PD150 service manual -- internal battery replacement
 

The internal batteries in my PD150 have failed and I need to replace them. (The suggested workaround/fix on p157 on the user manual doesn't work.) So can anyone tell me where they're located?

In another thread, I found an exploded view of the upper handle -- http://www2.sonysupport.com/PF/POV04...pperhandle.PDF but this seems to be for a PD170 - or at least, it doesn't correspond very well with the upper handle of my NTSC PD150...

Does anyone have any info/technical diagrams of where these batteries are located?


And to John Peterson: In another thread, you mentioned that you have the PD150 service manual. If you still have it and could email it to me, that would be great!

Norman.


'tis a strange thing the places people turn up. How are Abelard and Elouise these days? Any more lost works of Shakespeare turn up in the far East? ( I am assuming is the same Norman due to Taiwan address).

A fair distance back in the PD150 posts here, there was a link to a whole bunch of jpg images of a PD150 stripped down, which might give you some clues on how to get at the memory battery, I task I expect I shall also have to do soon.

All the best.

Hey Bob,

Yup, it's the same Norman :-) Ab and Hel have been languishing for a good long while now, and sadly, they're unlikely ever to be exhumed.

Those jpgs of a stripped down pd150 sound like they might be just what I'm looking for -- the trouble is, I can't find them. I'll keep trying with other search terms, but if you can give me any pointers that could save me a lot of time....

Norman.


Thought it was you. What about the blue smurfs. Did they go anywhere?

Here is a link to that website. It is for the VX2000 which is different name, same blanket more or less except for handle, XLR sockets, phantom power for mikes and supposedly a better spec audio board.

Camcorder Service IJmuiden

Thanks for the link, Bob. Although, heck, those are some pretty scary pictures!

Unfortunately though, I still don't see where the batteries are -- and even if I did, I don't know how confident I'd be that all the internal boards are the same on the pd150. I don't want to get too experimental here, I just want to get an idea of how feasible it would be to do a DIY battery replacement instead of taking it in to the Sony shop.

Oh, and please jog my memory on the 'blue smurfs' -- I'm not quite sure what that refers to!

Norman.


Sorry about the dead-end. I did not study the images.

Blue smurf? I have forgotten the title but it was one of your scripts on Zoetrope I reviewed ( I think?) about an alien who finds himself here and the "blue smurf" was my "imagining" of how this little character would look, in my review comments. At least I think it was one of yours. Much time has passed and memory can be unreliable.

I might have a look under the handle and let you know. It is a bullet I will have to bite sooner or later myself.

The Sony PartsPLUS site has these available, but for the sake of convenience I've taken the liberty of downloading the PD150 exploded views and zipping them up. Find them attached to this post, as well as the views for the VX2000, just in case future searches lead someone to this thread who needs them. No actual service manual, though, sorry.

Head to https://servicesplus.us.sony.biz/sony-parts.aspx and type dsrpd150 in the Model Number field under "Parts Finder". Click Search, then choose the model most appropriate for you; I believe you mentioned NTSC, so you probably want the USA model. Now, under "Category", select Exploded Views, and when the Module drop down list appears choose "CABINET (R) SECTION-2". You'll get a list of parts associated with that exploded view, which in this case is exactly what you want, since the battery's in the right half of the camera (their "left" and "right" assume the camera's lens is aimed toward you).

Scroll down to Ref. No. 215, the CK-093 board. Look to the extreme right side of the row to find the exploded view itself, or check cabinetr2.pdf in the PD150 file I attached. It will show, among other things, both the battery and the board. The battery is marked by the black hand, and is part number BT250. As per this diagram, the battery is mounted directly on the board (if I remember correctly; it's been a while since I last took my VX2000 apart), so unless you're familiar with desoldering and replacing components, the only option is likely to be replacing the entire board.

If you are capable of component level repair, head back up to the top of the page, change "Category" back to All Categories, enter BT250 in the search field on the right, click By Component Reference Number, and then Refine Search. For what it's worth, given your location, the battery itself is currently listed as in stock, with a price of US$22.31. Otherwise, the CK-093 is also in stock as of this writing, at US$62.91. As best I can tell, both the board and battery are the same for the VX2000 and PD150, both NTSC and PAL models. Nonetheless, I don't know if they ship outside of the US, and I don't know where you'd go for the same parts internationally. I don't even know if the part numbers that site gives you will be the same elsewhere in the world, so maybe sending you there was a waste of time in the first place. I think it was still worth mentioning, though.

Anyway, the exploded views should help give you an idea of what to expect, so take a look and see if you feel comfortable going through with it yourself, but I'd say if you've got a set of jeweler's screwdrivers (I think the Phillips head I used is a number 00 or 000, but don't quote me on that), a steady hand, and the patience, it's entirely possible to do the work yourself. I've successfully taken my camera apart in the past, and I plan to attack this exact project myself once I can find the money. If it were anything related to the lens block or tape path I'd immediately recommend a service center, but for the work you're looking at the tape transport comes out in one piece, no belts or gears to touch, and the lens block stays sealed the whole time, so for the mechanically inclined I don't think wholesale board replacement is impossible.

Bob -- Not to worry. Thanks for trying. And Robert's post below answers everything! (btw the battery's *not* under the handle in the NTSC PD150.) Also, re the blue smurf, Ah yes! That little guy. I remember him as being green, and that's what threw me :)

Robert -- Thank you! This is great! Pretty much everything I need to know. And I'm sure it will be useful for others with the same -- and other -- problems.

John Peterson -- Thanks for messaging me! Very much appreciated!

You're welcome, Norman, I'm glad I could help. Be sure to let us know how it all works out!

what are the symptoms of the camera when the battery goes out...

Assuming that it's the same thing as what happened when the (easily replaceable) internal battery in my old VX1000 died, all settings (including CPs) revert to the defaults if you take the L-series battery out for more than, oh... 3 seconds.

Yup, that's exactly right. At least it's obvious when it happens because the LCD flashes 'CLOCK SET' in big yellow letters. That's when you know the camera has reverted to all its factory defaults -- which you then have to painstakingly go through manually to reset to whatever you want them to be.

And as soon as you disconnect the camera from the power adapter or remove the power battery, even for a few seconds, the whole cycle begins again.

Both of you have been members here since Jan. 2004 and you're just now running into each other? It's about time!

Yup, it is kinda weird.

I know Bob from the Zoetrope screenwriting site -- we even collaborated on a project over there for a while -- but until a few days ago, I didn't realize he was also a member over here. Or that he had a PD150 or VX2000.

Like they say: The world is round :)

Getting to the battery wasn't too hard. The overall exploded view on page 104 (6.1.1) shows how you have to remove the handle first to get at all the screws, and then after removing the 'ornamental plate' around the iris control wheel, all the screws holding the LCD assembly in place are accessible. As soon as you take the LCD panel off, the battery is right there.

Now it gets tricky...

Robert. you're right: the battery is soldered in place. There's a couple of arms that are spot welded(!) onto the body of the battery and they're soldered directly onto the circuit board. Of course, I can't help wondering why Sony couldn't have been like everyone else on the planet and simply used a clip, but never mind.

But the real unknown quantity at this point is just how hard/easy it's going to be to get hold of a replacement battery. AFAIK Sony doesn't provide any specs, so I can't just go out and find an equivalent. I tried signing up to Sony service plus to see if they'll ship me the part, but their website went down half way through the registration process, and it still hasn't come back up, so that's not a very auspicious beginning. I'll also see what I can do locally tomorrow (Monday) with the Sony service people -- they were pretty good a few years back when the blue CCD went out, so I'm hoping for the best.

Couple pics attached for reference: the camera with the LCD panel removed. And a close up of the battery on the CK-093 board. (scale on the ruler is cm/mm)