Power cable for Panasonic 1980P?

[InterloperUX]

Hi there.. so I just moved house and was planning to sell my Panasonic 1980P. It's in great condition - the only caveats are that the LCD only appears to work after an hour or so of the unit being switched on, I don't have a hard copy of the manual, and now.. I've lost the power cable.

I'm wondering if someone might be able to help me locate a power cable so that I can sell it or be interested in purchasing the device.

I bought it for circa. $200 a couple of years ago and have used it for perhaps.. 10 hours to play back one tape (which had previously never been used.) The thing is, I'm in Australia and it's an NTSC device - it's unfortunately not something which I can easily sell or locate a powe cable for locally.

This looks roughly appropriate - would someone who knows mind confirming?
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-IEC-to-3-pin-USA-Mains-Power-Cable-1-8m-/191236442035?p...item2c869487b3

Thanks very much if you can assist

[hech54]

The pictured item is a simple "computer" power cable. That goes from a PC's power supply to the wall. They are a "dime a dozen" as we say and that Ebay one is HUGELY overpriced.

[orsetto]

What hech54 said: the AG1980 uses what is probably the single most common power cord in North America (I have a couple dozen harvested from broken printers, copiers and PCs over the years). They sell for a dollar or two here in USA. Whether you can find one that cheaply in Australia is another story. Maybe look for an eBay seller in China: Chinese vendors ship all around the world very inexpensively compared to other vendor locations. One example here.

The AG1980 has a cult user base that can be a little irrational, so its entirely possible you might find an eBay buyer in USA/Canada willing to pay the huge postage cost to have your VCR shipped from Australia. But you'd really need to verify the VCR is perfectly functional, which you can't do without the power cord. The last thing you want is to have a buyer return it to you under eBay's "item not as described" guarantee: you'd then be stuck paying the postage both ways. The AG1980 is a notoriously unreliable vcr that can easily rot into useless junk while just sitting in storage for a month: be absolutely certain of its current condition before you attempt to sell it.

[InterloperUX]

Hmm, given my financial position right now it's sounds like I may as well locate a power cable and hold onto it. Maybe some Australian could be interested. Thanks for the information

[Brainiac]

The AG1980 is a notoriously unreliable vcr that can easily rot into useless junk while just sitting in storage for a month: be absolutely certain of its current condition before you attempt to sell it.

Happened to me late last year. One day it was working fine and the next day nothing. Sitting in my car right now awaiting a trip to the dump.

Brainiac

[lordsmurf]

The AG1980 is a notoriously unreliable vcr that can easily rot into useless junk while just sitting in storage for a month:

This is hyperbole. (BS)
While caps can go bad -- and not just on this VCR, but many things -- all it needs is a repair. It will then be good as new.

[orsetto]

The AG1980 is a notoriously unreliable vcr that can easily rot into useless junk while just sitting in storage for a month:

This is hyperbole. (BS)
While caps can go bad -- and not just on this VCR, but many things -- all it needs is a repair. It will then be good as new.

No, not hyperbole if you've owned many of them and had the same damned thing happen repeatedly. I own nine of these, and only one remains reasonably functional (but showing all the signs of imminent death). My other eight simply take up space because they aren't worth enough to resell, even for parts, and no way am I gonna throw another $200 into repairing each one yet again only to see it fail within a year. Again.

An active transfer pro will have a different perspective than how an amateur "enthusiast" views the same hardware issues. A pro has money coming in from this activity, enthusiasts don't: its all money going down the drain for us. A pro can afford to take a chance shipping one of these beastly VCRs out for a dicey recap job, we can't. A pro can even wave a wad of cash in front of some local Einstein they meet thru professional interactions to do the finicky twitchy recap/recalibration: we aren't going to easily run into such a person. Finally, blind luck plays a hand: LordSmurf apparently received 110% flawless recap/recalibrations on his AG1980s: most of us have gotten recaps that barely survived a year (whether due to repair tech incompetence or the particular AG1980 being a dodgy burnout case, who knows). Blowing upwards of $200 to recap an AG1980 is not something I'd recommend blithely anymore unless this VCR generates income for you.

The AG1980 is a special case VCR, which further complicates its inherent electronics issues.. Unlike the various and sundry JVCs, most AG1980s were originally purchased (and then worn into the ground) by professional event videographers. Most AG1980s still floating around the second-hand market are trainwrecks that will become money pits (or doorstops) for their unfortunate buyers. If you're a paid professional needing such a VCR, the maintenance cost, difficulty finding a tech, and risks may be worth it to you. The casual enthusiast should probably think twice, then think again, and accept that the expiration date has passed for high end SVHS VCRs. If you didn't lay hands on a good "classic" model by 2008, you lost your chance. Junk VCRs last forever, but these perverse TBC/DNR divas don't. You might still have a shot at a decent-condition DVHS, but even those are becoming scarce now with a lot of defective half-dead ones cluttering the market.

Caveat emptor: now more than ever. If you get an AG1980 that works well, start your dubbing immediately and work around the clock before the thing dies on you. If you're considering an "as-is" unit, be aware finding a good VCR repair person in 2015 is VERY difficult, even here in NYC, and the AG1980 doesn't need typical cheap repairs: it needs a pricey complete overhaul (with component-level part replacements Panasonic never intended).

[2Bdecided]

I think if I had eight dead VCRs which needed lots of new capacitors, and I didn't already know how to solder, I would learn. Someone who does this for a living might charge you a lot of money, but it's not that difficult. You've got a few spares there even if you did manage to ruin a couple. You could practice on some other semi-vintage electronic junk.

There might be other adjustments that are beyond the hobbyist though.

Cheers,
David.

P.S. old solder contains lead. you're supposed to take various precautions when working with it. research these before starting.

[orsetto]

Thanks for the DIY prompt, David. I have considered trying my hand at a couple of my worst-condition AG1980s: as you say "what can I lose?" But they require a degree of soldering precision that I'm just not comfortable with. I've replaced the caps and other parts in audio receivers, amps, tuners, the power supply in a couple DVD recorders, etc., so I have some experience. Those devices were simple, usually requiring just one or two caps to be replaced within a fairly large working area that didn't entail much risk of major damage from a clumsy move.

The Panasonic AG-1980 is in another league entirely: you really need a super-steady hand and the ability to de-solder/re-solder on nearly a surface-mount level of accuracy. The common "rot" issue for the AG1980 is a myriad of very small caps all mounted very close together on its video board, and secondarily its power supply and front panel display. Knowing exactly which of the many small video caps need replacement/upgrading varies with the particular AG1980, and is something best left to a tech having significant experience repairing this particular model. (Panasonic was well aware of what a mess it would be to make such component-level repairs, which is why they never sanctioned it during production: they simply furnished complete, pre-calibrated replacement video boards as a snap-in module). I've always found it strange that the older, nearly-identical AG1970 has virtually none of the AG1980 video failures: a properly-working AG1970 will remain functional for years on end, even be stored for years and re-deployed with no issues at all (other than the dimming front panel display defect common to all the 1950, 1960, 1970, and 1980 AG series).

Your point about the original leaded solder suggests a potential explanation why even decent professional repairs to the AG1980 video board have a high re-failure rate: the woefully misguided environmentalist-driven shift to lead-free solder. If repairs are made with the horrendous lead-free solder, they could easily come undone due the "tin whiskers" decay issue inherent to the new-age solder. One might get away with lead-free solder repairs on larger circuits, but on the extremely crowded AG1980 video board it could become problematic much quicker.

[2Bdecided]

Yes, that does sound like another level of skill. I know people who can hand solder surface mount components with a better than 50% success rate. Some have steady hands, others mount everything in a jig of clamps and crocodile clips! All have suitable soldering irons though - an array of tips, and adjustable temperature. It's not something I can manage though!

I don't know about over there, but there's still plenty of leaded solder available via eBay UK. We can stay in the 1980s with poisonous leaded solder and inefficient tungsten filament light bulbs for a while yet Though the modern equivalents are workable.

Cheers,
David.