SignVideo DR1000 detailer has no picture?

[toastysoul]

Back in November, I picked up a Signvideo DR1000 from a gentleman I purchased several other pieces of equipment from. I just got around to hooking everything up today and I can't get any kind of a picture from the DR1000. If I bypass it, it works fine -- I can see the blue screen from the VCR. When I insert it into the chain, the screen is black with no signal.

I have changed cables, reset all the settings on the device, and have tested the power adapter at ~6v DC while the unit is on & 9v DC with no load on it. The DR1000 calls for a 6-9v AC-AC adapter, but I'm using the adapter that was sold to me with the unit. I questioned the guy I bought it from when I got the package, and he insists is the adapter that he got when he purchased the unit new.

Quote:

That is the original one that came with it. Signvideo said it will run fine in that voltage range. I called them and asked when I bought it.

Any suggestions?

[toastysoul]

Ordered a new power adapter, 9VAC 1.2A -- the correct one, from Amazon. Worked right away.

So, there you have it folks, a DC adapter doesn't function here.

[lordsmurf]

No, it's definitely AC-only power. I need to go look at mine, and see what's it rated. (I pulled it out a few days ago for the post, but got sidetracked.) I'll update it in a bit.

Thanks for the update.

Do you notice any side effects -- any noise on screen? Watch for that. It may be intermittent, too, not constant.

[toastysoul]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordsmurf

No, it's definitely AC-only power. I need to go look at mine, and see what's it rated. (I pulled it out a few days ago for the post, but got sidetracked.) I'll update it in a bit.

Thanks for the update.

Do you notice any side effects -- any noise on screen? Watch for that. It may be intermittent, too, not constant.

You're welcome.

I haven't used it much, in fact, I've been looking for some reading on how to use it properly. Can you recommend something? I'm afraid to test it out on the movies I want to capture, so I've been using old commercial tapes, but the images on those are a lot cleaner, kind of a catch 22.

I didn't recall seeing any kind of bleed through noise. I was worried about it, but the adapter I purchased was designed for a guitar pedal I believe, so if I had to guess, I'd say it's probably got good noise suppression. I felt that it probably had a better chance of being higher quality than some random Chinese answering machine adapter anyway. In any case, I'll keep a close eye out for it.

[lordsmurf]

To be honest, it's only useful for really good SP mode tapes -- usually releases, sometimes pro-quality "home movies" (shot by your hobbyist/pro friend/family), sometimes home-recorded VCR tapes.

The left two detail/sharp knobs each sharpen along an axis (x.y) and the two core/black right knobs correct for noise. If you crank all 4 knobs entirely to the right (or match them in any way uniformly), you'll notice little change. The more NR you add, you less it sharpens. Note that the NR is only compensation for the sharpening itself, and does nothing for the source -- it's not passthrough NR of any kind.

Give both left knobs a third turn crank, and give the NR a quarter-or-less crank. See what it does. This is really a learn-by-doing task.

And, as always, each tape is different.

The Elite has the AT&T adapters -- not this one. The SignVideo adapter is different.