Hi;
I have a Sony Handycam, model FX525, which I bought in 1993, so it's almost an antique<g>
It never was abused, and never saw all that much use, but it stopped working about 5 years ago, and once in a while I return to it to see if there is something very simple wrong.

First, I'll say that I don't need a camcorder at all. I have, and love my Nikon D200 and am not really into video anymore.
That said, I don't like having things that aren't functional lying around, and I am trying to make up my mind to get rid of the thing, after transferring some videos to DVD.

Here's the problem:

The camera plays video.
When I switch the slide switch on the top of the unit to the camera mode, the viewfinder flashes on for about 1/4 second, then shuts off. There is a slight "click" inside the unit, then nothing at all.
If I switch the power supply (I can't use the battery anymore, since it won't take a charge) off, then back on, the viewfinder flashes, and I hear that click, just as I do if the switch on the unit is switched to camera.

Once the flash and the click have occurred, the only way to get anything to happen again is to turn off the power supply and then back on, or I think it will happen if I wait several minutes without turning the power supply off, then switch back to camera again.

I used to work in the electronics field, so I do know my stuff, but I don't know camcorders.
There doesn't appear to be any way I could get a schematic, and even if I could, I don't think it's worth the time and probably frustration to take the thing apart.

At this point, I don't think the problem is the power supply, since it works in play mode.
In the past, I had also tried the battery, and got the same result.
The lithium battery is deader than a doornail, but I don't think it is necessary to make the camera function. I am also 99% sure that I replaced the battery years ago when the problem first occurred.

Any ideas, or should I just get rid of this relic?

Thanks

FW

Some power supplies are built not to run the cam but simply to charge the battery. This COULD be your issue. In other words the power supply only puts out a small trickle charge solely for the purpose of charging the battery and will not supply enough power to run the entire camera.

Cameras typically don't use a lot of power for playback. In playback mode they don't have to run the focusing systems, image stabilization.... etc.

You would be best served by trying with a good and fully charged battery.

I wish I did have a good battery. The only one I have is almost as old as the camcorder, so I don't trust it at all.
I don't want to spend any money on this thing, unless I find that it's working I would buy a new battery (if I could get one).

I do have a bench power supply capable of supplying 3A well filtered, adjustable DC. So, maybe I can just hook this to the battery terminals of the camers.

Before I try anything though, I want to use the play function to record anything I want to save to DVD. That way, if I blow the camera, I don't lose anything I haven't already lost.

FW