Sony SL-HF150E betamax tape edge curl

[ady]

Hi

I've just picked up this betamax recorder from a recording studio which had been used with a Sony PCM converter for digital audio recording..

It powers up and seems to work well in play with most tapes.

One old Maxell L750 though constantly gets tape edge damage after a few seconds and the picture blacks out. You can hear the tape crinkling slightly.

I'm not sure if this problem is just due to this tape or a general misalignment of the tape path. I have no gauges to check. As other tapes seem to play well I'm guessing it's just this tape but it'd be nice to play it as it has family history on i'd like to transfer.

thanks

adrian

[murphyv310]

Hi.
As an EX Sony engineer your problem is most likely due to wear in the tape path.
The things to look for is wear on the AC head, pinch roller and capstan bearings.
Of course the phantom twiddler may also be the culprit! Also look at the back tension for which you will need a proper Sony back tension gauge also check the take up tension torque. These machines really need to be "Correct" ans set up as per the manual to get the best performance, usually if used for PCM work they are well worn.
Good Luck.
Trevor

[ady]

thanks for that - it's what I feared! I think DIY is going to be hard for the tension given the lack of gauges or spend £100 each on eBay at the moment.

The PALsite suggests a method of setting the Forward Torque on the HF100 and 150 without a gauge.

Without the service manual and alignment tapes / gauges my options, culled from various websites, seem to be:

• remove and clean pinch roller with IPA and then washing up liquid..
• clean tape path especially the ACE head..
• replace pinch roller with new part if available..
• buy a service manual and buy / borrow gauges

I could always buy another one, take a chance but problems would be likely unless it's been serviced.
I'd like to get it professionally serviced but I'd like more to fix it myself if possible.

thanks

adrian

[ben]

mark the take up torque pot with a bit of liquid paper or a marker pen; that way you can twiddle and still get back to where you began.
in my experience the pinch rollers are quite long lasting, but do check to see the rubber isn't hard , shiny or coated in tape dust before looking at torque....good luck.
Ben

[Nickthedentist]

If you're only using this to transcribe a few tapes to DVD or whatever, presumably a bit of botching would be in order, e.g. inverting the pinch roller (if it's possible of course) etc.

[ady]

thanks for the replies - it still seems odd that only one tape has this problem -

i'm in the dark without any reference test tapes etc or another beta player to test the offending tape on -

is it likely that transport problems could make the machine less tolerant of certain tapes while playing others ok?

can anyone recommend anyone who can test / service this machine?

[ben]

Originally Posted by ady

thanks for the replies - it still seems odd that only one tape has this problem -
is it likely that transport problems could make the machine less tolerant of certain tapes while playing others ok?

In a word: yes
if the tape is slightly thinner then it is more likely to suffer. a properly aligned deck will not damage any tape.

[murphyv310]

Originally Posted by ben

In a word: yes
if the tape is slightly thinner then it is more likely to suffer. a properly aligned deck will not damage any tape.

I Agree the thinner 830 tapes were the worst to show up transport faults with better quality 750 tapes usually OK.
I would do the repair but no longer have my test tapes and gauges, Sorry.
Cheers.
Trevor

[HamishBoxer]

Pinch roller needs changing first as with any machine Regards David GM8JET

[murphyv310]

Originally Posted by HamishBoxer

Pinch roller needs changing first as with any machine Regards David GM8JET

Hi David.
Yes all the wear points should be done prior to alignment, you can never align one of these machines when there is wear. As in my earilier post the AC head wears badly on this mech as does guides etc, the mech is very similar to the SL-C9 which has the retractable guides. Also as it is a Hi-Fi machine the alignment is even more critical, wear on the upper drum and lower drum can cause a big increase in back tension due to friction these would need to be removed and polished or replaced with new items.
During my time with SES (Sony Service) I did countless of these machines with the same deck and to do a proper repair we were charging around £200 and that was over 10 years ago!
Cheers.
Trevor

[ady]

Oh Dear - my recent introduction to Betamax ownership is not looking good - I think I still may persevere and get this serviced. It would be nice to have a beta hifi machine working. But regarding servicing costs and machines that appear to work advertised on eBay the question of "repair or buy another one?" is in my mind..

If this is not too off-topic are there any any opinions as to the most robust and easiest to keep running beta machines especially regarding the spares situation.

adrian

[ben]

i've taken the liberty of starting a new thread to avoid this going OT

[HamishBoxer]

£200 service Ouch! all most as dear as servicing a car. Regards David