Having trouble with a SONY video tape camera - any thoughts?

[TEAMYAKIMA]

When CURRY'S sold off all their old-fashioned Digital * equipment many years ago, I bought a brand new one, because I knew that years later I would need to edit all by Digital 8/Hi 8 videos.

 

But now that I've come to actually use the camera I find a big problem.

 

I put a tape in and close the camera and it immediately tells me to eject the tape - I have tried it 10/15 times and it does the same every time. A friend told me that he had had the same with his and suggested that the camera had got damp and that I should dry it in the sun - tried that, no luck.

 

Any thoughts? I could buy a S/H one on ebay, but I bought this new all those years ago to avoid having to do that.

[Metr0Land]

Have you got the camera set to record rather than play, and with the tab on the casette set to protect (ie play only)?

[john new]

Possibly dust having got into the hinge mechanism so it isn't registering as properly closed.. I'm told that might be what is wrong with my old tape camera but not yet tried to attack it with an air can.

 

Edited July 9, 2022 by john new

[TEAMYAKIMA]

15 minutes ago, Metr0Land said:

Have you got the camera set to record rather than play, and with the tab on the casette set to protect (ie play only)?

I know what you mean, but no, tape is not locked.

 

When I put the camera on to PLAY and put the tape in , the screen shows the battery life, it shows a date in 2005 (last time I used it) and it goes from Digital 8 to Hi 8. I press PLAY and it thinks about it and then says EJECT TAPE.

[Roddy Angus]

Check and see if the tape is jammed in the cassette.  The camera might not be able to move it and therefore assumes that it is at the end and needs to be ejected.

 

Just a guess.

 

Hope you get it sorted.

 

Roddy

[TEAMYAKIMA]

3 hours ago, Roddy Angus said:

Check and see if the tape is jammed in the cassette.  The camera might not be able to move it and therefore assumes that it is at the end and needs to be ejected.

 

Just a guess.

 

Hope you get it sorted.

 

Roddy

 

Regret that is not the case - tried 3/4 tapes all all the same result.

[Bristol_Rich]

1 hour ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

 

Regret that is not the case - tried 3/4 tapes all all the same result.

In which case can you check to see if the camera tape spindles are jammed?  If the last time you used it was 2005 there is a chance  any internal rubber belts or friction drives will be degraded to the point of being deformed or a slimy sticky decomposed ‘blob’.

 

be worth looking at the mechanicals before going into the electronics…

[Jonboy]

Take a look through the comments on this page https://community.usa.canon.com/t5/Camcorders/Keep-getting-quot-eject-message/td-p/8791 , particularly the final one.