Sony DSR 20 - wierd technical problem

hi there
am editing with FCP 5, MAC OSX, Sony DSR 20P.
while capturing a DVCam tape, the Sony DSR 20 was switched off by itself. the machine won't switch on. the tape is still inside. when i unplug it and than reinstall its power source, it stays switched on for 2-3 seconds and then it switches off by itself. (?????)
is there a simple way to solve it, or do i have to do all the way to a sony lab?
thanks for your help!!!
guli

Some decks I've seen have a mechanism (for protection?) where if a tape is badly jammed inside the machine, the deck will turn itself off. In those cases, you're better off getting a qualified technician to look at it rather than try to fix it yourself -- you may exacerbate the damage.

Try turning on the deck while pressing on the eject button repeatedly. The tape may come out. Don't try to poke anything inside, though.

I've had the same problem, they will remove the tape only after you commit to the minimum repair price. I use the repair center in Los Angeles and believe me it won't be cheap, close to $200.00.

That's close.

You press and hold the eject button while the machine is off and continue to hold it firmly while you start the machine. That puts the machine in Panic Eject Mode. The downside of Panic Eject Mode is sometimes the cassette comes out and leaves the tape inside. It's possible the tape is history anyway, so that problem can be fixed with a pair of scissors. Cut one strand and try to pull out the other.

That's one time where you can go inside the machine. Sometimes--after the cassett comes out, you can see where the tape loop is jammed and cut it so it comes out.

After everything comes out, put a factory fresh tape in the machine and see if it loads and comes out OK. If it does, the machine is probably OK. The tape transport mechanisms are pretty robust, but there's always a first time.



Koz

Oh, and it's "weird."

Koz

Guli

If you cant get the force eject that Koz suggested to work-

Its perty easy to take the top off deck and remove jamed tapes-
Tech dept dose it all the time at my work--

You may have to cut the tape if its wound up on heads-
rollers ect -- its real easy takes 5 minutes --Jay--

thank you all for trying to help, it's very kind.

am just back from the lab, where they told me that i had the most stupid problem - which is typical for beginners (not my case) or for women (my case) - for some unexplained reason the machine was turned off, BUT when i tried to switch it on again i couldn't becouse it was on "remote" mode and not on "local" - this is why it didn't react to any button i was pressing, including the on/off button and the eject button. (why was it on "remote" mode? probably me panicing and pressing all buttons, trying to make it work again...)

anyhow now, the machine is well, the tape is 100% fine, and i didn't pay anything... oh yes i did pay... on the way back i gave a donation for the needed ,my way of saying thank you God, i'll make the deadline...


PS you're right koz, it's "weird."

'Remote' mode means you can control the deck from somewhere else, like a connected computer. It will ignore any commands you give it via the front panel while in this mode, as it will ignore commands sent via the computer when in 'local' mode.

I wuold have gone for the 'hold the eject button down while powering up' answer too, though.

<<<'Remote' mode means you can control the deck from somewhere else>>>

That, too, is a variable. It's perfectly true that Remote opens the control to an outside connection, but it doesn't necessarily mean you lose all the local controls. Typically, STOP and EJECT still function even with the deck in Remote.

This can change. Buried deep inside the menu and set up structure is the ability to use **all* the functions of the machine from either place at the same time. Usually, there is a subset of instructions as well.

This allows you to tailor the machine to the type and size of the house you have. Oddly enough, a really small house and an enormous house have all the controls enabled. These houses have either no tape operator other than the user, or a full-time tape operator. Neither of those conditions need to lock out the local controls. It's the mid-size facilities that have many scattered tape operators or a part-time tape operator that need to lock out the local controls against accidental button-pushing.

Koz

There's another stuck tape issue that I encountered on my DSR-40, the 20's bigger brother. In this case the DVCAM tape had successfully dethreaded but was stuck in the load alley. I took off the cover and examined it.

Probing with a greenie stick I pressed down on the cassette box ever so slightly, and it ejected.

The cassette plastic had bowed up probably less than a millimeter-- could barely see it. Had to compare it to another. The bow was enough to catch the top of the alley and catch it there!

Moral: store tapes in a cool dry place. Plastic warps. Deck tolerances are very fine.

- Loren
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