1986 Panasonic VHS Camcorder (Fully Working/Car Show Videos)

Afraid I can't help with technical advice but that thing is so cool. You will look like the boss whipping that out at family BBQs and gatherings. I'm jealous

If its got some kind of video out, you could probably ignore the VHS part, but you might have to 'force' it into rec mode. The look will be from the crt rather than vhs

No idea about camcorders but i seem to recall every vcr machine had a small hole that if you poked in a straightened paper clip,it would eject the cassette - is there a similar spot on yours?

Well today I started to take more of it apart .




This side was a no go. I tried to take the battery area out as you can hear what sounds like a jammed motor down there.



Turns out messing with this metal spring part popped it right out. Although it doesnt always work.


Anyway, I got it out and could see it was struggling to eject without the tape. The mechanism seems to get jammed so I took some more of the tape deck out, couldnt find anything, when i put it back together it wont shut now



Stays on now so you can walk around looking at stuff but the tape wont go back in lol. Also turns out I don't have the right leads for the component converter. looks like it takes a white audio out but an AV Ariel type video out... might be a no go on that front.

This is the Camera. The multi pin connector goes from the camera too....


This


This is the video Audio out i think The other say RF in and out.


This is the rear of the charger. it has these switches and a charge out for another battery.


Could do with a manual for this really.

First thing I would think of is that the nylon gears have grease between them that over time turns into a sticky mess or disappears entirely. You could possibly make it think it has a tape in it by pushing the same parts that the cassette pushes against, then record the output on something else via the video out port?

Get hold of some molykote 111 www.univarsc.com/products/molykote-111-grease?variant=12110935687242&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&utm_term=&utm_campaign=DG+GSC+-+Brands&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_kw=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_grp=82191505587&hsa_cam=6719660559&hsa_acc=1959299330&hsa_tgt=pla-962895896604&hsa_ver=3&hsa_ad=387997576959&hsa_mt=&hsa_src=g&gclid=CjwKCAjwps75BRAcEiwAEiACMaDG44y51e5aHR3yxMiof89MpULS4dsp1ZiXyaio8J-FQSBoBeIsGxoC4pgQAvD_BwE

and grease up all the parts that make the eject mechanism, and also replace some springs as these go weak over time. As long as they fit is all you need to worry about - and as long as the spring is stronger, not weaker.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Spring-assortment-set-54pc-Extension-Tension-Expansion-Compressed-Springs/113854447372?epid=6010664761

Check all the belts too - belts are harder to get as you have to remove them to get the exact size. It has to be the exact size as they work on tension. Too tight and things move too quickly, too loose and no movement at all.

Great purchase! I stupidly threw away a hi8 camcorder when I moved....

BNC will convert to phono, with a 50p adapter. Then you just need away of getting composite video into your mac, bear in mind you'll need some video software, and that you'll be playing the VHS and recording in real time.

Right so nothing has happened with this for about 3 years by the looks of it haha. Suddenly had the urge to get back into this and get a working one. I decided to buy one that worked and pay good money for it... then decided to by a "mint" example of the one I had.
Reason behind this is it comes with the adapter that has a video out and apparently the tape side works. The only problem is the Battery may not work again. I think I can find a new one for about £30 online but I'm starting to wonder if I should use the one I have as a test bed to make a new battery. I did see someone running an old VHS camcorder off a RC car battery with an adapter. I'm not that up on my Amps/voltage though so I thought I'd see what the people of Retro rides thought.

New camera not here yet so hoping I plug the battery in and it holds charge... doubt it will hold charge but we'll see.

Even though the camera is a philips VKR 6820/0 It looks like its a Panasonic really and the Battery is the same as a Panasonic M7 camera? (LC-SA122R3EU )


These are the terminals on the battery. Not sure If I could make an adapter similar. Ideally If its was single cells inside and could be safely taken apart It could be fixed.


Insdie the Camera


From my previous post. I could also maybe run extension cables from these terminals and use a more modern battery I guess.??


And the reason why I bought the new one is this video adapter that a friend mentioned he had with his. It goes in the adapter plug and you can then run it to a component out/hdmi to capture to a laptop or SSD. I'm hoping the tape records tbh so I can get a full VHS look but thats the back up. Of course this tapes up the transformer S video cable side though which means I need a working battery. 








I decided to try the same camera as I like the design plus I wanted a mid 80s VHS look over a 90s one and the early cameras I've seen seem really obsolete with manuals and batteries . plus I have a doner camera too. 


Ebay Photos

Just realised I never updated this! The new identical Camcorder turned up not long after my last post and its in pretty mint condition. I plugged it into the power adapter and it fired right up. Loaded up the VHS from the old camera and pressed record... it worked!!! The only thing I found didnt work is the quick record button so you have to press "record" and "play" at the same time.



I tried the battery from the new camera which was an aftermarket replacement, didnt work. Wouldnt charge at all when tested with a multimeter. I thought I'd try the old one which has been sitting out in the garden for a year 😂 That one already have about 3v in it. I put it on charge and it went up to 5v so I knew I was on to a winner. Once it was up to 12v I popped it in the Camera and what do you know, it worked !!!!



Couldnt help sending the dog back to 1986.




I tried the DVR thing above from amazon but didnt get any good results so sent that back and went straight to VHS. With a fully charged battery I took it to 3 different car meets in one week as I wanted to see what results I could get with it. The VHS or camera seemed a bit dodgy as it had a lot of glitches going on.

Walking round Capesthorn Hall Classic show I didnt look too out of place.





Due to the poor quality I guessed it was either the tape, heads needed cleaning or the rubber capstan roller. I thought I'd buy a new VHS and head cleaner VHS off amazon. The head cleaner worked wonders and strangely the new tape wasn't very good so I kept the original one and had another go. I took it to Woodford "Wings & Wheels" event to film a bit there in the Capri.
Heres a still of the Capri looking right at home.



You can see the quality it much better in this video. Some of this video is the Gopro but obviously the grainer stuff is the VHS.



So thats it I finally have a working camcorder. I used a BNC to RCA adapter to play the footage back into the laptop and captured it with quicktime using a capture card for £9. I think both Camcorders and the capture card stand me at £60 now so not too bad considering some of the tested ones on ebay are selling for more than that alone.

I'll definitely be using this more next year at car meets!