Sony SL-5000 Betamax VCR (mint condition from 1981)

[@gabrielgonzalez4989]

Wow this model was in my house for long time untill we switched to VCR in mid 90s. I grew up watching the time in its display. What a memories!

[@mrtunapie6653]

WOW!! this brings back memories... I had this model. Built like a tank! Thanks for posting this :)

[@tambias]

Love the picture of the queen in the background.Of course the workmanship is second to none

[@carlmorenor]

Thanks for bringing back good memories, I learned electrónics with that machine. Eventually you will need to replace those capacitors again, so I recommend tantalum capacitors. The engineer for that machine was made power hungry it will dry those cap again soon. Thanks beautiful video. My favorite betamax.

[@probnotstech]

I have a Zenith rebadge of this model, and it had the caps replaced 29ish years ago and they're still going strong. I think as long they're good quality and rated correctly it should be ok. Belts on the other hand...

[@NikHYTWP]

Love the "simulated" wood, can't believe the machine's in such a good condition!

[@joeloreilly3399]

We used to have a Quazar tv that had that type of tuner on it, I remember those star icons! We enjoyed checking for new channels with the extra switches 😊

[@martinfinn1550]

I remember my brother bought his Betamax VCR machine in 1981. It wasn't as advanced as this. It was the Sanyo Betacord VTC 9300PN model and it did not have FF or REW high speed picture scanning on it. It was not until about 1995 I ever saw a Betamax VCR that could scan backwards or forwards with picture.

[@hifismiffy]

I did own a VTC 9300 for a while and if memory serves, that thing was built like a tank ! I think the later Sanyo VTC 5000 ? in the UK was blessed with soft touch buttons and search functions.

[@symboly1042]

Even though I don't like Betamax VCRs, they're still beautiful and wonderful feats of technology.

[@lemonherb1]

We had this same model. It was our first VCR. Over time it did develop the same issues yours had, including the uneven sound and refusing to complete loading the tape. We eventually scrapped it because we couldn't get it to work anymore.

[@Naser-qo7kv]

Nostalgy . From iran . I love betamax . Good days old😍😍😍❤❤❤❤

[@themaritimegirl]

If I recall correctly, by law, anything that had simulated wood, no matter how little, had to have a mark on it somewhere saying that it was simulated, so as to not dupe the consumer 😂

[@probnotstech]

I do remember seeing that sticker on the side of every piece of electronics with fake woodgrain. I feel like this was one of those "well the law clearly wasn't intended for this...but it's still the law" situations.

[@ridjonful]

This is the first series of the soft-touch, silent buttons functionality. Compared to Sony SL-8XXX models where buttons are still manually pushed, this model uses tact switches

[@cromulence]

What a lovely Sorny unit. Much better than the Panaphonics. I myself had a Carnivalé back in the day.

[@probnotstech]

The Carnivalé was a solid machine, with durable outer casing to prevent fall-apart.

[@andrewdaley3081]

@@probnotstech just watch an unboxing of a sony betamax a few days ago i will give you the channel name if you want it. Andy England 🇬🇧👍

[@johnlund2654]

I had one of those, also a SL-2700 which was Hi-Fi those were superior because of the heavy build and the Video heads. Later models were good too but the heads were very fragile

[@hifismiffy]

Quite similar in design to the Sony SL-C6UB that was available in the UK ! I believe that Beta machines kept the tape laced to the head drum ( unlike VHS) - this made them quicker at search and play functions.

[@crashbandicoot4everr]

Really nice condition! The servos still need adjustment though. When the capstan and drum free run is adjusted properly, the capstan and drum motors should instantly lock into the right speed after switching from BetaScan to play. Be careful not to touch the "PG A" and "PG B" adjustments on the drum servo as these affect the timing of the head-switching point and if you misadjust it, you will end up with the switching point too high in the picture, or you will lose vertical sync and the picture will roll.

[@probnotstech]

Thanks, yeah I plan to re-adjust them, but first I want to replace the capstan belt since the belt is loose making it real hard to get it adjusted right.

[@crashbandicoot4everr]

@@probnotstech How's the wow & flutter? Do you have a 3KHz tone test tape to measure it?

[@probnotstech]

I don't have beta test tape to measure it, but the wow & flutter sound fine once it's been playing. I tried some music videos on BIII and they sounded good enough. But it does look like the capstan belt momentarily slips when the pinch roller engages, so I'm going to replace it before attempting to adjust them again.

[@youknowho4439]

I have almost the same problem. I got an SL-5000 and the tape won't "work" unless I kind of shove it. What happens THEN is it makes this super fast, super loud spinning sound, then a click and I push play. The green light turns on and nothing else happens. I push Fast Forward, it works. I push Rewind, it works. I push Pause/Freeze, the light turns on but I still don't have an image on the TV. Also, sound doesn't work. I called the only local VCR repair place and the guy "doesn't fix Betamax VCRs." Do you have any suggestions as to how to get it fixed? Any places you know of? Thanks for the video!

[@金準燮]

Is it possible to output audio even if I connect 3.5mm earphones to the audio output terminal behind SL-5000? And what is the difference between the equipment that is supported by Hi-Fi and the equipment that is not supported?

[@ryanshaw7977]

where were you able to get new belt kits from? i have the same model and needs new belts.

[@nathen4021]

The servo board on the bottom of the machine needs all "BLUE" capacitors replaced with tantalum capacitors with the exact value. But don't be too concerned about the voltage. Just exact value. Lastly, try to obtain the service manual for the electrical adjustments if you have an oscilloscope.

[@aidankise113]

Where can you find the capacitor replacement kit

[@probnotstech]

I just bought the capacitors individually. Digikey or Mouser would be my recommendation for places to order from.

[@greghatfield4216]

I am in need of renting or buying a Beta I playback machine. In the years of 1984-1987 I had access to "production quality" equipment. A portable studio quality camera and machine that only operated in Beta I. I took a great deal of video of my daughter and family and I want to transfer it to DVD or other media. Thank you so much for this demo, it gives me hope where there was none. Can you advise or point me toward some equipment?? Thank you so much.

[@probnotstech]

I think your best bet is to find somewhere/someone local who services/sells these machines. I find it's a crapshoot around here in terms of what I find and ebay is the same but more expensive. I believe any Sony Betamax VCR should at least play the BI speed recordings, so stick to Sony, and probably newer than 1985/1986 as those are still serviceable. Another option is Mr Betamax. He fixes up Beta VCRs and sells them and looks to be pretty knowledgeable on them - his website is a regular encyclopedia that many of us still refer to. Yet another option is finding someone local who does transfers of old media to DVD - they usually have multiple machines to play different formats. There's risk there though as the quality and reliability of those services can vary.

[@davidhenderson7722]

I've Got a sl 6ub mk2 with a rolling picture. The lower board looks very similar to mine. Will the caps be in the same place to replace? 🤔

[@probnotstech]

Most likely. I googled that model and it looks identical. I would open it up to check if it has those light blue Sanyos caps.

[@davidhenderson7722]

@@probnotstech thanks for the reply 👍

[@thebetamaxman8905]

yes there's bad caps in the drum servo also just so you know there's a switch in the back for your tape speeds

[@probnotstech]

Indeed! I end up showing all that towards the later part of the long-ass video

[@thebetamaxman8905]

i made a comment before the video was over@@probnotstech you did a great job i'm glade to see these old Beta's restored to working condition

[@johnwinklersr301]

The 50 Hertz is for use in Japan. I just brought a edv-9000 and I have to down convert from 110 volts usa to 100 volts Japan... Japanese VCRs work on 100 volts 50 Hertz and USA is 110 60 Hertz.

[@XtremeKremaTor]

My guess is the grease dried out and that's affecting the speeds. And not only plastics but bearings of a motor too...

[@mcufuk6799]

Tüplü televizyonla beraber kullanmak lazım galiba bu cihazları. LCD TV lerle pek uyum sağlamıyor galiba.

[@MyPOLYSTAR]

Tenho um igual e um Wega azul. Betamax Sempre! A mudança de correias é complicada neste modelo que partilha a mesma mecânica com o SL-C5/C7,com algumas diferenças.

[@probnotstech]

Interesting. I would have thought the SL-C5 and SL-C7 would have been closer to the North American SL-5400 and SL-5800. You're right about the belts though, they are a pain in the butt.

[@MyPOLYSTAR]

@@probnotstech também tenho um SL-5400 que veio do Canada. É Top!

[@mcufuk6799]

Dikkatimi çeken ufak ayrıntı ise banti u şeklinde sarması. M şeklinde sarmasına göre biraz daha zahmetli bir sarma şekli sanki. Fakat m şeklinde semaya göre birazdah fazla bir bütünlükte sarıyor zannedersem.

[@VSigma725]

Such a weird design, I have a SL-5200 on the way that's sold as working aside from some video quality issues, which can hopefully be fixed with a bit of head cleaning.

[@probnotstech]

I actually just picked up a SL-5200 that I plan to do a video on soon. I expect it will have the same issues as this one - definitely check if those caps have been replaced in yours.

[@VSigma725]

@@probnotstech What, the Sanyo caps? Will do. If I see them in there it's safe to assume they haven't been changed.

[@VSigma725]

@@probnotstech Turns out I've got a different issue, Play and Fast-Forward do absolutely nothing when pressed, but Rewind does work.

[@alv599]

I have the full set of service manuals for this model if you need any reference. I still can get mine to show an image on ff and rw, but it plays nicely. It's not recording either... One thing I'd like to fix, i a few bars at the bottom of the image that looks like its playing back out of sync.

[@probnotstech]

I wonder if it needs an alignment. I have a really old top loader that I suspect is out of alignment, but I have no idea how to do it / what to adjust on a beta VCR. Are your service manuals a digital copy or physical?

[@alv599]

@@probnotstech They are physical.

[@crashbandicoot4everr]

I purchased the SL-5000 service manual online but it didn't include the adjustment manual. Can you scan that?

[@adilsondonato9716]

Adilson 🙏🙏

[@bobsbits5357]

hi done alot of re cap in the past over time i got very good at it I buy in 1000's of caps from RS in the uk they will all go over time there is one betacam sp decks don't play up alot i know this i have alot of them yes alot all ways buying them and i am push the price up in the uk it's the ebay computer sales price doing it not me buying them i still have home decks the 8 system ones more hard to find decks just was lucky in the past that's all

[@thebetamaxman8905]

STK-5441 not STK-4144

[@probnotstech]

Isn't that what I said? I was going off memory

[@thebetamaxman8905]

@@probnotstech you did i made a comment before the video was over

[@mcufuk6799]

Tüplü TV leri yüksek voltaj dan dolayı pek kullanmak gelmiyor insan sanki. Öbürleri ise neyse . En iyisi mecbur kalmadıkça kullanmamak galiba.

[@jeffersoncosta6955]

My god how much gear

[@V3ntilator]

If Sony weren't so greedy, they could have won over VHS. Sony's bloodsucking greed is why they lost 9 of 10 format wars.

[@temetnosce6192]

The belt is the problem...