[mkerdman]

My PV-HD1000 D-VHS has been acting up insofar as it makes loud mechanical cycling noises and fails to resond to commands to record or play given from it's front panel controls, the remote or the DST-50.


I have had only intermitant success in disconnecting and reconnecting the firewire cable and/or unplugging and re-plugging the units power.


Is there a way to troubleshoot this with success?


Thank you in advance for any assistance in this regard.


Murray Kerdman

 

[gridleak]

With the recorder turned off, press and hold the play button on the front panel for about 5 seconds, until a number appears on the panel display. Tell us the number.

 

[mkerdman]

****5492**** is the number I get holding down PLAY for 5 seconds on the HD-1000.


Please tell what to do next.


Thanks,


Murray Kerdman

 

[gridleak]

It's toast. I'll give you 10 bucks for it.



...kidding aside, I'm at work and I don't have the error codes memorized, so it'll be an hour or so before I can tell you more. Be prepared to take the lid off.

 

[mkerdman]

Thanks.


I'll get out the tools and be at the ready.


Murray Kerdman

 

[gridleak]

Code indicates that the following:


"5" - internal serial bus is ok

"4" - photocells both see light so there's no tape in machine

"9" - machine is in "play/que/slow/still" mode

"2" - head cylinder is locked


I assume there is no tape in the machine. UNPLUG power, pull the lid off, and check that the cylinder turns freely. Don't touch the outer surface of the cylinder. A light twist should make it spin for several seconds.

 

[mkerdman]

Which screws are necesary to take off the top panel?


Murray Kerdman

 

[gridleak]

Four screws altogether.


Two screws on the bottom located near the center of the right and left edge. I think there's an arrow pointing at each one. Then on the back panel remove the two screws located near the upper corners.


Lift the top from the rear about 3 inches then slide it back from the front.

 

[mkerdman]

With the top off and after spinning the head, which was not stuck,

it now reads ***5410***.


What now?


Murray Kerdman

 

[gridleak]

Insert and reject a tape. Turn off and then press the play button to get an error code.

 

[mkerdman]

"Insert and reject a tape. Turn off and then press the play button to get an error code."


Did it.


It again reads ***5410***.


What now?


Murray Kerdman

 

[gridleak]

"5410" is normal. Your machine is fixed. Please make out a check for $20 to "gridleak" and drop it off at my office.


Try playing a tape.

 

[mkerdman]

"5410" is normal. Your machine is fixed."


It unfortunately is not.


I still get loud mechanical cycling noises and fails to resond to commands to record or play given from it's front panel controls, the remote or the DST-50.


The tape wraps around the heads, grinds and stops, while conituning to make disturbing mechanical cycling noises


Any ideas?


Murray Kerdman

 

[gridleak]

"grinds and stops"?? Do you mean the cylinder stops spinning?

 

[gridleak]

Murray,


Any time there is an error code that ends with 1, 2, or 3 it means the recorder was put in a "shut-off" condition by the error. In that condition most of the function buttons are disabled.


When I ask you to insert and eject a tape there was no error, so I have to assume the error occurs when you press play. At that point something stops or slows the cylinder and the recorder goes into shut-off condition with a lock-code of "2".


The cylinder can be stopped by too much tension in the tape. That, in turn, could be caused by a wide variety of things, from a defective cassette, to a missing post in the tape path, or even a damaged cassette loading mechanism.


Tell me the following:


Load and eject a tape so that you have an error code of 5410. Turn on power and insert a tape. After the loading process has completed, the cylinder should still be spinning. Is that what happens? Then, when you press play, does the tape move at all before the recorder locks up?

 

[mkerdman]

Roger,


Sorry for the delayed response, real life got in the way.


When first powered up the head does not spin at all- though it is not bound up or mechanically locked.


However, what I asume is a capstan motor is spinning uncontrollably.


The display reads ACT 66.


When a tape is inserted for play, the cycle ends in a tape partially wrapped around the head and the machine powers itself off.


The error code now reads ***54A2***


Please advise.


Murray Kerdman

 

[mkerdman]

Roger,


After several additional attempts to load play per your instructions, the error code reads ***5410***


The end game is that the tape partially loads around the head (which is not spinning) and powers down.


What do you think Doc?


Murray Kerdman

 

[gridleak]

Murray,


The prospects here don't look good. It seems fairly likely that the cylinder motor drive has failed. That circuit is on the head amp CBA which is the small circuit board directly behind the cylinder. It is soldered to the lower cylinder, so it's major surgery to replace it.


I suppose there's a remote chance the problem is with the processor on the main board, or with the power supply. The power supply can be checked easily by removing the bottom plate, but full disassembly is required to check the main board.


The fact your recorder powers up with "ACT 66" on display is odd. Has it always done that? Try one more thing. Turn on the recorder and press Action and Prog on the remote. Does the display switch back to normal? Turn off the recorder and then back on. Does it stay in normal mode or did it go back to "Act 66"? If it keeps going back to Act 66 then there's a chance the problem is in the power supply.


Sorry to paint such a grim picture, but the fact that the cylinder spins freely doesn't leave us with easy fixes. It sounds like your machine is a consumer model, so at least there won't be a problem having Panasonic do the repair.

 

[mkerdman]

Nothing seems to get me back to a normal display.


The units error code is now at ***54"A"2***.


I previously was able to "reset" the unit by a random sequence of unplugging and inserting the IEEE cable.


Any idea what's next?


Does Panansonic (1) only allow these units to be serviced in Illinois, (2) add copy protection 5C circuitry to them upon return , and (c) take forever and a day to do it.?



Murray Kerdman

 

[gridleak]

The "A" just indicates the mode switch was in the FF/REW position when the processor detected that the cylinder was not spinning and the recorder was shut down. The error code is held in memory for about 12 hours. It is cleared by displaying the code and then turning on the power.


I don't know of a way to "reset" the recorder other than unplugging from power. You might want to unplug it for a few hours in the hope that the problem is caused by "processor temporary insanity". If that doesn't help I suggest you call Panasonic to arrange for repair.


I do plan to post a thread about disassembling the HD1000, but it probably won't happen in the next couple of weeks. Just like the DST50/51, taking apart and putting together can sometimes fix problems. I think it's one of Murphy's Laws.


I do my own repairs, so I've never had any experience with Panasonic. Don't worry about the 5C issue. All the HD1000's are 5C compliant in the sense that they will not record tapes that have the copy bit set. To my knowledge there are only two firmware versions: Consumer and Demo.