A Home Improvement project and a Panasonic DMR-EZ485V VCR/DVD Recorder Diagnosis

[@Luther_The_Rogue]

As a tech, I found that heavy cigarette tar was a problem at times, but it could be removed from the top surface of the lens, and sometimes the bottom surface of the lens and sensor depending on the model. Some units would come in smelling like an ashtray and were coated with a noticeable tar tint on the exterior. Surprisingly, what I found what was worse on rare occasion was a home where a humidifier was used. I verified this with customer contact. My theory is that the whiter talcum powder layer was more effective at scattering the laser beam focused on the sensor that uses multiple elements. The cleaning process was the same. I noted a couple of weeks ago here on this channel that the Sony/Samsung DVD combos that are twins on the inside are easy to work on. It is also easy to clean both sides of the lens of these models. Grab up as many as you can if you are into that sort of retro-technology. They are not the best for image quality or smoothness in operation, but they get the job done as long as VHS tapes are physically viable.

[@bobbyk6585]

Shango would have uttered the Flavor Country description of that unit.

[@RoughJustice2k18]

Shango would also probably say it is full of "cigarette-infused goodness".

[@RoughJustice2k18]

Note about the rear fan: in a few of these Panasonic units the fan becomes active shortly after a DVD is inserted and playing or being recorded - it is not designed to start when the unit is first powered on and run constantly while idle - it is for the DVD drive only. This is true for DMR-EZ47V/DMR-EZ48V models.

[@MrMaxeemum]

Why not scrape the solder mask back and bridge the gaps? Or even remove the chip?

[@norcal715]

A new remote is less than $8 delivered. Its just not worth it. I will keep it for "emergency" use though

[@AdmiralLatias]

2:05 hey thats the same router i use

[@terryraymond7984]

Do a video on that though to fix those traces

[@zs1dfr]

That laser lens was yellow from tar before you cleaned it, and reflected blue after you had finished! People should realize that yellow tar is in their lungs to a greater degree than on the lens!

[@bernhardm9475]

Gotta remove the customer label to see what mode the unit is in: VHS/DVD/Card

[@Luther_The_Rogue]

I can verify, those Panasonic drives were very unreliable. We would have to waste our tech time filling out the paperwork to return the "core", just to have it returned to the parts shelf and fail again after installation. A fellow tech marked one of those core Panasonic drives just to see if it would be boomeranged back. It was. 👎

[@RoughJustice2k18]

The DVD drive in these Panasonic units have a tendency to fail almost right out of the box. I used to own a couple of DMR-EZ47V, DMR-XW390GL, and DMR-EZ48V models (brand new) - each of which had bad drives. Cleaning them didn't fix the problem. The cost of a replacement drive and digital PCB assembly was over $300 AU at the time + labour to install it. Multiply that by 2 or 3 and it becomes an expensive repair! 😖

[@terryraymond7984]

montgomery Ward was always good