Davy,

I sent you an email. I assume your email address is the same as previous.

regards Noel

I forgot to ask am I the only one thinking the digital switch over is a con what was wrong with the analouge system ?,except another excuse for the goverment to sell off and also fleece us again any comments welcome

hi to billthanks for you reply please excuse my spelling reason for wanting to change the sound crystal is 1,the machine in question is a 950ES ,model ,2,I amusing the ariel as a input and also a sky plus box routed via the ariel when tuning in the sound is wrong even through the sky box is the input I have also got a large ariel which I am told is digital compatable a mate says there are set top boxes that will receive the free to air stations via the ariel so I intend to use input 1,sky through the scart lead and the set top box via the ariel,I have approx 300 L 750 tapes still shrink wrapped , I also bought 3 brand new sony DS21R through the widow of deceased tv engineerwhom I had know for over 45 years she sold them to me at £45.00 each plus some valve amplifiers he built himself,I do betamax as a hobby and have friendswho have family in canada and the usa,I also have a sony SL-HF750,a Sony 2500,and a SLO,420,and a sanyo VTC 9100,I do beta as a hobby and will be selling some refurbished ones in he future I also bought the entire collection of parts of a well known no deceased collecter in the south east through his daughter whih included 2 brand new DC-Dc convertors also the cassette metal gears ,and also a genuine sony Alignment enginners briefcase with all the test tapes ,I have got far to many machines 12 c9s, 4 ,950s 1,750 6 sanyo 9300s 1 sanyo 9100, 8 VTC 5000s, and 2VTC 5150,and 8 sony C7s ihave 2 scrap C6s and am able to use the sound crystals from them my 2 ferguson 26 inch TX10 are capable of making a programme you watch stereo the tv has a supersound feature when you press supersound on the remote dial in the amount of treble bass, and balance and it reproduces what you are watching in stereo ,i have owned one since 1988, I replaced the tube twice and the other one bought at a boot sale £5.00 and repaired the tube once an engineer mate who i went to colledge with supplied me with a new frame chip ,a had not seen these says they are the best looked after collecters items he has seen in twenty years any way thanks for your advice,PS the wife thinks I should be certified allthe best David.

For information for something I'm writing - was there ever such a thing as a French SECAM L ONLY Beta - no PAL?

In hope, Bill

Hi,I'm from Italy.I have a BETACORD DUMONT,it's similar to SANYO VTC-9300. I have the service manual but i have also a problem:I connected vcr to TV Philips with coaxial cable. Ch 40 RF modulator (i haven't the strange cable for connection BNC for this model).When i press play,the image is very good but AUDIO not working! Nothing audio!I've cleaned the audio and control head but it'not working AUDIO!Help me,please.Sorry for my bad english!This is a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWFdCfaXn5Ythank you very much!Nicola

Davyrocket - I don't quite know where to start! I don't know what you mean by "sound cyristal". If you do mean "crystal", there's no such thing, so you'd have a hard time replacing it. There's also no such thing as a digital aerial. Digital terrestrial transmissions are often just a bit more demanding on signal strength and quality than analogue, and the trade is making a fortune by convincing people they have to buy a new aerial for digital transmissions. My fifteen year old high gain aerial is perfectly adequate, thank you very much.

All of this has absolutely nothing to do with your problem. If your C9 ONLY uses the sound setup used in the rest of Europe then you do have a problem. Off-air you won't get any sound. It isn't about frequency, it's about where the sound signal is located in relation to the video signal. However - my SLHF950ES (note the ES) was originally bought in Germany, and it can be switched between UK and rest of Europe setups. It's a bit of a pain in the fundament because if you move from one to the other you lose all your existing channel settings, but it does work. Now I've no idea whether or not this is possible on your ES machine, but perhaps one of the many contributors who know a very great deal more than I do could comment.

As I've droned on about on the page already, it's all about to be academic, as UK analogue transmitters are being shut down right now and I think it's to be total in 2013 if not earlier. Then the only way to continue off-air recording will be to buy a "set-top box" and connect it to the AV inputs of your machine. They are available everywhere and they're not at all expensive, I haven't paid more than 35 quid for one. It won't matter the proverbial toss what the internal tuners do, they will be completely bypassed. Personally I welcome it as a challenge, as we can demonstrate that Beta can cope very well with the digital age.

Hope this is helpful,Regards, Bill

Hi there to noel thanks for reply to my last message if you or anyone else is able to find a source of gears I.E ,model cars or anything modelling related I am sure theres something outthere that can be utelised for sony C9s please let us know and i will do likewise ,the reason for wanting to change the sound cyristal was if i use a digital ariel then wouldnt the sound frequency still be wrong for the UK as its the ES model ,

Hello, I recently purchased from Ebay an SLHF860D unit. The machine runs like a jewel, and the interior is very clean. Looks like it was hardly used. Everything works great except one of my favorite features. The "edit" switch won't light up or work. It appears to be blown out. Any ideas if this is repairable? Is it just a fuse or something internally impossible to fix? I like this feature because it greatly improves the quality of B3 recordings. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hi Mark,

When you do get your machine working properly, DO try to connect with a video lead as mentioned in Nigel's advice and mine rather than via an aerial lead. That will give you a major boost in quality. Also, if any of your tapes are in stereo, via the aerial lead you'll only get mono. Good luck with sorting your machine out. I haven't owned one, but from all accounts it's an exceptionally good model.

Regards, Bill

I HAVE A SONY SL9UB (PAL) BETAMAX AND REQUIRE NEW CAPSTAN MOTOR and PINCH WHEEL ASSEMBLY PLEASE CAN ANYONE HELP ME TO LOCATE THEESE ITEMS IF SO CAN YOU GIVE ME THE APPROXIMATE COST

THANKING YOU,

MEL.

Hi Guys,

I live in Edinburgh in Scotland and have a number of betamax video tapes that I want to transfer to DVD I have all the kit but no betamax VCR so Im happy to buy it from you if you have a good working condition VCR or If I could borrow it from you u would be a PAL no I mean Pal. im a fully qualified A-V Tech.

lenfast

Does anyone know the difference between a SL-HF950 and a SL-HF950 markII? I didn´t know it ever existed such a variant.

Thanks in advance,

Cheers for the advice Bill and Nigel.

In the end I connected the Beta up to the TV using the video/aerial lead that came with it, but the counter display didn't light up and couldn't get the machine to accept a tape, despite the power lights coming on.

When I bought the machine it came with another tape carriage and circuit board still in their mail order packaging, so am assuming the previous owner bought them to repair the machine and never got round to it.

Will attempt to replace them in the next couple of weeks, so fingers crossed it works as reading through the service manual that also came with it, this Sony looked like it was the nuts in its day, so will be nice to get her going again...

...especially as I've got a mountain of pre cert tapes i'm itching to watch...

Mark - I've just seen that I've said something which might be confusing. The lead should connect TO the TV input and to the VCR's output. Sorry about that!

Bill

Mark - Just to add to Nigel's absolutely correct posting - an HDMI lead is for a completely different technology. It's only for connecting a High Definition digital device such as an HD satellite receiver or a Blu-Ray player to a High Definition TV. Some Standard Definition DVD players upscale an SD signal to higher quality and have an HDMI output, but they won't play Blu-Ray.

If your TV has a SCART input but no BNC or phono (RCA) video connectors, you'll need a cable with SCART on one end and BNC on the other end (or phono with a phono to BNC adaptor. I use both, Maplin stock the adaptors). Unfortunately, Scart leads come with all sorts of different configurations, make sure you have one with input at the TV end and output at the VCR end. You should be able to get one which will handle audio as well. Check the connections carefully before you buy!

Regards, Bill

I am selling my Sony SL HF 100 as and about 70 tapes the machine comes with remote and manual, what offers i live in queensland

Cheers for the advice, Nigel.

I've left it unplugged in situ all day to acclimatise to the living room, as the chap I bought it from had it in his garage for a while, but will give your suggestion as go tomorrow.

I think I might have been a bit optimistic with the idea of connecting it via an HDMI cable, but it would be pretty cool if it worked... lol

All the best - Mark

Hi Mark, Regarding your question for connecting your machine to tv, i use a bnc connector (which are easily available) and an audio video rca lead (i find a standard audio rca lead does the job) On the video should be a video out with small lugs which the bnc connector locks on to once thats on just connect the leads one to video, one to audio out and other end to audio / video in on tv, and done.

Hope this helps, Nigel.

Hi all,

I am new in this forum which I just found when looking through the web in finding such a site: I have in my possesion a NEC PVC2300 (Beta5) Video Cassette Recorder which I did buy way back in the 70's. Also I have around 60 tapes on various old topics and recorded films, but unfortunatly I have some problems with this recorder, mainly it is the belts which have all been broken and cannot get replacement I tried with others but I cannot get the exact pressure that the mechanism needs to open and close. All other electrics seem to be ok. Have no manual to refer for troubleshooting and cannot find a technician here (MALTA) who can or bother to fix it. I keep this recorder as a sentimental object and would like that from time to time show my grandchildren what I used to show to their parents. Hope to get some information through this fora. Best regards and many thanks....Joe

Hello,

I'm UK based and have got back into collecting tapes about 2-3 years ago after a break of about 10 years.

I've picked up a few Beta tapes in that the last year or so, and have just bought a Sony SL-C9E - the first Beta player I've had in years, so am after a bit of advice.

I haven't connected it up to test it yet, but was wondering if I'd be able to connect it to the TV via Scart (it hasn't got a port on the back of the video), or even better via an HDMI cable?

I ask about HDMI as I was given one of these ages ago from work, and wondered if there's a slim chance it might work?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Snakebyte-Premium-Component-Cable-PS3/dp/B000N8UYQY

Many thanks in advance - Mark

Noel,

That is great, please put me down for a handful if you find a suitable gear!I'll send you an email with my details.

I had thought about that but never quite make it over to Hobbyco.......

Roderick,

I have been communicating with Tim in Perth and he found some brass model car gear sets and managed to adapt them to fix his machine. He also replaced the shaft with brazing flux rod which I think he said was 2.5mm diameter. I was going to investigate getting a Melbourne source for such gears. I have quite a few machines that could use them also.

regards Noel

Has anyone worked out a solution yet for the loading gears in a SL-C9? I mean the little gears on the bar across the top of the loading mechanism. I now have two machines where the plastic gears have broken. The machines with brass gears work flawlessly.

Bill,

A fair question. I think stereo transmissions started in Australia just after the Germans developed it because we basically adopted their advanced PAL system anyway. I guess the two carrier sound transmissions started here about 1982. The SLC40 was the first machine here with a stereo tuner though is was the SLC40ES model sold here. The SLHF100AS was developed as an Australian version with 240AC approval with a stereo tuner but with TV O/P on channels 0 or 1 VHF.

I think New Zealand had NICAM.

cheers Noel

To any of the Australians, especially Noel,

My major question - When did your German-style 2ch FM sound setup start? Presumably at some point all your VHS machines had to have suitable tuners. Was it all far back enough for any Beta machines sold in Australia to need suitable tuners? In the UK Nicam was available from 1987 or thereabouts and VHS machines and upmarket TVs were available with it installed. That's how I first experienced Nicam. To the very best of my knowledge no Beta machines sold here were ever available with Nicam. It may seem disloyal, but I used an S-VHS machine as a stereo tuner for my SLHF100 and have done so since for my SLHF950.

It's just occurred to me that your broadcast setup is PAL B/G, not Pal I as we have here. I have had personal experience of that a few times, getting German terrestrial channels on DX, my late lamented Loewe TV had a suitable tuner. I would rate the quality as a bit better than on PAL I but not enormously so. How do you fit the Nicam sub-carrier into the bandwidth?

I know that all this will be history when the great analogue switch-off happens. For me the main local transmitter has already switched off and the London transmitter we get is due next April. As the process continues across Europe it will be the deathknell for TVDX. Still, it's nice to know the history of the most turbulent period in the development of television.

All the best, Bill

David,

The 950 does have a DC/DC but not like the C9. The first stage of the power supply converts 240V AC to 12V DC at up to 4 amps. The second stage takes that and produces all the other voltages. Probably there is a fault dragging down one of those voltage rails or a poor connection.

Yes the sound circuit would have to change to convert an ES model to a UB but why bother when digital is coming, just use your AV input to record off a set top box.

cheers Noel

De SPAMMING needed again............................

Hi David:

Are you inthe UK?

I have a lot of experience with the Sanyo's and some with the Sony's.Relpy to my e-mail address if interested.

Thanks.................Kevin

Hello Everyone

I have just got a Sanyo VYC 5150 when I put atape in the picture seems to jump plus as well its in black and white and I know the film is in colour, I got a sony head cleaner and put just a couple of drops of head cleaning fluid on the tape and ran the tape for 10 secs but this has made no difference its seems to have made it slightly worse can anybody help me please

hi to noel I would like to know does the sony SL-HF950 have a DC-DC convertor as like the C9s ? I have just had power fault on one of my 950s it switches on but not properly the clock display works but the green display lamp under the on/off button does not come on when I removed the power supply I see there is a small metal box part with lots of holes in it I am thinking maybe its a DC-DC convertor,the other thing is do i have to change the sound crystal to get the one for the uk as this is a ,ES modél many thanks david.

Noel,

Yes, I'm still interested on info about M30's psu. It is dismantled in a corner because I don't have much time to investigate the failure. Now, I'm lubing all my Sony betas with "slow-eject" and clasifying the ones I have with broken carriage and/or black gears. Maybe with your tip I would be able to fix 4-5 videos. Last week, a friend of mine found a F30 near a container. Its COMPLETELY rusted (think about the Hall sensor...), but plastic pieces seem to be OK. Lucky me if I can rescue, at least, one lever eject gear.

Regards, Gabriel.

Gabriel,

Do you still need power supply information on the Sanyo VTCM30?

cheers Noel

Gabriel,

I have repair fixes for both the black gear and the F30 broken tooth load gear problem.

1/ You take out the faulty black gear shaft from the machine and remove the plastic gear from the shaft. Clean excess plastic out of the gear tooth crack and from the area inside were the knurled metal shaft sits by drilling out the hole slightly to make sure the plastic gear can close properly around the metal shaft when you super glue it back in. Super glue the plastic gear on and place it in a vice with the metal shaft pointing down and leave about 3mm of plastic gear showing above the top of the vice and apply enough pressure to the gear, without damaging the teeth, to ensure the crack closes whilst leaving the top of the gear exposed (ie shaft facing down) You then drill a 1mm hole with a mini drill as close to the top of the gear as you can then insert an unfolded metal paper clip through the hole, then bend up the ends sharply and cut off the excess length. I have found paper clips to be between 0.78mm and 0.92mm in diameter but get as close to 1mm as you can for a tight fit.

2/ I have repaired three F30 type load gear by carefully plastic welding the tooth back where it should be using a fine point soldering iron. I then get a pin and I use a drill the same size diameter as the pin shaft to drill through the side of the last tooth and the second last tooth. I cut the top off the pin and bend it into a U shape so that it be placed into the two holes be bent over slightly to hold in place and be trimmed off thus forming a bridge between the teeth and secure the last tooth This compensates for the lack of plastic around the base of the last tooth whilst its under spring tension when the tape is fully loaded be spreading the load across two teeth.

regards Noel

I have a Betmax model SL5100 for sale bought from a friend years ago and used it on a regular basis, has been boxed up for last 20 plus years. Thought had sold it all of Beta tapes, but just ran across it. Not sure of value but will take best offer.

Noel,

I´ve proceeded as described and the noise is slightly better. Now it´s more than acceptable. Thanks a lot. About the black gear, you´re right, it´s not the first one I´ve seen broken. Does it really work just by glueing it? I think I have a SL-F60, C -30 and F -30 with broken gears (F-series also with one missing teeth on eject gear -typical-). I don´t know the reason why Sony put that piece of plastic instead of metal, especially when it´s linked to a metallic "half-ring".

About HF-100 image trembling, I´ll have to spend some time with that issue (just found an oscilloscope), but that vcr needs a lot of handwork.

Regards, Gabriel

Gabriel,

The trembling up and down is usually associated with a badly aligned tape path. Video gets distorted where the edge gets creased. You really need a scope (CRO) to do an alignment.

Also, what makes things really hard is when someone has had a "play" with all the mechanical settings to "FIX IT!!!"

cheers Noel

Gabriel,

OK good feedback. The noise can be reduced a little by setting a reasonable tension on the toothed belt. Noise can result from the black gear (below) on the metal shaft driven by the which plastic gear from that load motor when the solenoid lever switches it to the tape thread mode. That is because they often fail by cracking on the metal shaft and hence the tooth gap increases at the crack point. They eventually catch and break or spin on the shaft then there is no load unload. I glue and pin them back together but the noise remains. Good thing it stops after load/unload.

cheers Noel

Noel,

I've just tried the oiling process and loading/unloading is much more smooth. Now, the whole thing seems to be more noisy, but it acts faster, much better. I've not measured voltage on motor terminals this time, but I remember voltage readings around 8-9 volts on previous attempts. I suppose it could be due to increased friction, thus more current and finally more voltage drop thru circuitry, wiring, etc.About the big capacitor, yes, it's "bubbled". I dont know if this could damage the psu, although C20 -C30 don't use switched mode psu, more delicated.

Talking about Hf100, I've just been given one, but it's cosmetically damaged and image on screen "trembles" up and down. Audio seems to be ok. I guess I'm spending some time with it because it's a worth-having beta (although for me, basically, it's a "stereo-well-dressed C30 ").

Thanks a lot, seriously.

Gabriel,

On the power supply, the smaller caps give problems. 3 of 22uF from memory. The larger one can go high ESR and get hot. They can bubble the end cap as an indication of this sometimes.

regards Noel

Gabriel,

Too easy. The loading motor has planetary gears inside the white plastic gear at the top. Typically the grease dries out and clogs up the unit. I have also seen broken (split gears) result from the increased friction. As a matter of routine I put one or two drops (using the tip of a screw driver) onto the black retaining washer on top then put the machine through two or three load/unload actions. It should get much better. Don't overdue the oiling because the gear will then spit oil on to other parts of the machine and the tape you are using. Then the tape will gum up the machine by sticking to the head drum under tensiuon. I have never found the motor supply voltage to be an issue. If the above does not work then you may have to disassemble the gears and operate the motor to see that the shaft spins freely. I had one in which the shaft turned green with corrosion and bound up. I needed to swap one from another machine to fix that.

About the later chassis. The tape load trays of the F30, F60 and HF150 are similar. Drum motors between all Sony front loaders except the SLC6 seem to be identical but the windings come in two colours red or bronze. I interchange them but I have to make sure the right shims are fitted to get correct clearance between the windings and the magnet when installed in the machine. The shims often fall out on disassembly or cling to the magnet.

regards Noel

Noel, As always, thanks a lot for your valuable info. I´ve just seen that HF100 is chassis 711B and HF150 is chassis 711B2 so everything makes sense. I guess that HF150 shares more with F30 -F60 than HF100. I will continue investigating this issue.On the other hand, do you know if Sl-C20 and C30 suffer from a dried capacitor on psu? I refer to the "big one" (10.000uF). I´m doing some tests just to know if this could be responsible of poor torque on the threading/loading motor.

Regards,Gabriel

Gabriel,

There are almost no common parts between the SLHF100 and the SLHF150. They are different chassis. The head motor is the same. You can use SLHF150 heads in an SLHF100 if you remove one of the two head magnets but not the other way around because of a missing head magnet.

regards Noel

Where can I find a n operations manual for a Beta Movie BMC 220?

Hi Betaphiles,Does anyone know if SL-HF100 and SL-HF150 are internally equivalent (at least, mechanics and PSU)? I think I have the chance to get both for spares and I would eventually "build" a healthy one from them.

Thanks!

Hello All,I need a little help with my SLC9 Sony Beta machine.How can I get a tape out of the machine? When I push the eject button the mechanism just graunches a little and then the eject button starts blinking and nothing happens...

Hi

Can anyone help with the adjustment manual for a SL-C6E. (PDF copy would be nice) I need to realign a machine.

Already got a couple of new head discs as well. And i purchased the fixtures and gauge to do the alignment on the shaft.

To Mark Glennon,

The failure of the power supply in an SLHF950 is more common these days and is caused by the capacitors drying out and having high ESR which eventually kills the transistors in the switchmode power supply converting the 240VAC to other voltages used by the machine. You can get around this problem. The power supply is in two halves. The first converts the 240V AC down to 12V DC at around 4 Amps maximum. If you apply 12V DC into the white plug with 4 wires on it (two are positive supply and two for the negative) then the second switchmode section will provide all the various voltages to make the machine operate.

It is easy to buy switch mode power supplies now with this output capability. I usually convert the machine using them but I have to add an earth lead if I mount them internally.

If you used an external plug pack to drive the machine that would work also.

regards Noel Higgins (betaheaven.com)

P.S. Bill - I liked your comments about the Australian beta fans;-) Shows your watching.

Tiswas is available officially on DVD.

It is also illegal to sell unauthorized 'copies' of TV shows.

Hi Tom

Did you mean Sanyo VTCM40 (i've never heard of the M46)?Are wea talking voltage regulator in the PSU?Let me knowWhat country are you in?

............Kvein

Hi

I have a Sanyo VTC-M46 and am trying to repair. I need a new regulator. Do you know where I may find one or a suitable substitute

Tom

I have for sale a Betamax Video Cassette which contains the live recording of TISWAS on the 31/10/1981 The cassette is in very good condition and the picture quality is very good. Contains the complete live show with all adverts of the time plus extras. 2hr 15 mins.£17.50 inc postage. A DVD transfer is also included if you are interested of the complete Cassette.

Gabriel,Thanks from Augusta, GA. You must be correct that the SL-2401 is a direct drive. Your description of the toothed brown belt is exactly right. I will live with my video problem for fear that I'll do more damage than good. I've stripped two screwdrivers trying to unscrew the chassis assembly so Sony must have used quality screws.

Monkey King,

Yesterday, I was having a look to my beta HF100. I can describe the exact location of the end threading switch: as you see the mechanics from a front view, it is located on the top-left side of the whole thing, in vertical position, near to the psu, black coloured. This switch is pushed by a lever under that chassis. To gain access to it, you first have to remove a metallic cover over the drum (four screws). For a normal operation, when the ring is unthreaded, the switch is pushed. When completing the threading process, the switch is free. In order to check that switch, I would act as follows: first, try to make the video thread. When threading and reaching to the end (before going backwards again), I would unplug the vcr from mains (don´t worry, Windows will later restart normally). If not reached the desired position, turn the loading gear by hand. Theoretically, at this point one can operate the end switch by hand or the tip of a screwdriver and check it with an ohmmeter. With that simple procedure, you would be able to spot if that component is guilty.

Phil,

I´ve never owned a SL-2410 cause I guess it´s an American model. However, I think it shares a lot from European betas so it´s highly probable that your video has no belts beside the reels. Excluding old models ( Sl-C5, C7 , 8080. ..) and last generation betas (Sl-F65, F75), Sony Betamax are driven either by gear pendulum or direct drive DC motors. The only belt you can find there is the tray belt (teethed, brown coloured, easy to see), and it´s not so prone to fault.

Hope to be helpful. Regards, Gabriel.

I seek your advice. I have a Sony SL-2410 that has some issues in the video and audio. A fuzzy band travles down the picture about every 5 seconds. Additionally the the audio sounds tinny. The tracking knob just about resolves the tinny sound but the knob bottoms out before the sound problem is resolved. This beta vcr is new to me which I got to move my father's home videos to computer. I haved cleaned the tape path pins and wheels with cotton swabs and denatured alcohol, very clean considering. I purchased a repait kit which contained a ~4 inch belt but I can't find where the belt goes. The tape drive mechanism appears to be in a self contained chassis, I found two screws along the top which hold chassis to the box, I bet there are more screws along the bottom of the chassis but I can't find them. There are peep holes in the chassis which look like the holes are there to get at hard to find screws but there is nothing there. I'm guessing if I can find the other screws then I can remove the chassis and see the underside of this tape drive mechansim with a pendulum and drive wheels and my fantom belt.

Gabriel:

Thanks for the update.When i was reffering to 'not many usual parts being the same' ,i should've been more specific.The mains transformer,capstan motor,tape ring loading motor,tape insertion mechanism are different to those on the 'M series' models.The Sanyo VTC 5000 usually now has failing capacitors in the PSU supply.Usually for the clock area as they were used the most if the vcr was in standby a lot.I hav'nt seen many failing in Sanyo's other models.The clock /counter IC can fail in the Sanyo VTC 5150 and VTC NX100 as i've seen that a few times.The IC's are still available.I would check through all the main PSU components on the M30,i'm sure you will come across the failed one.The M30 is a resilient model but i have seen a damaged/worn third head (for clean still frame/slow motion) on two.The M10/20 are near bomb proof ,apart from the usual rubber parts and maybe ( if very high mileage) reel (Not capstan) motor.Also check for a cracked PCB.This i see fairly regularly too on the top loaders and NX100. Probably through rough handling in storage,shipping.

Roderick:

That is a good suggestion.I too have answered queries for help only to find members are overseas.I am in the UK if anyone is curious.

..........Kevin

Gabriel:

Thanks for the update.When i was reffering to 'not many usual parts being the same' ,i should've been more specific.The mains transformer,capstan motor,tape ring loading motor,tape insertion mechanism are different to those on the 'M series' models.The Sanyo VTC 5000 usually now has failing capacitors in the PSU supply.Usually for the clock area as they were used the most if the vcr was instandby a lot.I hav'nt seen many failing in Sanyo's other models.The clock /counter IC can fail in the Sanyo VTC 5150 and VTC NX100 as i've seen that a few times.I would check through all the main components on the M30,i'm sure you will come across the failed one.The M30 is a resilient model but i have seen a damaged/worn third head (for clean still frame/slow motion) on two.The M10/20 are near bomb proof ,apart from the usual rubber parts and maybe ( if very high mileage) capstan motor.Also check for a cracked PCB.This i see fairly regularly too on the top loaders and NX100. Probably through rough handling in storage,shipping.

Roderick:

That is a good suggestion.I too have answered queries for help only to find members are overseas.I am in the UK if anyone is curious.

..........KevinThe IC's are still available.

Hi Roderick,

You're absolutely right. However, I sometimes get suspicious about the number of useful, helpful, knowledgeable, intelligent Australians who crop up on the page! What's going on there? Whatever it is please don't give it up!

Seriously, was the story of Beta's collapse in Australia linked to the rise of the VHS rental market as it was in the UK?

Regards, Bill

Just a general suggestion.

Because this board is visited by people from all around the world, if you need repairs or want to sell something, let people know where you live. Obviously not your full details, a country and city will be quite enough.That way people can offer much better help.

I have a Sony SL-HF950, which has been stuck in a cupboard for many a year as the power supply does not work. I still have lots of old betamax tapes and was wondering if anybody can fix it or what the problem might be?

Hi, I have a SL-C7US player, 7 boxed ordinal films and 15 tapes (in boxes), looking to sell, dose anyone know were I could sell them, or a Batemax club, with people looking to buy.

Thanks

Monkey King,

Let me have a look to my HF100 (maybe a couple days till I can reach it) and I´ll tell you something about end switch location. However, I guess that this vcr shares a lot from 711B chassis betas, so just by having a look to a C30 or C20 would be the same. About "zero-residual spray", I always use the contact cleaner Fonestar G-22 and it usually gives good results.

I´m glad of being helpful :-)

Gabriel, thanks for your ideas on resolving the problem with my SL-HF100UB. You mention that the "end switch" may well be the cause of the problem ?? I've looked for it but without success, can you tell me the exact location of this switch and maybe a description of the item I'm looking for. Finally, you mention the term, "zero-residual spray helps with switches", is this another name for a switch cleaning lubricant such as "Servisol Super 10" ?? Regards, Len.

Kevin,

Thanks a lot for your help. I´ve been checking the PSU and that capacitor is not faulty. What is more, mains fuse is ok. Power supplies from Nx or M10-20 series are just similar, but they have less components (mechanically are the same because they fit the chassis). I will have to spend some time and have a deep check on that module. Sanyo M30 it´s a worth having vcr.

Any new tip is welcome!

About the HF100 which acts threading back and forth, without having a look to it, I would suspect from the end switch located near the point where guide no.1 should "arrive". Maybe it´s a question of adjustment or electrical failure of that switch. Sometimes, zero-residual spray helps with switches.

I'm in "the states" so I can be a "Beta Pal" but this machine is NTSC..I am impressed with this Sanyo VTC 9100 and would like to find a NTSC manual for it.It is working well but there are some things I'd like to check.

Hi, a problem has developed with my Sony SL-HF100UB and I need some assistance please. After inserting the cassette through the entrance flap, the mechanism attempts to load the tape around the head which it does however when it gets to the end of it's travel the loading mechanism does'nt engage in place. Leaving the tape in place around the head, the mechanism proceeds to move backward and forward repeatedly, over and over again, something which will only stop when the eject button is pressed. The tape will then rewind cleanly back into the cassette and eject as normal. I'm hoping it's just an adjustment that's needed as it's a great machine. Any answers gratefully received, here's hoping the "Beta Brigade" can help point me in the right direction. Kind regards, Len.

Gabriel.

Try the mains filter capacitor in the PSU (orange/brown coloured) just next to where the mains lead comes in.It can fail and will take the main fuse out too if it does.This problem was more prolific onthe Sanyo VTC 5000. The M10 and NX100 are NOT compatible in any way either (despite being similar models) The NX100 having more ' cost compromises' in some areas than the older M10.Even the capstan is different.They did'nt even include the FF and REW LEDs oo keep costs low on the NX100. Beta really was struggling at this point.

Eddie.

Yes i too am a fan of the Sanyo M40. I have two in MINT shape.One has the gloosy black timer control door ,the other Sanyo's later flat black colour.They are as rare as hens teeth.A lot are broken due to Sanyo's poor design of having it hinge outwards, and therefore banged or knocked in this obvious vulnerable position.I have repaired or remade hinges and holding clasps to a few.The tracking control can also come apart inside if over or roughly used ,but this too can be repaired.Good luck in getting the flap.............Usualy if it is'nt included with the vcr it's history...sadly.

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

Hello to you all !

I've not been here for ages , but , a nice person has given me a Sanyo M40 !

It just needed a new idler assembly and belt and off it went as happy as it could be !

Now gang , Call me fussy but the flap on the front is missing , and me being me , I like things to be complete !

If anyone has one spare I'll pay whatever you want for it !

Cheers !!

Bill,I have a good LG6hd ,HI-FI stereo vhs player whic i got form the tender centre fo A$ 35,00

Emil,Please tell us if you finally are able to fix the issue with the converter. Maybe you were right about transistors.

Additionally, I have new questions as I spend some time with my betas:-Own a Sanyo 9300 (piano key, beautiful)and after changing all the belts, cleaning the inside... It only shows b&w image (but quite sharp!). No idea why.

-A Sanyo VTC-M30 (powerful machine, also found the remote), suddenly died when playing back a tape. The psu is "slightly" black in some points. Is there any component prone to fail in that power supply? Any schematic? I tried to swap with a NX100 or M10 psu but are not compatible.Note: the Sanyo VTC-M30 listed on this site is not as mine. The one I own is the same as a Sanyo VCR4650 (almost the same as a M20, but frame capabilities). I guess there is something wrong on it.

Cheers, Gabriel

Hi Gabriel

Its not bad solder joints. I checked it.

Regarding the SL-C40, i found out something strange. If i press on the trimmer where you adjust the balance on the head playback amp, the picture clears up. So i thinking it might be a small capacitor around the large IC.

Emil,About your "tricky" DC-DC converter inside SL-C9, did you have a look to dry joints on the PCB? Maybe that´s making a poor contact and causing the display to turn on/off or flickering.

Regards, Gabriel.

Hi

Im hoping one of the Beta fans can point me into the right direction regarding this fault on a Sony SL-C40ES:

In playback the picture is very distorted, and with shaky lines all over. There is color in the picture, but they seem overdone in some way.

In recording & playing back the recording its the very same. (It only turns a little better in resolution)If you playback the recorded part in another machine the picture is perfect. (So its a playback problem)

The videoheads is brand new & original Sony ones. (The old one was worn beyond the gap)

I replaced the 3 x 22 uF in the PSU. But i didnt have the 2 x 47 uF in stock.

Kind regards

Emil Jensen

Doc Judd - that's a perfectly good reason for using VHS, but do you have to turn your back on Beta? As well as my Betas I use two S-VHS machines dating from the early 90s and somewhat better made than the rubbish since. Up until digital I used S-VHSC camcorders.

Regards, Bill

Hi

Been a Beta fan for many many years, since my dad owned a Sony C7.

I own a C9 now. Sadly with a dead DC-DC converter. Tried to replace the caps inside, made the display come to life. But it goes on and off all the time. So i guess it needs some new transitors as well.

Now im restoring 2 Sony C6. (Got them for free, plus a large moving box filled with tapes) I must say i kinda like the machine. Its very easy to work on & adjust. Of course i replaced all the caps and tantal around the Servo ICs to get it going, first. But one of the C6s needs new heads. And i got hold of a brand new video head disk. But the model require the special tool to center the disk on the drumshaft.

Does any one have another solution to that? Replaced all the belts inside it as well.

Kind regards

Emil Jensen

From Denmark

Hi Betaphiles again,Just to say I was able to repair a beta Grundig VB140 just by changing the display IC driver (previously with dead display). I got a "healthy" IC from a Sanyo NX10 for spares and it worked, however the IC references were not the same, but it´s clear they´re equivalent :-)Cheers, Gabriel

Bill,the reason is the vhs movies are ones that i missed while serving overseas

Doc Judd - that's terrible news, especially as VHS itself is now doomed by DVD. Can you possibly let us know what prompted you to leave the Beta world?

Regards, Bill

Unfortunately, spam removal can only be done on the current board entries. Normally, once the page is full old entries are moved off. There is no mechanism available to us to move old entries back after spam entries are removed, sorry.

Martin,

Your efforts to clean up the page are appreciated. Chatpage is still a useful way to get help fixing machines.

regards Noel. (betaheaven.com)

That spam attack will teach me not to get lax with saving postings that interest me, a practice I commend to everyone! Is it at all possible to ditch the spam without clearing the page completely?

Ruefully, Bill

Ihave retired my SL HF 100 AS I have returned to vhs

About time the spam was sent to another board i think.Irrating a--h--es.

Cheers Martin................Kevin

Sorry about the spam, the server running the spam checker had problems. All working again now.

JZPAJf <a href="http://zakdvrgysgzy.com/">zakdvrgysgzy</a>, [url=http://swxheavbdpwa.com/]swxheavbdpwa[/url], [link=http://kkvmhatbgvdm.com/]kkvmhatbgvdm[/link], http://qloezzsghfqp.com/

De-spamming needed urgently...

Matt, thanks a lot for your help!

Gabriel,

I've got a PDF copy of the VTC5000 service manual if you want to send me an email?

Composite materials consist of layers of fibers embedded in a resin matrix. , https://wiki.ubuntu.com/plac?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=28fl click here, gwkw,

Kevin,

Thanks for ALL the info you´ve supplied. It seems that you perfectly know Vcrs. First of all, I´m from Spain. About Sanyo betas, I guess that service procedures are similar to Sony's, which I know better. Sometimes, the problem I have to face is the fact that I don´t have a back tension tape nor an oscilloscope. Because of that, I´m not so keen on adjusting the tension arm unless there are clear symptoms of issues with that. Other things I´m used to doing is just carefully cleaning the video and stationary heads, lube the capstan bearing and improve the pinch roller surface. Also preventing the drum sensor from getting completely rusted (and shorted). I have to say that I´ve learnt a lot from this site, from MrBetamax site and also from Noel Higgings (thanks Noel). But sometimes, when the video doesn´t show image nor sound I don´t know how to proceed (specially with Sanyo). I guess I should get a copy of a service manual for VTC5000 or similar because it really helps (sometimes I search eBay, but there´s nothing).

Additionally, I would like to insist on the issue with the Sony C-series eject/threading behaviour (sooo slow). My "plan" is as follows: measuring the +B voltage(according to service manual it should be around +12vdc) reaching the transistor-driver and from that point suspect from the power supply or the driver itself. I have seen that F-series betas (F -30, F-60) don´t usually suffer from that problem. In this case, the loading/threading motor is driven by an IC, so maybe this is a clue. But further than this, what I need is TIME to test everything.

Thanks a lot again, everyone.

Hi Betaphiles

Gabriel:I don't know where abouts you reside, but i used to work for Sanyo in the UK and have loads of experience with their Beta and VHS vcr's.They are VERY reliable IF serviced regularly.The rubber drive components (as with ANY vcr that uses them) will need checking or indeed changing after 28 years +.I go a lot further though i strip down the reel drive components and clean,check and gently relube all the necessary ones.I also remove the capstan motor and disasemble this to clean the shaft and re lube upper and lower bearings.The pinch roller is checked and usually a good clean is all that's needed there.The back tension is checked out as well as the audio head sound output level and azimuth( tilt) to ensure a satisfying sound from the low fi monaural soundtrack.Then i change the usual failing caps in the PSU and also fine tune the tracking to make it virtuallly perfect for ANY PAL Beta rcordings that i utilise in it.It does'nt end there either the entire casing and front panel is removed and cleaned /tidied up to perfection as well as years of dust dirt and debris from all those years ago!As you can see a LOT more than just a belt as most seem to think these need( plus rubber idlers).Your problem sounds to me like either the heads are damaged or blocked.I have seen hundreds of these and i've never come across any that has a bad picture unless the heads are dirty,broken/missing or the main cap in the PSU ( the biggest one which will cause a slow moving pulse down the screen) is leaking.The servo board can cause a no picture on playback fault if one of the main IC's is faulty too,but i've only seen that once.Also look out for cracks to the PCB circuit boards.I've seen that a few times now due to rough handling in storage for these classic vcr's.The heads on a Sanyo vcr are particularly impressive in the longevity terms too.Cleaning tapes and manual cleaning should be avoided unless you know EXCATLY what you are doing.You could seriously damage the heads otherwise.Hope this helps and feel free to e-mail me anytime.I'm always happy to help in any way i can.

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

Hi Betaphiles

Gabriel:I don't know where abouts you reside, but i used to work for Sanyo in the UK and have loads of experience with their Beta and VHS vcr's.They are VERY reliable IF serviced regularly.The rubber drive components (as with ANY vcr that uses them) will need checking or indeed changing after 28 years +.I go a lot further though i strip down the reel drive components and clean,check and gently relube all the necessary ones.I also remove the capstan motor and disasemble this to clean the shaft and re lube upper and lowewe bearings.The pinch roller is checked and usually a good clean is all that's needed there.The back tension is cheched out as well as the audio head sound output level and azimuth( tilt) toensure a satisfying sounf from the low fi monaural soundtrack.Then i change the usual failing caps in the PSU and also fine tune the tracking to make it virtuallly perfect for ANY PAL Beta rcordings that i utilise in it.it does'nt end there either the entire casing and front panel is removed and cleaned /tidied up to perfection as well as years of dust dirt and debris from all those years ago!As you can see aLOT more than just a belt as most seem to think these need( plus rubber idlers).Your problem sounds to me like either the heads are damaged or blocked.I have seen hundreds of these and i've never come across any that has a bad bipcture unless the heads are dirty,broken/missing or the main cap in the PSU ( the biggest one which will cause a slow moving pulse down the screen) is leaking.The servo board can cause a no picture on playback fault if one of the main IC's is faulty too,but i've only seen that once.Also look out for cracks to the PCB circuit boards.I've seen that a few times now due to rough handling in storage for these classic vcr's.The heads on a Sanyo vcr are particularly impressive in the longevity terms too.Cleaning tapes and manual cleaning should be avoided unless you know EXCATLY what you are doing.You could seriously damage the heads otherwise.Hope this helps and feel free to e-mail me anytime.I'm always happy to help in any way i can.

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

gabriel, have you checked the caps on Y process block..? I've success fixing my sony SL-S660D with that kind of problem..cheers.

Generally worse, carl is the one whos needed to subside him into attack. , https://lists.virginia.edu/sympa/d_read/otherpub/p28.html lci 1445 id, 8P,

Thanks a lot again, Bill.The thing about VTC5000 UK version was just trying to buy one in England for spares. I have three vtc5000 with thr same problem: terrible or no picture. I have changed all belts and got the whole tape path cleaned with no success. Also I have changed big Cs on Psu and nothing changes. Have to admit that I have a poor expierence servicing Sanyos. I guess they are better machines than Sonys, but further than changing belts, I can do almost nothing.

Thanks to this site, last week I succesfully repaired a Sl-C80 with audio problems due to dried capstan capacitors. However, it still lacks from poor torque on the eject/threading motor. I owned other C80 time ago and it suffered from the same. I have to check it more patiently, but I think it could be the motor drive or the power supply itself. Readings of +/- 8.5v are taken on motor leads, with and without mechanical load. I have also seen C30s doing the same. Any idea?

Hi, I am looking to buy a VTR model Sony BVH3100PS in good working condition. Thanks.

Hello everybody:

I need the vu-meter board of the SL-HF950. Contact with me, please.

Best regards

Wanted Sony SL-HF950. If you have one for sale, please get in contact with details.

I have just bought & fitted a video head disc for a sony SL-HF950 theprblem beforewas no picture only a blank screen but i found out that when pressing pause its the other that work as in picture search the heads were from sony £160.00

How much might I expect to pay for a service on a Sony SL-HF100 ? (Assuming there's nothing major wrong, just maybe needs a clean)

Gabriel - having had a bit of a think, there may be a way round the incompatibility. The UK is in the process of moving from analogue to digital TV. One of the two transmitters available in my area has already turned off analogue and the remaining one goes next April. Until switch-off nearly all transmitters are putting out both analogue and digital. The solution for analogue VCRs, whether Beta or VHS is to buy a so-called "set-top box", actually a digital tuner. I have several which cost me less than £ 30 each, and in my opinion produce perfectly adequate results. They're available everywhere, I got mine in our local supermarket! You could buy one of these and connect it to the AV input on your Beta. Your aerial lead goes into the box instead of directly into the VCR. The sound is digital as well as the video, so PAL I is irrelevant. The quality of video and sound is very much better than analogue.

I don't know whether or not you're bringing a TV from Spain or plan to buy one here. If you do buy one it's quite likely to be ready for digital, otherwise you'll have to buy another "box" so you can continue to watch one channel and record another. The digital system is called "Freeview". Hope this helps.

Regards, Bill

Yes Noel, like I said the seller is an honest one.

Cheers,Boby