Panasonic MiniDV Palmcorder (PV-DV52D) ***Problem***

No what I'm saying is my camera is always working in one way, and not in another. In other words it never has a power issue because I tried it with only the AC adaptor instead, not the battery. However it's the same result. It's playback options, none of the buttons, simply won't do anything. That's the concern. It doesn't make sense that the cam would have full power yet nothing I push does anything.

***EDIT***

Ignore my last message. I recently tested my camcorder again. Both through the AC adaptor and the battery itself, the power is on, the red light flashes, and no buttons work until 1-2 minutes have passed. Then it simply shuts down by itself. I can probably conclude from this that it's some kind of internal power issue. If that's the case I'll have to get it repaired. Though I have to wonder if just buying a new cam would be a better idea instead. Any thoughts or suggestions are still appreciated.

well i don't know what you paid for the original unit but i saw some panasonics today at circuit city for under $400.

here's a repair shop I googled:

http://www.avrepair.com/camcorder/

their labor hour is at least $120 -- plus the parts, you're half way to a new camcorder. if it's gotten very little use, okay, but i sense you've been wearing down the heads pretty hard for 2 years . . . I think it's time to buy another. I know of few electronic items worth repairing anymore. - fj

Yeah I agree, just not worth it. I'll worry about a new cam eventually. I'm done here.

I Bought a ''Store DEMO'' off eBay and it has the identical problems... ......Serial # G2SA17591 Now what???

I found a guy that will look at it for 30 bucks. If he fixes it Ill report back asap. Mine started to work normal again for a day than its back to its little fit again. I think the light is flashing a code? Ill let you know how it goes.

I paid around $400 for this camera used it on a trip to Florida, Recorded on 3 tapes came home firewired them to my PC then the camera sat in my closet for a year and a half. after that the camera never worked agian. one thing i noticed was mine will play and record fing if you can record over a an existing spot on the tape, if its a new tape it will not do anything except the red light will blink then the unit will shut off. this camera has a total of 6 hrs runtime total. not really sure what to do about this.

120 bucks for a "part"
Ill let you know if it gets fixed. Im gonna drill him when I get to pick it up.

Kolipo, did you ever get it back from the shop?

Was it a power issue?

What did he need to replace?

thanks, i have the SAME EXACT problem as everyone else whose posted in this discussion, and it looks like there was a whole batch of these defective dv52d palmcorders.....

I just got my PV DV52D back from a friend who had it for nine months (...don't ask). I use this for playing around but use professional Sony Betacam SP and DVCAM for most of my real work.

When I attached AC power to the camera and inserted a tape, the power light flashes **-----**----**-----**----**---- the asterisks being the two blinks, then a brief pause. This repeates until the camera self powers off.

The Answer....drum roll please....

It is a tape transport error, my camera ate the first tape I put in to test. I have no idea what my "friend" did with the camera for 9+ months but it was filthy. It finaly played a tape but stopped and went blinky again. When the tape was removed it was slack. After a bit of fiddling and running a test tape through the transport...thats the little rollers, capstans and fingers that move the tape in and out of the record/playback path, thats what makes the Wheeeeeeee sound when you insert or eject a tape....it seems to be working ok now.

If you are experiencing a similar problem, try running a brand new tape through the transport doing a few FF and RWs the length of the tape. After you do this a few times clean the heads. I use a cleaning solution and cotton swabs. DO NOT attempt this unless you know what you are doing or don't mind taking the risk of making matters worse. You can take the camera to a shop and have the heads and rollers cleaned professionaly but it will cost a few bucks. You may also want to try using a head cleaning tape but heed this warning; DO NOT over use the cleaning tape...DO NOT under ANY circumstances rewind the head cleaning tape and run it through your camera again, IT WILL DESTROY THE HEADS.

Another tip:

don't use Metal Particle MP tapes, spend the few extra dollars and get Metal Evaporated, they are cleaner and more reliable. also, not a good idea to eat fried chicken, cheese doodles, or any other finger foods while changing tapes. the mechanical guts of your camera are VERY sensative, especially the heads.

I hope this helps.

Another possible cause of the "tape transport error" could be the tape door is not closed or latched tight. Don't slam the tape in but using a firm push to close the door can sometimes help. The problem occurs if the door is out of alignment or otherwise loose. If the door is not properly aligned when the tape feeds into the transport path, it could go slack and....blink blink........blink blink......

One cause for flashing power light is excessive moisture. Dry your camcorder will fix it. It happened to me several time when the weather was humid.

Hope this helps

hi, scorpiooooooh,
thanks a lot.in my comcarder i experienced the same problem, the red light blinking.for 2 days i was trying various sites on the subject.various solutions were given,but none worked. finally your reply to PV D52D solved my problem also.i removed the tape and my camera is no more blinking.thanxs a lot again.
danvar2010