Old Canon Camcorder Problem

10 Aug 2006 9:37 PM

jpraskac

Hello,

I've had this problem for a long time before coming here to seek any
help on the subject, I have a n ancient Canon Canovision 8 (E63) I've
opened half of it so the circuitry and the tape head and cassette
holder is in plain site. The Focus and Zoom seem to still be functional
and I can kind of see an image coming through the lines on the TV which
is in black and white, and I have low to no audio from the mic. Here is
my problem: I hook the camera up to the TV and have it set to output
all that. I can get it to power on and maybe I'll even get the Tape
door to close. Whether I have a tape in there or not the tape head will
spin up for about 10 seconds then stop, and I will get a flashing Eject
message in the viewfinder. I am unable to record on a tape in record
mode, or playback a tape in playback mode because the camcorder insists
on ejecting the tape immediatley after it seems to get itself settled
with the tape (regardless of if it is present or not)

Thanks for any help with taming this old beast!

11 Aug 2006 1:36 AM

Gandalf

jpras***@gmail.com wrote:
Show quoteHide quote

> Hello,
>
> I've had this problem for a long time before coming here to seek any
> help on the subject, I have a n ancient Canon Canovision 8 (E63) I've
> opened half of it so the circuitry and the tape head and cassette
> holder is in plain site. The Focus and Zoom seem to still be functional
> and I can kind of see an image coming through the lines on the TV which
> is in black and white, and I have low to no audio from the mic. Here is
> my problem: I hook the camera up to the TV and have it set to output
> all that. I can get it to power on and maybe I'll even get the Tape
> door to close. Whether I have a tape in there or not the tape head will
> spin up for about 10 seconds then stop, and I will get a flashing Eject
> message in the viewfinder. I am unable to record on a tape in record
> mode, or playback a tape in playback mode because the camcorder insists
> on ejecting the tape immediatley after it seems to get itself settled
> with the tape (regardless of if it is present or not)
>
> Thanks for any help with taming this old beast!
>

Unfortunately, there's a number of failures that can cause that
symptom...some relatively inexpensive, some economically impractical.

The head spinning up for a few seconds and stopping is not necessarily
unusual. Most do that during initialization.

Since you mentioned you've got it halfway apart, does the tape load
[retract from the cassette shell] or attempt to load?

Does the capstan turn briefly as well?

Depending on the age of the unit, it could be a slipping belt / idler
tire, EOT sensor, oxidized mode control switch, timing, etc.

I haven't been inside a Canon 8mm in about 10 years and I'm foggy trying
to recall if they had some more common failures like that.

You might try asking in sci.electronics.repair

-G

11 Aug 2006 6:39 PM

jpraskac

Yes, the Tape "film" will get pulled almost entirely around the head, I
suppose this is how it's supposed to work, it forms a horseshoe shape
around the head. It seems to load the tape, Sometimes I can see "Stop"
in the viewfinder in playback mode but then it will try to eject the
tape (Sometimes successfully sometimes not) powering it on/off will
allow the tape to be ejected, or locked in. If you're referring to the
things that move the tape as the "capstan" then yes they seem to move
without any trouble. I believe I've seen somewhere on the Internet that
it insisting on Ejecting means a safety mechanism has been activated,
not sure if this can be disabled in anyway, maybe by holding x button
for x seconds?

Thanks
Gandalf wrote:
Show quoteHide quote

> jpras***@gmail.com wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > I've had this problem for a long time before coming here to seek any
> > help on the subject, I have a n ancient Canon Canovision 8 (E63) I've
> > opened half of it so the circuitry and the tape head and cassette
> > holder is in plain site. The Focus and Zoom seem to still be functional
> > and I can kind of see an image coming through the lines on the TV which
> > is in black and white, and I have low to no audio from the mic. Here is
> > my problem: I hook the camera up to the TV and have it set to output
> > all that. I can get it to power on and maybe I'll even get the Tape
> > door to close. Whether I have a tape in there or not the tape head will
> > spin up for about 10 seconds then stop, and I will get a flashing Eject
> > message in the viewfinder. I am unable to record on a tape in record
> > mode, or playback a tape in playback mode because the camcorder insists
> > on ejecting the tape immediatley after it seems to get itself settled
> > with the tape (regardless of if it is present or not)
> >
> > Thanks for any help with taming this old beast!
> >
>
> Unfortunately, there's a number of failures that can cause that
> symptom...some relatively inexpensive, some economically impractical.
>
> The head spinning up for a few seconds and stopping is not necessarily
> unusual. Most do that during initialization.
>
> Since you mentioned you've got it halfway apart, does the tape load
> [retract from the cassette shell] or attempt to load?
>
> Does the capstan turn briefly as well?
>
> Depending on the age of the unit, it could be a slipping belt / idler
> tire, EOT sensor, oxidized mode control switch, timing, etc.
>
> I haven't been inside a Canon 8mm in about 10 years and I'm foggy trying
> to recall if they had some more common failures like that.
>
> You might try asking in sci.electronics.repair
>
> -G

23 Aug 2006 4:50 PM

so.noted

You don't fix asian products ... you throw them out and buy new ones.

I bought a Canon Hi-8 during the peak of their popularity. It worked
great when it worked, but it ate tapes ... every tape I ever bought to
use in the stupid thing.

I sent it back to the factory three times (at considerable expense too)
during the 12 month warranty period, but the foreign clods never fixed
it, even though they claimed to replace the carriage assembly. They
couldn't even transcribe my name and address correctly.

I didn't want to send it back a 4th time, so when it ate the next tape,
I tossed the piece of garbage 60 feet to a nearby dumpster, and it sunk
right in like that's where it wanted to be, and I think all of Canon's
consumer trash belongs.