Pro cleaning and servicing

jambredz

jambredz

Veteran
Hey guys...back from Antigua from shooting part of the documentary. thanls again for the help. Since the blank tape method and cleaning tape didnt completely work things out (made it better) i'm looking for panasonic authorized repair place to send it to(I'm in Jamaica).. Speccom who i buy my stuff from doesnt service dvx's anymore so thats out.
 
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yow chuck my man! u know i was gonna PM u and ask...cuz i mite decide to actually come to FL and just do it. check this out ....it maybe cheaper for me to actually go to fl have it done and come back home. crazy huh?! plus i'd get to chill with some frenz and not have to worry about shipping woes.

So where do u carry yours for cleaning if u havent used these guys? or you havent need to to do that yet.


thanks again. If i do come i'll be sure to try and link with u.
 
D-
I haven't had to have mine cleaned yet (even after the shoot I describe in the thread below).

Yeah, I've def heard of guys flying with their cam instead of shipping it!

Keep me posted!
 
Is it just dirty heads?
It seemed like something different from what you said, and you didn't get the warning.
But a good head cleaning is a good start...
Good luck!
 
The cleaning instructions are in the technical DVX section and it is a sticky (yellow thread) near the top. Go to your drug store pick of the isopropanol 99% alcohol and find a piece of chamois cloth (you clean cars with it) and voila!

I have a bunch of hours on my camera, I dont know the exact number but I clean it every 50ish hours. Durning the winter months I will clean them around 25ish. Just because of the change of climate going in and out and filming on the slopes. I dont want to have dropped frames when im getting paid. I learned once before...

Either way I am never getting my camera "professionaly" cleaned. Why would I pay some 20 something to clean a camera that is not his/hers and charge me an arm and a leg?

Cleaning your heads involves unscrewing one screw so the tape door opens all the way, putting a little alcohol in a bowl and then tabbing some cloth in there and rottating the heads. SO EASY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and the alcohol dries up so fast.

people, clean your own heads.
 
ryvac said:
you do it every 50 hours!?
so many hours total do you have on your dvx? (and ofcourse you never had a problem right?)
Click to expand...


never had a problem with my dvx, I got the red X from condensation once and that was me just not thinking (shooting during the winter had to piss, you get it).
 
groveChuck said:
Is it just dirty heads?
It seemed like something different from what you said, and you didn't get the warning.
But a good head cleaning is a good start...
Good luck!
Click to expand...

TO be honest chuck i duno what the prob is ...i'm doing ALOT of troubleshooting to pin it down. I'll soon post what i have done so u guys can help me identify it.

thanks Austin
 
Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

ok guys....for all viewing (hopefully C2V and other Dvx Techys) After EXTENSIVE troubleshooting...heres what i have to report.


Problem:

**Same footage**
Glitches in audio and video in playback on DVX100b, both in cam and when viewed through firewire on pc.
Glitches in audio on capture camera on playback.


Possible Areas of the problem:

1. DVX
2. Tapes
3. Capture methods
4. Harddrive.

NB.

**Dvx was cleaned with blank tape method ( 2or 3 times)tested, and problem persisted then cleaning tape was used.

**Capture cam was cleaned with cleaning tape as a precaution.

** NO RED X signal shown

**Numberous NEW tapes used in testing.


Footage Prior to the problem:

about 15 older tapes were played back on both DVX and Capture camera. Tapes played flawlessly


Recent Footage ( after problem):

DVX:

Glitches in audio and video on playback . Also artifacting (some wierd looking stuff on the picture). Very inconsistent and when I rewind and playback the SAME section...it will playback fine sometimes and glitchy other times. So in order for me to capture decent footage thats what i have to do...so i have alot of short clips which play fine...this is both annoying and time consuming to capture.

Capture Cam

Little artifacting (dvx has more) but audi is very glitchy. Capture cam doesnt play the footage well AT ALL...even if i rewind and try again. So captuing with my capture cam is out.

So both dvx and capture cam exhibit probs (even though slightly different) with the new footage...and both cameras playback old footage,...prior to probs...flawlessly.

Conclusion:

Since both cameras playback old footy well...then capture methods, camera playback and Hardrive are ruled out.

So many new tapes cannot be defective. Different packs...bought from different stores...so thats out.

I can only conclude that there is a problem in the recording method.

If infact the heads are dirty, would recording on them cause these problems? It seems the prob is with the recording of the footage.

I will post vid clips of the probs from dvx capture..capture cam...and dvx after i rewind and it happens to play good when i get a chance.


HELP! so frustrating. I cant accept any new jobs if this persists. Luckily i have some stuff to edit now so i will not be shooting right now.

I think i will try to clean them myself after reading the instructions. But i duno if thats the prob.
 
I doubt the heads are that dirty, but give them a clean anyways. There may be a bigger problem there.
 
Austin's right, prob not dirty heads, but clean em anyway.
If old tapes play OK, and newly recorded tapes don't, sounds like a (new) recording problem...

But the strange part is that the same section may play ok... and may not...

Hey! What happens if you record in the capture camera and playback in the DVX?
 
update. So i DEF think its a prob with how it records. because i got a new tape...new brand even (TDK same, dry lube as the panasonics i use). and recorded on the dvx....then recorded with my camture cam on the SAME tape. playback in the dvx was glitchy for the dvx recorded part but playback was fine for the capture cam recorded part. then played same tape in capture cam and dvx recorded part, audio was glitchy but capture cam recorded part played fine. what i did notice though is yhe dvx plays back its own recorded parts better than the capture cam will play it back. The is always consistent audio glitches when played in the capture cam whereas the dvx will playback that same part sometimes...and sometimes it wont. So i HAVE to use the dvx to capture the footy i need...and its a painstaking process. Gonna see if i can get the cleaning stuff later.

So i will see if i can get the stuff to clean it myself to see if that helps. if not or if i cant get them then i'll have to send it off or go to FL with it.
 
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sigh....so finally i got time to clean the heads by hand as best i could following the instructions. tried a new tape...and it was better...BUT the prob is still there. I give up. I will send it off to robbs repair since i see that they are very good.
 
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