Mini-DV camera problems?

Tim

I was filming episode #59 of my weekly webshow the other day, and when I played back the video, there were some problems.

In a few areas of the tape (an almost new Mini-DV cassette), the new video I was shooting simply didn't overwrite the old stuff. After 15 seconds or so of seeing the old video recordings on the tape, it'd begin playing the new stuff again.

And then I'd get horizontal bars on the screen. They'd alternate, in 2 sets of 6 bars each. Some would continue playing new video, while the others would just freeze on a frame for 10-20 seconds. Then it'd continue to play normally again.

Any idea what the problem may be? A faulty video cassette? The recording / erase heads need cleaned? They haven't been cleaned in a year and about 100 hours of camera on time. What's a good way to clean them? Alcohol and Q-tips? A cleaner cassette?

This is a Canon ZR45MC Mini-DV camera.

mondi

is this the same camera used previously??

ive had symptoms very similar to what you describe when using a tape that was previously recorded on in LP mode, especially from a sony camera ... the different companies seem to have different ways of implementing the LP spec .. resulting in incompatibility ...

Tim

No, I'm using the same brand of tape, bought at the same place, and it is always used on the same speed (60 minutes per cassette).

The last tape, which has over 50 episodes filmed on it, NEVER did this.

And always in the same camera.

hypermood

I had very similar issues and bought a Panasonic cleaning cassette. Worked like a charm. The cleaning tape says not to use it for more than 10 secs at a time. Well, mine was initially so dirty that it took about 30 secs of cleaning before it was restored to normal. Ever since then I run the cleaner for about 10 secs every 50 hours or so and have not had any recurring issues.

CB

Ya, definetly a dirty head. You can use a cleaner cassette , if you want, but a high-quality (read: wont fall apart) cotton swab and some alchohol is what I use. That works just as well, if you trust yourself to do it.

Dexter

If it is a head problem, the particular head that is dirty in your case is the record head, it is failing to properly record the new signal.

My broadcast experience cringes at the thought of cleaner tapes. The head engineer of the TV station I used to work at compared them to dragging sandpaper across the needle of a record player.

Cotton swabs are less then ideal, as the cotton fibres can get stuck between the head and the drum, and cause more problems than they solve.

Purchase a large chamois cloth from any hardware store. Cut it into small square pieces , like 5 cm x 5 cm (2" x 2".) Dampen (not soak!) with isopropyl alcohol. Hold against the drum with light pressure, starting at a point not directly over top of the head. Spin the drum slowly in the direction of normal spin. Try not to move the chamois up and down over the head, you risk mis-aligning it and causing mroe problems. If the head still does not come clean, repeat but spin the drum counter to the normal spin direction, using LIGHT pressure.

We actually used to use bottled freon to clean the heads of the VTR's at the TV station I worked at, but freon fell out of favour due to environmental impacts or freon use in air conditioning systems, so it became hard to obtain. Isopropyl alcohol works fine though.

If cleaning does not solve the problem, then the unit may need service. The record head could be misaligned, or the play head may be misalinged from the record head (try playing back a known good tape that was recorded in that unit and see if it plays fine - if so, the play head is likely fine.) The record head could also be failing. If that is the case, the repair will likely not be cheap.

Dexter...

Dexter...

CB

Your head engineer is jadded... it's not really that bad to use cleaner tapes. I would only say to use coton over shamoi because it's cheaper, and it's on a stick. You just have to be careful...

Dexter

Granted, he was an older fellow Actually head cleaning tapes have gotten a lot more sophisticated, but I am a bit old school in head cleaning, I like to get in their with my hands and do it. And we used to enjoy the smell of the freon.... Alcohol doesn't make you as happy when you take the cap off the bottle

When using cotton swabs, as you say, use the professional ones, and RESIST the temptation to rub up and down, that is what could lead to a snag on the heads. Chamois does not have that problem, but it is often harder to use them in a deck or camera because you can't always fit your fingers in. I have taped a chamois swab over a pencil or similar small stick to acheive the same advantage though.

Dexter...

CB

Dexter wrote:

I have taped a chamois swab over a pencil or similar small stick to acheive the same advantage though.

So simple, yet so ingenious

Tim

It's so tight inside my camera that even getting to the rotating heads with a Q tip won't be easy.

Dexter

Well, like CB said, the tapes now-a-days are pretty good. With cams as small as they are now, your choices are:

- cleaning tape

- take cam in for servicing and pay someone else to do it

- stub your fingers all up trying to get to the heads / drum

- take your chances with a couple of precision screwdrivers and take the cam apart to get to the heads / drum

In your situation, with a small cam with hard access, i"d vote for option 1

Dexter...