Hello, my recorder has been working fine until I powered it on one day. It is now stuck on the U61 Error (which the manual says it should recover from) and makes a series of clicks.

I have tried sliding the lens back as well as cleaning it and the spindle hub, etc. Are there any other things I can try to fix or diagnose the problem? I wasn't having any issues such as with reading discs, etc.

I have a number of unfinalized discs (both -R and +R)...are those useless now? I will likely be purchasing the Phillips hard drive unit.

The info below (from the Fixya website) detailed the cause of one user's similar U61 problem with 4 of his ES15s. The problem is that the module is $500 and the board is $200. But I put the numbers here in case you have access to other dead ES15s (as long as they didn't die from the U61 error) that you can cannibalize. Hmm, I wonder if my EZ17 has some spare parts that may be worth their weight in gold some day after it has outlived its usefulness?

"It all boiled down to one component failure, the DVD Disk Drive Control Board (Part No. VEP79132). Panasonic will not sell this individual part but packages it a module, called the RAM/Digital PCB Module (Part No. RFKNES15P)."

Never had the u61, but it sounds like you already tried what I would have suggested. Cleaning lens and Spindle. There are also other common failures in Panny's, one is capacitor failure, not sure if it would give a U61 though.
Yes, any of your unfinalized discs will be useless unless you get another Panny. I suppose......if you were kinda sneaky you could buy a new Panny, finalize your discs, then return it. Be careful to save all packing material and be gentle with it. Now you could do that, but I didn't say anything. Just a thought.

Master Shake,

This post is being revised to provide certain clarifications, a more recent link to the detailed capacitor replacement procedure and a photo of a DMR-ES15 with the front panel, DVD drive and digital circuit board removed.

A problem occuring with the digital circuit board, mounted on a platform beside the DVD drive, has been reported as the source of a U61 error. This VEP79132 digital circuit board (pictured in post #7 below) is common to some other 2006 Panasonic models.

Panasonic doesn't reccomend swapping digital circuit boards or DVD drives between models. I have swapped good DVD drives, without any problem, from two DMR-ES35V parts machines into two DMR-ES15 models with bad DVD drives. Once a DMR-ES15 VEP79132 digital circuit board goes bad it should be replaced with a known good VEP79132 from another DMR-ES15.

You may sometimes find AS-IS DMR-ES15 parts machines on eBay at reasonable prices. Avoid any that have DVD drive functionality or U61 issues.

One DMR-ES35V parts machine that gives the U61 error still displayed that error after swapping out the VEP79132 digital circuit board with another one thought to be good from another DMR-ES35V parts machine. As the U61 machine also showed some possible leakage from the largest electrolytic capacitor in the power supply section, replacement of that part will probably be the next procedure with that machine. Replacing a power supply capacitor may not correct the U61 error if a bad VEP79132 is the problem. I believe that both my DMR-ES35V parts machines may have bad (resident) VEP79132 digital circuit boards.

I have posted updated instructions for replacement of power supply capacitors in this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14452857#post14452857

As preventative maintinence I have replaced the largest power supply electrolytic capacitor in three of my DMR-ES15 models.

On a DMR-ES15 the power supply section is located on the main circuit board at the right toward the rear. The suspect capacitor is designated C1143. In the photo this large capacitor is seen to the right of center toward the upper right, a dark brown jacketed cannister with an aluminum top and a grey stripe (indicating polarity) running down one side, 30mm tall. The specifications are 100uF 350V with a 105 degree heat range. Due to limited clearance be sure that a replacement capacitor is not taller than 30mm.

On early DMR-ES15 models there is a flat cable and connector between the narrow strip circuit board (carrying the power mini-switch) and the main board. If your ES15 is of that design that small board may be left in place after disconnecting the cable. Later DMR-ES15 models (the pictured DMR-ES15 is from September 2006) have a wired-in ribbon cable (seen at the lower left in the photo) that requires the small circuit board to be removed with the main board. Notice the main board anchoring screw between the yellow and white front panel input jacks.

Thanks for the information everybody. I had seen some of those other posts already and just wanted to make sure that was pretty much what was available for help. I'll probably just end up buying an identical refurbished model to finalize discs I've made. I'm just annoyed as it wasn't acting up and didn't even make it 18 months.

Yes I think you have a right to be annoyed, 18 months for a DVDR isn't too much to ask. I just can't understand the whole capacitor thing. I used to work on radios from the 30's and 40's, capacitor failure was probably the #1 issue, but were talking about 70! years old, not 18 months. I don't know what kind of Chinese material there making these capacitors out of, but it's not worth squat IMO.
Digado, it's great that you can replace the caps, and potentially save a unit from the graveyard, but IMO it's so unnecessary that you should have to do this, if they only had used decent caps. in the first place. Probably would have cost Panasonic only $1 extra to use good 105`C caps, instead of what they used. Shame on you Panasonic.:mad:

Attached below are top and bottom views of the VEP79132 digital circuit board. The black connector seen in the second photo fits the black connector on the main board as seen in the photo attached to post #4 above.

While the VEP79132 digital circuit board is common among some 2006 models Panasonic advises that it must be "re-aligned" for the specific model Panasonic and "initialized" for use with the DVD drive as a "module." Each "RAM Drive and Digital P.C.B Module" (DVD drive and digital circuit board) "have to be replaced together" according to Panasonic Service Manuals. The "module" has a model-specific part number. VEP79132 is not listed as the actual part number.

Hi guys,

I have this U61 error too on my DMR ES15 and when i follow the instruction it gives-upon startup it comes up then blue box appears saying (The unit did not complete self test and try either the following),

1.Press enter,unit ejects disc then returns to stanby.

2.Hold down the power button to switch unit off and then restart,if
message still shows contact with the info supplied in the operating
manual.

Now this happenned before twice actually,same as above when powered it says Hello,then whirrs 3 times then the error.

I keep hoping it will cop put but no joy.

And it was up for sale too!

On occassion it would make odd sounds mostly with older recording/ram discs but never go this far.

The last turning point was i left it on for a full disc recording 8 hours on Friday night and i came down saturday and it looked powered off
with the led blank?

Has stuck on the "U61/Unit did not complete self test"since.

Any ideas?i have followed some similar threads on here but think my problem is a little different.

My unit is 16 months old too,not happy at all.

Thanks, greg

If it was making odd grinding sounds I'd suspect the spindle needs cleaning. The easiest method to check if the spindle is dirty is to moisten your finger with saliva and then gently coat the lower inside of the disc. Only the clear 1/4" or so near the hole and just a coating. While the disc is still moist insert the disc in the machine and see if your problems disappear. If they do you should take your machine apart(the units cover and also the drives cover). Clean the lower spindle(the part that holds the disc while it spins) with tape head cleaner or iso alcohol and a q-tip. Be sure to get the drive cover on correctly. I think Digado has some photos posted showing the procedure.
It it's not a dirty spindle then honestly it's usually not worth fixing unless you have a spare parts machine to cannibalize. In the US anyway the major parts far outweigh the units worth.

Hub/spindle cleaning advice, including several photos, and links to that and related procedures may be found in this and the following post:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14479898#post14479898

Thanks guys i will give that a go.

fingers crossed.

I carried out the Hub/spindle cleaning procedure today,and it`s still the same.
Showed a bit of dirt and i cleaned it thoroughly,actually took apart the machine twice and did it to confirm.
So the unit on power up says "Hello" then goes straight to U61 display then whirrs 4 high movements? then 1 lower tone,then repeats the movements again then it sticks on the self test bull:mad:.

Could it be a motor problem as it doesn`t seem to get as far as spinning the disc?

I carried out the Hub/spindle cleaning procedure today,and it`s still the same.
Showed a bit of dirt and i cleaned it thoroughly,actually took apart the machine twice and did it to confirm.
So the unit on power up says "Hello" then goes straight to U61 display then whirrs 4 high movements? then 1 lower tone,then repeats the movements again then it sticks on the self test bull:mad:.

Could it be a motor problem as it doesn`t seem to get as far as spinning the disc?

Earlier posts in this thread address two common problems, failed or failing power supply capacitor(s) or a problem with the Digital PCB.

I suspect that a failing Digital PCB is a more likely problem with your DMR-ES15.

In a DMR-ES15 the capacitor most prone to fail is the largest electrolytic capacitor in the power supply, see photo. In the "Whither the Capacitors . . ." thread I have posted detailed capacitor replacement instructions (including photos showing the procedure with a DMR-ES15). I suspect that your machine's U61 error is NOT caused by a failing capacitor.

If your DMR-ES15 DVD drive is making whirring sounds the DVD drive motor is still good. Another poster in another forum reported failing power supply capacitors in a DMR-E85H model as the source of the hard drive's failure to satisfactorily "spin-up." In that case the machine's display would not get past "Please Wait."

If the sounds include loud clunks the problem is more likely a dirty or failed laser running up and down the rods hitting the stops in a vain attempt to read data. The Saint Baz hub/spindle cleaning post suggested a gentle cleaning of the lens in addition to the hub/spindle and other parts. An eBay seller in Scotland offers replacement laser assemblies (probably the 3331A laser assembly in your model) but there are requisite skills for the task, possible complications and a number of cautions that must be observed.

Less common problems are related to the ribbon cables from the DVD drive to the Digital PCB. These are somewhat prone to damage. Moreover, the ribbon contact strips are easily damaged if the pins in Digital PCB connector drift forward, scoring the ribbon contacts. Two posters have earlier reported trimming back the ribbon cable contact strip to restore a damaged contact, see photo.

In the USA and Canada Panasonic prices replacement DVD drives and Digital PCB's far more than the cost of a new machine. The 2006 model replacement DVD drive/Digital PCB "modules" are now around $500 for a DMR-ES15 that was originally priced at $150 or less back in 2006. In the USA the corporate Panasonic Service Center offers a flat-rate repair for $130 but this is good value only for high-end models with hard drives.

You may watch for a "good" parts machine in your own market, but any problems with such a machine may be the very same as with your machine. USA/Canada models are limited to Region 1 capability.

I realize that this is not really encouraging but these are the realities.

You may want to look for a new or "Refurbished By Panasonic" machine with a "Panasonic Refurbished Product Warranty" sold by an "Authorized Panasonic Dealer or Reseller."

Thanks for your time for such a detailed inside to the common faults with these machines,you have been more than helpful ;).

I will just briefly go through some of the easier troubleshooting methods again
then i think it will go to the repair guy for diagnoses as it`s got to be fixed either way and i might just keep it then.

Cost me $285 Ausd in Jan 07 i was hoping to get half that back through the sale but now..

I will let you`s know the result in the end.

thanks again,

Greg

Thanks for your time for such a detailed inside to the common faults with these machines,you have been more than helpful ;).

I will just briefly go through some of the easier troubleshooting methods again
then i think it will go to the repair guy for diagnoses as it`s got to be fixed either way and i might just keep it then.

Cost me $285 Ausd in Jan 07 i was hoping to get half that back through the sale but now..

I will let you`s know the result in the end.

thanks again,

Greg

In the USA the DMR-ES15 is a "2006 model." Due to the requirement that tuner equipped devices manufactured since 3/1/07 for sale in the USA must have digital tuners, analog only tuner models usually disappeared from the USA retail market in 2007. In other countries these "2006 models" or regional derivatives or variations of these models may still be sold as current models. Keep that in mind when I mention "2006 models." When I mention the "DMR-ES15" I am referring to USA models. When I mention "Service Manuals" I am referring to Panasonic Canadian English Service Manuals.

If your repair person determines that the DMR-ES15 needs capacitor replacement that will be the best outcome as capacitors are inexpensive, generic parts and the job takes around an hour with a DMR-ES15.

If your repair person determines, after consulting a DMR-ES15 Service Manual, that the problem is with the DVD drive or Digital PCB, that diagnosis may repeat the standard Panasonic advice for "2006 models" where both the DVD drive and Digital PCB need to be replaced together as a "module." The reason for this "advice" is that the "2006 model" DVD drives do not have their own onboard drive contoller circuit board (as do the 2005, 2007 and 2008 USA model DVD drives). The "2006 model" separate Digital PCB incorporates the "2006 model" DVD drive controller (unlike the 2005, 2007 and 2008 Digital PCBs that do not). I address this matter and give two examples of swapping DVD drives between two different "2006 models" of my own in this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1082922

If your repair person determines that you need a new laser assembly, the correct (new) part is probably offered for a fraction of the Panasonic price by an eBay seller in Glasgow Scotland. Again, Panasonic does not approve of this field repair for "2006 models" for the same reason, their advice is that the DVD drive and the Digital PCB have to be replaced together as a "module." If a laser assembly swap is undertaken the "2006 model" DMR-ES15 Service Manual does not provide any guidance as to that procedure, again for the same reason. I have addressed a few aspects of the procedure in the following post:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14709306#post14709306

Notice my retranslations of the text from a page in the "2007 model" DMR-EZ17 Service Manual. Especially see the fourth image attached to that post. The illustrations provide information not found in the "2006 model" DMR-ES15 Service Manual.

More advice concerning the lens assembly replacement procedure may be provided by the seller in Glasgow. Perhaps others on this forum may also come forward with more complete information.

"U61" happened to me just two days ago on my ES-15. I've had many ES recorders and consider myself somewhat knowledgeable on them, but I felt stupid two days ago... I did exactly what the screen said about eight times with no results. I had been reaching up under the open DVD tray to hit the power button with no results?? Finally I hit the power button on the remote and it worked, reset and booted right up!! Don't know if this will help but it's worth a try!!

"U61" happened to me just two days ago on my ES-15. I've had many ES recorders and consider myself somewhat knowledgeable on them, but I felt stupid two days ago... I did exactly what the screen said about eight times with no results. I had been reaching up under the open DVD tray to hit the power button with no results?? Finally I hit the power button on the remote and it worked, reset and booted right up!! Don't know if this will help but it's worth a try!!

Perhaps there is an "incidental" version of the U61 error that just requires the use of the POWER button on the remote and the problem abates.

Some others have suggested opening the DVD drive and manually moving the lens assembly to the rearmost position. The thought is that this is somewhat of a reset. I've tried this but there was no correction to the U61 error.

In an attempt to address the U61 error I've experimented with three different Digital PCBs swapped in and out of one of my DMR-ES35V parts machines.

Here are my findings:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15092330#post15092330

I wish it was as easy as just not following the on screen prompts or had1 said pressing the correct buttons.
Well i took it apart again and powered it up to see what was making the noise and it looks like it is the lens nudging back and forth.
I took a little vid and hope to get a link up soon.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=9H0hVWqlEOI
Apologies in advance for the darkness,but you can see it spins the disc on the last sound.

I wish it was as easy as just not following the on screen prompts or had1 said pressing the correct buttons.
Well i took it apart again and powered it up to see what was making the noise and it looks like it is the lens nudging back and forth.
I took a little vid and hope to get a link up soon.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=9H0hVWqlEOI
Apologies in advance for the darkness,but you can see it spins the disc on the last sound.

In my 11/12 post I wrote "If the sounds include loud clunks the problem is more likely a dirty or failed laser running up and down the rods hitting the stops in a vain attempt to read data." Your video demonstrates these "loud clunks."

Did you notice if the laser was emitting light? If it was perhaps the laser is still good.

While I know very little concerning laser functionality, I'll offer speculation. Your video depicts the lazer attempting to "sample" data from the DVD. If the laser reports "functional" to the Digital PCB then there follows a "clamp and run" command where the spindle motor starts the "spin-up" operation. In your video it appears that the motor attempts to start the "spin-up" only to receive a "halt" command. Perhaps a sensor may have determined that "clamping" the disc against the guide wheel on the underside of the drive lid may not proceed when the drive lid is not in place. On the other hand if the laser reported "unable to sample disc" to the Digital PCB this may account for the failure to "spin-up." These are only speculations. Perhaps others may offer their comments.

The experiment linked in my 11/18 post narrowed down the U61 error to problems with two of the three Digital PCBs swapped into and out of a DMR-ES35V. The Service Manual indicates that the U61 error occurs only "with no disc in the disc tray." "With a disc in the disc tray" the same error is reported as U88. The text describing those errors reads "The unit detected an error while recording or playing . . . (insert already quoted text) . . . The unit is carrying out its recovery process. This process restores the unit to normal operation. The unit is not broken. Wait until the message disappears." This may be true, but only if there is not also a problem with the Digital PCB (again my speculation). Interestingly, the DMR-ES15 Operating Instructions have a somewhat different description of these errors. U61 reads "There was a power failure or the AC plug was disconnected while the unit was on . . ." and then the text continues just as the text found in the Service Manual. U88 reads "There was something unusual detected with the disc while recording or playing . . ." and then the text continues just as the text found in the Service Manual.

As I suggested in my 11/12 post there may be some problem with ribbon cables or their connections but the more likely problem is with the Digital PCB itself.

Hi,yes the laser was omitting light ok.

I have another quick clip which you can see the laser in motion on the rods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMb3cFsE12g

It does seem as it is going for the read then prompted to cancel then comes back again for another try.

Rods and everything around seems mint so no obstructions.

Damn thing,anyway it`s put away in the cupboard till i get a chance to get someone to look at it.

Have a look at this pic i took,i was wondering if the substance looks normal at the bottom of the capacitor/resistor thingy
124789

Thanks again.

Yes it's normal. It's just some type of glue they use to stabilize the capacitor. The abnormal leakage would probably be on the top of the cap and may be a white battery acid type of residue. Note caps can be bad even without that residue, it's just when you see the residue it's more than likely bad or on it's last legs.

Hi,yes the laser was omitting light ok.

I have another quick clip which you can see the laser in motion on the rods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMb3cFsE12g

It does seem as it is going for the read then prompted to cancel then comes back again for another try.

Rods and everything around seems mint so no obstructions.

Damn thing,anyway it`s put away in the cupboard till i get a chance to get someone to look at it.

Have a look at this pic i took,i was wondering if the substance looks normal at the bottom of the capacitor/resistor thingy
124789

Thanks again.

Does you DMR-ES15 perform in the same manner with the DVD drive lid in place?

See this and the following posts for more discussion of the material shown in the photo:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14557400#post14557400

Does you DMR-ES15 perform in the same manner with the DVD drive lid in place?

See this and the following posts for more discussion of the material shown in the photo:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14557400#post14557400


Hi,

Yes it performs the same with the drive lid in place,bit noisy isn`t it :eek:.