Help - camcorder with mind of its own ??

Camcorder: Sony CCD TRV67

Hello. I'm looking for any advice about getting this camcorder repaired. Any experience with this type of trouble? Idea of a cost? How do I find a reputable service shop? Are free estimates common? Would it be worth it compared to a new one? That sort of thing.

This camcorder is more than a few years old and seems to work fine except it has a mind of its own. It likes to turn itself on whenever it wants. I'll have it set to off (or charge) and after a while, it will switch back to camera mode (which is ON). The mechanical lever itself didn't move, mind you, but the circuitry obviously switched over. Anyway, sometimes it will do this other times it will behave and stay off.

And, BTW, it has to stay off in order to charge. So this makes charging impossible. It charges a bit and then turns itself on and drains its power and then repeats. I know it's doing this because a bell goes off every time a mode is changed on this model. Sitting on the charger, it changes modes so much, it almost plays "Tubular Bells", it dings so much. Come to think of it, that tune is fitting, being it seems to be possessed.

Also, when I manually place it on standby (or Camera mode) and I'm waiting to hit the record button, it might switch to a pause mode. Or when I have the record button hit, it might switch to standby or pause... all on its own.

I imagine switches or circuitry is dirty... or there's a ghost in my machine. Any thoughts? Technician or exorcist?

I sincerely thank you for your time.

Samantha

Reply to
Samantha
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I take it the machine hasn't been exposed to damp or humidity? has it received a knock at all?

-Ben

Reply to
b

No knocks or drops. It's been well stored and handled. Never left in the car and that sort of thing. It actually hasn't been used much at all. Exposure to humidity would be only the normal humidity of the the Southeast.

However, I did take one trip to Maine with it where I ventured on a whale watching trip. I kept it protected from direct contact with splashes and such, but there's was no way to completely isolate it from mist. I'm not sure if that may have caused a problem, but it can't be ruled out.

What are you thinking?

Samantha

Reply to
Samantha

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I was thinking some moisture may have got into it and led to corroded contacts somewhere..... Could also be hairline cracks on a pcb. As I 'm not familiar with this machine I wouldn't want to speculate further. Take it to a shop /tech for a proper estimate. For all we know it could be something just needs resoldering. One thing's for certain: without a proper inspection, all this is just hot air!

As regards charging switching problem: have you tried connecting the battery directly to the charger? is that possible with this model?

Ben

Reply to
b

I'll have it looked at. Any advice on finding a trustworthy shop? I'm in the Memphis area.

Thanks for all your help.

Samantha

Reply to
Samantha

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