Broken camcorder or damaged tape?

[eliw777]

Hi, I've been converting some old 8mm tapes into DVD recently using a Hi8 camcorder I bought used. I was successful with the first few tapes, but then I started getting sporadic glitches on the tape. At any position on the tape, it will play fine for about 2 seconds, then the audio drops out and I get distorted horizontal lines that move up the screen, and the frames start jumping. I've used a head cleaning tape, and that didn't solve the problem. Is there any way I can fix this? Thanks in advance.

ex.

[olyteddy]

Play a tape to where that happens, then take the tape out, open the gate and look at it. I'll bet the tape is creased or wrinkled. It may be caused by dirty or bent tape path components. Cleaning or aligning them would be the fix, but that may not be a DIY project.

[eliw777]

Hi olyteddy, I took a look at the tape, and it looks fine to me, so I'm thinking it's an issue with the camera. This is what gets me though: I can load the tape to any position, and it will play fine for about 2 seconds, then it starts glitching. It doesn't matter which part of the tape I play, it will only play about two seconds without messing up. Thanks again.

[johns0]

Most likely the Hi8 camcorder tape guides are loose causing the rolling and audio problems,easy way to check is open the door and see if the guide heads need to be tightened.

[olyteddy]

You might also try Fast Forwarding the Rewinding the whole tape in case the spools in the casette aren't evenly packed or bind.

[eliw777]

Would tightening the guide heads be something I could do myself, or would I need to the camcorder in to do that? One of the guide heads feels pretty loose, I'm not sure if it's supposed to be though. Thanks again

[johns0]

Only the plastic roller is supposed to move,not the guide head,the case will have to be taken off and the little screw which is either philips or allen wrench need to be tightened at the base of the tape guide,if you are good with this type of work then try it.

If you are uncomfortable doing this then best to bring to a repair shop,the guide will have to be realigned so it is in sync with the video.

[eliw777]

Hey johns0, I'm not exactly sure what component you're talking about, do you have a pic by any chance? I trust myself with the repair, but the guide head fix I read about was extremely complicated and involved an oscilloscope . Thanks a lot for your help, I really appreciate it.

[johns0]

The guide head rollers pull the tape around the heads,its not complicated or require an oscilloscope,you just need to lower or raise the guide head as the tape plays till the picture get back to looking normal,just go back an forth with the adjustment till the picture locks in place,then tighten the screw on the bottom of the guide.

Taking off the camera cover is the most complicated part of the task.

[eliw777]

Ok, I'll give that a shot. Thanks

[eliw777]

Cool, the tape looks great now. I actually had to loosen the guide heads a little so the tape could flow smoothly. Thanks for your help.

[johns0]

Glad to help