Panasonic NV-HS1000: no play counter, no audio?
 

Good morning everyone. My Panasonic NV HS 1000 has a strange flaw: while recording on the tape occurs regularly, in play the tape counter remains empty (i.e. with the square segments, next to the time indication, they rotate as if the tape were still blank) while instead the recorded image flows regularly on the television but, at regular intervals of about a minute, cracks appear (similar to out-of-tracking or broken heads) which then disappear after about 30 seconds. The audio, however, is completely absent (the vu meters do not move) except in the case in which I stop the tape and then start it again: in this way the audio returns for a very small fraction of a second and then disappears again. During recording the tape counter works normally. I have already changed the VDP1434 cap on the loading motor, carefully cleaned the drum heads and the ACE one, lubricated the pinch roller cam but to no avail. I can no longer find technicians willing to repair this VTR (the few in business are experts in smartphones but not in video recorders). What might be causing the problem and how might I try to fix it? Thank you all.

Possible dirty AC head (Audio and control head), Broken, Corroded, Disconnected or dirty head stack cable.

I cleaned the AC head perfectly with isopropyl alcohol but it didn't help. In the meantime I tried to mount the mechanics on a Panasonic NV HS900 (which features the same type of heads although marked differently) and the device works regularly. At this point I think it's an electronic problem...but I don't know where to look.

Are you sure you didn't mess with the alignment before you removed it to put it on the second deck?

Yes: when transferring from one machine to another I lifted the entire mechanical basket with the utmost care and after making sure that the slide was completely in the "unloaded" position I looked for further confirmation also by observing that the mode switch arrow was turned downwards as specified in the K mechanical service manual.

Check the cable that goes from the head stack to the main PCB, check its solder joints. Audio head and pulse head have separate preamps, for them to go out at the same time is less likely but possible.