Fixing your Panny: When there's a fault and lens cleaning doesn't help....

I am the owner of a Panasonic DMR EH-50 with 100 gig hardrive. Being a person who loves and tapes alot of TV & sports, this unit is perfect. Record a show to watch later and if you like it.... edit out the commercials and high speed burn it. That simple! It uses and records on both + or minus DVD-R's. Great quality transfers too. To me, a home video editor's dream machine. No more futzing with the pause button between commercials, or hooking up another dvd player as the play unit. For me this unit "IS" it!

I am probably like some of you ...I LOVE my Panasonic DMR! Unfortunatly When I bought mine, it was the 2nd to last year they were availible in the USA. By the time I decided I wanted another, they were no where to be found as "new" units. In the end all good electronic gadgets are either updated, or they breakdown ...putting you at the mercy of the electonic repairman (another rare breed these days).

I use it everday, burn alot of dvd's, but knew that someday soon It was gonna breakdown and need to be fixed or (gulp) even replaced. Why Panasonic got out of the US market amazes me, especially when you see what used units are selling for these days. Several looks at e-bay over a year told me that used Panny Hard Drive units sold at close to $500-700, too much of a financial risk for a "Used" unit.

So about a year ago I went out and bought a "New" Phillips 3576h for $300, it is the only Hard Drive DVD burner - player here in the USA. Although it does the job, it did not have the same record flexability in burn speed, ease of commercial edit, or convienece of title save as my Panny. Another 6 months later I bought an open box Pioneer DVR 460H out of canada for $230. Although I like it better than the Phillips, it has some hard drive stutter which I will have to adress in this forum at some time in the future.

Overall in the 5 years I have had my Panasonic DMR EH-50, there have been very few problems with it . No problems with the hard drive (made by maxor). The unit failed and reset once every 6 months which was pretty much the only problem.

Then in the last year it failed "New" TDK media as damaged disc (scratched dvd, dust, cannot read media, ect). I switched to Sony DVD-R's and it worked for another 6 months.

Then the problems started big time, one after another over 3 months. It stopped reading my older DVD+R media recorded on the same unit. Then it started to fail when adding shows to other unfinalized DVD-r's. sometimes making the disc completely unreadable, or failing upon finalization of disc. Yes, use of the unit became a daily DVD-R FRISBEE machine! I read some post about putting saliva on the hub, but it didn't work for me. This past weekend the unit couldn't read a new DVD-R as anything other than as damaged disc (scratched dvd, dust, cannot read media, ect).

This morning I was about to ship this unit off to a Panasonic service center when I caught this article on cleaning by SaintBaz. Thought what the hell, I use to clean my VHS recorders, so why not my beloved panny? I followed the instructions (listed earlier in this article). In my case the hub looked only a little dirty, and the hub surface looked a little sandpapery. Just didnt look like this would effect so many aspects of a DVD-R burn. But as I cleaned it I could see the hub was really supposed to be smooth. Additionally I cleaned the laser lens, the tray holder, and vacuumed the whole inside of the unit.

The result one happy Panasonic DMR owner, everything works once again!

Many thanks SaintBaz!

albeach, I linked your post to a AVS thread and Citibear(our resident Pioneer expert) had a thought for your Pioneer 460. This is a copy/past of his post for you:
"The author of that post mentions he tried a Canadian Pioneer 460 and its hard drive "stuttered". It should be noted this "stuttering" has been reported worldwide with every brand of DVD/HDD recorder that migrated from EIDE hard drives to SATA drives. The SATA hard drive connectors in consumer video products are prone to oxidizing and loosening, which causes all manner of odd behavior. It can be cured by opening the cabinet and reseating the cables firmly. I have addressed this in several posts here on AVS: its a common issue, not isolated to Pioneer. Panasonic stopped selling DVD/HDD models in North America before the SATA switchover, otherwise we'd be reading many a post of "Panasonic HDD stuttering". Funai seems to have learned from the experience of other mfrs: reports of SATA issues in the Magnavox are rare compared to Sony, Pioneer, LG, etc."

Maybe you can get your Pio working as well as your Panny

Hello Panasonic DMR owners,

After posting the above responce a few days ago (and before I forget) I thought I might expand on the DVD-R burn conditions that my Panasonic DMR failures appear on. My 5 year old DMR EH-50 unit is a DVD-R recorder (records both + and Minus DVD-R's), has TV Guide programming, and a 100 gig hard drive. The unit has never been serviced, and is no longer manufactured for USA consumers.

The failures with my unit always end with the a general "Cannot Read Media" error screen prompt, and always for recordable DVD-R media. The "Cannot Read Media / Unable to Read" error prompt includes (Disc is finalized, damaged disc, unreadable disc, incompatable disc, incompatable data, scratched disc, dirty disc, ETC).

So here's my list of DVD-R burn errors.
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Your Panasonic DMR may need a cleaning:

1) When "Cannot / Unable to read disc" prompt appears on "New" blank media.

2) When "Cannot / Unable to read disc" prompt appears (on both finalized or Un-finalized media). DVD-R's can be (+) or (-) disc's recorded on the same unit. After the error prompt, this Disc may then no longer be read or finalized on ANY Panasonic unit.

3) When starting a burn disc from the Panasonic Hard Drive to a "New" or partially compiled un-finalized disc, the prompt says "Unable to read disc". After the error prompt, this Disc may then no longer be read or finalized on ANY Panasonic unit.

4) When starting a burn disc in Normal Speed transfer mode from the Panasonic hard drive, the burn process stops at about 15 seconds into the burn, does a "Check disc", shuts off and resets the unit. The unit powers back on with "Disc Error - Check Disc" prompt. Visual inspection of the disc may show no sign of any burn, and disc may or maynot be re-usable.

5) When starting a burn disc in High Speed transfer mode from Panasonic hard drive, the burn process stops, does a "Check Disc", shuts off and resets the unit. The unit powers back on with "Disc Error - Check Disc" prompt. Visual inspection of the disc may show no sign of any burn, and disc may or maynot be reusable.

6) When finalizing a disc, the finalization mode process ends with disc error (prompt says - unable to read disc). However the disc may have been finalized just before the process error prompt appears and the disc is viewable on another dvd player, but not on a Panasonic.

7) When in the High Speed transfer mode, the burn process "Progress Bar" starts with a 15 minutes until completion for full disc, BUT changes to 57 minutes to completion and takes that long.

8) When Burning a "live" TV program the unit records normally at any speed and stops recording upon your command. However when you go to finalize the disc, a "Disc Error - Check Disc" prompt appears. This Disc may then no longer be read or finalized on ANY unit.

ADDITIONALLY:
9) When changing "Title" or "Thumbnail" on a burned but as yet un-finalized DVD-R (not the hard drive), the process is slow AND may end up with "Disc Error" prompt. After this the disc may be played back only on a Panasonic, BUT as the prompt states this disc CANNOT be finalized (as in Forever), plus the unit will not alow the disc to be copied back to the Panasonic Hard Drive of the same unit. I got around this for a while by putting this un-finalized disc in another Panasonic DVD recorder and copying the show in real time back to the hard drive unit. But it's time consuming and a pain. Plus when you think of ALL the above errors that can happen once again...
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I'm no techie, just someone who got tired of shipping my VCR's off to the shop if only for a cleaning. When DVD's came along I got intimitdated by the use of a laser inside the box. My Panasonic DMR EH-50 is not a problem unit, and has given me years of reliable service. If it had legs, I'd take it out to dinner!

Yet the above 1-9 errors made me think my unit was ready for some serious (and expensive) repair work. However this simple SaintBaz cleaning method took me a total of 30 minutes to complete and got rid of all the above errors! Hard to believe a dirty spindal could cause so many problems? The unit just needed some T.L.C.

Hope I've helped out, and many thanks to all who support this forum!

Al in Redondo Beach

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jrsj View Post
SaintBaz, thank you for the information on my Panasonic DMR-EH75V, unfortunately it didn’t take care of the problem. The spindle was dirty & did clean up nicely. When you open or close the DVD tray it says reading but know description pops up; it use to say DVD. If you toggle through the drive selects, you see SD card, ffice:smarttags" />ddress w:st="on">HHD Hard Driveddress>, VHS Cassette, & use to be DVD. When you close the DVD bay with or without DVD inserted, it says reading & making the normal sound of the drive, but displays Diga functions says “Incompatible Disc”. In the menu for DVD, you have selections for schedule, VCR plus+, advance copy, setup, & use to be disk or DVD management, there’s just a blank spot now! Let alone the U61 error code, I may have received a U88, it flashed so fast I really couldn’t tell. Again my machine works beautifully except for the high speed burner which is very important. I’m wondering if I’m to the point where I should consult the service center in lace w:st="on">Elk Grove Village, ILlace>. Or possibly keep searching the forum for a fix. Again, thank you so much for any information on this unfortunate situation.fficeffice" />>>
Take care,>>
Jrsj>>
>>
I've sent you a private message, hope it helps.

SaintBaz

Thank you for the spindle cleaning tip. My spindle was dirty but it did not solve the problem. I am having the same problem as JRSJ above. Can you offer me any suggestions.

Blessed_Guy

U61 and U88 errors indicate a problem with the laser assembly. Did you gently clean the lens as well as the hub/spindle?

Another important consideration is using clean discs of the best quality.

The best discs for a Panasonic are Taiyo Yuden 8x Premium Line DVD-R discs found here:

http://www.supermediastore.com/produ...ax=15&offset=0

The Panasonic Service Center in Elk Grove Village no longer repairs hard drive models. The Panasonic Service Center in Elgin Illinois currently repairs hard drive models.

Since MyCe posts have only a 30 minute editing window, for current information see this AVS thread for up-to-date repair information:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...8#post14451738

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Last edited by DigaDo; 20-11-2009 at 22:41.

Thank you for the quick response. I did clean the lens while I was cleaning the spindle. Is it possible I need to use a lens cleaning disk in case I did not do a good job. I have been using verbatim cd-r in my Panasonic for about four years. I may switch to Taiyo Yuden disks. I will contact the Elgin Ill office.

SaintBAz
I tried the spindle cleaning because my DMR EZ47v could not read a disc it just finalized. However when I went to put the lid on the DVD drive the tray came out and now it will not seat properly on the gear to open or close.

Is there a solution for this?

Thank you for your time in advance.
sincerely
jaijef

The roller slider at the rear of the disc tray MUST be positioned to the far left before securing the DVD Drive lid!

See this and the post following it for remedial measures and photographs showing the correct reinstallation/realignment of the disc tray:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...6#post15745506

Even though I have a Lite-On LVW-5005 - not a Panny - the cleaning procedure described at the top of the thread seemed to be the perfect solution for me for a couple weeks. Unfortunately, the rubber on my burner's spindle didn't tolerate the isopropyl alcohol I used to clean it.

http://club.myce.com/f102/seems-like...3/#post2202366

Anybody have any ideas where a replacement rubber spindle disc can be found?

I hope someone is still monitoring this thread. I tried cleaning the spindle, but now the tray will not open. Listen closely though ... there are two "lids" to the drive. The black plastic outer one, and the metal (aluminum?) inner one with the plastic hub that mates with the spindle when the unit works.

With both lids off, the tray will open and close. When I put the inner lid back on though, the tray will not open. I do not see that I am catching on anything that might physically prevent the tray from opening ... but obviously something is wrong.

Any ideas what I might have done wrong when replacing the inner lid?

I am unfamiliar with the Panasonic DVD Drive you have described. What model and vintage is your Panasonic recorder?

The present thread provides information concerning servicing Panasonic DVD recorder DVD Drives beginning with those manufactured from around 2003 to 2005--the black plastic-cased models--and those manufactured from 2006 to 2009--the metal-cased models.

At the AVS Forum may be found an extensive discussion of servicing earlier Panasonic black plastic-cased DVD Drives mounted within a surround structure as found on a DMR-E100H.

Serious parts alignment problems with Panasonic DVD Drives will arise if the disc tray is extended or removed after the DVD Drive lid has been removed. Furthermore, the DVD Drive will not function properly if the roller/slider at the rear of the disc tray has not been positioned to the far left corner before the DVD Drive lid is secured. This advice and caution is found in this thread as well as in a number of threads in the AVS Forum.

At AVS there are extensive descriptions of DVD Drive reassembly/realignment procedures for 2006 and newer Panasonic DVD Drives. As there are certain design differences between older and newer Panasonic DVD Drives the procedures found in those posts should only be regarded as a general guide for 2005 and older Panasonic DVD Drives.

DMR E30. You open the case, there is a black plastic housing for the drive. Take that off to get to the actual drive. On top of the drive is a thin metal top with the top clamp for the spindle and a slot running along the length that a roller mates with from below. This is the thin metal lid that I am referring to. With it off, the tray will extend and retract ... (but is useless because it can not clamp discs without the top). When I put the top on, the tray will no longer extend.

The descriptions and photos in the AVS DMR-E100H thread will be most helpful as that design is probably the same as with your E30. That E100H owner, EyesofEldrad, also sent me several other photos that didn't appear in his posts. Here are several photos that show the correct original parts alignments. Even though MyCe has cropped the right side of the photos there may be enough there to show the details.

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Last edited by VoxHumana; 15-01-2010 at 22:13.

Nope. That's not it. Post #53 in this thread has pics that look more like mine (although they go from the black casing straight to everything off, skipping the thin metal lid view ...
http://club.myce.com/f106/fixing-you...ml#post2181779

Here are the pics of the DMR E30 drive
(I hope the attachment thing worked ...)

Now that I see your photos I understand the purpose of the thin metal "sub-lid." The central mechanism in the "sub-lid" carries the disc guide wheel and its mechanism, and there is the guide channel for the roller/slider at the rear of the disc tray. The rearward movement of the roller/slider along the guide channel causes the spindle to rise in order to clamp the disc against the guide wheel for spinning the disc during read, write and finalizing operations. The forward movement of the roller/slider along the guide channel causes the spindle to descend allowing the disc tray to pass over the spindle when the disc tray is opened.

The photos in the post that you linked show a 2005 DMR-ES30V DVD Drive. That VXY1867 DVD Drive does not have a thin metal "sub-lid" below the black plastic lid as the guide wheel and its mechanism and the guide channel are part of the black plastic lid itself. I'm attaching a photo showing the underside of a VXY1867 DVD Drive lid.

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Last edited by VoxHumana; 16-01-2010 at 01:08.

Ok ... more peculiar still!
With the top off, I place a DVD onto the spindle. Then I put the lid on. Power up, it reads the disc as a blank DVD-R (yay!). I press eject, the tray opens. I take the disc out, close the tray. "no disc". So far so good. Now I press the eject again ... nada.
So ... the tray can open ... and it _will_ open if there is a disc in place. but it will not open if it is empty?!?
_Any_ thoughts people?

Ok, I think I am almost there. When placing the lid with the hub-top on the drive, the hub-top clicks down solidly, and not due to any mechanical lever. Turns out the hub-top is heavily magnetised! So ... when a disc is in there there is enough separation for the lower hub assembly to lower itself, and the tray can open. When no disc is in there, the magnetic hub-top keeps the lower assembly from retracting! Now ... looking at my picture you can see on the other end of the middle metal arm on the lid (hub at one end, look at the other end). This is, I think, intended to act as a lever to raise the magnetic hub so the lower assembly can retract ... but the arm is not engaging with whatever it needs to in order to be lifted.

Does anybody have a similar drive (DMR E30, DMR HS2) that can post a photo of the properly assembled drive lid?

I think I understand what you're saying but I don't see what you're pointing out. Perhaps a photo of the underside of the thin metal "sub-lid" might help. In my photos I sometimes point to various parts or assemblies.

It seems to me that within the last three or four months there have been somewhat similar discussions of DVD Drive functional/mechanical problems with the Philips 3455 HDD/DVD recorder. I haven't really followed that thread as I don't have that model Philips recorder. (My Philips HDD/DVD recorders are the more recent 3575 and 3576 as well as the Magnavox 2080 and 2160 HDD/DVD recorders.) The Philips 3455 thread is found here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=677258

To the earlier DigaDo photo/response I'll add this front view showing the retracted disc tray of a functional DVD Drive VXY1867 with the recorder's front panel removed.

Some DMR-E100H photos are shown in this MyCe post:

http://club.myce.com/f106/fixing-you...ml#post2486167

The labor-intensive DMR-E100H DVD Drive servicing procedures are described and illustrated in more detail in this thread at the AVS Forum:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1207391

I will check out those other threads, thanks.

Attached are the photos of the top and underside of the lid. The top is the one with the yellow label. Arrows are pointing at the hook opposite the hub.

This touches a ramp on the tray such that when the tray retracts, the ramp pushes the hook up which in turn forces the hub down to engage. However when going in reverse there is nothing that forces the hook down (e.g. no spring) so the hub remains engaged because it is magnetically attracted to the lower hub. There should be _something_ to force the two apart, but I do not see it.

In other posts I've described the part you call a "hook" as a "bumper."

If the disc tray mechanism is "hooking" the "sub-lid's" bumper that may be the problem. In the DVD Drive pictured here the disc tray's rear ramp contacts the DVD Drive lid's "bumper" and forces the guide wheel down, just as you've described. When the disc tray is opened the forward movement of the disc tray allows the guide wheel mechanism to rise thus releasing the disc.

Perhaps there is another problem that is preventing the opening of the empty disc tray. Perhaps the "sub-lid's" rocker/spring action is malufunctioning. Another thought, have you tried both the remote control and front panel open/close controls to open the disc tray?

I have a DMR-ES30V and it has two problems: it no longer recognises brand-new DVD-RW discs, and will not play previously recorded -RW discs. Works fine with the old DVD-RAM discs that came with the machine, and with +R and -R fresh and recorded discs, and Australian, British and American DVDs of programs like The Wire.

Also, the VHS drive is unreliable - picture roll, loss of sound - my uneducated guess is that tapes don't rewind correctly.

I love this machine and dread trying to replace it. I will try the spindle cleaning routine, but what's the best way to deal with the VHS problem?

AFA your VHS section, when you take your machine apart to clean the DVD spindle you should also clean the tape path. If you're not familiar with the path you can insert a tape and play it watching what the tape comes in contact with. When cleaning the rotating video be careful to not use a up/down motion but rather around the circumference of the drum. I like to use chamois cleaning sticks but foam wands also work but tend to catch on the actual video heads. I wouldn't recommend Q-tips because the fibers can become lodged in the heads and cause problems. For a solvent you can use tape head cleaner or a 90%+ solution of alcohol, I wouldn't really recommend 70% rubbing alcohol.
It's possible the rubber on one of the belts or idler pulleys has become dead or hard, slippage will cause many problems including eating tapes or not completing rewinding or fast forwarding. MCM electronics used to sell replacement VCR parts, not sure of they still do. You could also try a product called Regrip (or something similar) which eats off the dead rubber and makes it grippy again, not sure how involved you want to get. Regrip used to be available at electronic parts places, like MCM or others.