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Sony 1979
Betamax SL-8080



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Technical

Because of its age spares are not easy to obtain for the SL-8080.

Fault and repair guide

Tape transport is sluggish or fails to rewind

Internally the SL-8080 contains many drive belts which are used in the mechanics of tape transport. With age these belts become slack causing malfunctions and when this happens the whole lot should be replaced. In particular for the rewind function you will need to replace a tyre on the supply reel.

Strange behaviour of capstan/drum servo

The first thing to check is the tantalum capacitors in the servo circuit.

Sluggish threading and capstan problems

The bottom bearing on the capstan motor is prone to wear and because this motor also drives the threading mechanism threading can become sluggish. When this happens you will hear a horrible squeaking noise!

Quick fault guide

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FaultSolution
Colour streaking on playback of pre-recorded tapesCheck for poor contacts or contamination of the presets in the chroma circuit. If necessary clean and re-align.
Crackling or noise on soundSuspect failure of the record/playback switch S601.
Intermittently stopping when warmCheck the plug and socket connectors to the end sensor coil. Then check presets RV701 and RV702.
Interference on pictureSuspect failure of the record/playback switch S101.