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02-20-2019, 09:21 PM
jwillis84 jwillis84 is offline
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On a perfectly functional JVC DR-MX1 decided to backup the HDD contents to test a Raw HDD tool and then put it on a dissimilar HDD (make & model) to test whether

(a) the Raw HDD tool worked as described
(b) the JVC DR-MX1 were "sensitive" to the (make & model) of replacement HDD

The answers were

(a) Yes, works as described
(b) No, the JVC did not care that the (make & model & size) of a replacement HDD were different

The Raw HDD tested was: HDD Raw Copy Tool "Freeware" which was run on XP SP3 to both capture a raw image of the original OEM HDD to a file, and then used to restore the image to a replacement HDD.

The OEM HDD was
MAXTOR 4R080L0,
DiamondMax 16,
80GB ATA/133 HDD,
Mfg.Date: 02AUG2004

The replacement HDD was
HITACHI HCS725025VLAT80,
CinemaStar 7K500,
250GB Ultra-ATA/133,
Mfg.Date: May-2008

So... pretty different.

I did not bother to remove the OEM HDD from its chassis cradle since it has thermoplastic "Red Locktite" set screws holding it in place, which requires 350'F to 550'F to break the bonds of the "permenant" seal. But I have read a soldering iron can loosen it up enough to allow it to be removed and then cleaned of any remaining locktite.

Rather I simply used plastic sheets to elevate and separate the replacement HDD for "testing purposes".

This JVC recorder is "very tightly" packed space wise and the power supply has some very cranky flat power ribbon cables.. which I chose to carefully fold over rather than remove when taking out the HDD and putting in the test candidate.

Powering up and watching the normal flashing "LOADING" was uneventful, it finished, powered down and I started it up to a welcome "HELLO" message and then the JVC logo flashing across the video screen.

All the original recordings were in place and played as expected.

I would caution I'm still coming to understand how this HDD image is put together, and it is not all in one place on the drive. There is no recognizable partition, but the top of the drive has a signature that says TFS2 which is common to several brands of this era. This JVC however also stores its video in a middle portion of the drive and there is a small area near the bottom of the drive which is easy to miss.. don't try to save space by only copying the top of the drive.. it may not be enough to successfully copy the drive for a backup and restore to a different HDD. I have not proved failure for copying less than the "total" drive.. but its something to be aware.

It is "very nice" however to know these recorders can work with new parts, and be restored to working order.

I have access to a second MX1 so I may try cross testing an image from one recorder to another to make sure the image is universal.. but I will not perform that test tonight.
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  #2  
02-20-2019, 10:10 PM
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I'm extremely interested in the DVM600/700 units. Not just to replace drives, but replace with increased capacity. Or even just to stick into a Linux system to somehow access/copy the data, with the end goal being to use the new ISO Buster feature to extract the recordings.

With JVC, the biggest problem has always been drive failure, and the inability to find a new image for a new replacement drive. If that's something we can manage to create, it'd be nice to make it available on this site.

I'm fairly certain you have a DVM600, correct?

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  #3  
02-20-2019, 10:35 PM
jwillis84 jwillis84 is offline
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I have

DVM-70U
DVM-600U
DVM-700U

They are all in working order, though its obvious they could each stand a power supply capacitor overhaul. But they work and do record and playback. DVD or DV I do not know if those parts work, untested.. but the HDD on each does work.
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  #4  
02-20-2019, 10:52 PM
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Why do you think the caps need overhaul? JVC recorders tend to be all or none, unlike those AG-1980P which fail in increments. One day you'll turn on the JVC, and LOADING, nothing else. Is a re-cap something you can do?

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  #5  
02-20-2019, 11:44 PM
jwillis84 jwillis84 is offline
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Very dim display, or flickering front panel displays.

I popped the DVM600U HDD into my XP machine and ran IsoBuster Alpha on it. Scanning for files found several VOBs.

Playing them in VLC produced clear and watchable videos with sound.

IsoBuster sector view revealed the top portion of the drive is the VxWorks kernel in plain english (same OS as the Mars rovers).

I think IsoBuster can be made to better support these drives by teaching it where the recording index is and how to list each recording as one line item for extraction.

The attached video clip is 27 seconds, each VOB was probably intended to hold clips from more than one recording.

I wouldn't suggest people disassemble their JVC DVM lightly, they are tightly packed and easy to damage. Wait until someone posts a youtube video or something that demonstrates "how to" remove and replace the HDD.

As for supporting "a larger HDD" a crumb of a clue maybe found in an old JVC HM-HDS1 website that used to exist.. if it also used the VxWorks operating system.. I think that site described using a larger HDD.. I can't recall for sure. But the owner did recommend backing up the HDD as soon as possible in anticipation of an eventual HDD failure so that one could recovery. (unfortunately it doesn't look like it used VxWorks..) Andy Cippio also had a site.


dvm600u.jpg


Attached Images
File Type: jpg dvm600u2.jpg (189.6 KB, 17 downloads)
Attached Files
File Type: zip Recovered File 18.zip (81.99 MB, 13 downloads)

Last edited by jwillis84; 02-21-2019 at 12:41 AM.
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  #6  
01-06-2023, 02:47 PM
thechosen thechosen is offline
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Hello,
I have a DR-MX1SE Europe PAL Edition with a defective HDD. The Old Hard Drive is not readable anymore. Do you have any advice or Disk Image for me to restore my system?

Thanks!
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  #7  
01-06-2023, 03:55 PM
jwillis84 jwillis84 is offline
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I would have to see.

I will have to experiment to see if a portion of a PAL recorder HDD can make a starter image to restore functionality.

Its too big to reasonably download a copy across the internet.
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  #8  
01-07-2023, 01:57 AM
thechosen thechosen is offline
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That would be awesome. I would not have a problem downloading a bunch of gigabytes. I can provide the upload space, too. Just tell me what i can do to help you.

Another question is if the JVC Models DR-MX1SE and the DR-MX10 are compatible, I have a running DR-MX10 here where i could clone the drive to the other HDD.
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  #9  
01-07-2023, 05:13 AM
jwillis84 jwillis84 is offline
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DR-MX1SE vs DR-MX10

I really don't think so.

I would also recommend you do not try it.

The firmware is stored on the drive and programs or sets up the hardware on the mainboard when it starts up.

Some of the settings make changes in fuses on the mainboard and become irreversible once changed.

Its just not worth the risk.
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  #10  
01-07-2023, 08:59 AM
hodgey hodgey is offline
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I have the PAL DR-MX1SE here. Could maybe do a hdd dump but the hdds are 160gb so would need a place to upload to in that case. (Difference between MX1S and MX1SE might be hdd size, the MX1S manual says that one has 80 gb but not sure.) May also want to run the image through photorec or something first to see that there aren't any remnants of any deleted personal recordings there.

Also mine had some bad capacitors in the power supply preventing it from booting up so that's also important to check if it it's having issues.

My Video gear overview/test/repair/stuff yt channel http://youtu.be/cEyfegqQ9TU
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  #11  
01-07-2023, 09:09 AM
jwillis84 jwillis84 is offline
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Hodgey

He said he has an MX10, that is very different from an MX1SE.

JVC bespoke just about everything between models.. they are not very compatible.

I would also caution the difference between a UK model and a Continental model. Beyond the plugs it can also mean a difference in tuner models. Some support SECAM and some do not.

Panasonic or Thomson would kind of, sort of try.. to make generic models.. ect when supporting SECAM.. but JVC was very market specific.

The "K" at the end of Panasonic models for example meant "Black" or "Silver" cases.. but not in the JVC models.. I don't want to commit.. but i think "K" in the JVC models meant "UK" specific tuners.

.. and i don't want to spread disinformation.. or unnecessary fear.. but the power supplies are the hardest thing to find or repair. I hope that is not the case here.

I need to research if the MX1SE is different from an MX1SEK.. it might be the Continental version.

-- merged --

Oh for heaven sake.

Ok.. look on the back of the recorder and find the full "three letter" model number.

These are possible combinations;

DR-MX1SEF - Showview model - L, L', B/G - South American or Japanese ???
DR-MX1SEK - VideoPlus model - I - PAL<< - UK for Certain
DR-MX1SEU - Showview model - B/G, D/K - PAL, MESECAM
DR-MX1SEY - Showview model - B/G, D/K - PAL, MESECAM
DR-MX1SEZ - Showview model - B/G, D/K - PAL, MESECAM

The model makes a difference because the HDD is organized in different ways depending on the EPG system included on the mainboard.. its a chip diffrence.

I don't have one of each to compare, but I do have SEK and USB models which "may" cover VideoPlus and one Showview model.. but the Japanese version is certainly not one of the ones I have and I can't read Kanji any way.

DR-MX1USB - NTSC - North American
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  #12  
01-07-2023, 09:55 AM
hodgey hodgey is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jwillis84 View Post

He said he has an MX10, that is very different from an MX1SE.
.
They said they had both, it was the MX1SE that had issues though so thought that was what they were looking for.

The one I have only says MX1SE on the back, no extra letter. Same with the one e.g here so not sure if any of them do. Maybe it has to be opened to figure that out or it says in the menus. It would be a continental europe variant with europlug, whichever was sold in Norway (unless it was imported somehow but doubt it.). It has ShowView and is not SECAM presume it won't be the F or K ones at least.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jwillis84 View Post

.. and i don't want to spread disinformation.. or unnecessary fear.. but the power supplies are the hardest thing to find or repair. I hope that is not the case here.
.
It was relatively straight forward on mine at least - just needed to swap a few large through-hole bulging capacitors on the power supply PCB. It's not tons of tiny surface mount electrolytics on a hard to reach board like a AG1980P or similar. Depends on one's practice with soldering of course and it does use lead-free solder.
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  #13  
01-07-2023, 10:32 AM
jwillis84 jwillis84 is offline
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my experience is the SEK's tend to have the full model number on the box they arrived in and on the label on the back

the continentals are all over the place, some do, some do not.. but the EPG and the destination or where its used are pretty good hints, so are the power plugs.. which was where i was going next.. but trying not to overload the conversation all at once

simple fact is i can generally figure it out if i have one in hand from a variety of information.. but for a newbie or someone unfamiliar with the complexities.. its best to take it slow.. and not assume its a simple solution because "i've got one.. kinda sorta like yours.."

i've tried fixing by re-capping several JVC power supplies.. but its been mostly "miss" they "do" have surface mounted caps.. but only a very few.. very tiny.. and on the underside of the power supplies.. they tend to get covered in soot or obscured by solder bridges if your not careful.. but even then.. for me the chances have been slim that a re-capping will work. they also tend to blow out their STK regulators and leave scorch marks on the pc boards.. doens't happen with the north american models.. but may be because the voltages involved are much lower when a catastrophic failure occurs

ok going the plug route

if its two prong its probably a Continental

if its three prong its probably UK

so if the label doesn't say "SEK" and only "SE" then the plug may tell the difference

since the HDD is at issue.. i assume they can't access menus to figure it out
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  #14  
01-07-2023, 06:24 PM
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lordsmurf lordsmurf is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jwillis84 View Post
.. and i don't want to spread disinformation.. or unnecessary fear.. but the power supplies are the hardest thing to find or repair. I hope that is not the case here.
That's odd for a mere power supply. In fact, I don't recall a device where it wasn't obvious. It's usually everything else that hiding, obscured, or even missing (eg, merged functions).

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  #15  
01-13-2023, 06:08 AM
thechosen thechosen is offline
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Hello, sorry for not writing back in time. I have a german plug on my MX1SE. I can not access any menus to clarify the real modelnumber.

@jwillis84: I sent you a PM with an upload folder, 160GB is no problem, i got Onedrive Premium
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  #16  
07-10-2023, 01:52 PM
Hurty Hurty is offline
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Hi. I have two DR-MX1SEK's One I have cloned the drive using disc-jockey hardware and the cloned drive worked fine. The second machine had a failed power supply which when repaired went into the dread "loading" display. Swapped the two drives over with their power supplies and BOTH units would not come out of the "loading" display, neither working. Swapped back and original working machine came back to life. Put a cloned drive into the duff machine and of course it would not boot stuck in loading again. So it looks like there is a serial number or checksum written to the drive somewhere? Now got to look at the drive contents to see if anything is evident. Crack this and we would be laughing.
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