Hadn't seen one of these for a while -

[rolfw]

and apparently still in working order.

 

[PaulR]

They built 'em to last!

 

[Channel Hopper]

If I recall they were multi-standard and one could buy an accessory unit for feeding up to four Betamax tapes (for prolonged recordings).

 

[DishDick]

Never heard of Wega. Looks like a rebadged Sony C5. Anyway I was a VHS fan. Best pic I saw in the old days was a Ferguson 3V16. Perfect trick play picture, pause and fast forward. Controled using the state of the art (or should that be ark) wired remote! Always wanted a 3V23 as it did everything except make the tea and looked the business (picture was very poor though).

 

[moojuice]

Ive got a fairly good working C20 on the bench so that I can dub from Beta to DVD etc. Great bit of kit and along with an archive of old tapes ive "inherited" its like a trip back in time. Seeing Southern TV and TVS continuity - so quaint compared to the garish ITV of today.

Back to the beta... my machines only fault is it will chew a tape on eject. Only 100% cure is to hit rewind then hit eject mid rewind, then the tape spool idler is in the right place to relace the cassette!

_http://www.palsite.com/slc20ovi.html

 

[rolfw]

Well if anyone wants it, I've got it in the back of the van, only problem is that it is very heavy.

 

[moojuice]

Well if you want shot of it, can I have first dibs? Im actually heading up to Newbury tomorrow and *might* be able to swing by to grab it if time permits, or another day?

 

[rolfw]

It is reserved for you.

 

[A nonymous]

Blimey I used have a Betamax up until a few years ago. A Sanyo Betamax VTC-5150.

It all worked fine until the Reel motor packed up. It was the only part that you can't get anymore.

I'd replaced everything else from the Voltage regulator, spool belts, head, and various caps that packed up in the PSU.

It was definately a better VCR for picture quality than the VHS one i had at the time.

 

[moojuice]

Thanks rolf for the Betamax - will have a play with it in a couple of days time.

 

[rolfw]

No problem mate.

 

[2cvbloke]

I'd have loved to have had that myself, you don't get many Multi-Standard Betas left out there these days, and that one looks pretty good too...

As for the Wega brand, that's one of Sony's other brands (remeber the "Vega" stuff they did? The logo was actually Wega, but pronounced Vega), so it's definitely a Sony original, I've even seen the Sony SL-F1UB branded as Wega, and had that gold colour applied to it too...

 

[Channel Hopper]

They appear on eBay

_http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_nkw=Sony+SL-C7*&_sacat=0&_odkw=Sony+SL-C7&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313


and Freecycle every now and then. Do you have some NTSC tapes then ?

 

[2cvbloke]

Do you have some NTSC tapes then ?

No, I just like the idea of the two or three tape speeds they offered on the NTSC and I think SECAM machines, you could have fast & high quality but short recording time (kind of how the BetaCam standard came about), medium speed and medium quality (pretty much what we got in the UK) and the quoted record time on the box, or slow and low quality for long recordings (such as televised films and whatnot)...

 

[moojuice]

Well Ive changed the plug on this "russian tank of a video recorder" to a BS1363, plugged it in and nothing! Found the first internal fuse has blown, right by main power switch inside the machine. Replaced that and only the clock powered up and it refused to come out of standby.

Stripped the PSU down and Ive found two leaky electrolytics- 4.7uF 350V axials. C110 & C111. The ones used were 85 C ones. Got some 105 C ones coming from RS (more resiliant in hot PSU boxes). Hopefully that'll make this old girl fire up again!

Gonna replace the microswitches on the timer board too as they are all a lil unresponsive, if the cap fix works that is. Might seem like a lot of flap and bother, but a bit of kit as uncommon as this (multi standard) is worth rescuing IMO.

 

[moojuice]

I
As for the Wega brand, that's one of Sony's other brands (remeber the "Vega" stuff they did? The logo was actually Wega, but pronounced Vega), so it's definitely a Sony original, I've even seen the Sony SL-F1UB branded as Wega, and had that gold colour applied to it too...

Well this one appears to be a Sony SL-T7 rebadged machine (A multi standard C5). Both the C5, C7 and T7 all share a the basic guts and the faultfinding hints on PALsite for the C7 equally apply to the C5 in many cases. One thing that struck me about this machine is the lack of use its had! Cant wait to see the picture. Hardly a spec of dust inside the machine. All the promo stickers intact. Rolf said the previous owners were only in the country a couple of months a year too. Explains a lot

 

[2cvbloke]

May sound odd, but can you get a picture of the old plug? Can't see what it is in the initial picture, usually places like that still run on the old british standard BS546 wiring & plugs, and still have use today for some...

 

[moojuice]

I'll take a picture tonight. Never seen one of these before, and Ive done 6 years in electrical wholesale. 3 thin pins in a row, think it was 6A rated, unfused. Poor design compared to our bulldog-like BS1363 plug

BS546 btw is 3 round pins in a triangular arrangement, and is deffinately not that! MK still make them - 505WHI, 515WHI & and 15A roundpin.... ohh and 2A too - 505WHI.

 

[PaulR]

places like that still run on the old british standard BS546 wiring & plugs, and still have use today for some...

BS546 btw is 3 round pins in a triangular arrangement, and is deffinately not that! MK still make them - 505WHI, 515WHI & and 15A roundpin.... ohh and 2A too - 505WHI.

A few years ago my wife took a group of Brownies on a Ferry 'Cross the Mersey charity fund raising day. They were making cups of tea to sell and the ferry was using 15A round pin sockets.

 

[2cvbloke]

I'll take a picture tonight. Never seen one of these before, and Ive done 6 years in electrical wholesale. 3 thin pins in a row, think it was 6A rated, unfused. Poor design compared to our bulldog-like BS1363 plug

BS546 btw is 3 round pins in a triangular arrangement, and is deffinately not that! MK still make them - 505WHI, 515WHI & and 15A roundpin.... ohh and 2A too - 505WHI.

Sounds almost like those multi-plug things, kind of an alternative to using a 4-way extension that didn't take off too well, can't find a pic but the description reminded me of a similar one that the local amdram's still functioning 80's prop TV has...

The later BS546 was, originally it was 5 different plugs, 2A & 5A 2-pin, 2A, 5A & 15A 3-pin, there is also mention of a larger 3-pin, but I've never seen one and there's no pictures to be found...