In search of flat flexible cable for Panasonic AG1980P
 

I posted this in the other thread I started, but this is kind of a different topic so I figured it might be best to start a new thread.

I accidentally broke the flat flexible cable that runs from the main board to the mechanism control board. I thought I had found a replacement online, but it turned out not to be the right size. I'm having a horrible time finding the right size. Does anybody have a suggestion or a 1980P that they're using for parts and would sell me that particular cable?

Exactly how did the cable "break"?.

VWJ14AW230M0 - Panasonic Ribbon Cable (not sure if this the right part number)
Is this the part?
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/produc...P-VWJ14AW230M0

It was my fault that it happened. Was pulling out the main board and there was too much tension on that cable and one of the ends started separating. The more I tried to fix it, the worse it got.

I have no idea if that's the right part. There are ribbon cables of several different sizes in the machine.

Some cables have part numbers, but perhaps not this one if it is rather generic. (no connectors on the ends, just dressed to slide into a flat socket).

Maybe one of these would work?
http://www.newark.com/webapp/wcs/sto...e&pf=813070579

None of those are the right pitch (1.27mm is what I need I think.) As a test, there is one other flat cable in the machine that's the same size... running from the main board to the board shielded in metal right behind the head. Moved that one to where the broken one goes and it loads tapes like normal. Obviously with that disconnected, I'm not going to get tape playback, but at least I know nothing else is broken.

Another update: I figured out the part number: VJS3537B014G. Now to find someone stocking it.

The metal encased (shielded) board between the head and the power supply is the head amplifier board.

The 14-conductor flexible cable in my system has a 0.05" conductor pitch, a total width of about 0.75" with exposed conductors at each end of about 0.25"

Something a bit like these perhaps:
http://www.molex.com/molex/products/listview.jsp?query=&path=cCABLE%23%230%23%2383m~~f 47||5072656d6f2d466c6578e284a2464643204a756d706572 ~~nf104||312e32356d6d&channel=products

VJS3537B014G may correspond to the connector soldered on the PC board, not the flat flexible jumper cable.

Oh I see. I hadn't thought of that. Well back to the drawing board then. Yes, it would be something similar to those, but finding someone actually selling them is proving to be extremely difficult.

Check:

http://www.nextwarehouse.com/item/?2106271
It is one of several lengths and contact sides (same or opposite (A or D) of jumper).

Search and you will find a variety of other sizes and shapes at that source.
http://www.nextwarehouse.com/search.cfm
I searched on "FFC /FPC jumper 1.25 14 ckts"

An alternative is to start with a flat cable with more conductors and carefully cut/split off the ones you do not need at each end so it fits the connectors.

Thanks. I'll probably give that a shot. And you're 100% sure 1.25mm is the right pitch?

I see 1.27mm and 1.25mm, and sometimes 0.05" pitch cited.
Presumably these are standard cables.

1.27mm = 0.0500"
1.25mm = 0.0493"
The difference in pitch is less than 1/1000 of an inch, not a lot over 14 conductors

However, I've never ordered these so I cannot speak from first hand experience.

Measure your cable again to be sure. Use a micrometer/dial caliper if you have one to be more precise.

I ended up emailing Southern Advantage and they sent me a cable for free. That said, now I have other issues.

I have no picture or sound at all now when playing a tape (just white snow with occasional color stripes that eventually just goes to black). Any ideas? Another bad board or did they screw up the ones they worked on?

Also when it's playing, the counter keeps changing to a message that says 03 11 and then back to the counter again.

There are enough different cables and connectors in the system that it would be easy to miss something when putting it back together, especially if not in to the electronics technician thing.

Does the counter count up the time correctly between flashing of the number?
Does it appear to count time normally when fast forward/rewind?
What, if anything else works?

E.g., if you connect a TV signal to the antenna input, can you see video at the analog outputs
Do you get any sound output from an antenna input?

Is the head amp properly connected to the mechanism and other boards?

Is the display really showing one of the AG-1980 self-test codes that are documented in the service manual?

It counts time up fine and the audio meter is showing normal readings. I need to check the inputs to see if those work. Everything seems to be connected back properly. I only disconnected a couple of things in the first place.

The snow changes color when the tape starts playing, if that makes sense. The snow is more of a gray when the tape isn't playing, but is white with bits of color when a tape is playing. It looks almost as if the heads were clogged, but I cleaned them and it had no effect.

Do you get linear track audio output?

Do you get Hi-Fi track audio output?

Linear track (mono) audio and tape counter are not driven by the head amp and related circuits. Similarly the ability to view (pass through) antenna video input at the analog video and audio outputs (when VCR/TV toggle is set to TV) does not depend on the head amp and related circuits, but appears to rely on the Y/C and related boards

Hopefully it is something simple such as a improperly seated cable between the head amp and the main board.

The error message was right after I cleaned the heads. I think I didn't let them dry properly.

Audio was my bad also... didn't have the right input potted up on my mixer. Audio works fine, both hifi and mono.

Inputs work great. Crystal clear picture and sound. Even the inputs looked crappy before I sent the TBC board off.

All cables are snug and connected properly.

So we're back to just having no picture. Could the TBC board still be bad (meaning SA did a crap job)? Could it be another board?

I should also note the SVHS light comes on no matter what tape I put in.

The Y/C board sounds fine, otherwise all video output would likely be bad.

The audio and video from the head amp to the main board are on different cables. The video is carried on the problematic 14-conductor cable. I would start by looking to it and its connectors.

At this point I suspect that one would need to put the system on a bench with test equipment to pinpoint the issue.

That wasn't the 14 conductor cable that had the problems. The one that had the problems was the one that runs from the main board to the mechanism control board. I mentioned the head amp cable earlier because I temporarily removed it and put it in place of the bad one to make sure the bad cable was all that was preventing me from inserting tapes (i.e. no mechanical problems, which there were none.)

I agree with the bench test idea though. May try to have that done locally. There's a shop down the street that said earlier they would look at it.

Also, would the fact that the SVHS light is always on when playing a tape mean anything? It didn't do that before, and I've seen at least one other post of someone having that issue, but I wasn't sure how they resolved it.