Canon HV30 tape deck stuck open

Gary Sconce

Gary Sconce

Veteran
Matt Sconce and I have a 'just out of warranty' HV30 and when taking a tape out and reloading it today the tape just went in and the deck stopped. It wouldn't go down and would not release the tape. I gently tripped the release lever on the back side and got out the tape, but the unit is just stuck open. :shocked:

Has this happened to anyone else? Everything else works on the camera, tape is new and the batteries are charged. I have even reset the camera but... the tape deck stays open and won't move.

This camera has been babied, and kept warm and dry. It has never been dropped or bumped. It is strange.
Any help would be greatly appreciated! :badputer:

Thank you!
 
Raster said:
Try disconnecting the battery and press the reset button. Check the manual.
Cheers.
Click to expand...

Yeah, did those things right away. I emailed Canon help:

Canon says:
1) Is the tape in upside down? No.
2) Does it have power? Yes.
3) Did you push down and bend the unit? No.


Then:
It is a "realignment issue" and I have to send it in for repair at my cost. In terms of the physics of the lack of downward movement. As far as I can tell, three things may have happened:

1) The small plastic teeth on the gears that move the worm gear drive down have broken due to weak material.

2) The small plastic teeth on the gears that move the worm gear drive down have slipped due to bad design.

3) Alignment tracks have jumped due to poor, loose tolerances.

Crum. It is like a 'lemon' automobile. Dang.
hv20-smilie36.gif


Oh well, hope for the low cost best!
hv20-smilie77.gif


I'm shipping it.

----------------------------------

The overriding question is:

Why would a moderately new Canon HV30 with no abuse, no moisture probs, no dirt probs, a brand new tape, and a fully charged battery just fail for no reason? I taught Physics and completely understand the second law of thermodynamics, Entropy..."All systems will move to an increasing state of disorder..." :badputer:

But utter failure of something so expensive that you know had lots of R&D done to make it somewhat durable? I have watched HVX cameras bounce off the ground and not break. I have run with a RED ONE on a steadycam for nearly eight hours straight, bounce, bounce ,bounce...with no failures.

But utter failure when just taking a tape out and then putting it back in? Wow. That is a fragile camera. :undecided

I'll tell you all what Canon charges me to fix it. :Drogar-KnockedOut(D
 
Canon's repair instructions...

If you are unable to close the cassette compartment door, then verify
that there are no obstructions in the compartment, keeping the door from
closing. If you are able to close the cassette compartment door, then
to prevent any further issues try using a dry head cleaning cassette
(never use wet type). You can obtain a dry head cleaner at any local
store that carries electronics equipment. If there are no obstructions,
then the camcorder may need a Tape Path Alignment, or the posts may be
loose. This would require servicing to resolve the issue.

:badputer: :kali::Drogar-KnockedOut(D
 
I had an HV20 repaired by the factory recently. My LCD panel was completely busted (cam did a faceplant on the sidewalk). They charged me a flat rate of $159 to fix, which I thought was very fair.
 
Sean Michael said:
I had an HV20 repaired by the factory recently. My LCD panel was completely busted (cam did a faceplant on the sidewalk). They charged me a flat rate of $159 to fix, which I thought was very fair.
Click to expand...

Hopefully they won't charge us as I think this is a camera design problem. But you never know.

Bad scenario:

Us :violent5:Canon.

Good scenario:

Us :thumbsup: :love4: Canon.

We'll see...
 
Gary Sconce said:
Canon's repair instructions...

If you are unable to close the cassette compartment door, then verify
that there are no obstructions in the compartment, keeping the door from
closing. If you are able to close the cassette compartment door, then
to prevent any further issues try using a dry head cleaning cassette
(never use wet type). You can obtain a dry head cleaner at any local
store that carries electronics equipment. If there are no obstructions,
then the camcorder may need a Tape Path Alignment, or the posts may be
loose. This would require servicing to resolve the issue.
Click to expand...

Gary that's very interesting and I don't want to start up the wet/dry tape thing here but what DV tape are you using and what do you understand by their note about about dry/wet cleaning tapes. Thx.

Cheers.
 
Raster said:
Gary that's very interesting and I don't want to start up the wet/dry tape thing here but what DV tape are you using and what do you understand by their note about about dry/wet cleaning tapes. Thx.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

It wasn't even an issue as I could not close the door on the tape player. The camera is very sensitive to moisture according to Canon. Even a wet environment will cause the deck to shut itself off evidently.

Using a dry style cleaning tape is the only way to go with these cameras. That is my understanding. Thanks for the response.

I am hopeful that Canon will not have too much trouble with the repair. They haven't contacted me about the camera yet, but I shipped it over a week ago to Canon. So far their response has been quick and efficient on the email stuff.

Cheers to you in OZ. :Drogar-Happy(DBG):
 
The miniDV tape that was in the camera was a SONY Color Collection LP90 60min ME tape.

I honestly don't think the tape was the issue. The tape mechanism just stopped working, locked the tape in at the top of the stroke and would not go up nor down. All other functions were completely unaffected.

Canon contacted me by mail and informed me that it would be a charge of $63.05 to fix and ship back. After going online to www.usa.canon.com/repair and checking the order number it seems that Canon changed the repair to no charge and shipped the camera FedEx on the 21st of December.

Let's hope that this is the case. I'll let you know. :Drogar-Happy(DBG):
 
The End of the Story

The End of the Story

Well... All's well that ends well.

Canon shipped back the camera, repaired at no charge!

Service details:
"Your product has been examined and it was found that the drum was dusty causing an error to be displayed. The drum was replaced and the product functions were confirmed. Other electrical adjustments and cleaning were carried out."

I am happy with regard to this ending. I am interested in the diagnosis as I am an engineer and well versed in repairing items such as this camera myself. I saw no dust on the drum area, but hey, I won't look a gift horse in the mouth.

The lessons learned for HV30 camera operators? Blow out the camera tape mechanism area with gentle compressed air often. Put in new tapes with each recording.

As a Gaffer for a studio, I have only good to say about the Canon commitment to service. As an Executive Producer, I would spend money on Canon products in the future knowing this. :love4:
 
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