Scroll wheel on my VX2000 acting up
 

What's up, people! Just wanted to see if anyone had this problem. All of a sudden, my scroll wheel on the back used to change settings is acting all stupid. It's acting like a mouse with a dirty scroll ball cause it jumps the cursor on screen all over the place. Does anyone know how to remedy this cause it's really a pain. ThankS!

I have the same issue with my PD-170. No idea whats causing it.

The fix has been, in the past, a replacement of the control. Not hard to do if you want to do it yourself and don't mind disassembling part of the camera.

Hello,

I'm sorry I did not see these posts earlier - I'm usually around the Sony FX1 and Sony Vegas threads - but also have a Sony VX2100E.

I had the same problem a while ago so I called Sony and they said 'it sounds like there is a bit of dirt on the contacts - bring it in and we'll have a look'.

From past experience I did not have the patience for this (and my VX2100E was already out of warranty) so I took some electrical contact cleaner - NOT AN OIL BASED ONE I.E. OIL FREEE - sprayed a small amount of it directly into / onto the scroll wheel so that some of the spray was forced to go between the scroll wheel and its housing on both sides AND THEN IMMEDIATELY PUT MY MOUTH OVER THE AREA OF THE SCROLL WHEEL AND SUCKED AS HARD AS I COULD.

Dont laugh.

I repeated this three or so times and, guess what, my VX2100E has been fine ever since (it seems to be even more responsive and 'clicky' than when it was new).

The trick I think is not to spray too much contact cleaner into the scroll wheel housing AND IMMEDIATELY SUCK HARD as this will ensure that no contact cleaner works its way into the rest of the camera (I assumed that the scroll wheel housing is not a closed unit inside the camera).

I suppose taking some sort of blower and blowing into the scroll wheel housing from outside of the camera might also have worked but I was just a bit worried about blowing junk INTO the camera as opposed to sucking it out.

Although this might put you on a small short high (depending on the chemical composition of your contact cleaner) this really is no joke - it worked perfectly for me.

Regards,

Dale.

Good work! That sounds like just the kind of thing I would try.

Thanks, it really works.

What really upset me though is the fact I look after these cameras of mine like babies - they are never out of their cases unless being used and they have never been used in dusty environments so I was just a little upset that this stupid thing started happening and now more so to find out that I am not the only one that had the problem.

I hope the FX1 doesn't start playing up a couple of days out of warranty!

Regards,

Dale.

A couple of years ago, my No.1 digital camcorder came to the end of its 3-year extended warranty. The company sent me a notice and said that for $129., they would extend it for one more year. Pah! I said, that's more than I paid for the first 3 years. It ran just fine, so I tossed the offer. Exactly 2 days after the 30-day renewal period had expired, the tape drive went south and would have cost me big dollars to replace. Now, I use it as a non-recording desktop camera. But, for $129. I could have had it rebuilt and it might not have been necessary to buy another new one. I'll never pass up an offer like that again

Damn, I'm gonna try this tonight. Where can I pick up some of this contact cleaner? CompUSA? Target? Home Depot? I've never heard of it. Thanks, Dale!

Hi,

The one I used is made by a company called 'Spanjaard' and the product is called 'Lectro Kleen' and is described on the aerosol can as an 'Electronic Contact Cleaner' - I live in South Africa and buy this stuff from one of my customers who sell auto parts and ball bearings - and I have seen it in what we call 'hardware stores' so I assume that is the same as your 'home depot'.

Be careful if you can get a hold of the Spanjaard product - they make two versions - one is 'highly flammable' (red and white aerosol can) and the other one has some or the other additive mixed in with it so that it is 'non-flammable' (black and gold aerosol can) - DO NOT USE THIS ONE - you need the 'highly flammable' one.

Basically it is a general purpose contact or switch cleaner but be careful that you don't buy one that has some type of oil base i.e. cleans and lubricates - you want one that just cleans.

This stuff comes out of the can wet, fizzles a bit, and then evaporates very rapidly - I think that is the key.

Whatever product you are able to source it should come with a tiny tube that fits into the spray nozzle and enables you to direct the spray - you need to use this so that you can direct the spray between the wheel and the housing on all sides of the wheel.

Apparantely it also cleans tape heads, lasers, etc. etc. (according to the label) but I would not take a chance spraying this stuff into the tape transport of any of my cameras but it sure did sort out my scroll wheel problem.

Basically - spray a little all around the wheel into the housing - blow into / suck spray out - spray a little more - move scroll wheel up down / push in - blow into / suck spray out - repeat - you get the picture!!!

Please let me know if it works for you.

By the way - It has many, many, different languages on the actual can itself so I am sure that you will be able to source it just about anywhere.

Regards,

Dale.

I believe you can find a similar electronic cleaner in the U.S. in places like Radio Shack, Office Depot, etc. It is basically a highly volatile solvent that emulsifies oil and dirt and then it all vaporizes and goes away. But, be very careful that you don't get any inside the camera or recorder compartments. The dirt it lifts up could settle out on places that can't tolerate any contamination. Some dirt is better left where it is, rather than be put into circulation and end up in far worse spots. This is the same reason doctors are reluctant to do chelation procedures on people with mild to moderate amounts of lead in their bodies. If the lead is pulled out of the places it has settled and put into the bloodstream, it's likely to find its way to parts of the body where it will do more damage.

Good point.

However - the more I think about it - the scroll wheel housing MUST be a sealed unit with the connections on the other side of the housing inside the camera so I can't forsee causing too much of a problem.

The trick is to not flood the thing just enough to get in and clean the contacts.

BYTHE WAY - AND THIS IS SOMETHING I FORGOT TO MENTION BUT WOULD STRONGLY SUGGEST - I MADE SURE THAT I HAD REMOVED THE BATTERY FROM THE CAMERA - NO POWER TO CAMERA WHEN DOING THIS!

Also - try and spray into the scroll wheel housing holding the camera vertical i.e. with the scroll wheel facing the ground - if you DO spray too much stuff into the cavity it would then theoretically run down and out and not into the camera (if the scroll wheel housing is indeed not a closed unit - but - like I said - logic tells me that it is a sealed unit).

Regards,

Dale.

Additional comment:

I would be inclined to agree with you except for the fact that this scroll wheel thing is a far greater problem than one would think at first.

If it were just a problem of setting things up in the menu then I probably would not have taken the chance but remember that this same scroll wheel also changes your aperture or shutter speed on the fly when in manual mode (depending of course on which AE option you have selected). When this thing started playing up on my VX2100E it was impossible to change settings if and when necessary - I would use, for example, 1/50sec shutter speed and maybe just needed to change it to 1/60sec for some or the other reason and it would then jump right up sometimes to 1/200sec and then come back down to 1/120sec all by itself!

Of course you could send it in to Sony but I HATE parting with my cameras - for any reason.

All I can say is that this worked for me and saved me the hassle of driving to Sony, waiting 2 weeks, collecting the camera and then spending the time testing every single thing on the camera to make sure that nothing else has been tampered with etc. etc.

Funny enough my VX is the only camera that has had to go to Sony for anything - not so much to sort out faults but because I was initially not happy with the quality of the picture (first problem) and the sound (bad background noises). Sony did some or the other adjustment for the picture quality and performed the PD170 mod to the audio setup for which I was not charged (even although the camera was out of warranty).

Anyway - Sony sorted out both problems well and I'm happy.

I was dissapointed at first though - I have had a TRV27E for a while and never had a problem with it whatsoever and that camera has had much much more use than the other two i.e. I pick it up, shoot, edit, job finished!!! Every time I use the VX2100E or the FX1E it is sort of like going on safari - especially after you have mounted mics and lights and huge batteries etc. etc.

Regards,

Dale.

Just thought that I would update this thread with some additional info.

I do not use my VX2100E that much (about once a month) and when I took it out of its case this month the scroll wheel was acting up again and I am 100% sure that when I used it about six seeks ago there was no problem at all.

Using my contact cleaner again sorted out the problem immediatley and I have been using it for the last couple of days and everything is perfect.

I am starting to think that it is not really dirt on the wheel contacts but, maybe, either oxidation or it just does not like being left in the same place or position (the wheel) for too long.

I can't think of anything else - the camera is stored in a cool dry place with no battery attached and I always ensure that one of those little silica gel packets are in the case to absorb any possible moisture.

Regards,

Dale.

Works with a Sony Hi8 too!
 

I spotted this discussion yesterday, and it brought to mind my Sony TRV65 Hi8 camcorder that's been retired for the past 6 or 7 years.The scroll wheel developed the same problem back around '99 and that's when I decided to retire it and buy my first digital camcorder.

Anyway, I took it off the shelf last night, popped in a battery, called up the menu, and, sure enough, the scroll wheel was still acting squirrely. I gave it a shot of contact cleaner as suggested here, gave the wheel a few turns, and BINGO, it now works just fine!

BTW, I decided not to suck.

Aw - that's the fun part!

I'm glad it worked for you.

What I don't understand is how it can be fine and then a couple of weeks later (with no use at all) it starts acting up again!

Regards,

Dale.

I'll fire up the Hi8 again in about 3 weeks or so and post back whether the scroll wheel is still behaving or not.

I remember when I got my VX2100 & saw the scroll wheel -- which from external appearances and function is identical to the one on the TRV65. (Well, obviously the TRV has a much smaller menu selection, but the wheel is still turn-to-scroll and push-to-select.) Anyway, my first thought was "Oh nuts, same crappy mechanism."

Nice to know now that there's an easy fix should this happen to the VX.

Had similar problem with my vx2000. Added electric contact cleaner from radio shack and so far no more problems. Thanks to all on this thread!

Hello,

I am the one responsible for providing the contact cleaner fix.

John - the problems that we have had (that the contact cleaner seems to fix) is not that the wheel does not work at all - in fact it works very well - too well in fact - it becomes ultra sensitive!!!

This contact cleaner fix is about as adventurous as I'll ever get with my precious cameras - I'll live with the aggravation of sending them to Sony if any opening is required.

My very first camera (given to me by someone in lieu of monies owed to me for work done) was a Mitsubishi Hi-8. I still marvel at the quality of footage that this camera was capable of (when you compare it to DV today). At some point it stopped detecting the end of tape so I opened it up 'just to maybe clean the sensor or something'. Needless to say that camera is now in pieces in a cardboard box. Great talking point though - 'Hey - have you ever wondered what's inside a video camera?'

You have definitely got 'bigger ones' than me and I would not advise anyone to open their camera.

Regards,

Dale.

It's been more than a month since I used the contact cleaner on the Hi8 scroll wheel -- which as I mentioned earlier seems to be exactly the same as the scroll wheel on my VX2100, except there are fewer menu choices.

Anyway, I pulled the Hi8 out of the drawer, put in a battery, and gave the wheel a spin. Still working perfectly. So, at least for this camera, the fix has lasted more than a month.

I had this same problem with my vx2000 and I was looking at this topic last night and realized I don't have the solution that I need to fix it in my house. I decided to just simply blow into/around the scroll wheel and it actually worked perfectly. Only thing I'm worried about is that whatever I blew out of the scroll wheel (dust i presume) may have gone into the rest of the camera.

Hello again,

Tom:

Thanks for checking in again. My VX2100E has also been standing for about three weeks now (since the last clean) and I just checked the wheel and I can see that it is definitely starting to become its old sensitive self again - it's really weird - this camera has not been touched in the last three weeks. It seems to be (in my case anyway) that there is some sort of 'springy thing' inside the wheel that gets 'less springy' if left in the same position for an extended period of time. This does not, however, explain why cleaning it with the contact cleaner (and the blowing / sucking thing) immediately fixes the problem! Anyway - at least I know how to sort it out when it happens.

Strangely enough it is only the VX - my small TRV27E has the same (looking) scroll wheel and I have never had this problem with it. The FX1E also has a scroll wheel but it is different from the VX and the TRV27E and I have never had a problem with this either.

Amit:

I don't think that you need to worry - I have seen similar 'scroll wheel' switches in electronic shops and they are almost always a sealed unit i.e. the wheel is encased in a housing and this housing is what keeps the wheel and springs and other things in place.

Regards,

Dale.

Dale you are 100% right. I just remembered I had a Sony Digital8 lieing around with a broken scroll wheel (the wheels completely disconnected) and (I just checked it out)it stays within its housing because I can give the camera a light shake and the scroll wheel will go back into it's place meaning it has very little space to move around in.

Can anyone tell me what parts I need to order for this little surgical procedure?

James,

From this exploded view of that section of the pd-170 http://www2.sonysupport.com/PF/POV04...tterypanel.PDF

I believe the part is number 305, which is: A-7078-945-A KP-013 BOARD, COMPLETE but you will want to confirm that yourself.

the home page to this site is:
https://servicesplus.us.sony.biz/ click on parts and accessories and search your model number, it will list all the parts with a link to exploded views.

You can probably call and ask them to confirm, the part is listed at $37.43


Duane

Hi,

Just an (interesting) update to my scroll wheel problem (worked for a while and then started playing up again after a while - see my earlier posts in this thread):

A couple of months ago I took the camera out of its case and left the case open in direct sunlight for about a day and since doing this I have never had a problem with the scroll wheel again.

I am starting to think that there may have been some sort of solvent or glue residue in the case or in the foam padding that is inside the case and this was somehow causing my scroll wheel problem. By leaving it in the sun I am of the opinion that this 'dried' the case out properly.

Strange but true. Just something else to look out for.

Regards,

Dale.

Taking the badly needed tip from this thread, I sprayed CRC's QD Electronic Cleaner, Quick Drying Formula (picked it up @ Advanced Auo) into my 2 vx2000s' scroll wheels that I'd been suffering with for months, and it seemes to have immediately cleared up. I'll post again if conditions change. Thanks everyone, the original poster as well as the confirmers. Just removed battery, unplugged, squirt squirt squirt, and waited 5 + mins. to dry!

All my scroll wheels on 3 VX2000's eventually did the same thing. They need to be replaced by a professional.