Steven, yes, I got the jammed tape stuff...
If you followed my explanation above, and seen the litle clip, you know how it happends...

Bill, some tapes would yield he "remove tape" message sooner than others. Probably those tapes are to hard to rewind. After a while, the tape transport mechanism is not able to rewind any tape.

And yes, I understand this is NOT a GL2/XM2 issue. As I said, I saw it on a VX2100. And now you're reporting that it is also happening on DAT.

True, some mechanisms are better than others.


Some of you, long enough in miniDV, do not remember the VHS era. VHS tapes jam, too. Its just that the VCRs in our homes do not display "remove tape" messages.

Cosmin, thanks for your reply and for all your suggestions and explanations. Just a coincidence, I was on Holiday in Romania when I first had this 'Eject Cassette problem! It is a very beautiful country.
Regards,
Steven.

It is never a coincidence! :) :) :)

off topic: what where you doing here?! Anyway, I'm glad you liked my country! (wanna switch? :) ).

Hello Cosmin, I was on holiday last year in Romania (with my XM2!). I spent about 4 weeks travelling in most parts of the country. The roads were a little bit bumpy but it was very nice. The country is very beautiful and the peope are very friendly. I would love to come back to Romania.
Regards, Steven.

Another explanation by Canon
 

I called up Canon yesterday and asked if anything is being done about the Cassette problem and the service tech told me that the problem is caused by the tape being left in the recorder. That the tape will press against the pinchers, capstan, rollers or whatever out of alignment. That was a pretty flaky excuse or it's pretty flaky quality. So, I guess it shouldn't be left in overnight. Delicate stuff. I was also told that to avoid the problem, the heads should be cleaned about every 20~30 hrs. Doesn't that sounds excessive. Aren't the tape cleaners abrasive.

I have a Canon Elan IIe film camera with three lenses including a 70-200L. I also have the 1.4X TC to go with the L lens and the pictures come out Sharp. That L lens is a hardy piece of equipment. So, I was seriously considering buying a GL2 but after looking around on the web I'm having second thoughts. I don't know, maybe I might still get one. I don' know how many bad units there are to the good ones.

At this time, there are 71 reports of Canon cassette problems over at Rick's site http://mysite.verizon.net/resohb20/c...tatistics.html. 72 if you include Unk. I don't know of any Unk except for what Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, used to tell his little monkey buddy "Unk, Nikima. Unk." in the mid 70's Saturday morning cartoons. Five of those reports go to GL2 owners.

It'sd me-Rick script from the website
 

Jesse,
The UNK is in there because I had one visitor sign my guestbook who did not disclose what model he had (he's either too confused or is paranoid I guess) and since I am not a psychic I decided "UNK" was better than making one up. The current total is now 85 and growing and the GL-2 is WAY over-represented in a complaint site like mine, in view of what this camera costs. I think the GL-1/GL-2 totals are now 8 (combined). For anyone who reads this and wants to see my site, here is the URL:


http://mysite.verizon.net/resohb20

Rick, I've said before that I respect what you're trying to do. When you say that the GL2 is way over-represented for a cam of it's cost I'd agree, unless Canon has sold several million GL2s.

When America first started responding to the Japanese quality invasion in the late 70's, an acceptable goal for many manufacturers was 2700 defective units per million. Expectations have risen substantially. No world-class manufacturer will stand for more than single digits in parts per million of a recurring defect mode without launching an investigation.

But all that notwithstanding, I wonder what the odds of my own GL2 developing the REMOVE CASSETTE error is. I'm going to start a new post to see if anyone is interested in guessing.

I think it's key to remember that there are probably quite a few people who have run into this problem on their GL2 on a smaller scale and have not even bothered looking it up online, much less actually posting their problem to become a statistic.

I know when my GL2 started having this "Remove the Cassette" error message, I ignored it. I could somewhat fudge my way around the problem by turning off the power and removing and then reinserting the cassette. I just figured it was some random error and didn't think much of it.

Eventually, the problem got a lot worse, to the point where it would recur on every tape at least once (sometimes not until it was 20 minutes into playing or recording a tape), and on some days it would not accept any tapes at all.

I really didn't want to send my camera in for service because time without it means a loss in profit for me. However, it was too unreliable to be used in any professional situation. So I decided to take advantage of my Mack 4 year extended warranty, and sent it in for service last week. We'll see what happens.

Anyways, my point is, I think this problem is more common than we think. We just don't see it very well represented here on the board because many consumers will just write it off as a one or two time problem and ignore it (which, for me at first, it was).

I had the problem with my GL2 and sent it to Mack Camera. They sent it back and the problem recurred immediately. I sent it back in and the second fix has held for seven tapes and lots of rewinding.

I think the first thing one should do, and it may sound ridiculous to some, is to use a cleaning cassette. My GL2 goes unused for months at a time, and I seem to recall using the cleaning cassette to stop the problem at one time. May not work in all cases, certainly, but it it one simple procedure worth considering.

It's nothing to do with cleaning the heads or leaving a tape in, nor what brand of tape you use. First time I got the error was in a brand new camera after 3 tapes run thru it. The second time was after 5 more tapes. It is apparently a mis alignment of some of the rollers and pins in the tape carrige mechanism. I had the whole mechanism replaced and have had no further problems. (Touch wood).

I almost always get this message when trying to rewind with my XM2. I have to resort to rewinding by shuttling. Does doing this a lot damage anything?

I have had this problem since the camera was brand new.

I have always used the same brand of tapes (Panasonic).

I have never left a tape in the camera.

I have always been extremely careful and gentle with the camera.

Has anyone else tried Cosmin's technique for fixing it?

Cosmin could you give a more in-depth description and explanation of how to do it. Do I drop alcohol with a pipette and how much? What kind of alcohol does it like best?

Maxell tapes
 

I have used maxell tapes for three years on my XL1s and never had a problem, it was when i started switching from different brands of tapes that i started getting problems. Also never use the maxell head cleaner i used it in my JVC mini DV and i had nothing but problems after with recording. I would order a Canon head cleaner.

I may be wrong, but, isn't that because this is a problem that effects the GL2 (known as XM2 in the UK)...?

I just wanted to add my experience to the morass with my GL2 (in case quantity will help any, I guess...). I've had the camera for maybe 18 months. I use it about 10 to 15 hours/month. I have the same care for my camera as Justin for the most part, although I have used about 5 JVC tapes in the camera. Other than that, it's been Panasonic (first consumer, then professional when I looked for an supplier of 80-minute tapes). I've always rewound and ejected the tape (more to prevent any type of crease in the tape). I've used a Panasonic dry head cleaner prior to my last few shoots, as I've started seeing artifacts in recorded tapes if I don't.

Anyhow, so I got that issue on my last shoot, and jumped on the 'Net real quick and saw all this information. I sent my camera to the Canon FSC in Irvine, CA. The out-of-warranty fix was $272.79, including shipping. The word from Canon was, "The GL line does not qualify for the discounted repair" that the CSR I talked to mentioned to ask for (a $50 fix). The FSC received the camera on a Tuesday, sent me an email estimate on Wednesday, which I immediately approved. The repair was completed by the next Wednesday, and I had the camera back on Friday (after a trip to Fedex because Canon did not notify me that the camera had shipped, nor did they update the Web site repair status to show "Shipped" until Friday). I was not real impressed by the FSC customer service--I could not get a straight answer about the repair progress or ETA for fixing. The lady always sounded like it was such a bother to answer the phone.

To finish up, I've rewound a tape or two, and it seems to work OK. I have a shoot this weekend, but I'm getting an FS-4 and an external rewinder. Hopefully I'll get more at least another 18 months outta this thing before it breaks again...

Thanks,
Matt

Re: Cosmin's Possible Solve
 

Hi All

I thought I should pass on the outcome of some hands on experimenting based on comments posted in this and other threads regards the "Remove Cassette" error.

To back track slightly, I bought a XM2 a few months ago which was intermittantly showing the error, a fact that was represented in the price I paid for it. However since then the problem became far worse, far too quickly, to the extent that even the rewind in play mode trick failed to work.
I have subsequently had a number of fruitless telephone conversations with the Canon (Dis-)Service Dept, who were not even prepared to give me a ball-park figure for the repair untill they had the camera in their clutches. Not even when I asked if they could give me a price for a straight replacment of the tape transporter. I was however informed that they charge £60/hr for their engineers time! ("The smaller the hammer the higher the pay" principle, I guess).

So being at the point of not having a lot to lose I thought I'd give the alcohol clean a go. I therefore probed about with a cottonwool ear bud soaked in methylated spirit. Managed to get a drop on the wheel depicted by Cosmin, then had a bit more of a poke about, giving the rubber rollers and a flat looking wheel with what looks a little like a contact breaker bit of a going over. However I then realised that a cotton bud is NOT the thing to use as it had left masses of cotton fibers attached to every hook and corner within the compartment!

Cleaned all this out, waited a while for everyting to dry off and tried a new tape.

The thing ate it, totally chewed it up as soon as it was inserted then gave me the "Remove Cassette" error!

Problem had to be drag caused by components still being damp from the alcohol so based on this, the fact that Cosmin had recommended leaving the cassette tray open over night, another post (sorry I forget from whome) regards leaving your camera out in Californian sunlight (I wish) and the fact that by now I just wanted to tourture the damned thing, I took a hair dryer to it.

Blasted away into the open cassette tray for a minute or so untill I realised that the thing had become too hot to touch (oops)!!

Let it cool, tried a tape, fastforward then full speed fast rewind NO ERROR MESSAGE!!! :-)

I have up till now only dared 3 full speed rewinds but so far so good. I have decided however to buy a Maxell rewinder to be on the safe side.

As for as whether it was the cleaning or the hairdryer that was the major factor in the fix I cannot tell. However the fact that one of the triggers for the remove cassette message is damp, the hairdryer may be worth trying. Another factor in play may be heat and bearing lubricant related?

Just be aware that things get very hot very quickly.

Hope this insight may help someone in some small way.

Regards

Gaive

Return of the Error
 

After peparing four tapes for use by fast forwarding and then a rewind (is this really of any benefit I wonder?) the fith produced the error message again 5 mins of tape before the begining at the end of the rewind.
Hand winding didn't solve the problem which got worse eventually culminating in a chewed tape.

However in the ensuing battle I have gained more insight into the workings of my nemesis, the tape transporter.

The problem appears to be tape specific, not so much manufacturer/tape lube or the like. During the couple of hours swapping tapes around I found that it was always the same tapes that were giving problems. Even to the extent that it was at the same point of the tape that the error would appear (though this may have just been a faulty tape, it was reluctant at times to hand wind). Old tapes recorded three years ago on a Sony Handicam worked OK (though I don't know how much interaction with the Canon they would endure). Others tapes would function OK after a hand crank, possibly by releasing an over tight portion of tape.

It may be that the original quality of the tape influences over-sensitive (drag?) sensors to reject the tape or the fault may be initiated by the uneven rewind which then triggers the problem. Then again there may be no over-wind and no tape quality issue, just faulty sensors. This the crux of the matter, which Canon obviously don't want to address.

It would be nice if it were possible to flash the afflicted cams to knock out the error report or at least find a way of preventing whatever sensory mechanism is in place from working.

So in summary the alcohol and hairdryer have helped but not provided a long term fix. Perhaps a more thorough clean is required? Though IMHO over sensitivity in the error reporting seems to be at the very least a contriburaty factor if not the root cause.

Keep on capturing

Gaive

Yes. That's what I'm talkin' about. See post #11 in this thread.

Arghh!
 

Hit by the same problem! Went to rewind a tape and got the error message. Trouble was the tape itself wouldn't eject. So it's now residing with Canon UK. I'm waiting to hear the bad news about the quote to fix it ... is anyone able to give me an idea?

My XM2 is 2 years old - put about 20 films through it. Last 15 have all been Panasonic.

Hello Paul, Hope your course went/is going well :)

I have not had the dreaded message (yet) but did have a problem ejecting a tape. It happened as I was attempting to change tapes before the wedding ceremony, "itwould not eject" - panic as the bride was about to walk in. Luckily I had 14 mins on the tape left (and a 2nd cam) so I waited till the 1st hymn and attempted again. No luck at all till I removed the battery and replaced, the tape came out thankfully. One thing I have noticed is if you open the tape door and do not wait for the engage to finish you can have problems so give it a few seconds.

Hi i now there has been a problem with the entire canon camcorders with this message. i have read 100s of posts about this problem. sometime you can solve this problem by using a tape head cleaner. if this doesn't work you have to send it off to canon in hong kong to get it fixed it as long as it is still proteted. Also i have noticed that this happen mostly with the NSTC version of the camcorder. I find PAL dont get these messages.

Unfortunately that is incorrect. Mine is PAL and has this problem.

Just got the quote back for Canon for my XM2:

'Unit requires tape mechanism assembly (Recorder unit, Drive Gear Assembly, and Idler gear Assembly)'.

Total cost to replace, check and ship:

$414 or £232,

Ouch!

I think my XM2 is great, but am a bit miffed that I have to pay so much for what appears to be a design fault. I also would be contacting Canon to see if this fix resolves the problem or will I be faced with the same situation in 20 tapes time?

Comments?

Paul.

Hi Paul, please find out if there is a warranty on that work and if so, what the warranty period is -- thanks,

The work is guaranteed for 6 months.

Paul.

90 Days?
 

I think the warranty period on repairs in the US is 90 days. Every repaired piece of equipment has been returned with a document specifying 90 days. But I guess it is possible an extended repair warranty is being provided for some specific repairs.

Depressing isn't it?
 

Thought I would add my story to this thread as it see it's really struggling for replies. </sarcasm>

Granted this discussion is regarding the GL2, but I own a GL1 that has suffered from the Remove Cassette error consistantly throughout it's posh life in my camerabag. After 13 months of use, approximately 30 hours of filming, and maybe 6 hours of tape transfer to PC, my first set of "guts" started to act up. Eventually (like everyone else it seems) the unit mangled several tapes, refused to record, and generally put me off of Canon as it happened literally a month after the warranty had expired.

Several angry calls to Canon to bust everyone's chops that I could get ahold of, and about 2 weeks later, they had replaced the transport mechs and sent me on my way acting like they did me a favor.

Fast forward (no pun intended) exactly 94 days later and it was doing the same thing. This time I'm out for blood and about ready to drive an hour north to the New Jersey factory and shoot up the place. They get the camera yet again and this time it'll be a $700 repair on a camera that has maybe 45 hours on it and the rest of the time spent napping in it's bag away from the elements indoors. After some heated discussions with managers and the like they knocked the price down to something like $400 and replaced everything. It has worked fairly well ever since but I did get the error twice more over the last few months.

Moral of the story...

I'm a typical prosumer I feel, who probably spent more than I should have on a camera I don't use enough but would like to use more. Also, I use the camera for business ocassionally to produce web video content and the typical family gatherings a few times a year as well. I simply can't afford to deal with a piece of equipment that requires such measures to keep it running. If it dies again or starts down the slippery Canon slope towards inevitable demise, it will be sold.

Finally, I have vowed, since this experience and clearly after reading this forum and noticing the lack of progress on the issue years and models later, to never buy or recommend to others another Canon camera be it video or still.

Oh I should also add the following so that my post is more useful than just a rant (I do love a good rant though)....

When I purchased the camera I was familiar with the issue of differing brands of tape creating issues with the heads. My understanding was that it's the actual lubrication used in the tape, be it dry or wet lube. I remember, though not specifically, that if you shot with Sony tapes and ever switched to something else you would get screwed but good. Which is why I've used Panasonic tapes since day one....expect those times I was in a pinch and used TDK (about 25% of the time).

Being of little cash I was unable to buy a dedicated deck for importing/winding. What I'm looking into now is buying a super cheapo DV camera just for this purpose (and also to serve as a deck for connection to a helmet cam when I go biking/driving/snowboarding). Anyone have a camera that fits the bill? Preferrably with a busted lense so it's super cheap? ;)

Finally, I never made the mistake of touching the camera in the wrong spot in the tape carrier area.

I did however once use the camera outdoors in a snow storm mostly uncovered, and then take it back inside where it was probably harmed in some small way by the condensation. That was all pre-replacement btw.

I might as well throw my voice into the fray. My 18 month old GL-2 started up with the "remove cassette" message two weeks ago. I've used it quite extensively (over 100 tapes) and figured the heads or rollers must need cleaning. I came to the forum to see what's the safest way to clean it and here I find this megathread on the issue. And here I thought it was just me. Isn't it more than a coincidence that so many of us are getting this problem at more or less the same time?

It's so aggravating! And now if I was to sell the GL2 I wouldn't be able to get a good price for it.

My old Sony Digital 8 lasted 5 years (200+ tapes) before it's tape mechanism konked out. I think I'll be sticking to Sony from now on.

Just curious, Aldo, have you tried running a cleaning cassette for about 5-6 seconds in your GL2 yet?

Yeah, I did. In fact, roughly the same time the "remove cassette" issue came up I once had the message that the recording heads were dirty (in the middle of taping my friend's wedding!!). For whatever reason, I had the dirty heads warning come up about 2 months after I first bought the GL-2 and so after that I always made sure I had a head cleaning tape in my camera bag at all times. Even after using the head cleaning cassette I still have problems rewinding tapes. I can work around it because I do have a mini-DV rewinder, but nowadays I capture larger segments rather than fastforwarding or rewinding to the specific clip I want. Very annoying, to say the least.

And I've always used Panasonic tapes.

If you are talking about the "remove cassette" message when trying to rewind the tape back to the beginning .... I just had my first error in this area. It took 3 attempts to get the tape back to the start. Noticed the eject was in stages also....hmmm.

Don't think it has anythine to do with switching tape brands. This GL2 has only had one brand of tape during its 14 months of usage.

Will canon still take the camera to try to repair it if we want to send it in?

I've never thought so either. I think that some inferior part, or the design itself wears out, on some faster than others. Variables contributing to the variation in how long it takes could be
1. the extent of the part defect
2. how well or how poorly the individual unit was assembled
3. how much drag has been offered by the cassettes used (I've seen variation in this)
4. how much rewinding has been done
5. how touchy the Remove Cassette sensor is
6. etc.

Yes, but if your unit is out of warranty they charge on the order of $250 US to fix it. Some people have had success arguing that figure down, some haven't

Perhaps we need a regristry of Cannon owners to collectively request an "official response" to what must be a common problem. Surely they know the root cause. With all the GL2 cams sold I would think they would have some interest in gaining some "brand loyality" through correspondence with current owners ... otherwise "Sony" may pick up on the opportunity and offer a "trade-in" to current GL2 owners to switch to Sony. There is strength in numbers.

I agree with the sentiments above. Still waiting for my XM2 to come back. It appears that the tape mechanism is very delicate!

The thing that puzzles me is that it can't be that different from the XL1 which - from my limited readings - appears to be fairly bomb-proof. I also don't see many posts on here from GL1/XM1 owners on the same issue - does this hint of an inherent design fault on the GL2/XM2?

The irony is that I have an old Sony TRV11e that has survived many experiences and rough handling (see www.paranormalhunter.co.uk !). I get the sinking feeling that a VX2000 may have been a better buy. Perhaps a Sony dealer would like to make us an offer we can't refuse :)

Yeah, my Sony TRV-110 has lasted me 5 years and is still going strong. It's been quite beaten up too, dropped a few times, the beach, the snow, you name it. I'm very impressed by the quality of this little low-end consumer camera.

My GL2 has been babied for about 18 months and still gives me problems that Canon denies are in existance.

Not to turn this into a Sony vs. Canon thread or anything...

gl2
 

Canon must know something about the problem they have a service note on it.http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/con...7&modelid=7512

Hi to all

My XM2 (PAL version of GL2) also starts with "remove cassette" problem.
Heads and rollers are perfect clean. Over 50 tapes used (TDK).
After some experiments with rewinding process I've figured out
that chances to recieve "remove cassette" message on XM2/GL2
are very small if I rewind tape when camcorder is in up-side down
position.
Does it work on other camcorders or It's just about some magic?

Sergey Saushkin
Naberegny Chelny, Russia

That's interesting. Would be good if it's as simple as that - although it would be a bit of a pain to have to keep turning the camera upside down...

Does this little trick work for anyone else?