Vintage Sony AV3650 Reel To Reel Video recorder

[@frankowalker4662]

You can't get any reel to reel VTR's in the U.K. for under £500. In ANY condition. The most basic model, working, will set you back over £1500. I've always wanted one, I think they are a work of art.

[@veb6814]

Haven't seen one of these for a long time, what a cool machine!!

[@curry3036]

Same type mine it a Yamaha I do take care of it keeps i used WD-40 n the control it Yamaha it is a good one

[@r66fplaysgames]

Cool! I love hearing about old video formats.

[@12voltvids]

Finding parts to finish this one will be a challenge.

[@andershammer9307]

I operated one of these in grade school. It was connected to a Sony by Admiral TV. I have one now that has a GE brand. The capstan motor didn't run well so I replaced the motor cap with a larger one and then it seemed to run ok. Don't think I got a picture from it yet.

[@mjg263]

Pretty neat! It’s interesting how much the mechanism resembles their standard audio recorders of that time. I’ll bet there are even some interchangeable parts.

[@zulumax1]

Yep, we had one like this in high school too. Big metal wheeled cart, tv sitting on top, recorder on the middle shelf, and a camera on an umbilical cord. The school was very nervous of who they let run that machine, all we knew is it was very expensive. Do a video on that crt tv you have there, I am curious where the high voltage leakage is coming from. Do you hear any hissing? I can still hear the 15,750 Hz pitch that flyback puts out at age 64.

[@carlinfamily1157]

This was a great walkthrough regardless of the outcome. Although these particular machines are outside of my interests I found it a fascinating video. Hope someone finds some heads and sends them to you.

[@michaelturner4457]

Last time I saw one of these in use, was at a training centre in 1981.

[@rich_edwards79]

Ah man, that's too bad about the heads. It's a beautiful old machine and I'd have loved to have seen a picture from it.

[@12voltvids]

So would i.

[@FLH3official]

The guts of these Sony gears of the 70s, with the rollers, the springs, the levers, the friction needed, can be tricky. I remember I had to deal with those things when I fixed my TC630 RtR. The game was to clean all the sticky old grease, put new one where needed but avoid any lubricant anywhere else because all the rollers end belts which need friction. Well, bad luck fort he heads but you rvideo is realy interesting. Thank you

[@angryshoebox]

I think my elementary school had a Sony VTR like that back in the late-'70s.

[@rahimkvayath]

it 's an excellent video upload

[@3Cr15w311]

You rarely see an EIAJ machine these days. I can't wait to watch this in a place where I can hear the audio and what you say about the machine as you work on it.

[@emmarandom9609]

Same, am about to half-watch sat in alder hey hospital hdu ward with our youngest lad.

[@oldsparky3349]

I thought that you might use a little canned air to blow the rubber grit before lubing those bushings, etc.

[@hermannschaefer4777]

Have an Akai VT-120 sitting on the shelf for ages now. With camera, power supply and tons of tapes. But no time and.. no motivation yet.. *sigh*

[@whstark]

I repaired over 100 of this series, head replace is rough, had a dual microscope for dihedral and head height, head height was shims under head. Dihedral was done with special screws to move head. Try cleaning head by moving head past a business card soaked with alcohol manually back and forth, not any force , tiny heads will brake, any hard hit will crack heads. although sony sold plastic sticks with shammy glued on it for cleaning with special fluid. You most likely clogged heads with old tape's , So good luck on finding good tape. Might be same size as vhs ? Just sitting in un-airconditioned warehouse for 5 years boxed with plastic bag this tape would go bad. When it sticks to drum its bad tape. Same went for all tapes umatic 3/4 , reel 1 in and 2 in. and audio tape. Check heads with microscope see if ok and flat, should see tiny head gap in carbon heads. If you swap a single head you have to deal with head penitration and use a micrometer to check and adjust. THANKS for the memory's of the AV3400 etc series, Av3400 the portable with camera was the same but small reels. Used alot in schools. I repaired all video and audio recorders, just relics now.

[@hydroxan1508]

Will we be getting a little repair video on that CRT TV?

[@12voltvids]

Not for awhile. I have already returned it and thus machine to cold storage.

[@terencekaye9948]

Wondering if you could use grease on the bearings instead of oil?

[@chriscutress1702]

Reminds me of High School Basketball days. Every once in a long while a machine just like this one would be dragged out just in time to tape me missing a shot during a breakaway. I was better on defense than I was as a shooter ... LOL

[@Sans_Solo_]

Notice Dave made registration marks on the head retainer ring before removing.

[@12voltvids]

The lasik surgeon does the same thing when he opens your cornea to do laser surgery so he can put it back exactly where it came from.

[@tostumpen]

Argh.. That's too bad. Interesting video though. As allways. Love the old machines.

[@eddiespaghetti54321]

What’s all the black stuff inside the machine near the reels and idlers?

[@InsideOutElectronics]

How about using upper drum from the other unit... where the replacement heads came from ?

[@12voltvids]

Totally different. Won't fit

[@InsideOutElectronics]

@@12voltvids got it

[@livpnk]

Okay. It’s now 2 years later. Any luck finding the heads? Do you still own the machine? Great video!

[@niero99]

I always think: "Does he likes what he does", and I think the answer is "Yes!" But what do you like and dislike?

[@pablobaldomir9430]

Saludos

[@pablobaldomir9430]

Mui bueno

[@theotherchannel2279]

Dave, I have to ask, does this record at different speeds, or is it just set at one speed? Thanks for sharing this really interesting. Could you use this just for audio?

[@12voltvids]

The tape speed is 7 1/2 IPS. Sure you could record audio on it and it would sound as good as any mono real to real machine running at seven and a half IPS. I really would like to find a head for this and I'm hoping that one of my viewers somewhere is going to see it remember that they've got a replacement from an old business from the 1970s it's just kicking around and they want to make a donation and they'll send me the Head bar and we'll put it on to this machine and then finish a Total Restoration. it's not that I need a machine like this nobody needs a machine like this but it's just cool. Even if it's non-functional just to look at it it's cool just like all my other old reel to reels that I never use.

[@wendellporter4875]

i have a sony av3650 its pretty much restored haven't put in the new video head yet

[@dazzfromaus4797]

Try a guy called Data bits. He may have one of these machines with good heads.

[@akella728]

can be ordinary vhs heads compatible?

[@12voltvids]

Highly unlikely they will be anywhere near big enough to stick out of the slot

[@clarkpink1955]

Good engineer but the mess on that bench .

[@12voltvids]

That's the sign of a good tech and engineer. Have you ever seen a clean bench. Only the slow shops where there is nothing to do. You are not making money cleaning the bench or the floor. I'm not in the shop if I am not making money.

[@maltronics]

Iam very suprised you never checked the heads in the first place.Before attempting to repair this machine

[@12voltvids]

Was told it was working when put away. Sellers lie.

[@umajunkcollector]

did you clean and lube the capstan?

[@12voltvids]

Didn't get that far. Heads are missing so no point doing anything more unless I can find heads and I am not buying one. To the guy that emailed me offering one fur 150. Sorry, but I will sell you this one for parts so you can install your nos head.

[@r66fplaysgames]

Couldnt you just sand down the bottom part of the top head covering, with some sandpaper, to make the heads fit?

[@12voltvids]

No

[@bobsbits5357]

hi have one with bad heads as well i have to find some way of using the deck for something the deck i have is in a warm place and is working i have a high band umatic that is play back only video is great had to take audio right of play back head bad audio pre amp

[@crashbandicoot4everr]

How can you adjust the protrusion and dihedral after taking the head chips off?

[@12voltvids]

Well that's the problem. It will never play an existing. It will record totally nonstandard but will play its own tapes. I have dihedral shims for betamax and the factory alignment tape required to do it.

[@crashbandicoot4everr]

@@12voltvids Is a home recording made on a factory-aligned machine good enough to check for dihedral error on betamax? I recorded the monoscope pattern with the switching point visible in the picture by misadjusting the REC shifter/REC 7H trimmer and I can see the two fields splitting apart below the switching point when I misadjust the tracking.

[@12voltvids]

@@crashbandicoot4everr the factory alignment tape had the switching point about 23 down the picture. This is more than just adjusting the record shifter. The record machines would have had the pg pickup coil on the drum in a physicaly advanced position. It was really only needed on the really old drum types. Sl 5xxx, 7xxx and 8xxx types. By the time they got to the sl2xxx series and later the chips were factory set with a microscope and that was that.

[@crashbandicoot4everr]

@@12voltvids I see. The Sony AV-3600 service manual does give instructions for setting up the dihedral. Where you're going to find the alignment tape for one of these machines is a different question...

[@12voltvids]

@@crashbandicoot4everr I never got as far as getting the manual for it because once I saw the head was shot I just put it back together there wasn't any point in going any further until I can source ahead. And by sourcing ahead I really mean someone donate ahead because I won't spend any money on this unit.

[@solarr2]

👍👍👍🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱👍

[@zx8401ztv]

Shame about the heads but no supprise , and i bet even a betamax head chips would not fit. Some pillock ruined the most important part :-(

[@12voltvids]

Yup someone snapped them off.

[@robertnoguchi5255]

I have one. Anybody want it?

[@PhillipJames100]

You have a very messy bench

[@12voltvids]

So.

[@bexleydragon5294]

What a shame :-(

[@leewyton7975]

Man, you know a lot shit! Keep fixing stuff.