Camcorder troubles

[stalker11]

Does anyone know what to do when your camera came too close to a magnet and lost the ability to play or record tapes? I can only assume that I have to get this thing serviced, but any help or information anyone has on the issue is greatly appreciated.

[davideck]

Never heard this one before...
What kind of magnet are we talking about?

[stalker11]

Well, here's the situation. I didn't have a tripod, so I put the camera on a tv. When I went back to check the tape, it was empty, I tried recording again with no success. When I got home I checked another tape which also didn't play. It may very well still be recording, but it's definately not playing the tape. The tape runs when recording and playing, but no video shows up and there is also no timecode displayed. I just get a blue screen (same as when tape is stopped or empty on my camera). The magnet in question is one of the speakers from the tv.

[davideck]

Well, I doubt that the speaker magnet had anything to do with this.

Is it possible that you selected A/V IN inadvertently?

Are you viewing the blue screen on the Camcorder's display or on a TV?
Is the menu accessible?

[edDV]

Well, here's the situation. I didn't have a tripod, so I put the camera on a tv. When I went back to check the tape, it was empty, I tried recording again with no success. When I got home I checked another tape which also didn't play. It may very well still be recording, but it's definately not playing the tape. The tape runs when recording and playing, but no video shows up and there is also no timecode displayed. I just get a blue screen (same as when tape is stopped or empty on my camera). The magnet in question is one of the speakers from the tv.

hmm, camcorder malfunction that is maybe not magnet caused.

1. Remove batteries (big one and small settings battery)
2. Leave unconnected 4-24 hours.
3. Reinstall batteries and see if it works.

I have an older Digital8 camcorder that sometimes shows a moisture error. Sometimes it takes days without batteries to clear the error.

[troyvcd1]

It is really hard to believe that a magnet in the tv could cause a camcorder problem. After all most people probably place their camcorder on top of the tv when playing a tape in it.

[stalker11]

I was actually thinking about the batteries. But I had the moisture problem with another old camera of mine. It could be something else, but the camera is barely used, maybe like 30 hours total. I first noticed it after placing it on the tv. I never had recording problems, with exception to head cleaning message with a specific tape. All of a sudden the camera stopped recording, or playing back. And I checked pretty much everything I could, I'm fairly proficienct with this kind of equipment, not to the point of fixing such a malfunction of course, either way I don't want to mess with the insides. Anywho, I heard the common myth that magnets erase magnetic storage devices such as tapes and harddrives. However, once I took an old vhs tape, and ran the tape inside across a speaker magnet and nothing happened to the tape. This is nevertheless the reason for my assumption, since tape is magnetic storage, perhaps the heads got demagnetized, or just messed up, like a tv.

[davideck]

I never had recording problems, with exception to head cleaning message with a specific tape. All of a sudden the camera stopped recording, or playing back.

Could that be the problem now?

[tnamrog]

If the TV was turned on and off with the camcorder on top of it, it might have been hit by the degaussing function? Just a thought

[edDV]

I was actually thinking about the batteries. But I had the moisture problem with another old camera of mine. It could be something else, but the camera is barely used, maybe like 30 hours total. I first noticed it after placing it on the tv. I never had recording problems, with exception to head cleaning message with a specific tape. All of a sudden the camera stopped recording, or playing back. And I checked pretty much everything I could, I'm fairly proficienct with this kind of equipment, not to the point of fixing such a malfunction of course, either way I don't want to mess with the insides. Anywho, I heard the common myth that magnets erase magnetic storage devices such as tapes and harddrives. However, once I took an old vhs tape, and ran the tape inside across a speaker magnet and nothing happened to the tape. This is nevertheless the reason for my assumption, since tape is magnetic storage, perhaps the heads got demagnetized, or just messed up, like a tv.

No you misunderstand, taking the batteries out resets the microprocessor and memory. Since capacitors hold charge for hours, you may need to keep the batteries out for some time before everything discharges. The moisture sensor seems to take even longer to clear on my old Digital8.