Hello,
I've got both a 520H and a 720H of witch I'm fully satisfied. However, I have to admit that their lifetime is limited by the life of the optical lens of the burner.
The closest replacement is to get a DVR-107 (or DVR-A07), then retrieve the lens to fit in the DVR-107XA (Gshelley61 did it successfuly - see huge topic about HDD replacement on this machine).
Unfortunately, these drives are getting a bit rare (5 generations old ...), and a new drive unit from Pioneer costs about $300.
So did someone successfully replaced this unit with something else? A DVR-108 could be okay, but today, we have only DVR-111 and DVR-112 fully available (of course, electrical connections are not compatible).
I think I'm not alone to have this unit, and sadly, one day or another we all have this problem. So, any working idea is welcome!![]()
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Originally Posted by donglejack
I must admit to confusion over the various models within a Pioneer series. The retail box A0_ vs. the OEM 10_ is clear enough. But whats up with the XL versions, for example ? There are Mac versions that seem to have no Eject button. According to the optical drive replacement account in that thread, all that is done is to cannibalize the laser / lens assembly. So, within the _07 family, the other differences may not matter. Or at least I HOPE SO. As to the _08, I have no idea. Once you go past that, I suspect the differences become critical.When in Las Vegas, don't miss the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ -- with over 150 tables from 6+ decades of this quintessentially American art form. -
Many thanks Seeker47 for your answer.
Yes, you find many 107 burners on eBay, but unfortunately, you do not know if these are hardly used or not...
There was a seller few weeks ago that had some in stock, but he required a minimum of $500 to ship o'seas. No luck ...
And a 107 (or A07) is not useable as a plug&play replacement, since the firmware is quite different in the DVR-520. Perhaps it is possible however to fit a standard 107 in the DVR-520 and then upload the firmware from service disk (I didn't tried).
However, I 'm very interested in the name of your vendor. I think I have a look at the 'HDD replacement' thrad right now
Have a nice day! -
Originally Posted by donglejack
Originally Posted by donglejack)
Originally Posted by donglejackI did not manage to find the right section, or the bookmark that I made when I was reading that part. Searching the forum did not turn it up, either. In the meantime, have a look here:
https://forum.videohelp.com/topic303341.html
https://forum.videohelp.com/topic314946.html#1614673
The vendor I referred to is in Irvine, Calif. I was concerned because the website mentioning that burner is obviously quite out of date. But I did have an exchange of email some time ago with someone from the company, who told me these were leftover (unused) stock of the A07, retail box. (They did not seem too interested in selling just one or two pieces, though.) I can try to dig out that email, if you like.
When in Las Vegas, don't miss the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ -- with over 150 tables from 6+ decades of this quintessentially American art form. -
Originally Posted by donglejack
It was page 10 of the long "replace HDD" thread https://forum.videohelp.com/topic253998-270.html#1438381
-- see the post from Techguy.
There was a thread dealing mainly with the burner issue:
https://forum.videohelp.com/topic289793.html
Here is the page from that vendor:
http://esbuy.com/
It has since been updated, now showing the DVR-110 where there used to be order info for the leftover stock of 107's. No idea if they still have those, but my email exchange with them was not that long ago. Trying to get ahold of them by those phone #s was a waste of time.When in Las Vegas, don't miss the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ -- with over 150 tables from 6+ decades of this quintessentially American art form. -
Many thanks Seeker47 for your searches and for these useful links!
They have some in stock, ranging from $95 to $130, plus shipping o'seas for $50. Shipping is not cheap, but could be more expensive! And they do sell o'seas. They are not cheap but far less than this ridiculous price of $300 from Pioneer (part VXX2942 for people that want a genuine part. But I doubt ...)
For sure, some eBay sellers that do not want to sell o'seas must have had some problems in the past. So, it is understandable.
However, I keep their address in my favourites, and I think I may buy them two parts to have parts available in case... And especially since I bought few days ago another DVR-520 for less than $200 (E140 to be precise), in an near-new condition.
Yes, despite there are newer home burners, I do like this model (easy to use, good quality picture in RGB mode, and so on)
I bought also for $10 an 2nd hand DVR-107 burner, so I think I give a try to upload firmware from service disk when I receive it, though I don't think that works. But let's try ... -
Originally Posted by donglejack
Check this link below.
https://forum.videohelp.com/topic303341.html
Way cheaper.
PsyMasterIBUYPOWER I7 16GB, Ebuntu 16 system, Pioneer DVR-520H, Pioneer DVR-225, Phillips DVR-3567H, Teac replacement drives for DVR-107xa -
Originally Posted by psymaster
Originally Posted by psymaster
Originally Posted by psymaster
Originally Posted by psymasterWhen in Las Vegas, don't miss the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ -- with over 150 tables from 6+ decades of this quintessentially American art form. -
Okay here are my results. The TY's seem to have done the trick, the recorder finalizes these discs.
In my panic I bought up every DVR-107/DVR-A07 that I could bid on. I now have 6 replacement drives one of which is the NEW TEAC drive.
I've communicated with my Teac drive supplier and he does have some available. I guess I can do the swap out on my 520H but I think I'll wait till I get the service remote (my sprint palm pilot cannot be trusted). Unless HKan can do it.
Here's something ironic, my 520H will record Pay For View and Premium Channels (HBO, Starz, etc) but it won't allow me to record a VHS movie when connected to the VHS player via RCA cables. Go figure!
PsyIBUYPOWER I7 16GB, Ebuntu 16 system, Pioneer DVR-520H, Pioneer DVR-225, Phillips DVR-3567H, Teac replacement drives for DVR-107xa -
Sorry I'm late to this party, usually seeker47 and I both manage to chime in on these Pio burner questions.
I don't have much to add since you've already figured out the primary task is to swap the controller board inside the original dead burner to the new replacement burner. Once you do this the recorder will usually (but not always) accept it as the original without asking for the service remote/service disc nonsense. I have done this repeatedly to fix 520s. I've done the same on several 510s, except they require the 106 drive instead of the 107. And also the 530 series, which used the 109. It does not matter the brand name or model as long as it will accept the controller board from the original burner. DVR-107 and DVR-A07 are identical, and the "XL" models are the ones with special recorder firmware in their controller boards. You are very fortunate indeed to have discovered the Teacs, I'm glad you posted that info here. So far as I know, aside from the Pioneer and Pioneer/Apple burners, the only third-party drives that could be used in a Pioneer recorder were certain Memorex models that were re-branded Pioneer 106 drives (I've used these to fix DVR-510 recorders). If these Teacs can be sourced new at affordable prices, it will be a great help to many sad 520 and 720 owners!
Try to use only the TY discs as much as possible: the older drives burn them easily with little wear. Other brands will often seem to work, but they stress the laser and shorten the life of the burner (older burners will sometimes accept and finalize modern 16x media, but they struggle with the burning process). -
Originally Posted by psymaster
Originally Posted by psymasterWhen in Las Vegas, don't miss the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ -- with over 150 tables from 6+ decades of this quintessentially American art form. -
I have a Phillips DVR-3567H so I'll test the ability to record a VHS movie through this unit. DVR-520 fails on VHS movie recording but will record PFV and STARZ/HBO the DVR-3567H will not record PFV nor will it record STARZ/HBO.
How many Teac drives should I buy to sell to all?
PsyIBUYPOWER I7 16GB, Ebuntu 16 system, Pioneer DVR-520H, Pioneer DVR-225, Phillips DVR-3567H, Teac replacement drives for DVR-107xa -
There are two primary issues that can come up when transferring VHS to DVD.
The first issue is that VHS is a "dirty" format, full of instabilities and minor glitches that were not a big problem for analog displays but can wreak havoc with some digital encoders and many flat panel TV sets. This issue has cropped up much less in the last couple years, as the newer DVD recorders have been redesigned to expect and smooth over unstable VHS and cable TV inputs. If your recorder dates from late 2005 forward, you should not have any dramatic image distortions when dubbing tapes you recorded yourself. But if your recorder is pre-2005, such as the extremely popular Pioneer 520 of 2004, you might regularly see very poor recording quality from your VHS sources. The only solution for this is to use a very high-end SVHS or DVHS vcr as the playback source- these units have internal TBC and DNR circuits that refine and smooth minor VHS glitches. You might also need an external TBC (time base corrector). My opinion, expressed here before, is that this additional hardware is not necessarily the best way to go: for the money, most people are better off just buying a newer DVD recorder that copes better with VHS. TBC and DNR features in a vcr are nice to have as options, but you really don't want to be forced to always use them: they can soften the image considerably. The earlier DVD/HDD recorders like Pioneer 520 are top-quality units, but much better suited to off-the-air and cable recordings, where they perform their best. It doesn't make sense to load up on additional hardware just to work around their VHS input limitations.
The second and more common VHS issue occurs when you attempt to back up your old commercial (Hollywood) tapes to DVD. Commercial VHS is laced with the MacroVision copy-inhibit signal, which all DVD recorders are designed to sense. So they will lock out their recording function if you attempt to transfer a commercial tape. This applies across the board to every vintage of DVD recorder, old and new (except for a very few oddball machines long discontinued). To get around this you need to patch a "video filter" or "clarifier" between your VCR and your DVD recorder. These little black boxes are covered more extensively in other threads- run a search. There are two basic types: very expensive digital models ($100 and up), which filter out old (VHS) and new (cable/satellite/DVD) recording blocks, and the cheap ($30 or less) analog models which only help with VHS. Buy the one you can afford or need. There are many members here who found success making their external TBCs (like the DataVideo TBC-1000) do "double duty" as copy-inhibit filters. I have found very inconsistent filtering performance with these: sometimes they work, sometimes they let the block slip through and ruin a recording at the middle or end. I recommend a dedicated filter even if you own a TBC. -
Just joined the forum. My 107 has bit the dust and am trying to source a new one with no luck. I noticed the first post mentioned using a 108. I have seen one of these on ebay in Australia. It was suggested by Hakikan that this might work in a 520H. Does anyone know for sure. I don't mind replacing the lens unit if they are similar or using the data disc and remote. it would appear that 107's are very rare here.
Geoff -
Originally Posted by dixons
I have a line on some Teac drives that are the exact match as the pioneer 107s, if you are interested see earlier posts.
If your drive has stopped finalizing discs you might want to try TY discs, they have the old formula media. I thought my drive was going but found that the media available in the stores were not compatible with my 520h any longer.
Cheers
PsyIBUYPOWER I7 16GB, Ebuntu 16 system, Pioneer DVR-520H, Pioneer DVR-225, Phillips DVR-3567H, Teac replacement drives for DVR-107xa -
The 108 is definitely NOT a suitable replacement for the 520 burner. The 520 requires a 107, otherwise you won't be able to swap the circuit boards which is a necessity. If you cannot find a bare 107 drive, look for a used complete recorder, the cheaper versions without hard drive (220, 320). You can harvest the 107 drives from such units and put them in a 520 or 720.
The 107 series was the last "full size" burners Pioneer made. Starting with the 108 they moved to a smaller case and smaller circuit boards with different connectors from the 107, thats why the 108 or later won't work in the 520. What does sometimes work is a "downgrade" to a 106 drive removed from the earlier models 310, 510, 3100 or 5100. If you have the service remote and disc, you can make the 520 accept a complete older 106 burner from the earlier recorder (do not switch the circuit boards, swap out the entire drive). There is no real performance difference between a 106 and a 107 when used in a recorder: neither was a speed demon, and neither burned DL. I have successfully "downgraded" a 520 to accept a burner from a 510, and I've successfully transplanted an "upgrade" 107 drive from a 220 into a 510. With the older burners getting scarcer, you have to be creative whenever possible. Look for whatever drives or donor recorders you can obtain in your region. The member above who posted info about the TEAC re-branded 107s did just that: perhaps his source will ship to Oz for you? -
Thanks for the info about 108. Will try to source a DVD recorder/and or try different discs, but it appears to not like DVD -RW either. Will still play discs but when it tries to burn at top speed it fails and when I try real time the disc jumps and freezes after burning.
geoff -
Hello, my 720 just bought the dust as well. Everything is working fine, but I cannot finalize the dvds after recording them. Also, I cannot finalize the same DVD on other machines. I tried to shop around for boththe Pio 107 or the Teac but no luck, anyone has a good source to advise?
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If you cannot find a bare drive, the second easiest way to obtain a replacement burner for a 520/720 etc is to just look for a used 220, 225 or 320. These turn up frequently on the USA/Canada eBay sites. Fully functional examples often approach or exceed $100 US, but very many of those listed as "broken- won't power on" sell for much less, in the range of $20-50 US. Pioneer, along with every other mfr in 2004, got stuck with counterfeit Chinese power supply parts that tend to fail quickly. This failure has nothing to do with the burners, which are usually in good shape and can be transplanted from a "dead" Pioneer x20 series into your higher-end 520,720, etc.
Unfinalized Pioneer discs can be finalized by any Pioneer recorder from any year- the earliest 2003 model 510/5100 can finalize discs made on the latest 2008 model 660 (and vice versa). The only restrictions involve the very early, expensive model 7000 which was basically a prototype and has disc interchange issues with the later models. There are also difficulties with lower-end 2005 models like the VHS/DVD combo decks and the DVD-only model 230, 231, 233 units: these were not made by Pioneer but subcontracted elsewhere (a mistake Pioneer did not repeat). -
Dear Orsetto, thanks for the useful tips. I've actually found the DVR-LX61 here at the local dealer, do you think it's worth it? Has the GUI changed/improved? I like the idea of being able to record dual layer, have more space and connecting via HDMI the player.
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The LX-61 is worthwhile if you can afford it and/or need the additional tuner options it includes. The LX series is similar to the 550 and 560, but higher-end with somewhat nicer cabinet and usually more elaborate tuners for both digital and analog PAL broadcasts. The LX can finalize your old discs, no problem.
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Originally Posted by orsetto
It's the only one available here, for ~400 €. Alternatively, for a cheaper price, i've found the Philips VDR3570, and the LG RH-399, but I've read mixed reviews on line. -
Sorry I forgot your second question. Yes, the GUI on Pioneers after the 720 changed, mostly for the better. Navigation of titles is much, much easier now with a scrolling list of titles that just goes up and down- no more zig-zagging across four titles at a time. The chapter editing, thumbnail selection, erase section, and copy list-copy to DVD screens are similar to the 720 but updated to be more responsive and again appear "cleaner" and more intuitive. The one change that long-time 520/720 users protest here constantly is that Pioneer dropped the dedicated chapter marking button on the remote on all models beginning with the 530 series in 2005 (the 720 is from 2004). You can no longer watch a recording in "normal" full screen mode, and add chapter points on-the-fly using the button on the remote. Placing custom chapter points now requires you to open a separate, dedicated chapter edit screen with its own GUI. The inset video preview in this GUI is rather small, this makes finding the exact frame you want to mark as a chapter a bit more inconvenient. The system works fine, and is similar to the way most other DVD/HDD recorders now handles chapter insertion, but if you are very very fond of the "old" chapter marking with the one-touch button on the remote, you may be very disappointed. This single function is the reason why resale prices for 520/720 machines remain very high: they seldom appear for sale because owners would rather spend large sums of money to repair them than give up the full-screen chapter insertion feature. Minor changes were also made to the title name entry screens and DVD menu choices, text is now anti-aliased and a bit smaller so it appears cleaner on large LCD displays (if your television is smaller than 26" the new text displays are a bit harder to read from a distance). The good news is you can now connect any USB keyboard and directly type title names, if you don't want to use the remote and on-screen keyboard.
My own personal preference is for the new GUI overall: the full-screen chapter insert is nice, but I find every other GUI aspect of the 520/720 horribly clunky and difficult. The navigation between titles and navigation between editing modes in the 2005 and later Pioneers is much more responsivee and logical to operate. The LG and Phillips units are not as elegant, the Phillips particularly being an annoyingly difficult interface for anyone used to a Pioneer. The Phillips and LG are decent units at a very reasonable price, but with DVD/HDD recorders "you get what you pay for". If you want sophisticated editing and a well-thought-out GUI, the extra money for a Pioneer is worth it. -
Originally Posted by orsetto
Ok, good to know, now I have a serious alternative to the impossible task of repairing mine. Thanks a lot, I'll let you know once I get the new baby. -
I replaced the old Pioneer DVR-107 with the Teac drive, I just swapped out the circuit board of the original DVR to the Teac.
WORKS like a charm, and without the service disc or remote!
Burns & Finalizes, No problem.
I'm buying 5 teac drives from my supplier, did I mention these drives are New?
Cheers!
IBUYPOWER I7 16GB, Ebuntu 16 system, Pioneer DVR-520H, Pioneer DVR-225, Phillips DVR-3567H, Teac replacement drives for DVR-107xa -
Originally Posted by psymasterWhen in Las Vegas, don't miss the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ -- with over 150 tables from 6+ decades of this quintessentially American art form.
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Originally Posted by almayer
GaryIBUYPOWER I7 16GB, Ebuntu 16 system, Pioneer DVR-520H, Pioneer DVR-225, Phillips DVR-3567H, Teac replacement drives for DVR-107xa -
Originally Posted by Seeker47
.
I'm going to put one up on ebay and see what happens. Let me know if you are interested buying one.
GaryIBUYPOWER I7 16GB, Ebuntu 16 system, Pioneer DVR-520H, Pioneer DVR-225, Phillips DVR-3567H, Teac replacement drives for DVR-107xa -
Originally Posted by psymaster
If I'm remembering this right, I thought Orsetto said that the 106 might also work for this usage ? If so, that would be significant, because I think there are more of those turning up for sale. At least, there were a couple of them on eBay a few days ago.When in Las Vegas, don't miss the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ -- with over 150 tables from 6+ decades of this quintessentially American art form.
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