on ebay for spare parts, that MIGHT give you some idea how stupid(?) we Betamax fanatics are.Personally, I wouldn't touch it.

Harold

Hi, in my search for slhf950 video heads, I have found it at donberg electronics. They say sony have it in stock and price, wait for it, is 491 euros excluding postage!!! That is some £366....Seriously, is anyone willing to shell out that kind of money - for a video head?

Good for you Kevin. You obviously went to Oxford whereas I went to Cambridge!How are you? Keeping well I hope.My regards, Harold

Boby:Well i know what you mean't :)................Kevin

I meant a crystal clear picture/movie, don't get mixed-up/confused.

Sorry for the bad slang.(LOL)

BOBY.What is a CRISPY MOVIE??!!

Regards,

HAROLD

Stuart maybe I'd told you before that there's still 950 disk sold in Germany.

Anyway the costs would be half of your sold -C9 machine.

I'm not sure now the availablity as this information passsed last year from a Germany Betamax Page owner.

I'd replied your mail.Greets,Boby.

Also my thanks go to boby for the speedy supply of an hf150 head disk, which I will be keeping in reserve for my own hf100 should it s heads wear out in the future. If ANYONE can point to a source of new heads for a 950, I would like to know! Thanks also to Noel for the pointer to allow me to buy 2 sets of brand new c9 heads from wes components in australia, which arrived 2 days ago.

Harlord,

I'm glad that you can have your HF100 rejuvenited.I'm happy that you can enjoy your crispy movie.

Kindly regards,Boby.

My dear Boby,I know you have had a well deserved letter of thanks from our mutual friend IanB regarding the new heads you supplied him with for my Sony SLHF100. I would very much like to add my own to those of his. What a wonderful response, that an idle wish of mine on the website some 4 months, resulted in my meeting a person I have now come to regard as a friend of integrity and trust who has handled this transaction with you, on my behalf. I heartily recommend the way you dealt with him, to anybody who wishes to buy from you in the future.My kind regards,HAROLD KOSTER

Nick,

From what you say the most likely problem in your case is a worn capstan pinch roller. The rubber gets hard with age and worn and does not grab the tape evenly at the top and bottom of the capstan drive shaft. Be cafeful to note which way up the holder goes if you remove the roller assemble and where the spring sits. A plastic circlip holds it all in place.

Replacements are expensive if you can get them. Forst try cleaning the rubber surface. You can use metholated spirits but I lke to cover the surface in detergent and let it soak for a while and rub it off with a rag. You can moisten the rag if you like. It gets the grime off and makes the surface grip. If the surface is uneven or one of the bearings is worn out this wont help and replacement is the only option.

cheers Noel

Noel, Thanks very much. Much clearer! I'm not sure whether this is the problem I have now - my machine doesn't stop, and the tape doesn't get left out of the cassette, but it does get creased up, and consequently playback is all over the place. I wonder whether I have a less severe form of the problem you're describing, or a different problem altogether ? I'll try the fix you've described, and see what happens.

Thanks for taking the trouble to describe the fix in such detail.

Hello again....I've found a C40 the is also for sale...in working order and in good condition....!!

To Nick Steele, (taking things a bit slower with less jargon)

The problem I am talking about is a lack of tension on the forward pickup reel. The tape will appear slack and gather just after the capstan roller and the machine will stop. The tape may get left out of the cassette when the tape is removed. If that is what is happening then the repair I have described may fix it. Another cause can be a faulty reel motor but then you will have problems with very slow rewind as well.

The forward torque potentiometer (variable resistor) is located on the third circuit board down from the top tuner circuit board on the right hand side when the machine is facing you. At the rear of the machine on that board (near the metal can housing the television output convertor) the adjustable wiper of the variable resistor gets contaminated or corroded thus changing value of the original setting which decreases the forward tension of the pickup reel and allows tape slack causing the tape to crease and jam. CRC spray (a commercial name for contact cleaing solvent fluid) and the mechanical action of moving the adjustable contact arm back and forth when resetting tension can restore the machine to original performance. If you don't have a reel torque cassette meter to reset the tension then the rule of thumb for adjusting this is to play the tape and back off the torque adjustment until tape just slacks slightly and then turn potentiometer on about 15 degrees (that is slightly more tension. Then confirm the tape is not too slack after fwd review/preview actions while searching the tape for a particular scene.

Good luck - Noel Higgins

OOPS!!...Wrong phone number !! 07904296298!!!

Cheers again !!

Hi all !!, I have loads of betamax machines spares,circuit boards,video heads including brand new c5, 6,7, heads.over 1000 tapes many sealed and boxed, camorders,bmp 100/500 etc, mainly Sony machines , c5, 6,7,9 ,hf100, Sanyo 5000, 5150,6500, some in working order, esp the 5150 which is mint,as is the c9, but it needs new video heads , I'm in Cheshire,could post if need be.Everything must go so cheap,chaep,chaep !!!..... You can call me on 0704296298.

Cheers.

question for noel higgins...on the Sony SLHF 100 technical page you describe fixing a "no tape transport" problem but not in terms I understand! Can you please explain :Torque pot ?third board ?TV/OP can ?CRC spray ?

A step by step idiots guide to this fix might just get my machine working again...

Thanks in advance.

Sony SL-F30 slimline Betamax VCR for sale..... low price, just a couple of hours to go!http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=130192898728&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=003

Chris.

I wonder what kind of metallic element is the disc assy Core, Amorphous Titanium?

Maybe someone could explain...

Greets,Boby.

Thank you. I'll try looking up a repair shop in the area.

Ken - if you still have a betamax player, stand alone dvd recorders are pretty cheap here in the states. You could get one for less than $100. Pretty much just like a vcr to operate. Otherwise, if you have a PC running Vista, you can do it that way too but you'll need a camcorder that has analog to digital input or some type of connector to import from beta. Hope that helps.

Good day:We have several original Beta tapes from a television show that we would like to archive onto a DVD format. I am not hat knowledgeable on how to convert from one process to the other. Could I please have some ideas

PS;

Don't even try to touch the EYE.

Minicoop

Probably there som'thing stuck on your video head Eye.

This video head-eye cannot be cleaned by conventional cleaner.

Greets, Boby

minicoop - it could be something as simple as the video heads need cleaning. If it is the case any decent reputable video repair/sevicing engineer should be able to clean them for you as a reasonable cost.

Hello. I have an old SL-340 NTSC Super Beta that doesn't play videos anymore. I can hear the audio but no video whatsoever, just snow (not even a trace of video to control with using tracking).

Is is completely dead? I opened it up and tried cleaning parts where the tape passes through, but still not working.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. I am in Los Angeles, CA. Thank you.

Boby,

If you have worn out heads and want to extend the time you use them then OK but it does not produce the ideal frequency response. To initially set a machine up you need the right test tape, a CRO and other test gear plus the srvice manuals. Good luck.

cheers Noel

Noel,

I guess I'm right along this time, if I'm not 'mis-remembered' I tampered my SL-C9 HEAD-adj decades ago to get better picture or to extend the lifespan for my C9 -head that had already worn out. Don't you think this is worth to do for?

I assumed adjusting those electronic-alignment would be so critical, so you're not recomending it unless someone had it moved out of Factory-spec before.

Will this kind of tweaking damage other component?

Pretty cool stuff to learn...do you have more idea on this?

Cheers,Boby.

Hi Louie:I've sold quite i few since then.That sounds to me like the loading ring clutch is slipping or the loading motor playing up.Either way a rare occurance.those really are excellent long lasting vcr's and most problems are minor.........If you'd like me to look at it for you please let me know by private e-mailing to my address........................Kevin

Boby,

Yes there are gain controls for each relating to head equalisation I think and a balance control to get the two waveforms equal but I dont touch them unless they have obviously been tampered with. Better to leave them alone. The new heads dont vary much in gain one to the other.

cheers Noel

Kevin Lambert - are you in Lowestoft? If so, you sold me my 5000 a few years back. It was an excellent machine and it enabled me to retrieve quite a few rare programmes and a lot of interesting old continuity. I should make an effort to see if I can get it working again. The buttons on the front just don't respond to anything anymore. Any thoughts?

Hello all. Long-time lurker, first-time poster. To replace a non-functioning Sanyo VTC5000, I thought I'd take a £10 chance on an untested Sony SL-C6 that was advertised locally. It records and plays, but the picture quality is terrible, so I think that's £10 to put down to experience. However, the main problem is that there's a problem with board on which the button switches for play, ff, etc, is mounted. It's got a massive crack in it, and I'm assuming that's the reason that only rew and play work. As a result, my test tape's stuck in there. Is there a way I can force it to spit the tape out?

To Noel,

I've been thinking about the adjustment of the replacement of the a NEW Betamax Disc Assy. What I meant is; Do I need to adjust the Head sensitivity (if there's such trimpot/ variable OP-AMP = I am not so sure as I haven't checked the exact circuitry) to adjust the GAIN of the HEAD-EYE ?? am pretty sure there's one on the HEAD-PCB board. [[In case of the original setting had been modified to other than factory default setting]]

I guess everybuddy need to know this.Thanks in advanced.

Regards,Boby.

Craig,

Thanks for the update on prices. I was told the SLHF950s started off at $3500 but later sold for less. OK on the SLHF100s. I only really took notice of the SLC9 which ewas originally $1400 but I saw one sold off at $ 950 when stock was being cleared. My first beta was the SLC7 and it cost $1100 then. (1979?) Regarding the Jog shuttle remotes. I dont think they were released with machiens in Australia. I have picked up one as well but from someone who bought it in the UK and it is really a unit that accompanies a Hi8 machine.

Nice to know the exchange rate in UK has moved in our favour.

cheers Noel

Hi Spencer:I'm quite an expert on the Sanyo's and if you need any help or assistance feel free to ask anytime.The M40 is definetley the more superior of the two in EVERY way...................Kevin

Noel: The legendary SLHF 950 cost 2 500 Aussie dollars when new, and the SLHF 100 - $1 500. This I know, because I distinctly remember salivating over them in the stores when new as a poor 20 year- old in 1985, thinking I will never be able to afford a new example of either model, and would have to make do with my trusty old Sanyo VTC 5000. Four years later, I scored my current HF 100 in mint cond. for $350 which has had serious use and minimal problems; and only 2 years ago was extremely lucky to win a mint 950 on the ole Bay for 800 Aussies. Thanks to Bobby, I got the original jog/ shuttle remote for it only recently. I also have the other more popular non jog/ shuttle remote for it, and will part with it now if anybody is interested.A thousand Aussie dollars is much closer to 400 quid now, Noel. :-)Cheers, Craig.

Hello one and all. I live in Atlanta Georgia and have recently unpacked my 1978 stereo equipment and have it up and running. I am now tackling two sanyo vcr's, model m40 and nx100. Both need belts. I have about 200 old betamax tapes and lots of home movies. I may just be asking for information as I start to dismantle these units. They have been sitting up since my return from africa in 1992

Boby, thanks, I will advise when it has arrived.Noel, thanks also. I bought myself a multimeter today... But dont know what reading I am looking for nor exactly which position to se the meter to. I have only really uptil now had mechanical issues to solve on c9s. Electronics fault finding is a new area to me.

Stuart,

The service manual shows you how to operate the cassette carraige out of the machine. There is a bar you need to disconnect before you take the carraige out but it can then operate on top of the machine with a layer of paper or book under it. The micro that might need adjusting is below the load motor. You can check the switch operation with a multimeter when its out of the machine like this.

cheers Noel

cheers Noel

Stuart,

The common problem is a rust on the surface of the contacts( micro switches), maybe if you could open and clean it by abbrasice paper.

THX,Boby.

Hi guys. Can anyone help with a c9 loading issue I have? I have this machine for repair, it is not mine, but would like to not let it beat me! Cassette carriage is fine, but on inserting a tape the microswitches click but the motor will not take over and take it in. I can wind the tape in manually and the machine then ejects the tape when power is turned on, so the loading motor is not at fault. Could this be a broken connection on the microswitch which tells the motor to engage?

To Davyrocket2,

The company you want is WES components in Sydney, Australia. Yiu might find the "end switch" is faulty. It tells the microprocessor that the machine has laced the tape around the head. With the front of the machine facing you it is at the rear left hand side.

cheers Noel (betaheaven.com in Australia)

Stuart,

Your item left origin country at 23 January UK time.

THX

Cheers,Boby.

Hi Davyrocket, I am afraid I have to disappoint you but I have just bought the last c9 head disks that wes components had in stock. I have asked if they will be recieving more in due course and was surprised to get the answer yes, but no date is known for restock. Personally I will be buying more when they have new stock and I can post this here if people would like to know?

Hi there my thanks to stuart & noel Is there a contact name or phone number for the kes company who may be able to supplie heads for my c9 ? . next if take the covers off my c9 and try to unwind the tape it thinks theres a fault and winds itself back up . if i switch off and remove the bottom covers and then remove the boards and take up the slack in the tape then replace everything then I can put the machine rightside up and then work the tape carriage by hand to get the tape out .I would also like to buy ac HLF C950 at a reasonable price any ideas . I also no the person mentioned who puts on ebay £750 HLF sony 950s and also has got the betamax tape alighment briefcase so thanks everyone I still have a lot to learn I have myself rebuilt a few dc-dc convertors and would like any scrap ones anyone could spare I think its possible to mount a 4 inch fan 5vdc supply from maplins to cool the dc-dc convertors but this is something I am experimenting with also does anyone know of a supply of carrige repair kits I.E the metal gears many thanks to all DG

Harlord,

Greatly appreciate your bussines. Thanks.

Best wishes,

Boby

Stuart,

I'd sent you emails, maybe you've missed the previous one.Please have a look.Thanks,Regards,Boby.

Stuart,

If your not that confient about reassembly considering the power/safety issue then just send the whole module.

cheers Noel

Stuart,

I dont know where you could get a SLHF950 head. Someone might have one in their stock somewhere I dont know. You can use a SLHF150 head but you lose the slow motion and probably the super beta options I dont know the head differences. Not a big deal given all the other features the machine has.

Regarding the SLHF Power Supplies. If you needed them ixed you would remove the PS module and take out the circuit boards from the metal casing. Then send the AC lead including mount, the main board with the basic aluminium heatsink. The second board rarely fails so dont bother sending that. Postage on one or two of those units for repair should be cheap enough to do airmail.

cheers Noel

Noel, re your psu upgrade for hf950s, What is involved in this? Is it something I can fit myself if I bought from you as obviously I would not want to ship 2 950s as this would be vastly expensive.

Noel, is there any place at all that has any 950 heads? I realy am thinking that I shouldnt be using my two now after reading your comments as to non availability of heads, psus and bias oscilators (although I now know where to get the latter thanks to your help on these pages)I have just bought the last two c9 head disks which wes components had in stock and total cost inc airmail to uk was only £63. Not bad at all. Also bought bobys hf100 /150 disk on ebay uk, so just really would like a disk for my 950s.

Kevin, I know who you are referring to charging high prices for machines. Would this be the guy who keeps putting a 950 on for £700 or so? I have noticed none of his stuff sells! I wonder why lol!Regarding mint machines, I am lucky to have bought an hf100 early last year for a fairly minor amount of £102 which when I recieved it was mint, both inside and out with remote and manual to match! No dust in the cabinet whatsoever, even under the ventilation slots. No oxide flakes in the usual places round the threading ring. Even the capstan and pinch roller needed only minor cleaning. If the seller had done his job properly he could have got double that amount for it! Needless to say I am keeping it! Also my last c9 is in similar condition and has very little sign of wear round the upper head drum. I am keeping this also! Picked this one up for £80 with mint remote and manual and all it needed was a replacement dc dc which I duly fitted from a scrap machine. If I was to sell a machine like this I would be asking over £250.

To Harold,

I note your comments on the prices for Sony SLHF950s. In Australia, I have seen them go for up to AU$1000. (about 300 pounds I believe) You must take into consideration that their video heads are no longer available - and when they were, they cost AU$350, then you had to get them fitted. Replacement power supplies (now also unavailable) cost $300. Bias transformers AU$50 but you cant get them. I have only collected and repaired SLHF950s but I might sell a few one day.

For general information, I have developed an upgrade repair (changeover service) for the SONY SLHF950 using a modern design switchmode power supply which is more efficient, which I do for AU$250. I have fixed 4 machines so far for people who have had them returned by service agents as "parts no longer available".

I have been told that when these machines were new they cost up to AU$3500.

cheers Noel (betaheaven.com)

Hi Stuart and Harold:I would agree with both of you.I won ,via E-Bay, a very lightly used SLHF950 with origional box,manual and remote for £440.It was absolutley immaculate and only used for recording opera on BBC2.I sold it on a year or so later with two brand new Sony PRO L750 tapes for £480.That machine was worth every penny.I do see some sellers(one in particular) who asks well over the top prices for his machines, which are not serviced, you don't know for sure the useage and sometimes things are missing or not working 100%.Now that in my view takes away the privelege of a high price.You can sometimes gauge who is being honest or not or who is trying to get a quick dishonest buck.Those that also state this sale is final , no returns or guarantees should be avoided too. Look at their feedback ,that will tell you a lot,especially how they respond to it.You can also tell a lot by looking inside a vcr whether it's had high use or not(the trouble is you need to see this beforehand.)On a lot i've received NO attempt whatsoever has been made to clean it inside or out.Some can be shocking to look at!That 950 i had was MINT.I go to a lot of trouble with the Sanyo breed (more than just a new clutch and drive belt as most seem too) and also offer assistance for FREE for twelve months,i love these machines and only want to see them giving their best.It won't be needed in most cases but it should give the buyer peace of mind with these ageing machines and their is always the chance in the forseeable future.Unfortunatley for Sony(or Toshiba) models ,if they have been highly utilised then head wear will be an issue a lot sooner than a Sanyo.When buying a Beta vcr go with your instincts and if it does'nt 'feel' right......AVOID......................Kevin

Hmm, I dont know Harold...$700 dollars (equiv to £350) is the going rate approx for a 950 in full working order with remote. I paid £250 and £300 for my two, (non ebay purchases) neither had original manual, (one had a photocopied manual) and only one had its remote. But the 950s I have seen on ebay advertised in working order bid upto between £300 and £360. Even spares repair ones which are rare on ebay fetch half that amount...

Betamax fellows all,I am amazed at the number of sudden offers for sale of the cherished SL HF 950 units, and from readers and owners who have been advised "that this is the price to ask for, take no less".ALL recent offers have received 'NO BIDS' on e-bay and rightly so! The asking price is far too high for a 20 year old machine, unless it has been boxed and unused lying dormant in some warehouse or attic for these past years.One seller I contacted did not really know the value of what he was selling, and yet he was asking, under the banner of "BUY IT NOW", a stupid price of some $700 odd dollars.What is going on? Let the website continue with stalwarts like Stuart, Boby and our very helpful and dedicated friends in America and several far reaching countries within our world who love this system. There are also a few I could name, who do not appear on this website, because they are shy of getting involved.My kindest thoughts to you all.

I should say still in progress...Regards,Boby.

Hello Harlord, your item in now in Leicester and in still progress.

I'm not expecting to be this fast.

Thanks for your attention.

Cheers Boby

Hi

it's just a fine deal with a good ebay feedback on selling a betamax HEAD.

Hi Boby, whats that?

Hi Stuart, I just got a remarkable final deal, tought you might want to have a look.Thanks

Cheers,Boby.

Previous post has me listed as UK. Not so, am in the great USA. I posted a Sanyo Mod. VTC9100A VCR that has worked great but now will not advance tape & just makes clicking noise, I think the belts are bad. It is a beautiful machine & hate to throw it out, so if anyone has any interest in the machine let me know. I have a wired remote, instruction book and about 20 tapes with movies & concerts, some new tapes some recorded tapes. I can be contacted at [email protected]

David,

Video heads for the Sony SLC9 are still available in Australia from a company called WES componenets in Sydney. They also have heads for the other machine you mentioned I believe.Sony over there may stillhave stocks also.

Stuart,

The capacitors are available. Get 105 deg C rating ones if you can. The main ones to replace are the two 10uF/50 V and the large DC input capacitor 330uF at 16 or 25 Volt. The transistor 2SC789 will usually need to be replaced as well. If that does not fix it then other faults that can happen. (s/c 0.068uF on Transformer O/P, S/C filter caps and higher resistance inductors on AC winding O/P filter, S/C diode on one of the High voltage o/p windings, shorted turns in the transformer (from over heating), shorted turns on the input inductor choke, faulty 10uF cap in the bias circuit, faulty 0.001 cap on the input circuit to the main drive transistor AND of course dry joints.) I built a test box to fix them, it monitors input current and output voltages and AC waveform and I still have a few problem units I cant fix. I even rewind the transformers but thats a BIG task.

Make sure to put some cooling holes in the DC/DC Mk1 cases when you repair those units as heat is the main killer.

cheers Noel Higgins (betaheaven.com)

Stuart:What are the values of the capacitors??........Kevin

Hi all...Noel, after my totally successful replacement of t901, I am seriously thinking of having a go at repairing c9 dc dc converters by replacing all the capacitors in them. The thing I need to know is, are the required capacitors still easily available?

David, re your c9 not unthreading..try this..take top off and then also lift the head amp can up so you can see the head drum. when you press eject, it should be a few seconds before the eject led begins flashing yes? Before it starts flashing after pressing eject, with your thumb, turn the larger of the two black pulleys anticlockwise and see if the motor then takes over, unthreads and ejects the tape as normal. Let me know what you discover.

hi there guys can any one help with a few technical questions ? 1st sony c9 which will load a tape and lace up record and play perfectly but when it stops and you press eject it wont unload its still laced up and the green led is flashing 2nd is anyone able to supply new heads for a c9 also wanted heads for a sanyo vtc9300pn

I thought there's no C6 :

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