Betamax PALsite: VTC-5150 : Technical

Technical

Rear view

Idler
Idler assembly

Sanyo Betamax VTC-5150 rear connectors
Rear connectors

Fault and repair guide

No reel rotation

This is a very common problem which can have several causes. The first thing which fails is usually the reel idler assembly. Replacement units are readily available and can be fitted easily after removal of the cassette carriage. Before replacement check for a broken reel motor belt. This is a small belt which transfers drive to the idler. Finally, the last thing to suspect is the reel motor. Sanyo produced a modification to improve drive to this motor. This involved decreasing the value of the in-series resistor in the motor power supply (replacing a 3.3Ω with a 2.2Ω). However, it is not uncommon for the motor itself to fail in which case it needs to be replaced.

No tuner input

This is usually caused by failure of the RF combiner / splitter unit. Unfortunately it is not easy to repair this unit.

Timer and/or standby LED fail to illuminate

This is caused by dry joints where the LED are soldered onto the front PCB. In order to gain access to the PCB you'll need to remove the front panel and the servo board on the LHS of the deck.

Loss of servo lock in record

Recordings can suffer from a loss of drum lock which produces a picture roll and usually occurs between sudden bright/dark transitions. It is caused by problems with the sync separator in the servo circuits, usually due to dried out electrolytic capacitors.

AM / PM clock modification

12 Hour Clock Display Mod

On the clock PCB there is a position for 12H or 24H clock. Usually they are 24H, but fit a 1N4148 diode in this position (note polarity as per PCB marking) and you get 12H clock with AM/PM illuminated in the display.

Further Information

For further information on general servicing on this model, take a look at Colin McCormick's excellent guide on How to service a Sanyo Beta.

Colin is also able to supply a service kit for this model.

Quick fault guide

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Fault	Solution
Syscon bug VTC5000/VTC5150	Early models of the VTC5150 have been shown to exhibit the same syscon bug as the VTC5000: Failure of reel drive causes machine to lace up and stop. Later versions just stop without laceup, which is clearly better for a machine which has reel drive failure and may not be able to get the tape back into the cassette.
Bad picture on video output terminal, good picture on RF output	Replace capacitor C1080 on the VD-1 board. Also applies for the VTC 5000 and VTC 5550.
Detailed YouTube video on servicing Sanyo video recorders	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHT3QJ-r2w
black zig zag lines on screen when playing a tape. Also some bad recordings	The head control box at the top left hand of the beta. This has a earth clip with black wire that hold it into place and earth the box. Your box will most likely be rusty or dull grey. The earth has bad connection. Remove the box and very carefully remove cover that sits at the back of the beta. Then solder a wire to the PCB at the terminals that connect PCB to the outside case. Now bring this wire outside box, and refit back cover. Refit box and solder the new wire to the black one that you removed from clamp. now you are done. it has fixed 6 of these for me and friends!!
Faint vertical lines on playback	Move the position of the grey lead JW18 to between the two delay lines.
Intermittently pauses itself, plays OK with no cassette but counter not counting	Intermittently pauses itself, plays OK with no cassette but counter not counting C5204 on PSU needs checking. Found one example to be low in value, ESR high at 12Ohms and leaking electrolyte on the board.
Intermittently pauses itself when playing cassette, counter works fine	Symptoms continued... plays fine with no cassette but counter intermittently not counting. Solution: C5204 on PSU needs checking. Found one example to be low in value, ESR high at 12Ohms and leaking electrolyte on the board.
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