HC1 stopped working, need help or service manual
 

Well I was shooting with my V1U and HC1 this past weekend. The weather was nice and I was outside in the sun with both cameras. I had my HC1 on a tripod and started to record for about 30 minutes. I started the camera up and then walked away. When I came back the camera was off and the body was relatively hot (due to the sun or heat from the camera itself I don't know).

It will now not turn on or eject the tape. I tried replacing batteries and hooking up to the power plug. No luck. The camera seems to be totally dead.

Any suggestions?

Also, is there a service or repair manual available for download. I need to know how to get the tape out of the camera. I guess I'll have to disassemble the camera. Has anyone done this? Any help would be most appreciated.

Why don't you send it to Sony for repair?

Because I would like to get the tape out of the camera before I send it for service. If I send it like it is, they have the tape and I don't. It has video on it that i need for a project.

John - any chance you've tried the reset button? It's probably of little hope, but thought I'd mention it. If the cam's totally dead, you're going to have a tough time ejecting the tape at all.

You might see about the HC7 service manual - it was posted online for a while at Sony - PM me if it's not still up, I've got a .pdf copy I can send you if your inbox can handle it. IIRC it has the procedure for tape eject if the mech becomes stuck, and they might be similar. I believe there is a small mechanical lever in the carriage that will cause it to eject, but it may also need power, in which case you're still rather stuck...

HTH...

Reset button didn't work. I too have found the HC3/5/7 manual. Hopefully the disassembly is similar for the HC1.

If it is not under warranty, I would send it to Mackcamera - they are cheaper than Sony. They might be able to get the tape out for you as well.

Do you remember of anyone has reported any costs for fixing a C:31:40 error, for either place? My HC1 is really sluggish about ejecting a tape and the machine noises sounds like it doesn't fully load it either. The machine asks me to reinsert the tape.

I don't know the prices. They don't tell you until they look at it. To fix my firewire (new board I assume), it was $225.00 plus the estimate $45 and shipping. Still under $300 and cheaper than buying a new one.

I know this thread is old but my HC-1 just started having the same problem. I was wondering if you've been able to fix it.

Thanks,
Peter

Try spanking the camera! Really!

If you search on that error you'll find a bunch of happy folks who did things along the line of "I hit the bottom of the camera 4 times with a flat hand and now it works again".

As with all things in life however, spanking doesn't work for all cameras. Good luck!

Trouble starts with my HC1
 

I am not having the same trouble with mine ... It is more a problem of not having good resolution on large panoramic picture. I have reviewed video that I took with it when I bought it, it was crisp, clean and pretty good considering the size of the chip and being a single one at it. Now I look at all the large one and something is fuzzy and I am not panning the camera, it is fix on a good tripod. Up close the picture is very good but as soon as I zoom out, it is not very good ... could it be a problem of back focus and is there a good place in Montreal or Toronto to send for verification and repair.
Thanks everyone and I am happy I found this forum, it is absolutly fabulous and full of info. I have tried to read every post before asking, I hope I did not miss the one giving me an answer ....

Andre