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admin 04-11-2015 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vhsdigital34 (Post 37608)
I don't know what to say lordsmurf. I've just did a search for all things digitalfaq and I see the notification on 4/5 but not 4/6. I did get a notification on 4/6 for a different thread. Even today, I got NJRoadfan's but not yours

You only get one notification per "not visit". So, for example, if NJRoadfan replied, you'd get the notification that the thread has a new reply. If I come and make a reply, and you've not yet visited since the notification, then you won't get another one. Is that what happened?

Also be sure that Gmail is not marking the messages as spam. (If that's happening, then please let me know via PM.)

Anyway, back to the topic:

Digital8 is DV on Hi8 tape. That was yet another Sony proprietary format that failed, like so many others of theirs.

NJRoadfan 04-11-2015 08:27 PM

The format lasted from 1999 to 2005 and I believe the final model camcorder was produced to at least 2007. I'd say the format was successful enough that Sony purposely crippled the camcorders over their contemporary MiniDV units. The irony is that Digital8 recordings are more robust than MiniDV tapes due to the larger form factor and metal particle tape.

lordsmurf 04-11-2015 08:50 PM

Wow, didn't know that.

I never really saw D8 in stores. Circuit City was the biggest one to carry video gear in the late 90s and early 2000s. By around 2002, it just seemed to be missing. Even stores like Fry's were clearancing it out before 2005. When I got a DV cameras in 2003, all that Best Buy carried was DV. No other formats.

Video8/Hi8 tapes are definitely better than DV tapes.

NJRoadfan 04-11-2015 08:56 PM

I remember being quite upset when Sony unveiled their 1999 camcorder lineup. My parents had just purchased a CCD-TRV65 a month before! NYC area electronics chains always seemed to carry a full line of camcorders and stuff like the high end JVC SVHS decks (6th Ave Electronics, P. C. Richard & Son, and The Wiz comes to mind). Our CCD-TRV65 actually came from a Sony dealer in St. Maartan as prices were quite lower there compared to here. I was very worried at the time that a PAL camcorder might have been purchased... thankfully it was a NTSC model. That island is notorious for using all 3 analog video formats (PAL and SECAM on the French side, NTSC and PAL on the Dutch side).

vhsdigital34 04-12-2015 02:13 AM

Hi admin,

I've received a notification on a different thread but not from this one from sanlyn. Does it not send out a second notification if the first wasn't from the same thread?

Thank you NJRoadfan. If it's DV on Digital8, is it better to capture through DV (like firewire and WinDV) as opposed to SVideo and ATI card?

Also, is there a store that still cleans/repairs camcorder heads in NY? If not, is it difficult to do? Is there a guide? I'm willing to do almost anything to get these machines acting right. Thank you.

sanlyn 04-12-2015 10:50 AM

Camcorder video heads are cleaned the same way one cleans VCR video heads. The major difference is that the video head drum in a camera is usually smaller than a VCR head drum. The video heads are embedded in small openings in the surface of the rotating edge of the video drum. You see a ton of videos on YouTube and articles on the web that advise using (a) cotton swabs, or (b) lens paper, or (c) head cleaning tape.

First, (a) cotton swabs (QTips) should NEVER be used to clean video heads. Not ever. Period. There are no exceptions, despite the number of dunderheads who say it's OK and works "great". All you need is one tiny thread to get hung on a video head and rip the head off, or one tiny thread to get pulled inside the drum. Might happen, might not. If it happens, and it only has to happen once, throw the camera away. End of story.

(b) All lens cleaning papers contain a fibrous paper or paper/plastic or paper/fabric compounds, and usually some waxy stuff to make the lens look polished. Almost all of them leave a fine-film residue on the lens that adds a thin but foggy residue. Pro's don't use lens cleaning paper. They used an old, soft, pure 100% cotton t-shirt. Obviously you won't use that on video heads. Don't clean video heads with lens paper.

(c) head cleaning tapes don't clean anything. They pick up dirt, all right, smearing it all over your tape, which ends up on your rollers and capstan and, eventually, on your video heads again. Many of these cleaning tapes claim to be "only mildly abrasive" Only mildly, no matter how mild, is still abrasive. Period. The last cleaning tape I used was in 2006. It ruined the soft metal heads on my Panasonic VCR. Don't use cleaning tapes.

So,what do you use? For liquid, don't use alcohol. Even the highest-grade alcohols leaves a slightly greasy, alkaline residue. Get genuine video head cleaning fluid from an electronics dealer, or from Amazon. Comes in a small bottle. Not very expensive. Lasts forever. The swab you use to clean video heads is made of a soft chamois material. Get these on Amazon as well. If you do have alcohol around, you can clean your rollers and audio heads with it, but not video heads, and use a clean dry swab as a finishing touch to make sure there's no alcohol residues on the rollers.

YouTube abounds with videos from guys who use cotton swabs to clean everything, despite warnings from pros that cotton swabs are dangerous. Ignore these videos. One material that can be used to clean video heads is plain white (uncolored) printing paper, cut into a small 1/2-inch by 2.5-inch strip and held lightly against the rotating heads. Don't use so-called resume papers, onion skin paper, or that horrible waxy, easy-erase stuff. Plain, smooth, white printing paper (not cheap copy machine paper, which is dusty). Here is a clumsy but revealing video from a guy who's been doing this for years --ignore the sloppy production work on the video and see what he does to clean a camcorder and an old VCR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvBOCkWUlL8

Head cleaning fluid and chamois cleaning swabs are the best bet. Or have a good shop do it, and be certain to ask whether or not they use cleaning tape for this job. If they say yes, run away as quickly as you can.

If you open the camera you might see some areas that are smeared with lubricant of some kind. Often this lubricated area might look dirty or dusty. Leave it alone. If you remove that lubricant, parts that need to slide or slip back and forth won't move freely. When pros clean dirty lubricated areas, they remove it entirely but replace it with new, factory approved lubricant. Better to leave it alone than do it yourself; if it's a little dirty, never fear -- the dirt's stuck there and ain't going anywhere.

vhsdigital34 04-12-2015 06:34 PM

Thank you very much sanlyn!! I've found the chamois swabs on Amazon but not the cleaning fluid. Do you know which brand/name they sell on Amazon? Seems like the camcorder on the video has the drum on the top side. Mine are on the bottom. Do I take out the faceplate of the cassette side to clean it? Seems like a tight squeeze opening things up for mistakes.

I've done a search for pro shops in the city. Sounds like most are not trusted (what a surprise). If anyone knows a reputable shop please let me know.

As for Digital8 capture, should I be using winDV for the DV tapes? Is SVideo still ideal?

vhsdigital34 04-12-2015 08:23 PM

4 Attachment(s)
I've popped open the face plate on the cassette side and i can see the drum but won't be able to have it spin since it'd be at an awkward angle with a tape in there if using the paper method.

I've noticed something odd with my new CCD-TRV65. It seems there're several color markings on top of the drum. Is this normal? Also, which of the ones are lubricated (I can't tell without touching them)

DCR-TRV520 under the hood (which of these to clean and which to not touch?). This is with the tape holder ejected:
Attachment 4535


CCD-TRV65 (view with the tape holder in place):
Attachment 4536

CCD-TRV65 (view with the tape holder ejected):
Attachment 4537

CCD-TRV65 (Are these color markings on top of the drum normal)?
Attachment 4538

NJRoadfan 04-12-2015 09:42 PM

The CCD-TRV65 has one thing that sticks out to me, the pinch roller. It should have a black top like the one in the D8 unit. Carefully spin it with your finger, it should not be wobbly or loose and should have no play (shouldn't move up/down on the shaft). Do not attempt to pull on it, just spin it.

This is a COMMON problem with Sony Handycams and would cause weird playback errors as the pinch roller is pretty important.

vhsdigital34 04-13-2015 05:39 PM

Hi NJRoadfan, just spun both and they both move the same (doesn't go up or down but moves slightly sideways and rolling with finger). The CCD doesn't have a black top but it does have the same lookin piece but just white instead of black. Wondering if this was previously repaired/touched or if that's how it was made back in 1997 as opposed to 1999/2000 when the DCR was made

Has anyone seen the color markings on the drum like the last picture? Is that normal?

Is WinDV capture better than SVideo/ATI capture card on Digital8 since it's DV on tape?

I'm also wondering which portion of the DCR-TRV520 playback mechanics isn't working right that would produce those kind of playback errors.

Thank you!

What is the head cleaning solution called or does Amazon even sell it? Is there a place in NYC anybody can recommend?

NJRoadfan 04-13-2015 05:51 PM

Capture Digital 8 via Firewire, keep it digital. The markings on the drum appear to be normal. My CCD-TRV65 has a black locking nut on the pinch roller, but parts can vary during production runs.

vhsdigital34 04-13-2015 05:58 PM

Thank you NJRoadfan!

Would you recommend WinDV and if not, which is better to use for DV capture from Digital8 tapes?

Just need someone to let me know what kind of head cleaning solution I am buying and where I can get it.

sanlyn 04-13-2015 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vhsdigital34 (Post 37663)
Thank you NJRoadfan!

Would you recommend WinDV and if not, which is better to use for DV capture from Digital8 tapes?

Just need someone to let me know what kind of head cleaning solution I am buying and where I can get it.

I see WinDV recommended most of the time for DV transfer.

Video and audio head cleaning fluids aren't difficult to find: http://www.amazon.com/MG-Chemicals-L...1GRCMD8T6T0RBX
.

vhsdigital34 04-13-2015 09:37 PM

Thank you sanlyn. Not sure why but when I did a search on Amazon for "video head cleaning fluid" it didn't pop up (felt like an idiot after seeing your link..). I'll purchase the two items you've specified and clean them. Would you be able to provide arrows as to which is the lubricated one I should avoid? I know what the pinch roller is now and where the video drum (and heads in between are. But not sure what the other parts are located. Also, for the video heads (grooves in the drum), do I pick it with the chamois swabs to clean it or just brush through it like the rest of the drum? Thank you very much!

sanlyn 04-14-2015 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vhsdigital34 (Post 37665)
Thank you sanlyn. Not sure why but when I did a search on Amazon for "video head cleaning fluid" it didn't pop up (felt like an idiot after seeing your link..). I'll purchase the two items you've specified and clean them. Would you be able to provide arrows as to which is the lubricated one I should avoid? I know what the pinch roller is now and where the video drum (and heads in between are. But not sure what the other parts are located. Also, for the video heads (grooves in the drum), do I pick it with the chamois swabs to clean it or just brush through it like the rest of the drum? Thank you very much!

Yeah, sometimes Amazon search gives me completely unrelated products. I got my cleaner from Markertek several years back, which will tell you how long a small bottle can last.

On almost all video head drums are made up of two parts: the upper video drum that rotates, and the lower video drum that is stationary. The video heads are in tiny slots located at about the middle of the drum's edge surface. First step is to moisten the cleaning swab with fluid. Don't soak it to the point of dripping, or you'll get fluid into those tiny slots that contain the heads. I usually pour a few drops of the fluid into a flat saucer and lightly dip the flat surface of the swab into the fluid. To make sure I don't have excessive fluid, I touch the swab to a piece of plain white paper to absorb any excess (don't use Kleenex for this, or you'll get lint on the swab -- or the soft tissue will stick to the swab, making things worse). Don't let the swab sit around for any length of time -- the fluid is designed to evaporate quickly. In the old days, head cleaning liquid contained Freon for really fast drying. Freon isn't used these days.

Place the wide, flat side of the swab against the edge of the drum so that the swab contacts as much of the upper and lower part of the drum as you can manage. The swab doesn't have to be "straight up", it can approach the drum from one side. You won't need any pressure, just a steady contact. With your free hand or just a finger or two on the upper part of the drum or on the very top-edge, rotate the drum COUNTER-CLOCKWISE a few times. Then remove the swab. The fluid is an efficient cleaner, so you don't have to rotate the drum 10 times or use any pressure to get the job done.

The fluid can be used to clean the roller guides, the rubbery capstan, the audio heads, and the erase head if an erase head is present. The "lubricated areas" are on the chassis surface, not on the rollers themselves, so you don't have to contact those areas. The lubrication, if it can be seen, is usually a greasy smear of silicon gunk or similar lubricant. Don't use a lot of fluid on the rubber capstan -- it should be cleaned when the swab is relatively dry.

vhsdigital34 04-14-2015 04:03 PM

Thanks sanlyn!! Unfortunately I've turned the drum clockwise when I was fiddling with it and trying to see how the paper cleaning would work (obviously without it spinning it doesn't do much). It didn't seem like there was any dirt on the drum though.

As for potential servicing someone in NY told me they'd have to ship it out to Chicago to see IF it can be serviced.. Not sure what to do about that.. Still shocked there's not one place in NY that would offer this service..

NJRoadfan 04-14-2015 04:51 PM

Give Mack Camera a call, its worth a shot: http://www.mackcam.com/repairs/what-we-repair/

They were able to fix my Sanyo Betamax deck, so something like a Handycam shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

One last ditch effort would be to see if the camcorder "fixes" itself. I've had luck by just taking a tape I don't care about and rewinding and fast forwarding it in the unit a few times. I had problems with the reels binding up, but those symptoms are different from what you are experiencing.

sanlyn 04-14-2015 10:08 PM

Yeah, sounds like alignment or something like a worn capstan.

But save those cleaning supplies. Whether you keep using other camcorders or eventually get a good VCR, you'll need those cleaners with old tapes.

vhsdigital34 04-17-2015 10:28 PM

Hi Sanlyn, just got my supplies and I cleaned out my equipment as per your instructions. The CCD-TRV65 didn't have any dust but some parts of the DCR-TRV520 was filthy. The cleaning didn't correct the bright flashing on the CCR-TRV65 so it unfortunately must be something else. Guess neither of them perform perfectly.

Hi NJRoadfan, is Mac camera your contact that you mention in post #26 below?
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vcr-...html#post28978
Do they replace capacitors as well on AG-1980? I have one built from Jan 96 it seems. If they're anywhere as good as tgrant photo mentioned here definitely worth stopping by for me for both camcorder and SVHS.
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vcr-...html#post34623

Please let me know. Thanks!!

NJRoadfan 04-17-2015 11:39 PM

For capacitors, I have used this guy in the past: http://maccaps.com/

He can handle surface mount parts without a problem, but you will have to remove the board from the VCR and ship it out. Its also best to get an estimate before shipping as the AG-1980 boards do contain quite a bit more capacitors than your typical piece of equipment.


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