Any chance of a picture of the recorder?  I'm not sure if it's the one I'm thinking of, but I have (stashed in a dark corner, somewhere) a "three piece suite" Ferguson, comprising of recorder, tuner/timer and camera.. If it is the same machine, then the capstan definitely shouldn't be in motion until you press a function button. 

My granddad used a few of these to keep old Fergy/JVC machines on their feet.. They also make good panel illumination for some radio and Hi-Fi kit, as well as back lighting for car panel switches etc.. Current draw in the order of 30mA to 80mA - we used bulbs in the region of 30mA to 50mA without issue. 

Certainly, if the bulb went O/C the machines would do weird things to alert the user to the fault, but I don't recall the capstan motor running constantly under this fault condition. 

Marion

Last edited by Cathovisor on Wed Jun 17, 2015 4:40 pm, edited 1 time in total. 
Reason:Split from the request for end sensor lamps in the 'Wanted' section. 

I read the manual a bit more last night before retiring, and it seems to suggest that it should "do a Knight Rider" (or indeed, some modern Audis) with its panel lights to indicate an alarm condition.  Well, it doesn't even do that, so I shall have a measure of voltages on the Mechacon board and see if the 10V supply to the CPU is there. 

WARNING: the following images are of a graphical nature and contain explicit electronic nudity.  Those offended by excessive amounts of silicon should look away now

Case assembly. 

Front of machine showing control board. Note the 3.3F cap that still has its contents! 

View from above showing deck. 

Side view of machine...

...and the other side. 

Now, whilst testing it with a bench PSU before it goes off to its new home (and finding a fault in it ) I noticed that after a couple of attempts, it started to do more than it did yesterday.  For starters, the cassette light came on (just after I've ordered new ones ) and then the mechanism clicked and whirred and settled down into its stop state, illuminating the 'STOP' LED.  On other occasions, it actually laced up and went into play - without indicating it on the front panel. 

That's the one same as mine!  So definitely shouldn't be running the capstan unless instructed to do so. 

The main weakness in mine was lack of 'oomph' on playback.. The effect was that of worn video heads, so the head drum was replaced when it was only a couple of years old.. Luckily, I kept the old drum, which was pressed into service to test one on the older 'home' models.. The surprise was that the used head drum performed as good as new - suggesting to me, a lack of video gain in the 3V24's playback circuit. 

When working properly, these machines are very capable, and can produce some excellent (for VHS) results. 

I also got the carrying case for mine.. The battery is still with the recorder (long since kaput) but can be opened and re-stuffed with modern cells. 

I've been thinking on the 'strobing' lights you referred to in your earlier thread.. It's taken a while to remember what it indicated, and I assume from your description that the function indicator lamps light up in sequence, starting with the left most, running through to the right most?  If so, I can tell you with 100% certainty that this was to indicate a power supply "undervolt".. Essentially, it was intended to warn the user that the battery pack was exhausted, however, if you were to connect the recorder to say, a car cigarette lighter socket, the same indication would occur if; A.. The car battery fell below the required voltage, or B.. if the power cable resistance caused a significant voltage drop - enough cause under voltage in the recorder. 

In which case, the lights will be most likely doing what they're meant to do, and there is a power supply fault.. One thing is for certain, until the power supply is up to spec, the recorder will not offer any functions at all, because there is a built feature which causes a total shut down in an undervolt condition. 

If memory serves me, the shut down was instant, and did not even allow for unthreading of the tape - outwardly, it had all the appearance of sinister looking fault, however, a recharge (or connecting to the timer/tuner unit) would restore normal function to the recorder - and a sense of relief to the operator! 

I guess the power supply is also slightly complicated by the fact that it is responsible for supplying the camera as well as the recorder. 

You can replace the wire lamp with the LED (and PCB) from a 3V32 etc ... direct drop in fit.  Used to do this to our rental ones to improve the reliability .... didn't stop the loading belt from failing though ;)

Well, a little update on the machine; I've had a lot of work come my way recently so there's been no time for playing with the toys, but it does mean I'm solvent again - yay! 

The machine now behaves a little more sensibly and at least powers up as you can see, drawing about 600mA. And the sensor lamp works!  It's what happens afterwards...

Putting in a cassette and pressing play, the machine will load the tape and then it may spin up the head drum and it will engage the pinch roller but, at this point either the head drum stops, the take-up spool stops turning or bizarrely, the tape will be pulled over the top of the head drum and away in any combination of these!  Fast forward and rewind are normal.  If things go wrong, there is the sound of a solenoid/relay ticking and it goes into the correct alarm condition of the sequencing LEDs. 

I think before long I need to start looking at voltages properly and buy a small quantity of 47µF electrolytics...! 

They don't seem to have a mode switch like a Panasonic - more separate switches for various mechanical displacements (are the brakes off, has the loading finished, that kind of thing). 

I really think before I go leaping to conclusions and inevitably ending up flat on my posterior, that I need to ensure all the supply rails to and within the mechacon board are correct, else I'm wasting my (and others) time. * Then* I'll address sensors. 

What happens if you apply the power via the battery contacts, instead of via the DIN socket?  And, stupid question no doubt, does your DIN plug have the extra, central, pin?  Although not electrically connected, the central pin actuates the change over switch (from battery to external PSU - and vice versa).. If memory serves me, the central pin is also longer than the others. 

Katie Bush wrote:Although not electrically connected, the central pin actuates the change over switch (from battery to external PSU - and vice versa).. If memory serves me, the central pin is also longer than the others. 

I'll have to look at the 3V28 in the store for that: as the 3V28 is in reality a doorstop now, my intention is to provide a simple 12V PSU to run the machine from, and thus to maximise the space inside the cabinet for the 405 system - it's a small wind-up gramophone cabinet that came with a Brown folded horn that Chris kindly collected for me.  Although how I have wired the DIN plug (1&6 = +12V, 2 = 0V) means it works via the charging path, there is an additional diode drop from D9 in the way from the PSU now.  I can't help but feel it's worth shorting D9 out as it'll never be used on battery again...