Sony ccd-trv15 Video head mechanical noise
 

hi, my trv-15 video 8 camcorder, the spinning head is noisy, like its bearing needs lubricating. apart from the noise, recording and playback picture perfect ( apart from the mechanical noise being picked up by the microphone on recording , ) i would like to fix this if its an easy fix. if not , ill leave well alone. tia

Some noise is normal and can indeed be picked up by the microphone, That's why it is recommended to use external microphones, Most consumer camcorders have low quality built in microphones with poor noise isolation. Post a small sample to to see how bad it is.

This is the noise from the camcorder helical head
 

This is the noise from the camcorder helical head.
it is very noisy

Hi . Thanks for your interest. i have posted a clip with the noisy video head. thanks

Thanks for the video. Definitely not the normal sound. As to what is causing the noise it's hard to say. Possibly bearings, but many older Sony Handycams did not develop that problem. I suggest a tech remove the side covers on the tape side and just look. You might be lucky. Possibly a small object has fallen into the cassette compartment and a rotating part such as the head drum is scraping against it. If you value the camera and your tapes I wouldnt recommend using it in its present state even if it is giving perfect picture and sound.

Ive had a good look at it , its definately just the spinning video head and nothing is touching it in any way, so its a bearing or however its made. I have the sony service manual, and this doesnt detail how the head can be removed. I used to repair machines in the days of VHS and Betamax but have not much experience in camcorders especially with the specialised tools required that I dont have any more, so im going no further with it. It just happens that this is a spare machine I have because i digitized my HI-8 tapes with a newer machine. From what I can see, - unlike a VHS scanner head, the spinning head on this machine looks like it does not separate from the static head, which is a shame

Good that you have those VCR tech skills. Have you tried rotating the camcorder in various positions with a tape playing to see what effect that might have on the noise?

Good idea about rotating the camcorder. This makes no difference what ever position the head spins at. I cant see me taking it apart to look at any further. Thanks for the replies.

Before you blame the head, make sure the rubber piece holding the microphone capsule hasn't deteriorated, If the microphone capsule touching the body of the camcorder directly you will get that noise. To really find out for sure you will need to listen to another camcorder or VCR with your own ears and compare the level of noise, If not sure use your phone's microphone and record few seconds of audio from an equal distance of two or more VCRs/camcorders and post it here.

It’s definitely the head. My other older Sony camcorder is silent compared to this. Please read all my posts about my background and findings of this noisy camcorder