It’s very handy being able to do this! Glad you made this video. I’ve had one customers tape that must have had very sloppy guides, the tape path was all over the place, I couldn’t keep up with it by adjusting.
Oh yes, sometimes the tape path varies through the tape, that's maddening. Fortunately quite rare. The original camcorder owner must have known their camcorder had gone to hell but carried on using it regardless.
Hi Colin, good helpful video as always. Before I adjust guide height I use a black felt tipped pen mark on the screw head to show the guide screw's original position so at least there's a reference. Of course if the screw is turned more than half a turn I have to record which way (clockwise or anticlockwise) takes me back to the reference point.
Glad to find that video because it is my near by job I need to try. It is very tricky and scary to touch anyway when something happenes and has to be repaired - no excuse. In past I've had very troublesome happening in my Canon A10 - the plastic ring security fall off the axe during loading , metal extention diconnected and all loading tray stopped. Got replacement for security ring and assembled back. I managed to make it work but it repeated again and again and at last the plastic rail leading loading rollers was broken by pushing it motor. Then I glued it assembled and again got working. With broken by way conducting tapes and plugs which I reconnected 🙃 Eventualy this camera was damaged by wrong operation by my teenager son and now is in pieces. Now I use Canon UC8 Hi8 which is better but my actual goal is to make Canon A1 - would be my beloved because I love all that manual settings with manual knobs it has I purchased it as damaged but not received yet. Then I will for sure watch your film again
Very good video. I have Sony DCR-TRV345E. It's very simple to adjust the video head of this camera. Only 3 screws need to be removed. And I have a set of mini screwdrivers that contained a tool like this. Not the exact tool, but I did it. Thank You Very Much for this video!!!
Before a tapepath adjustment is made be shure that backtention en forward tention is oke. Thats means for all helicallscan (DAT&AV) devices. Every brand had referenence tapes for authorised service departments available. Adjustment had to be done by service manual instructions using a oscilloscoop measuring RF signal and trigger on RF sweep pulse. Repaired many camcorders for SonyNL
I also lost the plastic tube off the pinch roller in my miniDV camcorder last year whilst removing a jammed tape (I had a sticky mechanism that popped a fuse during an eject cycle). I found out that a bit of a biro ink tube was a perfect fit.
Thank you for this and other videos! I have sucessfully digitized a bunch of problematic Hi8 tapes with help from your videos. Awsome content! Keep up with this awsome stuff! :)
I had to chuckle, that's the sort of thing i did to get a tape to playback :-D "Enter the dragon" from a faulty betamax machine, ( jammed a screwdriver in the mech to keep it playing ). Don't forget spray cans for the internal tube, and spray deodorants for a bigger tube, biro pen ink tube :-D Good to know where handy tubes can be found for free. I made the tool for adjusting the tape guides, a rod of brass and i inserted a metal washer in a slot in the end soldered in. On vhs vcrs, the left guide makes the picture jumpy, i always used a dim light and observed the bottom of the tape on the rabbit reference shelf, adjust for no distortion of the reflection in the tape. My crude methods always worked.
Biro tube is too big for these 8mm pinch rollers, it's hard to find anything just the right size. Making an adjustment tool is a good idea. In the days gone by, those kits would have been fairly expensive. Since no-one wants them any more, they can be found on eBay for £10 now.
HI! Nice video, I have EV-S350 Video8 Deck, after fixing some issue with tape mech. I'm facing issue with slow playback! I cleaned-up the pinch roller to no effect ! What do you think is happening here ? Thank you.
Quite likely capacitor failure somewhere in the capstan servo circuit. Could be tricky to resolve. Other causes are possible, but that's where I would start looking.
I have a Sony GV-200 video Walkman that was fully restored 4 years ago (including board cleaning and new caps). It plays fine then after 3 to 5min the colour starts to change to Black and white from the top of the display then slowly moves to the bottom of the display until all of the video is BW and has a few horizontal lines sometimes. The sound works fine.
@@video99couk Yeah I have restored alot of vintage gear including 12 x video walkmans. I have taken the GV-200 apart and will do ESR tests on the caps now starting in the video section of the mainboard. This GV-200 was restored by an ebay seller from the USA who restores them. The caps looks fresh with nice shiny solder on each. Hopefully one is faulty. :)
@@video99couk I took it apart and all caps pass the ESR meter plus they are all no more then 3 years old Reseated all the ribbon cables Reassembled and it’s happy now color working after 1 hour playback
@@video99couk after more testing I have found out what is causing the drum head to act like a brake when pressing stop It is the cleaning sponge whelk that touches the head drum when pressing stop It seems to be applying more pressure than my other players with the same mech It only touches when pressing stop
Hi, great video, very well explained. Could you tell me what software/ hardware you use to record via firewire. I have tried a few cards and software but none seem to work. Thank you
For hardware, a PCI Express Firewire card. For software, I use Pinnacle Studio 10 (an old version) or WinDV which is free and has a very good buffer system.
I may be mistaken, but from your microscope videos I noticed that your initial pinch roller inner metal surface or spindle surface was pretty much wear out caused pinch roller wobling. This could cause extra rubber wear out in addition to normal use wear out.
If you can find a VXA drive or any 8mm format tape storage drive and just salvage the pinch roller from it, At the end of the format some drives can be had brand new or in good condition the least.
Hi Colin, I have recently acquired an old Sony Video 8 Handycam (CCD-TR45E) to digitise some Hi8 family recordings of mine. However i'm not getting any sound being on playback. I don't see where adjustments can be made on this earlier model, have you any suggestions? Many thanks!
One unlikely cause is that the original recordings were made only with PCM digital audio and no FM audio, but PCM audio was generally limited only to very high end professional camcorders. More likely there's a fault with the CCD-TR34E. I recommend Digital8 camcorders for digitising, such as the TVE-120E. Care because a few Digital8 camcorders won't play analogue tapes, see a list at the bottom of my page: www.video99.co.uk/Video8_Hi8_to_dvd_transfers.html
great video! ive been trying to adjust my input guide as my digitized audio would just not line up with the vid (the video in in perfectly good condition), but i dont have any one the needed equipment as of the moment, any of you got any alternatives?
I have several SONY cassette decks, DAT decks, and camcorders,. The common problem with them all, is the pinch rollers become soft over time ( they must be firm ). That is most likely the cause of your equipment eating tapes..I have tried sanding them as well, but have had no results. The only solution is have them refurbished. There is a chap in the US who does a remarkable job of replacing the rubber section. He goes by the name Terry's Pinch Rollers.
Yes Digital8 pinch rollers do fail like this, and sanding them often doesn't because they go out of shape. There will come a time that I run out of good pinch rollers and will have to get some refurbished, but it won't be cheap.
Hi, I have a Sony DSR-PD150 that has some record/playback issues. I just uploaded a video here to youtube showing what it's doing. Do you mind if I link it here, maybe you have some ideas on what could be wrong.
Thanks for this super helpful video. I have more or less the issue you describe.... I took the pinch roller out of a TR7000E (early digital 8 model) and tried to fit it in a (newer) TRV340E. The spindle is larger on TRV340E. Short of getting another machine, are there any sources for the rollers? The TRV340E was bought in an unknown state, it arrived without the pinch roller and I get the C:31:23 error
They are not all compatible. There are places (in USA?) that can refurbish an 8mm pinch roller but it's not cheap. So buying some scrap camcorders might be the easiest way.
@@video99couk Thanks for the info. In the end I found another TRV series camera and transferred the roller from that, which was a super easy fix. As you say, the cost of the part from the states worked out considerably more than a donor camera.
hola tengo una Sony DCR-PC9E y tengo este problema ,pero he detectado que le falta el ping roller rodillo de arrastre de la cinta y no hay recambios habría posibilidad de saber las medidas de este rodillo en particular?
hi I have a old Sony DCR-PC1 mini DV recorder. It has the error code C31:23, C31:40. I have check the roller pin is still there and have no idea how to fix.
This may come up as a silly question but if they sell audio tape splicing blocks with included splicing tape that are the same width with a miniDV tape or VHS tape, will it still work? And will the included tape be good enough? Or is there a better splicing tape you would generally reccomend.
I would say that audio splicing tape is probably satisfactory, but some may be a little on the thick side. Cassette splicing tape is very thin and would be good for the smaller formats. The tape doesn't need to be quite as wide as the tape, I would say if it covers over half of the tape width then it's probably safe.
I have a TRV-68 that I'm trying to troubleshoot - record, play, etc, work fine. I get the dreaded C31:23 code if I rewind or fast forward the tape all the way from a stopped position. I'm guessing this means these things have some kind of sensor for tape end that's having an issue. Have you seen this in any of your troubleshooting?
I think that error is usually reel drive related, but could be due to a missing pinch roller or other faults, both mechanical and electronic. Firstly though, look to see if the pinch roller is in place, because they sometimes fall out.
There are 2 adjusters in the case of lines in the image. What about other camcorders? I have a Canon UC2hi and I don't see where the head azimuth is set (same Canon UC10)?
Hi …. I have a problem where I can’t get even a picture up or any counter of minutes and seconds with playback of 8mm tapes recorded on another camcorder. Everything played back and recorder on the machine is fine just the old tapes . Any advice please it’s a Sony trv 270e.
No, colour performance on this format is usually fairly good, better than VHS anyway. There may be a defect on the player, such as bad capacitors in the colour processing circuits, which won't be trivial to repair.
@video99couk thats weird because every hi8 camcorder I have bought has this kind of problem, sometimes slight bleeding, and some have a lot more bleeding mostly in dark or dim enviroments in my home so is there any way of fixing this problem on my camcorder
I got that plastic piece got absolutely knackered trying to take it off with my pliers, but at least my camera works now. If anyone knows a better way of taking that piece off without completely destroying it, please let me know for future reference.
Does it play with no picture, or shut down when you select play? If no picture, it could just be dirty video heads. If it stops in play, then there is a possible mechanical fault which may not be so easy to fix.
Actually on my pre-edited version of this video, I did turn the pinch roller upside down. But as it was it such terrible shape, I wanted to replace it anyway.
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Exactly the problem! I struggled for hours before I saw this!! Thanks so much!
It’s very handy being able to do this! Glad you made this video.
I’ve had one customers tape that must have had very sloppy guides, the tape path was all over the place, I couldn’t keep up with it by adjusting.
Oh yes, sometimes the tape path varies through the tape, that's maddening. Fortunately quite rare. The original camcorder owner must have known their camcorder had gone to hell but carried on using it regardless.
Hi Colin, good helpful video as always. Before I adjust guide height I use a black felt tipped pen mark on the screw head to show the guide screw's original position so at least there's a reference. Of course if the screw is turned more than half a turn I have to record which way (clockwise or anticlockwise) takes me back to the reference point.
Glad to find that video because it is my near by job I need to try. It is very tricky and scary to touch anyway when something happenes and has to be repaired - no excuse.
In past I've had very troublesome happening in my Canon A10 - the plastic ring security fall off the axe during loading , metal extention diconnected and all loading tray stopped. Got replacement for security ring and assembled back. I managed to make it work but it repeated again and again and at last the plastic rail leading loading rollers was broken by pushing it motor. Then I glued it assembled and again got working. With broken by way conducting tapes and plugs which I reconnected 🙃
Eventualy this camera was damaged by wrong operation by my teenager son and now is in pieces. Now I use Canon UC8 Hi8 which is better but my actual goal is to make Canon A1 - would be my beloved because I love all that manual settings with manual knobs it has I purchased it as damaged but not received yet. Then I will for sure watch your film again
Very good video. I have Sony DCR-TRV345E. It's very simple to adjust the video head of this camera. Only 3 screws need to be removed.
And I have a set of mini screwdrivers that contained a tool like this. Not the exact tool, but I did it. Thank You Very Much for this video!!!
Before a tapepath adjustment is made be shure that backtention en forward tention is oke. Thats means for all helicallscan (DAT&AV) devices. Every brand had referenence tapes for authorised service departments available. Adjustment had to be done by service manual instructions using a oscilloscoop measuring RF signal and trigger on RF sweep pulse. Repaired many camcorders for SonyNL
I also lost the plastic tube off the pinch roller in my miniDV camcorder last year whilst removing a jammed tape (I had a sticky mechanism that popped a fuse during an eject cycle). I found out that a bit of a biro ink tube was a perfect fit.
Thanks for that helpful demonstration.
You rock! Thanks so much for sharing all this.
Thank you for this and other videos! I have sucessfully digitized a bunch of problematic Hi8 tapes with help from your videos. Awsome content! Keep up with this awsome stuff! :)
Why doesn't my Sony h18 don't read my inserted cassette? Thanks
Hi there, I know this is a long shot, but where could I find a replacement pinch roller for a Sony EVO-540. What other Sony products share that size?
Another great video👍
I had to chuckle, that's the sort of thing i did to get a tape to playback :-D
"Enter the dragon" from a faulty betamax machine, ( jammed a screwdriver in the mech to keep it playing ).
Don't forget spray cans for the internal tube, and spray deodorants for a bigger tube, biro pen ink tube :-D
Good to know where handy tubes can be found for free.
I made the tool for adjusting the tape guides, a rod of brass and i inserted a metal washer in a slot in the end soldered in.
On vhs vcrs, the left guide makes the picture jumpy, i always used a dim light and observed the bottom of the tape on the rabbit reference shelf, adjust for no distortion of the reflection in the tape.
My crude methods always worked.
Biro tube is too big for these 8mm pinch rollers, it's hard to find anything just the right size.
Making an adjustment tool is a good idea. In the days gone by, those kits would have been fairly expensive. Since no-one wants them any more, they can be found on eBay for £10 now.
congratulations for your excellent channel and videos!
HI! Nice video, I have EV-S350 Video8 Deck, after fixing some issue with tape mech. I'm facing issue with slow playback! I cleaned-up the pinch roller to no effect !
What do you think is happening here ?
Thank you.
Quite likely capacitor failure somewhere in the capstan servo circuit. Could be tricky to resolve. Other causes are possible, but that's where I would start looking.
@@video99couk Thank you for the reply, can it be an issue with SP vs LP detection
What would popping sounds coming from the tape mean could it be a problem with the pinch rollers or bad/misaligned heads.
I have a Sony GV-200 video Walkman that was fully restored 4 years ago (including board cleaning and new caps). It plays fine then after 3 to 5min the colour starts to change to Black and white from the top of the display then slowly moves to the bottom of the display until all of the video is BW and has a few horizontal lines sometimes. The sound works fine.
Certainly sounds like a capacitor failure. A bit non-trivial to repair I'm afraid, but do-able by someone who knows what they are doing.
@@video99couk Yeah I have restored alot of vintage gear including 12 x video walkmans. I have taken the GV-200 apart and will do ESR tests on the caps now starting in the video section of the mainboard. This GV-200 was restored by an ebay seller from the USA who restores them. The caps looks fresh with nice shiny solder on each. Hopefully one is faulty. :)
@@video99couk I took it apart and all caps pass the ESR meter plus they are all no more then 3 years old
Reseated all the ribbon cables
Reassembled and it’s happy now color working after 1 hour playback
@@video99couk after more testing I have found out what is causing the drum head to act like a brake when pressing stop
It is the cleaning sponge whelk that touches the head drum when pressing stop
It seems to be applying more pressure than my other players with the same mech
It only touches when pressing stop
Hi, great video, very well explained. Could you tell me what software/ hardware you use to record via firewire. I have tried a few cards and software but none seem to work. Thank you
For hardware, a PCI Express Firewire card. For software, I use Pinnacle Studio 10 (an old version) or WinDV which is free and has a very good buffer system.
I may be mistaken, but from your microscope videos I noticed that your initial pinch roller inner metal surface or spindle surface was pretty much wear out caused pinch roller wobling. This could cause extra rubber wear out in addition to normal use wear out.
I don't think the centre was worn. These pinch rollers do wobble when not engaged. But anyway I replaced it.
If you can find a VXA drive or any 8mm format tape storage drive and just salvage the pinch roller from it, At the end of the format some drives can be had brand new or in good condition the least.
Worth knowing, thanks.
Hi Colin, I have recently acquired an old Sony Video 8 Handycam (CCD-TR45E) to digitise some Hi8 family recordings of mine. However i'm not getting any sound being on playback. I don't see where adjustments can be made on this earlier model, have you any suggestions? Many thanks!
One unlikely cause is that the original recordings were made only with PCM digital audio and no FM audio, but PCM audio was generally limited only to very high end professional camcorders. More likely there's a fault with the CCD-TR34E. I recommend Digital8 camcorders for digitising, such as the TVE-120E. Care because a few Digital8 camcorders won't play analogue tapes, see a list at the bottom of my page: www.video99.co.uk/Video8_Hi8_to_dvd_transfers.html
great video! ive been trying to adjust my input guide as my digitized audio would just not line up with the vid (the video in in perfectly good condition), but i dont have any one the needed equipment as of the moment, any of you got any alternatives?
Usually a small flat bladed screwdriver will be OK for the adjusting tape guides.
I have several SONY cassette decks, DAT decks, and camcorders,. The common problem with them all, is the pinch rollers become soft over time ( they must be firm ). That is most likely the cause of your equipment eating tapes..I have tried sanding them as well, but have had no results. The only solution is have them refurbished. There is a chap in the US who does a remarkable job of replacing the rubber section. He goes by the name Terry's Pinch Rollers.
Yes Digital8 pinch rollers do fail like this, and sanding them often doesn't because they go out of shape. There will come a time that I run out of good pinch rollers and will have to get some refurbished, but it won't be cheap.
Hi, I have a Sony DSR-PD150 that has some record/playback issues. I just uploaded a video here to youtube showing what it's doing. Do you mind if I link it here, maybe you have some ideas on what could be wrong.
Thanks for this super helpful video. I have more or less the issue you describe.... I took the pinch roller out of a TR7000E (early digital 8 model) and tried to fit it in a (newer) TRV340E. The spindle is larger on TRV340E. Short of getting another machine, are there any sources for the rollers? The TRV340E was bought in an unknown state, it arrived without the pinch roller and I get the C:31:23 error
They are not all compatible. There are places (in USA?) that can refurbish an 8mm pinch roller but it's not cheap. So buying some scrap camcorders might be the easiest way.
@@video99couk Thanks for the info. In the end I found another TRV series camera and transferred the roller from that, which was a super easy fix. As you say, the cost of the part from the states worked out considerably more than a donor camera.
Do you have a video on how to make the tool for the rollers or a link to where I could buy one?
hola tengo una Sony DCR-PC9E y tengo este problema ,pero he detectado que le falta el ping roller rodillo de arrastre de la cinta y no hay recambios habría posibilidad de saber las medidas de este rodillo en particular?
hi I have a old Sony DCR-PC1 mini DV recorder. It has the error code C31:23, C31:40. I have check the roller pin is still there and have no idea how to fix.
Yeah!
This may come up as a silly question but if they sell audio tape splicing blocks with included splicing tape that are the same width with a miniDV tape or VHS tape, will it still work? And will the included tape be good enough? Or is there a better splicing tape you would generally reccomend.
I would say that audio splicing tape is probably satisfactory, but some may be a little on the thick side. Cassette splicing tape is very thin and would be good for the smaller formats. The tape doesn't need to be quite as wide as the tape, I would say if it covers over half of the tape width then it's probably safe.
I have a TRV-68 that I'm trying to troubleshoot - record, play, etc, work fine. I get the dreaded C31:23 code if I rewind or fast forward the tape all the way from a stopped position. I'm guessing this means these things have some kind of sensor for tape end that's having an issue. Have you seen this in any of your troubleshooting?
I think that error is usually reel drive related, but could be due to a missing pinch roller or other faults, both mechanical and electronic. Firstly though, look to see if the pinch roller is in place, because they sometimes fall out.
There are 2 adjusters in the case of lines in the image. What about other camcorders?
I have a Canon UC2hi and I don't see where the head azimuth is set (same Canon UC10)?
All 8mm camcorders will have these two head alignment guides. So too will nearly all other video formats.
the Sony Handycam I am working on worked with my friends HI* cassette but all my HI8s are fuzzy and with no image.. thoughts?
Probably trying to play Digital8 recordings on an analogue player. You need a Digital8 player such as the DCR-TRV120E.
Hello, do you have any idea where I can find such a vcr alignment tool set? Don't find them on the internet anymore.
They turn up quite regularly on eBay. Aim to pay less than about £30.
Hi …. I have a problem where I can’t get even a picture up or any counter of minutes and seconds with playback of 8mm tapes recorded on another camcorder. Everything played back and recorder on the machine is fine just the old tapes .
Any advice please it’s a Sony trv 270e.
Could they be later Digital 8 recordings?
Is it normal for these sony hi8 comcorders to have bleeding with red colored objects and is there any way to rectify the problem.
No, colour performance on this format is usually fairly good, better than VHS anyway. There may be a defect on the player, such as bad capacitors in the colour processing circuits, which won't be trivial to repair.
@video99couk thats weird because every hi8 camcorder I have bought has this kind of problem, sometimes slight bleeding, and some have a lot more bleeding mostly in dark or dim enviroments in my home so is there any way of fixing this problem on my camcorder
I have a Sony h18 camcorder. When I insert the cassette it is not reading the cassette. Why? Thanks
Start by putting a head cleaner through it.
I got that plastic piece got absolutely knackered trying to take it off with my pliers, but at least my camera works now. If anyone knows a better way of taking that piece off without completely destroying it, please let me know for future reference.
Genial yo tengo una SONY CCD-tr44 que solo adelanta, regresa pero no reproduce, que puedo hacer...?🤔🤔🙄🙄😬😬
Does it play with no picture, or shut down when you select play? If no picture, it could just be dirty video heads. If it stops in play, then there is a possible mechanical fault which may not be so easy to fix.
@@video99couk Am sorry frinend I not speken english I am of Mexico city very very THANYOU good day
Is it possible to load the 8mm video tape into a VHS spool?
That would be silly!
Where i can fix my camera you fix for me
I don't take on repairs, sorry.
Tenho alguns modelos d3 marcas diferentes,e dois videogravadores Pioneer modelo: VE-D70 de 1986 clones da Sony.
Try taking the tape out maybe you can say something
Somewhat baffling comment, not sure what you're trying to say there.
TIL the alignment tools work for VHS and 8mm. Can you turn the pinch roller upside down?
Actually on my pre-edited version of this video, I did turn the pinch roller upside down. But as it was it such terrible shape, I wanted to replace it anyway.