{"id":482,"date":"2009-01-09T23:51:26","date_gmt":"2009-01-10T04:51:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/heroesinrehab.ca\/blog\/?p=482"},"modified":"2009-01-10T00:19:10","modified_gmt":"2009-01-10T05:19:10","slug":"sony-dcr-hc26-firewire-port-problem-an-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/heroesinrehab.ca\/blog\/2009\/01\/09\/sony-dcr-hc26-firewire-port-problem-an-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Sony DCR-HC26 Firewire Port Problem: An Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some time ago now, I wrote a post about some problems I was experiencing with the transfer of Mini-DV video<\/a> from my Sony Handycam through a Firewire cable to my computer.<\/p>\n

\"sony_dcr_hc26_camcorder\"<\/a>

The offending device<\/p><\/div>\n

I had no idea how common a problem this seems to be.\u00a0 Since posting about my struggles with the camera, that post and posts about my adventures with a Craftsman Lawn Tractor seem to have generated an awful lot of traffic to the site.\u00a0 My camera still isn’t working, but I now think I know why.\u00a0 It occurred to me that an update might help someone else with similar technical problems teetering on the precipice of a murderous rage.<\/p>\n

It would appear that the problem in my particular case is the Firewire (IEEE 1394) port on the side of the camera.\u00a0 A close examination of the pins inside the port suggests that somehow one or more of the pins that are supposed to make contact with the IEEE 1394 cable have come off.\u00a0 The port needs to be replaced.<\/p>\n

Since the camera warranty is long expired, and I didn’t purchase the extended warranty offered by the retailer, I’m on my own.\u00a0 When I spoke with folks at the Future Shop about getting repairs done, they suggested that it would make more sense to buy a new camera.\u00a0 I’m not ready to go that route just yet, partly because this is already my second Mini-DV camera – the first was a JVC model (GL something or other, I think) that stopped functioning consistently just shortly before Spouse and I were married – it has developed the dreaded E04 Safeguard Mode error, which (according to teh Intarwebs) is a common and apparently lethal affliction for JVC camcorders.<\/p>\n

The thing is I have a LOT of material on a number of Mini-DV tapes that I need to be able to access.<\/p>\n

The immediate solution I’m going to attempt is to replace the port – or the circuit board on which it’s mounted – myself.\u00a0 Madness, right?\u00a0 Maybe.\u00a0 Maybe not – I found the service manual for the camera at servicemanuals.net<\/a> and – for a fee of about $15 – downloaded a copy.\u00a0\u00a0 Now I have a schematic of how the camera comes apart, and (more importantly) how it goes back together.\u00a0 I plan to study it carefully before attempting the dissassembly. I also need to do a little research to find out how much the replacement part or parts will cost, but I don’t expect to be spending more than fifty or sixty bucks.<\/p>\n

I will try to remember to post an update on what’s going on with the repair.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, if you are experiencing the same sort of problem, my research on the Net suggests that you should:<\/p>\n