Sony Betamax VCR question

[B 4204 T3]

Hi everyone! I've been registered here on videokarma.org for a few years now, but I'm not very active on here. I have a question.



I have a vintage Sony Betamax VCR, which is still in the original box, but it is not working. I've had it for years, and it's just been sitting in my kitchen closet in the Sony cardboard box with the Styrofoam. I've wanted to have it repaired ever since then, and I had planned to have it repaired at some time in the future, but I haven't got around to doing it. I believe it is from the early 1980s; from my online research, it is from either 1981 or 1982, but it doesn't say a production date anywhere on the unit. It was also a state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line model back then.



The problem is that I can't get it to load a tape at all. When I try to load a tape in the slot, sometimes it will load a tape, but then just eject it right away, and other times, it won't load at all, and it just won't go in the VCR.



I have a lot of old Betamax video tapes that I'm interested in watching again. Is there any one in the San Diego area who works on Sony Betamax VCRs, or would it be a better idea to try & find another one? It is very large, heavy, and cumbersome, and I'm not skilled with repairing them.



Thanks for the help!

[rpm1200]

Maybe you could try messaging Jordan Pier (jpdylon) on Youtube? He is in SD and does a lot of TV and audio repair videos. I'd love to see him work on a vintage Beta machine.

[B 4204 T3]

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[B 4204 T3]

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[djfivos]

From your description of the problem, that would be an SL-5000 if I'm not mistaken. The first front loading Betamax ever. These have lots of issues with rubber parts. I bet if you open it up and give the loading ring a push after inserting a tape, it will thread it successfully. The other problem with them is those blue Sanyo capacitors in the servo (drum and capstan speed control) circuit. When they fail you get incorrect tape speed and no head drum speed lock, which results in no sync and no picture.

[Electronic M]

In the last 4 months I did the Zenith equivalent of the SL-5000. Belts were bad, and the blue sanyo caps were a problem, but on top of that I had transistors fail on one of the logic control boards such that it electronically wouldn't run the take up reels in play mode. If would fast forward and rewind and give video in still frame but no play till I identified and changed the transistors that failed.

I had to buy the sams for it to figure out the electronics (I could send it to you if you want).

I had 2 identical Zeniths and planned to fix both, but after I fixed the first the second one kept having new circuit failures as I was trying to troubleshoot the existing ones and I eventually said "screw it! The second machine can be a parts deck"...I still have the parts deck and would be happy to let it go.

[djski]

Considering its age, the belts may have disintegrated or turned to goo.You may want to take a peek inside as belt replacement is not a big deal.