I try to fix my sony handycam.avi

[ElvisRocksVinyl]

Not much to that,I've never been keen on anything video tape related with Sony...it's cheap Taiwanese crap and even worse these days, I never once owned a sony VCR or Camcorder that something didn't gone wrong the the bloody things, it would either seize up or gear cogs had snapped, I used to stick with the high end Panasonic's back in the day, least they were made in japan, I have one of the first generation Panasonic Mini DV camcorders and I still use it regular now, right little work horse.

[ecartman12]

My handycam viewfinders screen is completely black. PLEASE HELP!

[CoolDudeClem]

@ecartman12 Could be a problem with the back light.

[laytonellis1]

how can I view my handycam on my pc please e-mail me on GARY.JOYNSON61@LIVE.CO.UK e-mail in caps lock thanks

[MsKarebear10]

Hi8 have door/cage probs too. i've got 2 sony handycams now not working. parts anyone?

[BranF37]

Were you able to use your broken camcorder to play back mini dv despite the fact that you couldn't close the loading mechanism. I am very interested in how one could use a broken dv camera that won't load the tapes but needs to be used to play the tapes one last time. My alignment problem in the camera means that it is the only camera that will play the tapes properly. Can anyone help?

[MetallicBill]

I got the notorious door opening and then stuck open, no indicator of issue prior. I've now disassembled a few of them and it's not something I enjoy, they're too intricate to be an easy job of repair

[oledcrt]

You should take a voltmeter to the port that the motor connects to with the power on so you know how much voltage to send through it.

[MetallicBill]

@oledcrt Reversing polarity is never a good idea if you guess at it, it can totally fry the camera, I know first hand. Setting the voltage and amps is better with an adapter designed for digital cameras, Mine is from Radio Shack, used for years. 2Amps total, up to 7.2 volts in various lower settings

[oledcrt]

@MetallicBill I didn't say anything about "reversing polarity".

[MetallicBill]

@oledcrt I'm advising NOT to do it if it can be helped, when you do like I do, a lot of Jerry-rigging of components for testing, I lacked complete accessories, but I have supplies for other items and I try and mate them often enough.

[pepini1]

would oyu like to sell your main board?? i need one, mine gets damaged

[bigbadwolf2007]

I have a friend that repairs mini dv camcorders and he hates them. They are unreliable and they break easy plus no parts are available. I have a sony 8mm camcorder and mine still working flawlessly. Also they easy to work on, if I were you I would throw that thing away and buy yourself a hi8 camcorder and you'll be set.

[iKenshin1]

could anybody help?

my sony handycam [more like this] is broken..

its the shutter [the camera on the front that opens up] broken..

when i turn it on it won't open it..

could someone help me with my problem

[Isakuma]

I have had the same camera for almost 4 years, I haven't actually used it in at least a year, so I don't know if it works, but I was wondering, if I recorded a video from it and put it on my computer, what resolution would it be?

I've dropped it before and it still worked, it's got a lot of scratches and part of the case cracked, but I love it.

[DrCassette]

(continued)

Then, on the chassis under those circuit boards, there are three or four screws you can take out. And then the whole little mechanism can be pulled out (it's basically a little box) from underneath that door part you can't take off. There is a lot of cables connected to the mechanism, so it's a bit tricky not to break any of these. But then you have the mechanism all out and you can take a closer look at the broken tape guide.

[DrCassette]

I just watched this video again, and I might have some help for you. I once had a Samsung MiniDV camcorder, wich had a mechanism that was really similar to the one in your camera. And I also had the problem with the door part that was impossible to take off. What I had to do was to remove all the circuit boards from the chassis of the camcorder (the ones the little motor is conected to on your camcorder).

[9228029]

oh wow... what i did when my camera got like that was that i gave it small hard but not so hard hits at the bottom of the camera..

[patricknedz]

I like my Samsung Mini DV camcorder, the tape part has a much simpler door than that one, it just has one piece that opens and closes, does not have the big metal thing on it.

[angleseyzola]

i have the same problem but i want to fix it without puling it to bits

plz help

[StinkyCheeser]

New lesson learned, when you lose a piece to your tripod, buy a new one... a 300 dollar tripod is better than losing a 1000 dollar camera

[mostyle70]

I have the same camera but my camera part does not show enything.The video still able to play tapes could enyone tell me how to fix that . By the way nice post.

[SuperSaiyan2009]

i have the same problem did you ever find out anything?

[windoes98se]

how much did you buy the camra for , if its fairly new i would get it proffesionaly fixed

i once took apart a vidio camra when i was 12 i wish i still had it ,

4.5 volts,omg, i am suprised it still works!

[baggedandblown]

You've never heard of washers?

[tribalmasters]

"Always match the wires colors with the ones on the cameras or you'll risk the chance of frying it." Ermm its a motor I don't think it will mind at all with reverse polarity!

[DrCassette]

I really hope that you can get your handycam fixed sometime! I just got an old 1992 Panasonic VHS-C camcorder at a recycling place, and it doesn't want to work :) So we both have to fix a camera :D

[Watcher3223]

Maybe, but with your camcorder being of that age, I would be very concerned about its electrical condition.

Lots of camcorders use small surface-mount electrolytic capacitors and they are known for leaking. The leaked electrolyte can corrode circuit traces, which means, along with replacing the bad capacitor, you have to find some way to patch the breaks.

Otherwise, you'll have to replace the whole affected board.

[DrCassette]

First I have to find a power supply that is strong enough to drive the camera. At the moment I don't have strong power supplies, so I'm not sure if the camera is damaged or not. But it's possible that the capacitors are bad.

[Watcher3223]

There are ways to tell without testing the camcorder's operations, including an olfactory test, believe it or not!

Capacitor electrolyte tends to have a rotten-fish smell to it.

A camcorder that has capacitors that have deteriorated for long enough can have a slight-to-moderate fishy smell inside it.

[DrCassette]

Good news! My camcorder doesn't smell like rotten fish!

I doesn't smell at all, luckily.

[Watcher3223]

And, fortunately, Panasonic is a bit better at it, as well.

Some of the worst about this have been Sony and, especially, Canon.

[DrCassette]

I just took the camera apart, there are defefinitively no bad capaciators inside. But unfortunately I found a little plastic thing and a little spring, these parts were part of the mechanism, so probably the mechanism won't work anymore :(

[rootbrian]

Go by the voltage of the battery, use twist ties, they work wonders, but MAKE SURE THEY DON'T TOUCH EACH OTHER.

[rootbrian]

Don't touch those wires together, it'll SHORT it.

Always match the wires colors with the ones on the cameras or you'll risk the chance of frying it.