Sony 8mm Hi8 Type A mechanism Chewing and Creasing tape on Playback Fix

[@stonerdemon]

My brother won an ebay auction for a TRV81 and after some months it's started to chew the edge of the tapes. I'll use your excellent video as a guide to try and fix it tonight. Thanks!

[@revolvingtoto007]

The Sony specialist at work again 👍

[@12voltvids]

He says that as i condemned 2 camcorders today. Sorry no video on either.

[@enzoperruccio]

@@12voltvids The fact you can even get some of them working already makes you a professional haha. Nobody can fix these things anymore.

[@12voltvids]

@@enzoperruccio I try. I do give up fairly easily though. If I get one that caps have leaked all over the board and traces are lifting I walk, as they just won't last.

[@enzoperruccio]

@@12voltvids Yeah. I despise even taking them apart. So many screws and pieces that need to fit together in a very specific order. And at the end of the day I know nothing about them, and can only look for visible problems.

[@craggercragger8989]

Really enjoying these videos, mate. Thank you for continuing to document your skills and share the knowledge with us all.

[@12voltvids]

Can't learn unless someone shows you what to do.

[@craggercragger8989]

@@12voltvids my home entertainment gear has never been in such good shape.

[@lewtoncole]

I bought one of these new in 1980. I still have it. Near mint condition. Between the camera, player, charger, cords and tuner, I had more than $3500 in it. Top of the line at that time! Thanks.

[@jesamani75]

1990?

[@zx8401ztv]

That was a nice simple one for a change, it makes up for the shitbag capacitor failure ones. Even the guides were not messed with.

[@12voltvids]

The A mechanism was pretty good. These were after the crap problem so most are still good.

[@Old_Dave55]

Great detail on the repair. I recently purchased a DCR-TRV355e knowing it has possible C31 errors. Following your guide I have identified two initial problems. Firstly, where is the pinch roller? I don't mean where should the pinch roller be, I just don't have a pinch roller!! Second problem is that the LH guide seems a little too wobbly for my liking. The nearest service manual I can find doesn't show the actual pinch roller or part number. I suspect Sony 72-8066S but the site says not available until September 2025. Would you be so kind as to comment on the loose guide and potential part number please? thanks in Advance, Dave.

[@BoB4jjjjs]

Nice easy fix this time. Another one saved for a few years.

[@12voltvids]

Well till something else breaks. It will likely change hands several times as these days people buy them to get their tapes digitized and then sell them to someone else. Yes I know a few odd balls will say they still record on 8mm or vhs for whatever reason but the majority just want to play their tapes and move on.

[@SplendorSolis]

I have a TRV20 that crinkles my tapes not along the edges, but the middle area. I can hear the tape scraping on something every half second or so during playback and also while recording. When I eject the tape, it sometimes makes a strange metallic spring sound as the tape rises and the mechanism struggles to open.

[@csleeut]

where can I buy a pinch roller for CCD-TR45

[@AlbertAGhazaleh]

You make it look so easy...., especially when you take then apart.

[@12voltvids]

Take enough of they apart and they are easy.

[@PartTimeExplorer]

Got a hi8 camera (DCR-TRV460) that has a tape in it that it won't let out. I think it's the pinch roller, as you mentioned in this video, since I saw it loose earlier. When I open the door, it makes the chime sound for ejecting a tape and it moves some parts, but the tape never ejects. It gives up after about ten seconds. Any ideas on how I can get this out, and get my camera functional again? I'm hoping to capture a bunch of old memories I have on these old tapes.

[@jimtowne104]

Awesome video, Thank you. I have a Hitachi 8mm VM-555LA that appears to have a bad pinch roller as well, when I put a tape in it plays for about 10 sec then you hear a crinkle and it stops playing. On the camcorder case it says "NTSC8". Does that mean its a "Video8" and not Digital8 or Hi8? if the answer is yes, then I would like to buy one of your refurbished "Video8". Can you tell me how to find you on-line to do this please. I have 6 tapes I need to digitize. Thank you.

[@thebreretons]

Just thought I would mention that It was very common for one of the posts next to the adjustable guides to work loose and catch on other parts stopping the the guide base from engaging correctly ...there was a Sony technical bulletin explaining this problem. Sometimes the post would fall out completely, other times it could just be sealed back into the base. I thought this was one of the most reliable (for its size) video 8 decks made. If i remember right it was used on some Sanyo camcorders too!

[@12voltvids]

Fully aware of that. That's why i pulled on the pin to see if it was loose as they have a habit of falling out. Usually after someone left the camera in a hit car and the aluminum base expanded slightly. I did one last year and that camera is still here. Another one ready to go to a new home.

[@12voltvids]

And canon.

[@warmearthcosmetics]

Excellent information! Thanks!

[@alanwong3980]

Another great video. My old video walkman has such issue. Could you advise where can I buy one of those pinch roller?

[@12voltvids]

Well, I just happen to know someone quite well that has a few of them kicking around.

[@alanwong3980]

@@12voltvids how can I buy one of them?

[@12voltvids]

@@alanwong3980 contact me by email. Link is on my KZbin home page.

[@crashbandicoot4everr]

Nice work. What happened to the Pioneer CD player repair video? Pulled for copyright I guess?

[@12voltvids]

Some asshat filed a copyright claim for a sound effect of a steam engine rolling by so it was put on hold while youtube deleted it.

[@TA-uk2qj]

Nice job👍

[@Bmk812]

If my Sony 8mm snaps the film in some old cassettes, would that more likely be an issue with the camera or the age of the cassettes?

[@joaoteixeira8137]

Hey Dave, I recently got my hands on a CCD-TR45, I did a small diagnosis on the camcorder and everything works regarding VTR mode (play, pause, rewind, etc.) Mechanism is ok, although I get nothing but a white screen on the viewfinder, same thing goes for camera mode, if it does end to be caps would it be a video board or camera board fault?

[@terryg2160]

Thanks for your video. I have a Canon ES75 camcorder I bought new around 2002 and used once for a family member wedding. Whenever I try to play the tape it eats it. I tried cleaning the rollers and guides (I did VCR repairs on Beta and VHS machines back in the late 70s so have some basic knowledge), but this hasn't helped. I took the tape apart, and dont see any issues with it either. The tape is wrapped around the pinch roller several times when I go to remove it. This is probably the first time I have tried to view the tape since then. Wonder if the tape is sticking to itself? Unable to RW or FF the tape because it gets mucked up when loaded I believe. The viewfinder always shows "Eject". Any thoughts?

[@12voltvids]

Many of those cameras had a guide that fell out

[@terryg2160]

@@12voltvids Thanks much for your reply! I found that upon cartridge insertion, while it unwinds the take up reel onto the video head, the supply reel should rewind that slack it let out. It wasnt doing that, hence the eating. Since it sat for many years, I manually moved the gears back and forth a few times, and kept retrying it, and it finally started working. Just gummed up gears maybe for many years of non-use? I was looking for slipping rubber belts like VCRs, but couldn’t see any.

[@12voltvids]

@@terryg2160 they use toothed belts on the mech. Don't get gummed up but a single grain of sand on the belt or in the fine gears can stop things up nicely.

[@MusicBoxVinyl]

What could be the cause my dv tapes playback has glitching? Dirty heads?

[@12voltvids]

Depends. Typically on digital formats when a head clogs you get bands of frozen picture. 5 bands of moving picture 5 bands of frozen, or 5 black strips. This is because the headvdrum spins 5 times per video field. 9000 rpm vs 1800. Pixelation is generally an alignment issue or an attempt to play an LP recorded tape on a different camera than recorded it. I know someone that recorded all their tapes in LP because they were cheap. Camera was stolen bought a new one. None of his old tapes would play. Brought them to me. None of my 4 dv decks could play them either. He asked what could be done. I pointed out the part in the manual that warned about LP use and said too bad so sad. You have lost everything. He threatened to sue Sony. I said good luck and then pointed the part out in the manual that says that the manufacture is not liable for loss of recordings. Guy has a huge boat. I didn't feel sorry for his loss if all his vacations and sailing adventures. Not for 1 second. Being that cheap to get 90 min instead of 60 on a tape.

[@theannoyedmrfloyd3998]

Hopefully someone will come up with a modern pinch roller replacement.

[@12voltvids]

That will never happen. I keep all my old chassis for mechanical parts that can never be found now.

[@callumthomas6152]

Where do you sell the camcorders that you fix?

[@12voltvids]

Many i sell right here. Others go on FB marketplace or Craigslist. I don't use eBay as I have been burned. A big problem with eBay and PayPal is someone will buy a camera use it to digitize their footage and then claim it isn't working and return it, file a dispute and get their money back. Or they will say it doesn't work and not return it and get their money back. I got burned about 15 years ago when i sold my old evw300 professional hi8 camera to the tune of 2500.00. I have had a few others that were claimed not to be working and they were sent back and customer refunded only to find they were working fine and resold. People have figured out this is a cheap way to rent stuff. I get burned though because eBay and PayPal do not refund the listing or completion charges so the seller still gets burned in the long run

[@likes1702]

What is the size of the rubber pinch roller?

[@12voltvids]

No idea

[@Alan_Hans__]

Is it still possible to get these pinch rollers? I put a tape in my old machine and it started gobbling it. My former supplier of camcorder spares no longer sells any and a quick google makes me think they rollers are no longer available.

[@12voltvids]

Yes from other old camcorders. That's the only source. Fortunately they are all pretty much the same.

[@alexmladen]

Thank you brilliant

[@alanwong3980]

Hi 12volvids, I hope you can advise. I have a Type Q Video8 mechanism. When I eject the tape it stuck half way. Could you advise how to fix it?

[@destroythehuman3380]

Excuse my lack of terminology but the large round part that’s spinning fast on my unit is making a really bad sound like something is either inside of it or off balance. Works fine but the noise is real concerning like it could break at any second.

[@12voltvids]

That would be the scanner assembly also called the drum. It holds the video heads. If a tape snapped inside it is possible that a piece of broken tape got between the upper and lower parts or dirt has gotten inside or the bearing is shot and getting noisy. The rotary transformer is also in there and they have been known to fail.

[@allenwaters3945]

If the image of the video is fine in the camcorder but flickers badly when transferring to a PC, what could be the problem?

[@azuki642]

ur cables

[@elbishus]

What is your eBay store? I’d love to buy some cameras

[@12voltvids]

I have nothing to do with ebay. They fucked me 20 years ago.

[@elbishus]

@@12voltvids how do I buy cameras that you put up for sale?

[@12voltvids]

I guess you don't. I sell local only.

[@SouthernGameNerd]

I have a camcorder like this.