Help Cleaning Camcorder

[Cipher5000]

Hi,

i got a JVC GRD-30
I was wondering is there a way I can clean it without having to take it apart? I've cleaned my VCR before and I'm assuming its very similar to a camcorder. But taking this apart looks alot more complicated.
Anyway of doing it without taking it apart??

Thanks

[Josef K]

What do you think is in there to make you want to clean its innards? I've cleaned a VCR before but a cam is different. For one thing, a VCR has lots of ventilation holes to help dissipate the heat. That's why they can get so dusty inside. Video cameras on the other hand don't have all those holes. So, unless the camera has been taken apart previously, it should not require cleaning. You're more likely to introduce dirt into the camera body than to remove it.

[sitlet]

i just run a wet/dry cleaning tape every month or so through my camera for about 30 seconds or so. make sure you know whether your camera uses the wet or the dry type of cleaning tapes. otherwise, you can just open up the tape compartment and blow a can of compressed air into there. i wouldnt recommend taking your camera apart, they are a lot more complicated than your normal vcr.

[Cipher5000]

Sorry, i should have stated why I wanted it clean.

lately when I film stuff, the tape seems to pause or get stuck as I'm capturing it on my computer. I tryed using a cleaning tape and that helped alittle, but its still doing it. I've used several different DV tapes too, so its not the tape. (I don't think)
Someone suggested to me that I clean the heads and rollers better inside.

[Josef K]

lately when I film stuff, the tape seems to pause or get stuck as I'm capturing it on my computer.

Could you be more specific? What exactly happens during these pauses? Does the tape keep running if you check the LCD monitor but freeze on your system during transfer? If not, if/when it unpauses, does it continue from where it froze or from a point further on? Do the freezes happen during transfer or when you preview the transferred footage later on?

I thought you meant from your first post that you wanted to completely remove the body and clean everything inside but now it seems you meant just the heads and drive mechanism. I have a MiniDV camera as well so I know how tricky it would be to get in there through all the metal in the tape loading bay so maybe that's why you wanted to disassemble it. I would recommend that if your DIY cleaning doesn't work then get a quote for having it professionally cleaned/serviced.

[troyvcd1]

Well if you are using different dv tapes then that could be your problem. You are supposed to use only one brand of dv tapes and not switch brands as this supposebly will cause the different dv tape chemicals to mix and can cause the tape mechanisms to muck up.

[Cipher5000]

Josef.....

When it gets stuck or pauses, it doesn't continue from th same spot. It will freeze for a half second or so, but the tape is still running, so I lose whatever was there as it gets stuck. So it resumes from a point further on.
I've actually never looked at the LCD screen, but when i am capturing it on my computer I see it, and it ends up like that when I make video clips.

it doesn't do this constantly, just sometimes. the pother day for example i was shooting some stuff and it only did it near the begining of the tape for a few seconds the rest was fine. So i don't know, maybe it isn't dirty, but I don't know what else would be causing this.

And if i had to clean it myself, i was hoping there was some way of cleaning it, other than those cleaning tapes, where i could get in there with out disasembeling it. I'm sure thats not possible, but i thought i would ask anyway

I've used different DV tapes, but the same brand