Sony Handycam DCR-PC100 Mini DV Digital Camcorder - Answered Questions & Fixed issues

Hi try to replace the memory stick coz after it has been sitting for so long it might have burnt out. Try useing the memory stick in pc to se if it will work?

NO.
Mini DV cameras do not have the ability to read the HDV codec.

Al

The camera has in fact 2 leds built-in, so it rather looks like one led is out, I had same problem, and sad to say stripping it down to put a new led in is,,, shall we say an eye opener, o yes a wallet opener too.

your camcorder doesnt support usb connection.although it came with a pc serial cable,its the cable used for memory stick picture transfer, along with it comes a serial port adaptor for the memory stick and ac adaptor for serial adaptor. of course even if you lost this accessories you can still transfer pics from the ms using a memory card reader which works basically the same way. for videos on the tape you would just need a firewire or an ilink (ieee1394) cable. almost all mac computers support this connection.it's the dv in/out jack on the camcorder with an i symbol.upper most jack on the camcorder jack's location.check your mac to find out what cable you need.the unit uses a 4pin ilink port so you need a 4pin ilink cable at one end and the other end should match of course, the firewire port on your mac computer.should be a plug and play connection.you can use imovie software for video capturing.hope this helps.thanks :)

Windows 7 sucks. Try "downgrading" to Win XP. I've had many problems with my new computer which had Windows 7, which have all been solved after I made the downgrading.

Check your computer user’s manual, if your computer doesn’t have a Firewire port, you need to buy an IEEE1394 card to install in your computer and a firewire cable to connect your Mini DV. Check with your local computer store

i read in the manual that if a tape gets stuck to take off the battery and connect the AC line. surprisingly it worked.

These people may be able to help you -
http://www.darntoothysam.com/

Hi. I do know how to do that. You need some software that's capable of controlling the camera such as Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, or something like that. I believe Microsoft Movie Maker will do it and so will Roxio Media Creator which is the package they sell that burns CDs and DVDs as well. It's a whole media center.

The camera has the capability of being controlled through the firewire port on the front. You get a cable for the firewire port on the camera (firewire mini 4 pin) that goes to the computer (firewire 4 pin standard size). If you have an older computer with no firewire and it does have a PCMCIA card slot sometimes called a PC slot, or express card slot ... you can buy cards that will give it firewire ports.
You MUST have firewire to do this. The newer machines like the Acer Aspire One or any of the netbooks don't have any way to add firewire although the CPU is fast enough for video work. I capture on my old computer with firewire, and save the video to an external hard drive and edit on the netbook. Anyhow, I'm getting sidetracked!

Open your editing program and have it do a movie capture. The capture window will have buttons that look like the ones on the camera for fast forward, reverse, play, stop, etc. plus a couple for single frame reverse and forward which is useful for editing. It will also have a record button on the software. Play the tape and just as you start it, hit record. It should capture and you'll see a little data window on some software showing the frames captured and dropped during capture. That's about all there is to it. Editing is a bit trickier and I'm still learning alot of it. You can get older copies of Premiere online from a number of different sites. It's my personal favorite. It does more ... but the movie making software Microsoft provides with Windows XP and above will perform the capture perfectly well. Good luck with it.

If you have trouble, I'll be happy to get online in a chat session and talk you through it if that would help. I'm on AOL and my email is [email protected].

Lynn in New Orleans

Don't think this is a complete solution, but it might help. Try checking out the buttons on the camera. I've got one of those same cameras but my problem is the ribbon cable in the cassette carrier broke and I'm on the hunt for a new one, and a service manual. By the way, how about emailing a copy of the service manual to me at [email protected]. Thanks. I might be able to help further with a copy of that.

the tape may be the wrong sort for you particular camera or there could be falty wiring in the display box i suggest that you get a specialist to help this isn't really my cup of tea.

an estimate of repair is pointless it would cost less just to get a new camera.

something may be jammed in one of the hinges of the compartment door.

I have the same issue. The Handycam can sit on a table without anyone touching it and it acts like it is haunted. The tape sounds like it moves on its own and sometimes it won't let me playback or record. I repair shop I called told me it sounds like a $7 switch is broken, but it will cost $150 in labor to repair the switch.

Sounds like it was dropped. Repair often exceeds replacement cost...

Question edited for clarity, add full 'make model (what it is)'. Question moved from Cars and Trucks category. Searching for your manual keeps bringing up this manual https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/res/manuals/2698/26988801M.pdf Looking at that manual Page 16, it states the battery pack as 'NP-FP50', and that turns up batteries for $15. https://www.google.com/search?q=NP-FP50 ..

If it were worth repairing, as a Sony agent, I would replace all of the capacitors and clean up the board then reset the mechanism and test. Probably too old being 2001 vintage.

Question edited to add full model designation. Question moved from Sony Computers. This doesn't seem to be a very well known model. It is not even listed on their website. https://www.sony.ca/en/electronics/support/cameras-camcorders/manuals/results?query=V569# There are normally two batteries, a small one that just saves memory and runs the operating system, and a larger battery that actually powers the camera. Try contacting Sony direct There is a bit of help here, but not enough. https://www.google.com/search?q=SONY+V569 ..

The best thing you can do now is to take it to a specialist and get them to do the repairs. Camcorders have a lot of electronics in them and can be easily damaged if your a not an experienced repairer. You might also have to consider that this camcorder might not be repairable.

The record / playback heads probably need cleaning, using a compatible cleaning tape. Failing that, it is either damaged or broken.