Still have my SLF1 and archived some tapes few months back. Not a single problem at all. Client tried for some years to see footage from 20+ years back before I did this for him. That's why I'm holding onto my machine. Just to see the excitement on people's faces watching stuff from way back. Thanks for keeping us informed on how to keep these machines running.
FANTASTIC SONY GEAR i happen to have 8 sony units, the latest is th sony sl 2000 the others i have are thesl-1fie and the timer is the sl-f1ub, all in perfect condition even have 3 leather cases for the videos, and i have 4 trinicon cameras in excellent condition. its so great to know that some people have looked after this gear for all these years !
@@12voltvids it is a shame, there's no shops near me that do repairs any more. I usually buy my tape decks etc.. from charity shops, but even they don't sell many any more. I have 2 double tape decks, Sony and Technics, the latter being the best as it's from the 80s unlike the Sony which is around 2000. Although did manage to replace the take up spool on one deck on the Sony as it didn't fast forward or rewind. Bring back the good old days.
Brilliant! Extremely interesting! Have to say I really do love your channel, your knowledge, experiences and charm are inspirational. Keep up the great work!
good video. UK viewer, love your videos, i have always been a tinkerer but, on my 40th i wanted to learn electronics. Yous vids teach me alot and i can repair and diagnose basic faults. got the basic tools and love it as a hobby. I have become the families electronic recycling center lol. My dad bought a betamax video player/recorder toploader. if we even looked at it we got a slap lol. I had a zx81. 1k ram and a 16k expansion. i am 47 now and my kids laugh.
I started back when I was a teenager, and spent 20 years working at a Sony / Panasonic warranty depot. I left the repair business when I was 40. Just woke up one day and looked at the writing on the wall, and changed careers . I also operated a suscessfull video production company for over 30 years, hell I am still doing that. I am still running the video production company, I just don't do weddings anymore, but all other aspects I do. I still do promo videos, training videos, real estate videos. Not as busy as it once was, much more competition these days.
My dad had something similar. It was a Panasonic portable unit like that and you could attach a video camera to it. Had decent quality. When I was about 11 or 12 I started using it because I loved taking photographs and making videos
Very cool! I just ordered this same model from eBay earlier today along with the 12 used Betamax blank tapes which can be used for testing. Can wait to get this thing working soon.
I wouldn't touch this one with a 10 foot pole. There are 3 beta models to stay away from. Sl2000, sl2500 and sl2700. They love to snap tapes as do all VCRs that have direct drive reel tables.
And speaking of Sony SL-2000, I just got another one off of eBay and it’s the same model, and it still works. As for the previous one, it doesn’t work, because the head drum is shot when I put the tape in and press any of the buttons, it does nothing. When I did my other SL-2000, it works, but the picture had issues which was the head was dirty and the audio was jittering. I cleaned the audio and video heads, capstan, pinch roller, and spray with contact cleaner on the spindle, it plays perfectly and the audio is pretty darn good. Now that I’m happy with my working Sony SL-2000, I’m getting rid of the other SL-2000, because the VCR part is not working anymore after I attempt to restored. And over the weekend, I just ordered my Sony SL-HF450 Super Beta Hi-Fi VCR and it needs cleaning. When I was watching an eBay video, a seller tested out and it works, and the picture itself is clogged up, and that means it’s time for a cleaning.
In addition when I was doing my transfers over to digital or DVD, it also had a problem, the tracking is acting up like crazy. When I was doing some aligning the video and audio, it fixes the problem, but same issue. I did sprayed the tracking using contact cleaner and it works fine for the most part. I did tested my recording of an episode of “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” from another Betamax VCR that I got which is a Sony SL-HF450 and played back on my Sony SL-2000 and it looks fine for the most part, but the tracking is acting up.
Thanks for another interesting video! From what I read the very first camcorder ever was made by JVC, it was a big thing, basically a camera and a VHS-C recorder screwed together, I think you could actually take them apart and use them as two seperate pieces too. Later in 1984 came the JVC GR-C1E camcorder that many call the first camorder ever. I bought one of those years ago at a flea market for 11€ or so. Still works! The SMF tube of that camera sure is good, my old JVC camcorder does not look nearly as good! The VCR is an absolutely fantastic design. Once you got it all folded open, the circuitry and mechanism really aren't that different in size from a stationary unit, it's really the design that made this unit so compact. I think in the 80s Sony really were at their best.
The worlds first camcorder was the Sony BMC100 betamovie. It was a record only camera/recorder and it goes back to 1983, the year after this one was made. JVC followed the next year with the VHS C format. I have a professional Betamovie. It had an electronic view finder (B/W tube) whereas the consumer model it was an optical finder that was very hard to focus with, and auto focus had not been developed yet.
12voltvids Hm, maybe people keep calling the JVC C1 the first camcorder because it could playback tapes as well as record them... that two piece combination JVC 'camcorder' came out in 1982, I read that in a magazine and they even had a photo of it, but I threw it out so I can't look it up anymore. I was a bit surprised when you said you had a Betamovie because indeed the consumer units are rather limited in features and functions with that optical viewfinder but if you had a professional model then that's a whole different thing I guess. Aside from the JVC I also have a Sony CCD-V8AF, the second Video8 camcorder Sony ever brought out (first one was the V8 with manual focus only). The V8AF uses infrared to focus, next to the lens it has a big send/receive lens for that. Interesting stuff!
DrCassette According to the www.rewindmuseum.com/vintagecamcorder.htm the betamovie was the first. The reason the betamovie could only record, not play back was because it used a non standard format. The drum was about 1/3 the size of a regular beta format drum, and it only had a single dual azimuth head. The tape was wrapped 360" around the head. The head spun at 3600 RPM, 2X the speed of a normal drum, and recorded the video tracks as a time compressed signal. The horizontal scanning rate was modified to allow this non standard head size. As such there was no way to play it back on a regular TV. However when the tape was loaded on a standard betamax machine, the resulting playback was a standard video signal. So the frequencies were modified, to this non standard signal to record. herefore it is impossible to play back. VHS had a little easier time making a compact drum for their video cameras as the drum in a VHS machine is much smaller to begin with For VHS they made the drum a little smaller, and used 4 heads to record, with a 270' tape wrap, with the heads stepping forward 90' at a time. 4 rotations of the head drum to write 2 full tracks. That would be 2 rotations on a conventional VHS machine. The professional betamovie was no dfferent. It was record only, no rewind, no playback. just an EVF so you could judge your exposure correctly, and things like manual iris control. I had a CCDV8 years ago too. I have a CCDV110 now that was given to me, and a CDTR81, you've see that one repaired here, and a couple of digital 8 units, a full size Panasonic VHS camera, HDR HC3 and HDR FX1 HDV cameras, a JVC GYDV500 broadcast DV camera, and various HD Flash based cameras and DSLRs. Too many to count. Many of these are donated cameras. One day I will get the betamovie, and the vhs movie, and the old 8mm shoulder mounted camera, and tear them down and compare the internal guts. I might even open up my JVC broadcast unit, and let you see what it is in. It eats tapes so I need to work on that. It is basically a decoration these days. Only SD quality, but it looks impressive sittng atop it's 1,500 tripod. I remember when I wrote a cheque for that camera 15 years ago. 10,000.00! 5 years later it was taken out of service because everyone wanted HD.
12voltvids Over time I too had many camcorders, basically once an interesting model showed up on Ebay or elsewhere I got it, tried it out and then eventually sold it again. At this point, since I moved away from my parents place where my workshop is located, I have sort of lost track of all the equipment I have... when it comes to camcorders, I have the 1984 JVC GR-C1E, the 1986 Sony CCD-V8AF, a 1987 Bauer (rebadged Panasonic) VHS-C camcorder, two Panasonic MS1 S-VHS camcorders, a Canon XM2 MiniDV, a Sony HDR-SR11 HD harddrive camcorder, a JVC GY-HM100 ProHD camcorder, a Sony CX570 I just recently got as a small, portable camcorder and finally a truely wonderful Canon HF-G30 camcorder. I do intend to sell the Sony SR11 and the JVC HM100 soon, maybe also the Canon HF-G30 will go again while it's still worth almost as much as I paid for it (I got it 2nd hand). I just don't use this equipment often enough considering the money I paid. Of course, if I was going to sell the JVC and the Canon I could get a 2nd hand Sony AX100 4K for that money...
DrCassette Over the years I have had the following and sold many from my video production business days. I had a Sony GCS 1 profressional Betamovie, (still have) a BMC1000 Betamovie (sold long ago) Panasonic PVS360 SVHS, also sold, Sony CCD-V5000 Hi8 (sold) CCD TR81 (still have) CCD VX3 3CCD Hi8 (sold) EVW-300 professional Hi8 (sold), DCR-VX1000 (sold) Canon GL1 (sold) JVC GYDV-500 (still have). These were the SD cameras. Then came HD. Sony HDR FX1 (still have and use) HDR HC3, (still have) JVC gy200 (sensor is going bad, black marks in video) Sony HDR CX220 (use for youtube) and a Sony FDR AX100 4K.
you are so right about that old video tech those things just never die takes a licking keeps on ticking!! I have a old Sony tc-270 that reel to reel is over 40+years old runs like new the only thing I did to it was free up the mechanism, changed a belt that was all I did. and it runs like new, Right out of the box!
awsome just can't beat this old technology it just keeps on going never dies lol love your vids by the way I've learned a lot form you just by watching your vids
A few of the high end production companies use a small quad copter, and use it for ariel shots. Think weddings at a golf course ect. They can put the thing up and grab some overhead video. Those are the guys that still make money doing it.
As you hooked up the camera, you stated that the unit would focus that close. I had a similar camera the HVC 2200. Coles focus was only working in the wide angle mode not in telephoto mode. BTW, the camera was not very light sensitive, about equal to ASA 35 film.
Thank you so much for your help you're really good at what you do I have an SL-2000 unit that's working fine for now but would like to see if I can get the 2001 going.
Things looked cooler back in the day. Nowadays things don't have as many buttons and interesting innards; it's usually just a circuit board. That's a SCART connector, right?
They used the same type of motor in the capstans of the slimline Walkman players. That's how they were able to make them so thin. I can remember seeing one which broke a long time ago and at the time I was amazed at its construction; I had never seen anything like it before. If I remember right, it used a quartz-locked servo clock to drive the reels at precisely the right speed for playback.
It is called a bsl (brushless slotless motor) and they are 3 phase motors. They all use a drive ic and hall sensors to generate the drive waveform. Some use a fg sensor as well to generate a speed reference to be compared to a reference xtal. I have a wm10 and wmf10 that use that system.
The mechanical catch is released by the pinch roller. When it retracts all the way back it presses a lever that pops the tape door catch. The linkage might be stuck, or the latch broken or stuck.
I do have 2 Betamax players that need some repair (the playback stop after a few seconds) so I googled it without too much expectation, and I happened upon your youtube channel, a paradise for every Betamax owner, thanks a lot for your video !! I managed to oil the motors with your explanations, but the playback still stop after seconds.. Do you have other clues that could solve this problem ?
Great video! I have same machine which does not eject the tape already in it. It plays, forward, rewind but eject!! can you help with advice? Thanks in advance.
+Maged Aboelela Yes probably. I have another SL2000 that is going up on the bench very soon. I will go through the mechanism on that one.If I remember correctly there is a mechanical switch, and a lever involved, and if I remember there is a lever that gets gummed up. I will be doing the other SL2000 video very soon, keep watching.
i just picked one of these up on Facebook Marketplace with the same issue, plays fine but won't eject. @12voltvids, did you eve put the mechanism video up? Any help would be much appreciated!
I used 3 and 1 machine oil on the reel shafts like you did in the video, but I'm still having issues with it struggling to move the tape. Possible capstan motor issue? Can you do the same with the capstan motor? Or could it be a servo circuit problem. Also, mine won't eject when I hit the eject button and the eject light just stays on.
These ones were not very good when new. All those bsl direct drive motors and motor drive circuits had high failure. It's like a BMW or Mercedes. Over engineered and high failure.
Hi Dave, I got an SL-2000 and it's tuner for $40 on eBay, in great condition. Unsure if it's 100% working but as far I as know, it ejects/unthreads and powers on at least. The seller included the NP-1 battery, but I think it should be dead or not hold a good charge. Do you know what type of cells the NP-1 uses and what I can replace them with? Would love to rebuild it so I can take it outside.
They are sub c size ni-cd cells. I had many rebuilt over the years as my betacam, evw300 and jvc gydv500 all used them. I still have a bunch and the very expensive Sony 4 battery charger / conditioner that was about 1500.00 just for a charger.
Great video ! I have a SL-F1 which probably need Hall effect sensors to be replaced. Wondering what I should I order, something like THS103A. Does yours have 3 or 4 legs ? Thanks !
Hello. I have a Sears similar portable model and there is a small rubber belt that has disintegrated (seems melted and falling apart) on what I think is the capstan motor. I think it's this small belt because the tape threads fine but the tape won't move when you press play and I have noticed this degraded rubber belt. Would this be the way to access and replace it. Thank you.
Hi! I just subscribed to your channel. You have a lot of cool videos. I know that single chip (CMOS or CCD) cameras now days have RBG filters on groups of pixels to get a color image. I also realize there are high-end cameras have 3 CMOS chips, like the Canon XL, but those do not pertain to my question. How did Sony get RBG signals from a single imaging tube? Thanks for the video and all the trivia you pass along. I am old enough to remember all that you are discussing. Thanks again. Have a good one! Dave
+Swarf Rat There were a couple of ways that color images were obtained from imaging tubes. Sony did it different with the trinicon tube. It uses a vertically striped RGB color filter over the faceplate of an otherwise standard vidicon imaging tube to segment the scan into corresponding red, green and blue segments. Although the idea of using color stripe filters over the target was not new, the Trinicon was the only tube to use the primary RGB colors. This necessitated an additional electrode buried in the target to detect where the scanning electron beam was relative to the stripe filter. Previous color stripe systems had used colors where the color circuitry was able to separate the colors purely from the relative amplitudes of the signals. As a result the Trinicon featured a larger dynamic range of operation.Sony did the same thing with a color picture tube that used just a single gun as opposed to separate guns for each color. They called this the indextron.Also known as a beam index tube, it has no shadow mask or arperature grill. It uses a beam index stripe on the leading edge (left side looking from the front) and a photo transistor pointing into the internals of the tube right along the frit seal area (faceplate bond to the bell) As the beam sweeped the tube the index signal would flash and be detected by the pickup to synchronize the RGB switching circuits in the video amplifier. The idea behind this was lower cost picture tubes, lower power consumption, and resistance to magnetic influence from the earths magnetic field.
Started subscribing to your channel since I found informative vidoes on the SL2000. I have one that I had kept in storage and just now trying to digitize my family videos. The SL2000 does not play and I notice that the forward and rewind tape spindle activate at the same time during play mode, the forward spindle goes clockwise and the rewind spindle goes counterclockwise. Forward and rewind mode work fine. It's just the play mode. Any ideas? Thanks.
Hi, I have the zenith version of this recorder. I picked it up at a yard sale to play some of my old beta tapes from the 80s that I had shot. I hooked it up and it worked fine. I played one of my old tapes and it had a lot of static on it so I stopped the tape and fast forwarded to the end and then let it rewind itself (kind of slow) to the beginning. Then it stopped working properly. It would play for a couple of seconds and then stop like one of the spools was sticking. I want to take it apart and clean it like you just did in this video but I'm afraid I'm going to break it. Any advice? Steve
hi @12voltvids.there is enough for you to take advantage of one thing. On newly purchased hf950, stereo tape is fine but mono tape sounds very low, suggest I look elsewhere, sorry for bad translation
Great video! Pancake capstan motors! I have two SL-2000 units, and an HVC-2400 Camera. One set-up works, but the camera has no audio. Wish I could fix the audio on the camera! Any pointers for the audio? Audio jack with a mic won't record audio either.
Something in the audio circuit ether on the camera or on the recorder. If you plug an earphone into the audio monitor on the side of the camera do you hear any. Been so long since I worked on any of these old units.
I bought that VCR and camera in 1983 at cost from a dealer-friend who was going out of business. I was still using it in 1989. I remember taking the camera apart on the picnic table in Red Canyon near Bryce Canyon National Park while we were on vacation. The zoom had stopped working. I want to copy my Beta tapes to my computer. I'll check out the VCR before putting in a good tape. Thank you so much for making this video! Can you recommend a decent video-to-USB converter, or is there a better way to do it?
The best way is to use the AV-DV function of a digital8 or DV camera. The A-D converter in those units was very good, and made big files. 12 gigs per hour. Low bit rate capture sticks generally don't look as good, but Hauppague make some good capture cards, as well as many other manufactures.I use a Hauppague HDPVR here to capture analog video, from both SD and HD sources, and SD sources. For the best quality I use the DV capture feature of my DV deck. Analog in firewire out.
How about a GCS1! I have one of those. That was the professional version of the Betamovie. It is the "Disposable" camera that was devoloped for news gathering. Cost a lot but much cheaper than the EFP Betacam cameras.
Have a TT-2000 and SL-2000 unit that I recently dug out of storage and decided to transfer some old Beta to digital. Followed your overhaul of the SL-2000 and all was well. Watched a bunch of old tapes and went to bed. Today, I tried to power up and to my surprise, the TT-2000 would power, but when I tried to power the SL-2000, there was clicking noise and then no power to both, Let it rest and tried again, if I power the TT-2000, it is OK, but when I hit the SL-2000 button, no go and clicking sound. I am not thinking that it is related to the SL-2000 overhaul but more inclined to think the TT-2000 power supply is faulty. Any thoughts or suggestions Thanks, Steve Simon
It could be caps in the DC-DC converter that worked initially, and then pissed their contents as soon as the pressure built up. I have the manual for that deck I am pretty sure.
Hi , I really appreciate the kind of work you do I have a question if you could do me a favor I have my a few Betamax units but the first one I bought was the SL-2001 along with the TT-2000 tuner I don't see anything on the SL-2001 bu it is very similar to the SL-2000 except that it does not have the digital counter bu issue is that it does not load the tape into the the head drum and the cassette mechanism doesn't stay in the closed position it pops open every time I push it down. Can you please help? Thanks
Pedro Luna If I am not mistaken the 2001 had a small switch that closed when the latch on the tape door locked to signal the tape was closed. The latch is activated by a lever that is pressed by the loading Gear that moves the pinch roller. I will have to look at my 2000 to refresh my memory and I will get back to you. If I remember the switch has a plastic mount that was susceptible to cracking and allowing the switch to move and not activate. The 2001 is a totally different mechanism. It does not have direct drive tape reels. They are driven by a belt from the capstan motor like all the home beta units. The 2000 used direct drive reel motors which only the 2500 and 2700 home decks used.
Cool! Is there an easy way to eject a tape manually from this unit with no power? I do have a 12 V Power supply I could connect to the battery connectors but I'm worried that I might blow something.
My SL-2000 seems to suffer from a lot a tracking issues (skipping tape) and a lot of “wow” in the audio side of things, where should i look to resolve the issue?
@12voltvids Thank you for getting back to me, i am putting together a video response to show you exactly what i see. I will upload the link to this comment thread once it’s done.
I could attempt a repair if I had some guidance ie: manual Are you in the GTA area and do you do repairs? If I knew what caps to look at it would make troubleshooting easier. I can get you my contact info if you can help. Thanks and Regards,
there is a door on the back of the TT2000 and when opened there is a female plug that looks like it may be an auxillary power input. If that is correct, do you know what voltage and amperage it needs for input to power the unit? would that bypass the internal power supply and offer an alternate power supply?
I love Beta NTSC and PAL. (I'm in the UK) I have a Sony C9 (similar in looks to a SL2500) that refuses to take a tape (basket doesn't move) any help would be greatly appreciated
I have another SL2000 that I will be servicing. I believe there are pots to adjust the back tension, and forward tension. You need the special torque gauge to adjust it properly. I had one of those, but don't know where it is. I do have the factory beta alignment tape though.
Thanks 12V, on the SL-2500 the adjustment is only back tension, no take-up torque. The take-up torque is driven by two 2SB733. A very low torque is causated by failure of this transistors drive?
i acualy have nos sony IC chips for this machine XD weirdly enough there in zenith bags still sealed an pretty soon im going to be geting one of these machines probaly cause i still film an do videos with this equipment it realy fun to mess with this stuff gives you a nice challage even tho i didnt grow up with any of this except vhs
Hi I just happened up on your channel I love what time you have put into this field and am well on my way to seeing all your video's this is not related to this vit ,I am starting to finally getting into testing and finding my way around some of my gear that I have gather threw the years I am a Ham and don't feel a shame of asking you what size and kind of solder do you use for most of your repairs ,this would cut threw the tons of stuff out there and you most likely have been there done that it will more than likely save me many hit and miss sessions of buying the wrong stuff and screwing the job up from the get go. Charlie /n2wjs
I too am a Ham. I use Kester 60/40 1.2mm rosin core for most stuff. The high lead solder is very difficult to find these days as it has been banned because of the lead.I only have this because I have had it for many years. I have another roll of ,5mm hat I used for the really fine stuff but I generally use the larger solder. Has more rosin in it which provides better cleaning. cheers. Dave /va7fo
12voltvids The design is good, they just didn’t perfected it, Every tape drive after that era used hub motors with torque feedback, they don’t use physical brakes, Electronic braking is used.
Yes I know how it works, and on linear drive systems it works fine. The problem with this on VCR, is it works fine until the upper drum begins to be polished smooth by the tape. The tape then starts to adhere slightly and the result was tape slap on rewind. Initially just a little tick tick sound, and as it got worse it would actually snap the tape and usually take out the video heads. What happened is, the free wheeling side, always has a slight braking effect, but you don't want much drag, just a very slight drag. Now these hubs did have mechanical brakes as well but these were only engaged by a spring when in stop to prevent the tape from becoming slack. On rewind for example there is a very slight drag on the take up side. When this tape starts to stick slightly the tape slows slightly, which allowed the supply reel, because of the weight of the extra rotor to release some tension. The machine would detect the tension drop and apply a little more force to the take up side which would slow it. At the same time the tension release on the tape would break the sticking to the polished drum which resulted in the tape speeding up. When the slack was taken up it would again tighten up on the drum, which would slow the tape slightly and again cause the free wheeling spindle to release more tape which would release the tension, and create a bigger slap. When it got bad the slap was enough to stretch the tape releasing the binder and you ended up with magnetic tape coating peeling off the tape base, or even worse the tape was stretched to the point that it almost broke and would slide into the head slot with the spinning heads, get all chewed up and possibly snap off the head chip. It was a terrible design. Good engineering idea, but in reality it was not suited for consumer video recorders. Some of the professional models did implement this, however they also featured an entire spinning head drum, so there was nothing for the tape to adhere to. The original Sony Beta used the 3 piece drum, all the way to the SL5200 series, but with the 2000 series they went to the Sanyo designed 2 piece drum with the slot. This design was simpler for a service person, as no eccentricity and dihedral adjustments were necessary. Most not Sony authorized servicers never had to do escentricity or dihedral adjustments. It was a requirement of the 2 piece drum, that used the spinning center piece. People think the VHS design with the entire upper drum was a VHS design, but infact that dates back to Sony with the 3/4"Umatic design. The reason that wasn't implemented for Beta was for cost, but had they gone with a full upper drum that spun it woul have prevented many issues with the tape acting like a polishing cloth and shining the upper drum to a mirror finish and making tapes, especially the higher grade tapes stick to it. Watch my Sony Super Beta training seminar (yes I know it is long, 3 hours of boring discussion of the super beta system) and you will hear the sony training instructor comment about high grade tapes and how bad they were, and the solution to these upper drums that used comit cleanser to fix them.
Please use a tripod if making your own video"s, it's against the law not to and violators will be charged with felony and misconduct in a public office. Thank You.
Still have my SLF1 and archived some tapes few months back. Not a single problem at all. Client tried for some years to see footage from 20+ years back before I did this for him. That's why I'm holding onto my machine. Just to see the excitement on people's faces watching stuff from way back. Thanks for keeping us informed on how to keep these machines running.
FANTASTIC SONY GEAR i happen to have 8 sony units, the latest is th sony sl 2000 the others i have are thesl-1fie and the timer is the sl-f1ub, all in perfect condition even have 3 leather cases for the videos, and i have 4 trinicon cameras in excellent condition. its so great to know that some people have looked after this gear for all these years !
They don't make things like they used to. It's a throw away world we live in now a days. Great video, and a good picture from the recorder.
It's only a throw away world now because things are so cheap now that people won't repair. That's the real reason the shops closes their doors.
@@12voltvids it is a shame, there's no shops near me that do repairs any more. I usually buy my tape decks etc.. from charity shops, but even they don't sell many any more. I have 2 double tape decks, Sony and Technics, the latter being the best as it's from the 80s unlike the Sony which is around 2000. Although did manage to replace the take up spool on one deck on the Sony as it didn't fast forward or rewind. Bring back the good old days.
Brilliant! Extremely interesting! Have to say I really do love your channel, your knowledge, experiences and charm are inspirational. Keep up the great work!
Funny you should say that. My kids seem to think I don't know anything. Their peers, and teachers are "way smarter than I am"
Hehe, you are too modest! Keep doing the vids, they are always interesting!
*****
Ha ha. I can relate to that. My 14 year old thinks I am dumb as a box of rocks, and he is a rocket scientist.
LMAO @ that Mark Twain comment!
good video. UK viewer, love your videos, i have always been a tinkerer but, on my 40th i wanted to learn electronics. Yous vids teach me alot and i can repair and diagnose basic faults. got the basic tools and love it as a hobby. I have become the families electronic recycling center lol. My dad bought a betamax video player/recorder toploader. if we even looked at it we got a slap lol. I had a zx81. 1k ram and a 16k expansion. i am 47 now and my kids laugh.
I started back when I was a teenager, and spent 20 years working at a Sony / Panasonic warranty depot. I left the repair business when I was 40. Just woke up one day and looked at the writing on the wall, and changed careers . I also operated a suscessfull video production company for over 30 years, hell I am still doing that. I am still running the video production company, I just don't do weddings anymore, but all other aspects I do. I still do promo videos, training videos, real estate videos. Not as busy as it once was, much more competition these days.
My dad had something similar. It was a Panasonic portable unit like that and you could attach a video camera to it. Had decent quality. When I was about 11 or 12 I started using it because I loved taking photographs and making videos
Your videos are so interesting. I really enjoy watching you work on these machines. Thanks and please, keep on saving these units from the landfills.
Very cool! I just ordered this same model from eBay earlier today along with the 12 used Betamax blank tapes which can be used for testing. Can wait to get this thing working soon.
I wouldn't touch this one with a 10 foot pole. There are 3 beta models to stay away from. Sl2000, sl2500 and sl2700.
They love to snap tapes as do all VCRs that have direct drive reel tables.
And speaking of Sony SL-2000, I just got another one off of eBay and it’s the same model, and it still works. As for the previous one, it doesn’t work, because the head drum is shot when I put the tape in and press any of the buttons, it does nothing. When I did my other SL-2000, it works, but the picture had issues which was the head was dirty and the audio was jittering. I cleaned the audio and video heads, capstan, pinch roller, and spray with contact cleaner on the spindle, it plays perfectly and the audio is pretty darn good. Now that I’m happy with my working Sony SL-2000, I’m getting rid of the other SL-2000, because the VCR part is not working anymore after I attempt to restored.
And over the weekend, I just ordered my Sony SL-HF450 Super Beta Hi-Fi VCR and it needs cleaning. When I was watching an eBay video, a seller tested out and it works, and the picture itself is clogged up, and that means it’s time for a cleaning.
In addition when I was doing my transfers over to digital or DVD, it also had a problem, the tracking is acting up like crazy. When I was doing some aligning the video and audio, it fixes the problem, but same issue. I did sprayed the tracking using contact cleaner and it works fine for the most part.
I did tested my recording of an episode of “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” from another Betamax VCR that I got which is a Sony SL-HF450 and played back on my Sony SL-2000 and it looks fine for the most part, but the tracking is acting up.
Thanks for another interesting video! From what I read the very first camcorder ever was made by JVC, it was a big thing, basically a camera and a VHS-C recorder screwed together, I think you could actually take them apart and use them as two seperate pieces too. Later in 1984 came the JVC GR-C1E camcorder that many call the first camorder ever. I bought one of those years ago at a flea market for 11€ or so. Still works!
The SMF tube of that camera sure is good, my old JVC camcorder does not look nearly as good!
The VCR is an absolutely fantastic design. Once you got it all folded open, the circuitry and mechanism really aren't that different in size from a stationary unit, it's really the design that made this unit so compact. I think in the 80s Sony really were at their best.
The worlds first camcorder was the Sony BMC100 betamovie.
It was a record only camera/recorder and it goes back to 1983, the year after this one was made. JVC followed the next year with the VHS C format.
I have a professional Betamovie. It had an electronic view finder (B/W tube) whereas the consumer model it was an optical finder that was very hard to focus with, and auto focus had not been developed yet.
12voltvids
Hm, maybe people keep calling the JVC C1 the first camcorder because it could playback tapes as well as record them... that two piece combination JVC 'camcorder' came out in 1982, I read that in a magazine and they even had a photo of it, but I threw it out so I can't look it up anymore.
I was a bit surprised when you said you had a Betamovie because indeed the consumer units are rather limited in features and functions with that optical viewfinder but if you had a professional model then that's a whole different thing I guess.
Aside from the JVC I also have a Sony CCD-V8AF, the second Video8 camcorder Sony ever brought out (first one was the V8 with manual focus only). The V8AF uses infrared to focus, next to the lens it has a big send/receive lens for that. Interesting stuff!
DrCassette
According to the www.rewindmuseum.com/vintagecamcorder.htm the betamovie was the first.
The reason the betamovie could only record, not play back was because it used a non standard format. The drum was about 1/3 the size of a regular beta format drum, and it only had a single dual azimuth head. The tape was wrapped 360" around the head. The head spun at 3600 RPM, 2X the speed of a normal drum, and recorded the video tracks as a time compressed signal. The horizontal scanning rate was modified to allow this non standard head size. As such there was no way to play it back on a regular TV. However when the tape was loaded on a standard betamax machine, the resulting playback was a standard video signal.
So the frequencies were modified, to this non standard signal to record. herefore it is impossible to play back. VHS had a little easier time making a compact drum for their video cameras as the drum in a VHS machine is much smaller to begin with For VHS they made the drum a little smaller, and used 4 heads to record, with a 270' tape wrap, with the heads stepping forward 90' at a time. 4 rotations of the head drum to write 2 full tracks. That would be 2 rotations on a conventional VHS machine.
The professional betamovie was no dfferent. It was record only, no rewind, no playback. just an EVF so you could judge your exposure correctly, and things like manual iris control.
I had a CCDV8 years ago too. I have a CCDV110 now that was given to me, and a CDTR81, you've see that one repaired here, and a couple of digital 8 units, a full size Panasonic VHS camera, HDR HC3 and HDR FX1 HDV cameras, a JVC GYDV500 broadcast DV camera, and various HD Flash based cameras and DSLRs. Too many to count. Many of these are donated cameras.
One day I will get the betamovie, and the vhs movie, and the old 8mm shoulder mounted camera, and tear them down and compare the internal guts.
I might even open up my JVC broadcast unit, and let you see what it is in. It eats tapes so I need to work on that. It is basically a decoration these days. Only SD quality, but it looks impressive sittng atop it's 1,500 tripod. I remember when I wrote a cheque for that camera 15 years ago. 10,000.00! 5 years later it was taken out of service because everyone wanted HD.
12voltvids Over time I too had many camcorders, basically once an interesting model showed up on Ebay or elsewhere I got it, tried it out and then eventually sold it again. At this point, since I moved away from my parents place where my workshop is located, I have sort of lost track of all the equipment I have... when it comes to camcorders, I have the 1984 JVC GR-C1E, the 1986 Sony CCD-V8AF, a 1987 Bauer (rebadged Panasonic) VHS-C camcorder, two Panasonic MS1 S-VHS camcorders, a Canon XM2 MiniDV, a Sony HDR-SR11 HD harddrive camcorder, a JVC GY-HM100 ProHD camcorder, a Sony CX570 I just recently got as a small, portable camcorder and finally a truely wonderful Canon HF-G30 camcorder. I do intend to sell the Sony SR11 and the JVC HM100 soon, maybe also the Canon HF-G30 will go again while it's still worth almost as much as I paid for it (I got it 2nd hand). I just don't use this equipment often enough considering the money I paid. Of course, if I was going to sell the JVC and the Canon I could get a 2nd hand Sony AX100 4K for that money...
DrCassette
Over the years I have had the following and sold many from my video production business days. I had a Sony GCS 1 profressional Betamovie, (still have) a BMC1000 Betamovie (sold long ago) Panasonic PVS360 SVHS, also sold, Sony CCD-V5000 Hi8 (sold) CCD TR81 (still have) CCD VX3 3CCD Hi8 (sold) EVW-300 professional Hi8 (sold), DCR-VX1000 (sold) Canon GL1 (sold) JVC GYDV-500 (still have). These were the SD cameras. Then came HD. Sony HDR FX1 (still have and use) HDR HC3, (still have) JVC gy200 (sensor is going bad, black marks in video)
Sony HDR CX220 (use for youtube) and a Sony FDR AX100 4K.
The drum on this thing is HUGE. Like a OP Video head
you are so right about that old video tech those things just never die takes a licking keeps on ticking!! I have a old Sony tc-270 that reel to reel is over 40+years old runs like new the only thing I did to it was free up the mechanism, changed a belt that was all I did. and it runs like new, Right out of the box!
kevin st.denis Same as with my old Akai 1710W tape recorder from 1968. Still works as well as it did new, and I still use it.
awsome just can't beat this old technology it just keeps on going never dies lol love your vids by the way I've learned a lot form you just by watching your vids
"...have a drone and do aerial shots" - hahaha, I never heard of this method before. Great video as usual!
A few of the high end production companies use a small quad copter, and use it for ariel shots. Think weddings at a golf course ect. They can put the thing up and grab some overhead video. Those are the guys that still make money doing it.
As you hooked up the camera, you stated that the unit would focus that close. I had a similar camera the HVC 2200. Coles focus was only working in the wide angle mode not in telephoto mode. BTW, the camera was not very light sensitive, about equal to ASA 35 film.
Nice video! I have two trinicon HVC-4000p's that connect to this model of recorder.
i love this channel.and this vcr sl-f1e
Thank you so much for your help you're really good at what you do I have an SL-2000 unit that's working fine for now but would like to see if I can get the 2001 going.
Things looked cooler back in the day. Nowadays things don't have as many buttons and interesting innards; it's usually just a circuit board. That's a SCART connector, right?
They used the same type of motor in the capstans of the slimline Walkman players. That's how they were able to make them so thin. I can remember seeing one which broke a long time ago and at the time I was amazed at its construction; I had never seen anything like it before. If I remember right, it used a quartz-locked servo clock to drive the reels at precisely the right speed for playback.
It is called a bsl (brushless slotless motor) and they are 3 phase motors. They all use a drive ic and hall sensors to generate the drive waveform. Some use a fg sensor as well to generate a speed reference to be compared to a reference xtal. I have a wm10 and wmf10 that use that system.
brilliant, but brilliant, any chance or any ideas when the video door dont close on the same model your are on ?? m thanks man
The mechanical catch is released by the pinch roller. When it retracts all the way back it presses a lever that pops the tape door catch. The linkage might be stuck, or the latch broken or stuck.
Great info and video.Thanks for posting..
+paymydues SL 5200 overhaul coming soon (under repair now)
+12voltvids Great :)
I do have 2 Betamax players that need some repair (the playback stop after a few seconds) so I googled it without too much expectation, and I happened upon your youtube channel, a paradise for every Betamax owner, thanks a lot for your video !!
I managed to oil the motors with your explanations, but the playback still stop after seconds.. Do you have other clues that could solve this problem ?
1:27 I remember in early 1980s that people with camera and a VCR strapped looked cool because they were very expensive back then.
Yes they were. An sl2000 portapak and hvc2800 would have set the proud owner back close to 5 large.
21:14 the spring was on before it came off.
Great video! I have same machine which does not eject the tape already in it. It plays, forward, rewind but eject!! can you help with advice? Thanks in advance.
+Maged Aboelela Yes probably. I have another SL2000 that is going up on the bench very soon. I will go through the mechanism on that one.If I remember correctly there is a mechanical switch, and a lever involved, and if I remember there is a lever that gets gummed up. I will be doing the other SL2000 video very soon, keep watching.
+12voltvids Thanks you very much. looking forward to watch it!
i just picked one of these up on Facebook Marketplace with the same issue, plays fine but won't eject. @12voltvids, did you eve put the mechanism video up? Any help would be much appreciated!
I used 3 and 1 machine oil on the reel shafts like you did in the video, but I'm still having issues with it struggling to move the tape. Possible capstan motor issue? Can you do the same with the capstan motor? Or could it be a servo circuit problem. Also, mine won't eject when I hit the eject button and the eject light just stays on.
These ones were not very good when new. All those bsl direct drive motors and motor drive circuits had high failure. It's like a BMW or Mercedes. Over engineered and high failure.
Hi Dave, I got an SL-2000 and it's tuner for $40 on eBay, in great condition. Unsure if it's 100% working but as far I as know, it ejects/unthreads and powers on at least. The seller included the NP-1 battery, but I think it should be dead or not hold a good charge.
Do you know what type of cells the NP-1 uses and what I can replace them with? Would love to rebuild it so I can take it outside.
They are sub c size ni-cd cells. I had many rebuilt over the years as my betacam, evw300 and jvc gydv500 all used them. I still have a bunch and the very expensive Sony 4 battery charger / conditioner that was about 1500.00 just for a charger.
Great video ! I have a SL-F1 which probably need Hall effect sensors to be replaced. Wondering what I should I order, something like THS103A. Does yours have 3 or 4 legs ? Thanks !
If i remember they are 4 lead
Hello. I have a Sears similar portable model and there is a small rubber belt that has disintegrated (seems melted and falling apart) on what I think is the capstan motor. I think it's this small belt because the tape threads fine but the tape won't move when you press play and I have noticed this degraded rubber belt. Would this be the way to access and replace it. Thank you.
Hi! I just subscribed to your channel. You have a lot of cool videos. I know that single chip (CMOS or CCD) cameras now days have RBG filters on groups of pixels to get a color image. I also realize there are high-end cameras have 3 CMOS chips, like the Canon XL, but those do not pertain to my question. How did Sony get RBG signals from a single imaging tube? Thanks for the video and all the trivia you pass along. I am old enough to remember all that you are discussing. Thanks again.
Have a good one!
Dave
+Swarf Rat There were a couple of ways that color images were obtained from imaging tubes. Sony did it different with the trinicon tube. It uses a vertically striped RGB color filter over the faceplate of an otherwise standard vidicon imaging tube to segment the scan into corresponding red, green and blue segments. Although the idea of using color stripe filters over the target was not new, the Trinicon was the only tube to use the primary RGB colors. This necessitated an additional electrode buried in the target to detect where the scanning electron beam was relative to the stripe filter. Previous color stripe systems had used colors where the color circuitry was able to separate the colors purely from the relative amplitudes of the signals. As a result the Trinicon featured a larger dynamic range of operation.Sony did the same thing with a color picture tube that used just a single gun as opposed to separate guns for each color. They called this the indextron.Also known as a beam index tube, it has no shadow mask or arperature grill. It uses a beam index stripe on the leading edge (left side looking from the front) and a photo transistor pointing into the internals of the tube right along the frit seal area (faceplate bond to the bell) As the beam sweeped the tube the index signal would flash and be detected by the pickup to synchronize the RGB switching circuits in the video amplifier. The idea behind this was lower cost picture tubes, lower power consumption, and resistance to magnetic influence from the earths magnetic field.
Started subscribing to your channel since I found informative vidoes on the SL2000. I have one that I had kept in storage and just now trying to digitize my family videos. The SL2000 does not play and I notice that the forward and rewind tape spindle activate at the same time during play mode, the forward spindle goes clockwise and the rewind spindle goes counterclockwise. Forward and rewind mode work fine. It's just the play mode. Any ideas? Thanks.
Hi, I have the zenith version of this recorder. I picked it up at a yard sale to play some of my old beta tapes from the 80s that I had shot. I hooked it up and it worked fine. I played one of my old tapes and it had a lot of static on it so I stopped the tape and fast forwarded to the end and then let it rewind itself (kind of slow) to the beginning. Then it stopped working properly. It would play for a couple of seconds and then stop like one of the spools was sticking. I want to take it apart and clean it like you just did in this video but I'm afraid I'm going to break it. Any advice?
Steve
hi @12voltvids.there is enough for you to take advantage of one thing. On newly purchased hf950, stereo tape is fine but mono tape sounds very low, suggest I look elsewhere, sorry for bad translation
grat video thanks very much
Great video! Pancake capstan motors! I have two SL-2000 units, and an HVC-2400 Camera. One set-up works, but the camera has no audio. Wish I could fix the audio on the camera! Any pointers for the audio? Audio jack with a mic won't record audio either.
Something in the audio circuit ether on the camera or on the recorder. If you plug an earphone into the audio monitor on the side of the camera do you hear any. Been so long since I worked on any of these old units.
I bought that VCR and camera in 1983 at cost from a dealer-friend who was going out of business. I was still using it in 1989. I remember taking the camera apart on the picnic table in Red Canyon near Bryce Canyon National Park while we were on vacation. The zoom had stopped working.
I want to copy my Beta tapes to my computer. I'll check out the VCR before putting in a good tape. Thank you so much for making this video! Can you recommend a decent video-to-USB converter, or is there a better way to do it?
The best way is to use the AV-DV function of a digital8 or DV camera. The A-D converter in those units was very good, and made big files. 12 gigs per hour. Low bit rate capture sticks generally don't look as good, but Hauppague make some good capture cards, as well as many other manufactures.I use a Hauppague HDPVR here to capture analog video, from both SD and HD sources, and SD sources. For the best quality I use the DV capture feature of my DV deck. Analog in firewire out.
Can you explain to me the process of repairing the upper head drum with cleanser? I have two of these units and am curious to know, just in case.
12V, I love so much you repair a Betamax VTR.
In future you repair a BMC-110?
Great Video!!
How about a GCS1! I have one of those. That was the professional version of the Betamovie. It is the "Disposable" camera that was devoloped for news gathering. Cost a lot but much cheaper than the EFP Betacam cameras.
Have a TT-2000 and SL-2000 unit that I recently dug out of storage and decided to transfer some old Beta to digital. Followed your overhaul of the SL-2000 and all was well. Watched a bunch of old tapes and went to bed.
Today, I tried to power up and to my surprise, the TT-2000 would power, but when I tried to power the SL-2000, there was clicking noise and then no power to both,
Let it rest and tried again, if I power the TT-2000, it is OK, but when I hit the SL-2000 button, no go and clicking sound.
I am not thinking that it is related to the SL-2000 overhaul but more inclined to think the TT-2000 power supply is faulty.
Any thoughts or suggestions
Thanks, Steve Simon
It could be caps in the DC-DC converter that worked initially, and then pissed their contents as soon as the pressure built up. I have the manual for that deck I am pretty sure.
i was wondering is that camera compatible with a portable vhs recorder? is the connector the same?
Sony used a 14 pjn connector. The VHS camp a 9. There was an adapter available. I have the adapter around here somewhere.
Hi , I really appreciate the kind of work you do I have a question if you could do me a favor I have my a few Betamax units but the first one I bought was the SL-2001 along with the TT-2000 tuner I don't see anything on the SL-2001 bu it is very similar to the SL-2000 except that it does not have the digital counter bu issue is that it does not load the tape into the the head drum and the cassette mechanism doesn't stay in the closed position it pops open every time I push it down. Can you please help? Thanks
Pedro Luna
If I am not mistaken the 2001 had a small switch that closed when the latch on the tape door locked to signal the tape was closed. The latch is activated by a lever that is pressed by the loading Gear that moves the pinch roller. I will have to look at my 2000 to refresh my memory and I will get back to you. If I remember the switch has a plastic mount that was susceptible to cracking and allowing the switch to move and not activate. The 2001 is a totally different mechanism. It does not have direct drive tape reels. They are driven by a belt from the capstan motor like all the home beta units. The 2000 used direct drive reel motors which only the 2500 and 2700 home decks used.
Where can I find a beta? Got a hundred tapes I really want to see. Any help appreciated!
Try Ebay. I just bought an SL-F1 (the European version of this) for £50. Expect to pay £150 + for any machine shown working though.
Cool! Is there an easy way to eject a tape manually from this unit with no power? I do have a 12 V Power supply I could connect to the battery connectors but I'm worried that I might blow something.
I was able to get it open by taking a computer power supply to turn on.
My SL-2000 seems to suffer from a lot a tracking issues (skipping tape) and a lot of “wow” in the audio side of things, where should i look to resolve the issue?
How does the upper drum look? If it's shiny like a mirror it needs servicing.
@12voltvids
Thank you for getting back to me, i am putting together a video response to show you exactly what i see.
I will upload the link to this comment thread once it’s done.
@@12voltvids th-cam.com/video/0Xw-txopKNs/w-d-xo.html
here you go.
Tried to find a manual for both online, but no luck
big bopper
I just might have the paper manual for both the sl2000 and tt2000
I could attempt a repair if I had some guidance ie: manual
Are you in the GTA area and do you do repairs?
If I knew what caps to look at it would make troubleshooting easier.
I can get you my contact info if you can help.
Thanks and Regards,
there is a door on the back of the TT2000 and when opened there is a female plug that looks like it may be an auxillary power input.
If that is correct, do you know what voltage and amperage it needs for input to power the unit?
would that bypass the internal power supply and offer an alternate power supply?
how many minutes used to be last each battery after fully charged?
When running the recorder and camera perhaps 60 min.
I love Beta NTSC and PAL. (I'm in the UK) I have a Sony C9 (similar in looks to a SL2500) that refuses to take a tape (basket doesn't move) any help would be greatly appreciated
12V, in the SL-2000 / 2500 / 2700 is possible, to adjust the take-up torque?
How to adjust the take-up torque, when this is low?
I have another SL2000 that I will be servicing. I believe there are pots to adjust the back tension, and forward tension. You need the special torque gauge to adjust it properly. I had one of those, but don't know where it is. I do have the factory beta alignment tape though.
Thanks 12V, on the SL-2500 the adjustment is only back tension,
no take-up torque. The take-up torque is driven by two 2SB733.
A very low torque is causated by failure of this transistors drive?
i acualy have nos sony IC chips for this machine XD weirdly enough there in zenith bags still sealed
an pretty soon im going to be geting one of these machines probaly cause i still film an do videos with this equipment it realy fun to mess with this stuff gives you a nice challage even tho i didnt grow up with any of this except vhs
Who, someone with more patience than me. I couldn't wait to ditch tape.
@12voltvids
Were you able to look at the video i left?
What video.
@12voltvids
Sorry, it’s under my other original comment.
I left a link.
@@halo3odst didn't see it. Unless it's a TH-cam link TH-cam won't publish it due to virus concerns.
@12voltvids
Weird, its a link to an unlisted youtube video i uploaded.
And now the one i posted in THIS thread is outright missing....
@@12voltvids th-cam.com/video/0Xw-txopKNs/w-d-xo.html how about now?
I like it....!
Adilson 🙏🙏
Hi I just happened up on your channel I love what time you have put into this field and am well on my way to seeing all your video's this is not related to this vit ,I am starting to finally getting into testing and finding my way around some of my gear that I have gather threw the years I am a Ham and don't feel a shame of asking you what size and kind of solder do you use for most of your repairs ,this would cut threw the tons of stuff out there and you most likely have been there done that it will more than likely save me many hit and miss sessions of buying the wrong stuff and screwing the job up from the get go.
Charlie /n2wjs
I too am a Ham.
I use Kester 60/40 1.2mm rosin core for most stuff.
The high lead solder is very difficult to find these days as it has been banned because of the lead.I only have this because I have had it for many years. I have another roll of ,5mm hat I used for the really fine stuff but I generally use the larger solder. Has more rosin in it which provides better cleaning.
cheers. Dave /va7fo
Sony SL-F1 uses the same design of reel motors.
As did the sl2500, and 2700. Worst design they ever had. Too much inertia added to tape spools.
12voltvids The design is good, they just didn’t perfected it, Every tape drive after that era used hub motors with torque feedback, they don’t use physical brakes, Electronic braking is used.
Yes I know how it works, and on linear drive systems it works fine.
The problem with this on VCR, is it works fine until the upper drum begins to be polished smooth by the tape. The tape then starts to adhere slightly and the result was tape slap on rewind. Initially just a little tick tick sound, and as it got worse it would actually snap the tape and usually take out the video heads.
What happened is, the free wheeling side, always has a slight braking effect, but you don't want much drag, just a very slight drag. Now these hubs did have mechanical brakes as well but these were only engaged by a spring when in stop to prevent the tape from becoming slack. On rewind for example there is a very slight drag on the take up side. When this tape starts to stick slightly the tape slows slightly, which allowed the supply reel, because of the weight of the extra rotor to release some tension. The machine would detect the tension drop and apply a little more force to the take up side which would slow it. At the same time the tension release on the tape would break the sticking to the polished drum which resulted in the tape speeding up. When the slack was taken up it would again tighten up on the drum, which would slow the tape slightly and again cause the free wheeling spindle to release more tape which would release the tension, and create a bigger slap. When it got bad the slap was enough to stretch the tape releasing the binder and you ended up with magnetic tape coating peeling off the tape base, or even worse the tape was stretched to the point that it almost broke and would slide into the head slot with the spinning heads, get all chewed up and possibly snap off the head chip.
It was a terrible design. Good engineering idea, but in reality it was not suited for consumer video recorders.
Some of the professional models did implement this, however they also featured an entire spinning head drum, so there was nothing for the tape to adhere to. The original Sony Beta used the 3 piece drum, all the way to the SL5200 series, but with the 2000 series they went to the Sanyo designed 2 piece drum with the slot. This design was simpler for a service person, as no eccentricity and dihedral adjustments were necessary.
Most not Sony authorized servicers never had to do escentricity or dihedral adjustments. It was a requirement of the 2 piece drum, that used the spinning center piece. People think the VHS design with the entire upper drum was a VHS design, but infact that dates back to Sony with the 3/4"Umatic design. The reason that wasn't implemented for Beta was for cost, but had they gone with a full upper drum that spun it woul have prevented many issues with the tape acting like a polishing cloth and shining the upper drum to a mirror finish and making tapes, especially the higher grade tapes stick to it.
Watch my Sony Super Beta training seminar (yes I know it is long, 3 hours of boring discussion of the super beta system) and you will hear the sony training instructor comment about high grade tapes and how bad they were, and the solution to these upper drums that used comit cleanser to fix them.
12voltvids I will check it out.
I hate how sony put mini jack. My Sony Beta 2406 has mini audio jack
Please use a tripod if making your own video"s, it's against the law not to and violators will be charged with felony and misconduct in a public office. Thank You.
It's not the camera that's shaking you have had a few too many. Come back when you are sober.