Robert, HFR stands for Hi-Fi-Ready. These models along with a stereo processor can be made to play in stereo. Without the processor they're strickly mono sound.Charlie

Model SL-HFR90 What does the R stand for? How would I find the belts for it? It has very slow loading & eject. Thanks Bob

Hi NoelI did open it up a year or so ago and noticed that belt.I felt too though, compared to the one that does work, the movement seemed a bit 'stiffer',or not quite as loose/smooth as the one that worked.I'll give that a try one day and let you know how it goes.Cheers again for the info Noel.

James, we have dealt before hey, what is your surname? Maybe it will shed some light on this for me.(There's been so many in the last 7 or 8 years:)

.....Kevin

Kevin,

Regarding the problem with auto-focus not working on a the 200P camera. I have the same fault on one of the two I have and it is due to small rubber drive belt aging and stretching. If you can a replacement then you should be able to get it working again.

regards Noel

Thanx to you to Noel for the response.

Well Kevin again cheers for that, I just got a C6 running so at least thats a start lol, I've 3 of the NP-11 battery packs in small carry cases and the LC-720, AC-M100UB and camera etc if ever you want another one let me know.

Thanx for that Kevin think we may have dealt some time ago, I used it a couple of times and played it through a Sony Duplictor and 950 that i had and it played great, i kept it thinking i may use it later and probably wouldnt get another.Thanx for that tad of info if i dont get any joy you may be selling to me for a change.Cheers again.

Hi James

As much as i hate to tell you this ,you won't be able to play it back through your TV or any other appliance.The Betamovies were RECORD ONLY.THAT was the reason they sold so poorly compared to other portable video systems.The idea was great but THAT was the flaw with Sony using a smaller head drum and one head(to keep the size fairly compact ,for that time).You could'nt play the picture back through it.I have five Betamovies 2 x Sanyo VRC200p (one with a non moving focus),2 x Sanyo VRC 100p (one MINT )with huge carry case and 1 x Sony VRC 200p (complete with protective jacket and the Sony hard carry case) all with their own power charger and batteries.The NP11 NICADS can be difficult to find now too and if not used much the power (memory cycle) will be shallow.It's best to keep them fully charged and allowed to drain out fully too.

The images and sound are great if using them outside .Inside not so good in low light and also if you video with high winds as the sound mike picks a lot up.

..........Kevin

Bernat,

The suggestion I put on Palsite expands on the suggestion that you can repair the reel motor bearing by putting a plastic shim into the centre of where the spindle operates therefore increasing the clearance between the motor magnet and the coils stopping the damage to the coil windings. You still have to do a lot of work to pull the machine apart and do the repair. My suggestion is to use a leather belt hole punch to make the shims from commonly available plastic folder sheets or covers. If you can make the right size shim another way then do that.

regards Noel (betaheaven.com)

HI Doc,

I have not heard of Southern Advantage. A quick google says in USA they do professional video but in Australia they deal in Hereford cattle. I left the farm in 1968!!!

cheers Noel

James,

The older F1 series portapacks and camera combination could both record and playback however the self contained beta cameras used a smaller head to record. This feature unfortunately means you could not playback on the actual machine but had to playback the tape on another normal home VCR.

regards Noel

PS anyone, can anyone tell me if or how i can play the BMC-200P through a tv, ie wheres the output if available on it ? Yes i am a dummy!

Hello again, had quite a few questions about the betamax camera so here you go.Its a Pristine and very hardly used (I know as my parents had it when they had a model agency) BMC-200P AutoFocus Betamovie camera Its in a very small steel carry case with a few good working batteries, carriers and Charger.It all functions perfectly and is in perfect cosmetic and working order.

Hi my name is den and thankyou for letting me join the chat page .Ihave recently aquared two VO9800 P UMATIC machines and workshop manuales one is suitable for spares i was advise and the other one needs attention as i have very little knowlage of the working i was looking for advise .Iam a radio amateaur hence my email adress and i intendto use them in connection with A T V

Hey Noel do you know the firm Southern advantage?

HFR90 model slow to eject & load, plastic belt ok, tape is starting to get stuck loading, any ideas on lubrication or belts to increase the speed?

A blated happy new year to all you Beta fans

Hello,

I have a SL-HF950 that suffers the "reel torque" problem described here:

http://www.palsite.com/950tech.html

I wanted to try the "alternative plastic solution" but I'm not sure how to proceed. Do you have some pictures that can help me understanding the explanation from Noel?

Much appreciated!

Regards from Barcelona!

HFR90 model, slow loading & eject, tape starting to jam on eject, plastic belt ok, any advice on speeding it up? correcting future problems? Thanks Bob

Mike, There is a service manual on e-bay for a Sl2000. Item number 290526982319.Its in Vermont and has aopening bid of 9.99 plus shipping of 4.00. Good luck.

Its been some time guys good to see youre still here, i used to get a lot of betamax machines through my line of business and re sell them and as you guys know getting a good one to last is like searching for the Grail. I have hundreds of tapes still having moved and offloaded my machinery to a friend, a friend who has them in storage as he's working overseas so I can't get access at the moment.I have a couple of C6 's and C7 's that have the usual faults (yawn sorry betaphiles) and also a lovely fully working Betamax camera with all accessories batteries etc in a small steel carry case(cant think which it is as im at work just now) and a mass of manuals 950 etc and remotes if anyone can help with a good working betamax, I had a couple of 950 's and had the others but moved them on when we moved, so not looking for anything fancy.Can anyone help an ex betaphile on the up n coming again in the UK

Noel. No problem. Just thought I'd ask. Thanks again for your assistance.

Mike,

Sorry I cant help you. The SL2000 is an NTSC machine and I was talking in general terms about how the audio works on the SONY beta machines which is common between NTSC and PAL machines. You will have to find a source of the service manual in USA I guess.

regards Noel

Noel, Thanks for the prompt responses. I will check these out. Do you have any idea where I might find a repair manual for an SL2000?

Mike,

Sorry I mixed up your machine with the SLHF100 Timo mentioned. The SL2000 is only a mono macine so ignore the HiFi comment.

Timo,

You need to find out if the video head is moving when forward or rewing modes are selected. If not then look at the palsite information at http://www.palsite.com/pcat_hmotor.html

regards Noel

Mike,

Volume of the linear audio track is proportional to tape contact with the audio head. I assume the volume problem is not related to the HiFi output of the SLHF100.

There are three things which lead to lower linear audio output. (assuming no circuit faults)

1/ Excessive head wear which creates a step in the audio head pickup or dirt (which is more likely) on the face of the audio head. Inspect the surface of the audio head and clean as necessary.

2/ The tape tension as regulated by the back-tension which is controlled by an arm sensing supply reel tape tension can reduce because the spring loses tension. This reduces the tape contact with the head. It is possible to increase the tape tension by moving the spring mount position along the racket (sawtooth) adjustment to the point at the extreme to the rear of the machine. This is observed through a hole in the metal reel base.

3/ Tape path alignment. Again the tape contact to the head is reduced. This is usually only a problem if the tape was recorded on another machine.

regards Noel

I have an SL-2000 that I'm using to transfer my old home videos to DVD. The video reproduction is very good. The audio is there but the volume is very soft. Does anyone have any ideas what would cause this? If I play it on a Sears VCR the sound is better but the video is not as good.

thanks

SL-HF 100 try to play and rewind, but stops before anything happens. Repair man says, that some sensors are broken. He needs to know type of sensors and where to get them. Any help would be appreciated.

Hey Boby,

Are you looking at the page now? I need some more regulators for the SLHF150 if you can get them.

cheers Noel

HAPPY NEW YEAR guys........ ............and well done Martin for sorting the issue.

I wondered why i could'nt post......It looks as if Roberts got his answer now.......

.........Kevin

Robert, The tracking control for the SL-100 model is located on the extreme lower left side at the front ( it's marked "Tracking" in small red outline letters).

Charlie

Robert,

Sorry I can't help you with that question. I mainly work on PAL and some multi-system machines and I have never seen an SL100 which I assume is an NTSC machine.

regards Noel

MartinThanks for taking the time to look into the chatpage problem and fix it.Regards Noel Higgins (Betaheaven.com)

Due to problems with cookies and expiry dates, the chat page had not been working since 31-12-2010. Hopefully things should now be back to normal.

Does anyone know if a Sony Betamax SL-100 has a tracking adjustment? I just bought one because mine didn't work properly and I wanted to make digital copies of important tapes. It seems to play okay, but has some squigglies on the lower edge during playback. The remote doesn't have any tracking adjustment and the control panel doesn't have any obvious tracking adjustment. There are plus and minus keys, but they didn't appear to be related to tracking. Since this is a later model from 1986, even though it is lower end (no stereo), it's hard for me to believe Sony would have eliminated the tracking adjustment feature that older machines had. I'm assuming I just haven't found it yet. Please help.

Regarding previous post for stuck tape: I got the tape out. I held the gear lock bar away from the gears and turned the right front cog post clockwise which rasied up the metal tape housing with the tape to the eject position. Prior to that I had carefully taken the exposed tape out of the head tape path so it was basically back in the cassette.

i must be missing something....v2000....betamax..... no one reading this board is going to be remotely interested...post on the correct board...

I have a brand new, boxed mk1 V2000 head for sale on Ebay (auction starts at 18.45 on 31st December 2010).

Robert:

Welcome to the site.Whilst i'm not familiar with that model (NTSC?) i would think the usual Sony tape loading mechanism is to blame.Very lightweight and fragile and probably in need of a good re grease around the moving and sliding pins and guides.There should be a way or manually retracting or ejecting the tape out.A main large cog usually at the side will control this.That's IF the tape has been put back into the shell.If not, you may have to gently and carefully dissassemble the tape loading mechanism to the top right of the vcr, to see if any gears are broken or indeed it could just be a worn or slipping top belt that needs re tenshioning or replacing.It's hard to say without seeing what is going on first hand.I hope these general guides help to assist with your current issues.Whatever you do always unplug the vcr , and make special notes where the parts come from and ALWAYS keep well away fom the silver head drum!

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

Can anyone please offer advice on how to get a stuck tape out of my Sony SL-HFR30? I took the top off and the tape isn't all wrapped up or jammed. The left side of the cassette has flex, but the right side is is solidly stuck in the down position. When I try to eject, the machine makes the proper sounds, but the cassette holder won't pop up so that the tape can clear the heads and push out. I can see a white geared belt that moves when I hit the eject button, but it has a lot of play and does not engage the geared cogs that it is near. Also, are there maintenance tips for Sony VCR's other than head cleaning, like lubrication areas? I hadn't played the unit for many years. It was trying to play the tape, but was very sluggish. I could fast forward and rewind, also sluggish. Then the tape would not eject. Thanks for any suggestions. This is a great site.

hi!i have camera sony edcam edc-55 with cary case and couple lens in very good condition for sale $1800 neg....... my edv -9300 video recorder is SOLD ([email protected]) you want the camera leave me a message. Thanks!

Hi Stu

In a word i would say yes.It is the storing of or any condition where damp can get to that glue that would cause it to cease wi would think.So long as the glue does'nt connect the pins together it should be OK.WHY Sony put that there is beyond me.They hold in place pretty well without it, especially when soldered in place.Seeing how common this issue is now it was an annoying mistake.If the pins are bent correctly it hold's itself away from the spinning motor base fine.

......Kevin

Hmm. I have all my machines indoors in a centrally heated room, and had owned this 950 for over 3 years, no problems with it. It could be that damp got in during shipment as I did sell it when the weather was rather cold and damp. I do have a spare f30 drum which could be used for sensor replacement but would have to post it out to him in sa. Would breaking contact between the glue between the wires be enough to prevent future failure rather than removing all of the glue?

Reposted down to too many spelling mistakes:)

Hi Stu

What a bummer........ The 950 i have replaced one in this model.It is'nt much more difficult than say a HF100 or C20. When you remove the bottom cover there is another smaller silver plate that needs removing to gain access to the hall effect. If i remember rightly you can also manually slide ou the drawer to assist getting to what you need. The problem is when these sensors go you can rarely get them working again removing the glue. I make it a rule to REMOVE this glue BEFORE the sensor fails. If the vcr has been left in a cold or damp environment , i would think this is typical of the sensor failing as the damp gets in the glue and shorts across the sensor terminals. You can also remove the glue successfully with a tiny flat blade screwdriver and you don't have to remove the drum or bottom motor magnet to get this glue off. The other danger is, with someone else doing this if the sensor needs(more than likely) to be changed, is damage to the fragile and expensive heads. I've seen this on two i've been sent to sort out. What i found easier and less likely to damage them is make sure if you remove the drum,is to sellotape the top of the disc to prevent it turning and make sure two heads are protected inside the metal bracket on one side of the drum one and and the other two heads should be at the top when you turn the drum sideways.Easy to see and you only have to keep your eye on two heads instead of four which are usualy spinning freely too, heightening the chance of damage.You can also safely hold the drum each side. I hope they/you get it sorted OK. We all learn from such things happening. Good luck Stu....................Kevin

Hi Stu

What a bummer........The 950 i have replaced on in this model.it is'nt much more difficult than a HF100 or C20. When you remove the bottom cover there is another smaller silver plate that needs removing to gain access to the hall effect.If i remebr rightly you can also manually slide ou the drawer to assit getting to what you need.The problem is when these sensors go you can rarely get them working again removing the glue.I make it a rule to REMOVE this glue BEFORE the sensor fails.If the vcr has been left in a cold or damp environment , i would thing this is typical of the sensor failig as the damp gets in the glue and shorts across the sensor terminals.You can also remove the glue successfully with a tiny flat blade screwdriver and you don't have to remove the drum or bottom motor magnet to get this off.The other danger is with someone else doing this if the sensor needs to be changed is damage to the fragile and expensive heads.I've seen this on two i've been sent to sort out.Whayt i found easier and less likely to damge them is make sure if youremove the drum to sellotape the top of the disc to prevent it turning and make sure two heads are protected inside the metal bracket on one side of the drum one and and the other two heads should be at the top when you turn the drum sideways.Easy to see and you only have to keep your eye on two heads instead of four which are usualy spinning freely too, heightening the chance of damage.You can also safely hold the drum each side.I hope they get it sorted OK.We all learn from such things happening.Good luck Stu....................Kevin

Hi all, hope you all had a good christmas and wish you all a happy new year to come. Sadly I have a problem :( 2 months ago I sold a 950 to a buyer on ebay who was located in south africa, where the pal system is the same as uk. so with the buyer having a relative in london I sent it to london and the buyer arranged forward shipping to destination. Just had an ebay message from buyer today that the hall effect sensor packed up 2 days after he began using it. Obviously as the unit is where it is I can do nothing to assist in repair, but if the buyer has access to a service facility or is able to try themselves I would like to offer assistance if I can.How do you access the underside of the drum to access the sensor bearing in mind that its not as simple as removing the bottom cover and lifting a board out of the way as per all other sony front loaders? I know it probably just needs the glue removing between the 3 wires to restore operation.

Al

Having re read Charlies previous post i am mistaken.If it keeps the tapes laced in ALL modes when inserted than it would be the same as the UK Sanyo VTC5300 or VTC5400 ( the former has no picture seach or Audio Dub.It only has the basic tracking control on the lower left front which should clear up most picture abnormalities.You also have to take into accout, is the tape in good shape, was the TV reception good that recorded it( if self recorded), are the heads worn or dirty/damaged?Is the grounding from the head drum in good order?Are any capacitors high ESR values or totally defunct?Is the TV correctly tuned in ( if using RF? ) and it's always better with the rear phono and whatever they use for Picture in the US connectors as it bypases the RF outlet..........Kevin

Al, I'am barking into the wind. Mine are 5306's not 5309's-- darn bifocals!!Your is from around 1983 and is I believe, a Sanyo 4400 clone.I also have a 4400 in my collection and there's only the tracking knob on the lower front .Are you using the RF terminals or the RCA plug in jacks for playback? If the RF's are being used then try flipping the playback switch to channel 4 and see if that improves the picture.The 3/4 switch is located right beside the antenna in terminal.Yours is probably set on 3 now if you've never changed it.Sorry about the model mixup.Charlie

Hi Al

I'm not too familiar with the Sears models but i do know they ARE clones of Sanyo Beta's and just have a different cabinet and fascia dsign.Everything else should be identical.Its a form of what they called 'badge engineering'.Sanyo did it with the Sony Betamovie's.General teleton did it with the Toshiba Beta's too.Going back to your query.The Sanyo 4400 is a clone of sorts of the UK's most popular VTC 5000 by the looks of it.Although internally and channel option wise it will be very different to the UK as the US utilises NTSC and a lower power supply consumption.The basic recording and playback parameters will be simliar though.What are the issues you are having at the moment with it?Usually some capacitors in the power supply will need changing out after all these years and if it was used or powered up most of it's life.Let me know and i'll see if i can point you in the right direction with it.

........Kevin (UK)

Charlie, Thanks much for the post. Sorry I didn't make it clearer my issue was resolved.

From what I've seen online, this model didn't ship until 1983. Is that inaccurate? Here is an image of it and this is identical to the one I have (http://www.betamaxcollectors.com/searsbetavisionmodel564.53091450.html).

I do notice the picture is pretty fuzzy and don't know if it is the tapes aging or what. I wonder if I could adjust some of the knobs to remedy that situation. I have moved them a bit and not noticed any improvement. I didn't try changing any that have to be twisted yet.

Wonder if anyone has an electronic version of the manual for this model (Sears 5309 made by Sanyo)? Maybe the Sanyo 4400 is basically the same machine? Would a manual for any of the Sanyos indicate how to adjust the picture?

Thanks.Al

Al, I should have read your later posting -- sounds like I went way too deep and yours was a simple problem .Good luckCharlie

Al, I have two of the Sears 5309 betas.Does the tape sound like it's loading when you put the tape in the holder and push it down? This model is made by Sanyo and is rare in that it keeps the tape loaded around the drum all the time.Most Sanyo's only thread the tape around the drum when play is pressed.This model uses little rubber idlers to rotate the threading ring for loading and they do dry out and crack.Do the play,rewind,ff,etc buttons look like they're already pressed in and appear to be loose? This model is prone to having control button problems and the only sure cure is to replace them. The Tact switches that these buttons push are what fails and I used ones from a Sanyo VCR 4500 to fix the Sears beta.The 4500 and 6400 models use the same type of switch as the Sears.The little rubber gromet that acts as a spring is dried out. The 4500 and 6400 use a more up to date switch that doesn't have the problem.If the beta is loading and you press the button--and you hear something trying to go then the switches are ok and you problem is more and likely the belts have dried out and need replaced.This model has lot of belts.The good news is you'll probably still be able to get belts for it through Sears parts.This is a NTSC model from 1980. I paid $840.00 for it back then and although I've worked on many vcr's over the past thirty years and have a large collection of all types of Beta's the Sears 5309 is my favorite. It was my first.

Good luckCharlie

Hi guys!

I have a few bits for sale, and wondered if anyone would be interested?

Sony C7 Instruction ManualSony C7 Remote (Battery cover is missing, but full working condition)Sont RM-75T Remote (I think this fits the C5 )A card that fits underneath the C7 which explains timer recordingA diagram for how to use a C7 as a tape duplicator

Any takers?

Matt :)

Still very much interested in a free copy of the manual for this model (Sears Betavision Beta VCR Model 564.53091450) or a link that describes how to use the knobs under the panel to tune the video image. Maybe I'll find something on this site that works for this machine. Thanks for any advice. Al

I was reading the site and came across the bit about pressing play and rewind at the same time on some model and even though it didn't seem like it would do anything on this model, i tried it and sure enough it backed up for a couple seconds and then started playing the tape. oh joy. Thanks for the site. Al

Sears Betavision Beta VCR Model 564.53091450

Any ideas how to make this machine play a tape (Sony ES-HG L-750 tapes)? I press Play and nothing seems to happen.

Anyone know where I could obtain a PDF version of the manual for this machine?

History:

I have a Sears Betavision Beta VCR Model 564.53091450. I bought it years ago but only use it to play some old Beta recordings of The Prisoner so have not tried to use it since the last time I watched the series several years ago. I don't know if the machine is broken (I doubt it) but it does not seem to want to play a tape.

It seems when I first got it, I read about how to make it play on the internet and it worked. Alas, I don't remember what I had to do.

Thanks for any advice.Al

Hi Noel, Happy chriatmas, and to kev too. Yes we have snow here but weather it will be a bookies white christmas, probably not.

Hi to all betamax chat page people,

Merry Christmas to everyone from "down under". Everyone in UK certainly seems to be having a white Christmas!!!!

cheers Noel

Amerry xmas to alland a prosperous NEW YEAR

Hi guys.

I thought i'd be the first to wish all dedicated Betaphiles a Very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a successfull, peacefull, healthy and exciting NEW YEAR.

..................Kevin

Hi bossallo on the 17 of dec you posted some betas for sale I sent you a email making you a offer on one of them, let me know if you still have them, I am in canada

re that head cleaning tape it is a wet one

Stuart - thank you so much for that info. My dad tossed this awesome betamax on me about 3 yrs ago with the promise that he would look for that cable....well 3 yrs have gone by and he keeps saying the same thing haha. So figured I would get it myself. On my way to go get the cable. Thank you sir!

Hi! My father bought a Fisher VBS7000 Betacord when I still was a kid. And I remember the good old days when I watched the movies with my siblings. We had the idea of recovering all those movies and convert them to digital format, but we need the video player to work again just once more for each tape.The problem is that the video hasn't been used for a long time, and for some reason it fails to emit the tape signal. When we switch on the test signal, it transmits perfectly, but the problem comes at playing back the tapes. They load fine, but for some reason we don't get any picture out fo them. And we don't know where to start.Could you please help us with some advice?Thanks in advance for your attention.

daniel, its a bnc connector. You can buy adaptors on ebay. just search for bnc to phono on ebay.

My dad bought a Sony Betamax SL-T50 back in 84....it still is in excellent condition and works. Problem is that I have no cables to hook it up to my tv and the video out connecter looks very weird, it's like a slit. If anyone has any info on where I could get some cables to hook this betmax up to my tv I would greatly appreciate it.

youre right Steve it is a lovely spot you are in,i reside in quensland on the gold coast,my cousin gave me abox of used Beta tapes a fcew were duds but always looking for more

Sorry Doc, wrong side of the planet. I'm on Jersey in the Channel Islands.

All the best, Steve.

re beta tapes for sale or giveaway mif you reside in australia,give me a buzz

Hi, thanks for the reply.

Then, the appropriate battery for Sanyo VPR-5800 is the NP-1.

Also please send me the manual [email protected]

I tried the VCR and record on bench and black. What problems can it be? Is it easy to solve?

Greetings

Does anyone have a photocopy/pdf file/original user manual for the Sony SL-C30 that they could send me?

Cheers, Matt

Regarding the recent TV standards correspondence - OK, I probably started it - if you want to find out a great deal more about the subject and end up more confused than you were before, try http://www.pembers.freeserve.co.uk/World-TV-Standards/Colour-Standards.html#SECAM-IV. Don't worry about the SECAM reference, it goes into everything, BUT everything. We've got yet another name for Soviet SECAM!

Regards, Bill

i have SONY beta edc-55 with case for sale (make me an offer) i have SONY video recorder beta edv -9300 with remote for sale(like new)very good condition (make me an offer) thanks! [email protected]

Thank you all !!! really this site is great.

Matt,

On the later Sony front load machines that is a common problem. The video and audio sockets are prone to breaking the solder connections to the board due to mechanical action over time or even being banged against a wall with the leads attached. They can be resoldered but it is best to remove as much solder as you can and clean both eh copper and pins metal until a shiny surface is presented so the solder takes.

regards Noel

Hi Guys;

Stuart is right regarding cleaning tapes.Don't touch them , (despite what the sellers of such will tell you).I also love the guys who refurbish betamaxes and then SELL new cleaning tapes.They obviously don't care about the buyer's satisfaction and if the tapes are overused the buyer of such will be coplaining in no time.Call it taking a big step backwards.AVOID!They ARE more abrasive than a normal tape.How else do they 'clean' the heads.If they were'nt a normal tape would do ( if the hype is to be believed some manufaturers tapes are more abrasive than others).Use a good normal one.It will gently clean them( as do all tapes).Try this FIRST.You should'nt really need to clean them at all.I've only ever done that once to a couple of my vcr's and that was down to a rogue damaged E-bay purcahse.Old damage and extremely worn tapes will not only dirty the heads but leave a trail of oxide on the tape guide edges and around the deck.You usually see this on high mileage vcr's ( especially Sony/Toshiba Beta's,due to their 'always laced in all modes design').Also like stuart pointed out cotton buds are NOT, i repeat NOT for cleaning the video,Hi-Fi audio heads .This will ruin them beyond repair.Get a proper cleaning pad/stick from CPC or Maplinand soak with Isopropyl Alcohol.Hold it vertical and VERY still to the side of the dryum and move the drum ( NOT STICK) left and right so all heads glide over the pad sollution.This should clean them enough.With VHS modelssometimes you can get old oxide stuck to the thin air grooves around the drum just above the heads.This can need cleaning with a 10x magnifier/light and very steady hand to remove.Leave that up to the experienced vcr guys though.Use the first method for Beta's and most VHS models and you should be fine.Oh and junk those contaminating and old tapes.Hope this helps, be carefull, take your time and GOOD LUCK.................

......Kevin

Hi guys

I've got 2 sony SL-C30 machines with problems.

One one machine, the tape loads fine, but when i press play the tape just unspools. It sort of runs for a couple of seconds, then stops. When i press eject, the tape is fully would back into the cassette as normal.

On the other machine, the BNC socket on the back was really loose, and only worked if you plugged the BNC cable in and wiggles it a certain way. I opened up the VCR and noticed that it was secured by a washer and a nut. These were loose, so I tightened these back up, but now it doesnt work at all, whichever way you wiggle the cable. Underneath on the green circuit board, I've noticed that the connection has come loose. Is it just a simple case of soldering this back on?

Any help is gratefully appreciated :)

well I have a tape cleaning head and have used it quite a bit,no problems

Alex - read this also http://www.palsite.com/pcat_hclean.html

Important - when holding the soaked meths paper against the drum - do NOT move it at all up or down. Hold it in place and do not move it at all. You risk misaligning the head tips and thereby requiring a new head disk and professional fitting.

Alex, you dont want one. Stay away from cleaning tapes. They are abrasive and wear the heads down. See elsewhere on the site for the correct way to clean your betamax heads. Or read my explanation here.

My description relates to front loading sony machines.

You will need - cotton wool buds and meths. Use these to clean everywhere EXCEPT the large circular video head drum. Clean - pinch roller and capstan shaft, ace (audio head assembly) this is located to the right hand side of the video drum. Clean also the stationary erase head, normally located to the top right of the drum. The capstan shaft my have a ring of hard black oxide at the top and bottom where the top and bottom edges of the tape pass it against the pinch roller.

To clean the video drum. You may use meths soaked cotton wool buds to clean the ledge on the lower drum where the bottom edge of the tape passes. BUT STAY AWAY from the gap between upper and lower drums - this is where the delicate video heads rotate.

To clean the video heads in the drum this is what I do. with power off and no tape present, cut two strips of plain white a4 paper (80gsm or heavier) about 2cm by 6cm. Soak one end in meths, then gently press and hold the soaked end with the thumb of your left hand over the gap between the upper and lower drums. then with left hand slowly rotate the damper disc at the top of the drum clockwise 2 or 3 times. Take the paper away and look for a black line of tape oxide which has been lifted from the heads. If you see heavy black line of oxide after the first time, feel free to soak the other piece of paper and repeat.

The whole procedure will take up to 30mins, but you will be preserving the life of your video heads and be doing a much more thorough job than any cleaning tape could ever do.

Hope this helps.

Failing this if you are not confident, any independent vcr service outlet should do this for you. They will probably be hesitent or refuse when you utter the word betamax but cleaning the heads of any vcr be it beta or vhs is an identical process. They should do it for you.

Hello all !!! anyone know any site where i can buy a cleaning tape for betamax??? thanks

I'm on the (not very) sunny island of Jersey (Channel Islands)

Steve h which country are you in?

My SONY SLHF 100 soldiers on,watchin a bumch of taped my cousun brought up to me from newcastle,.good old movies

Doc,

Don't give up hope...... ;-)

cheers Noel

(Sorry for the double entries. My browser claimed the web page was unavailable, hence my re-post. Cheers, Steve.)

Hi everyone,

I'm having a clear out and have come across a box containing some BETAMAX video tapes.Seven in all. At least one never used (still wrapped). One unlabled (can't remember if I recorded anything on that one). And 5 movies from the late '80s & early '90s.There may also be one ex-rental movie (The REAL Bruce Lee) if I keep rummaging.

Anyone interested?

Bloody hard to get any sense out of the chat page now

Hi David:

Do you have the owners manual for this model?If not i can send you a PDF file of it.The battery is listed as a NP1 (NOT NP11 as with the Sanyo and Sony Betamovies).It looks to be a bit slimmer.Let me know...............Kevin

Hi, I have a VPR-5800 by Sanyo with their tuner unit (VTT-5800). I looked for information online video of this model of VCR and have not found anything.

I would like to know what the battery for this model VCR (is the same as the SL-F1? ), As well as finding belts worn round (to record).

Greetings and thanks

Martin,

Thanks for that. Pity the chatpage archive goes from oldest to latest and not the other way around.

regards Noel

The spam war goes on. They changed their messages, which meant a load got through.

Hi everyone. Something happened to the recent messages?

cheers Noel

Doc Judd, Try Jaycar.

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productResults.asp?keywords=step+down&keyform=KEYWORD&SUBMIT.x=0&SUBMIT.y=0

Hi Noel,Ron, Stuart & Bill.

Ron:I've just purchased the service manual for a SONY SLF30 from that site you gave me.I really needed this so am very happy.Anyone needing any particular page or info feel free to e-mail.

Stuart:

In regards to the string/and belt.I at first thought someone had made a bodged repair to the cassette housing when i opened my first C9. It is there to keep those wires away and help keep the plastic cassette load chassis together or torqued at the end i would think.It does look odd especially for a Sony design.

As for the query to the step down transformer.Did you mean a US two pin plug to UK spec transformer that allows you to use a US item to a safe UK current?If so i have one and they can be obtained from CPC.co.uk( if you are in the UK?)

..........Kevin

Hi Noel,Howard, Stuart & Bill.

Howard:I've just purchased the service manual for a SONY SLF30 from that site you gave me.I really needed this so am very happy.Anyone needing any particular page or info feel free to e-mail.

Stuart:

In regards to the string/and belt.I at first thought someone had made a bodged repair to the cassette housing when i opened my first C9. It is there to keep those wires away and help keep the plastic cassette load chassis together or torqued at the end i would think.It does look odd especially for a Sony design.

As for the query to the step down transformer.Did you mean a US two pin plug to UK spec transformer that allows you to use a US item to a safe UK current?If so i have one and they can be obtained from CPC.co.uk( if you are in the UK?)

..........Kevin

does anyone living on or near the gold coast know where i can obtain a step down transformer for mu usa rewinder?

Hi Noel, just cirious as I have never seen it asked before, but what is the purpose of the spring and cord that stretch across the back of the cassette compartment on the c9? I have never seen anything like this before in any vcr!

Hello all, I have 2 PAL betamax players, Sony C7 and Sony P8000. The P8000 was given to me by my late grandfather. But sadly both are not working right now. The C7 is automatically stop playing tapes after 2 seconds to 14 minutes of playback. But the tape is loaded normally and I can watch the picture and sound during this brief playtime. However, the P8000 is refused to load any tapes at all. It keeps on refusing to load cassettes. Any idea how to solve these problems? I tried to search for a service manual over the net but cannot find any.

Thanks in advance.

G/day Bill,& Kevin

Bill's interesting comments on broadcasting Standards prompted me to take a closer look at my Australian VTC-M50 machines and they do in fact differ from the " VTC-M50 PAL/SECAM" model that I have the Owners Manual for.

The Aus model does not have the 4-way switch in the tuning compartment it only has Channel "PRESET OFF-ON" and not "AUTO PAL/SECAM or PAL" option - as well as this difference the RF converter on the Aus unit is switchable between "3" & "4" opposed to the Manuals RF unit being adjustable between channels 30 -39 on the back of the machine.

Also in the Manuals specifications the TV System is stated as "CCIR B, G/PAL and B, G/SECAM standard colour TV system".......as well as stating that "In Germany it has been constructed according to DIN IEC 65 Safety Regulations" [ the Aus model is "CCIR B, G/PAL" only]

All these factors point to Bill's theory about the former East German/Easern Block Secam version seem viable and in all probability that the M50 was destined for the East German market? whether it actually sold there - who know's?

Kevin....as you say it's a pity the UK missed out on the M50 - they really are my favourite Sanyo and are great coupled together with left & right Hi-Fi channels adjustable with the Audio sliders - really can get superb results using headphones!

regards

Ron