| LabGuy's World: Other (non Sony)
Half Inch EIAJ Deck VTR's
Newest Addition! 03.11.03     
Sanyo VTR-2000C COLOR EIAJ Videotape Recorder This is a basic color EIAJ VTR. Prior to one week before posting this machine here, this was an unknown model. This machine used to live in the Vancouver area. Sixty minutes recording time on a 7" diameter reel filled with 2400 feet of 1 mil standard bias half inch videotape. Fully interchange compatible with all VTRs conforming to the color EIAJ specification. This machine is in excellent cosmetic condition, but is non operational at the time of arrival. If I get it running, that info will be posted here. The first photo shows what fine condition the cabinet is in after all these years. Second photo shows typical set up with a tape loaded. Third photo is the connector I/O panel and model number plate. Photo #4 shows the interior of the rotary head drum. Note the slip ring assembly that transfers the signals between the moving and stationary parts of this system. The three green objects are pulse coils. The two at the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions produce sync pulses for the camera input jack while the third coil produces the head servo reference pulse. The last photo is the threading diagram located on the inside of the top cover. This threading diagram is typical of virtually all EIAJ standard VTRs. On the back of the VTR, and not shown here, is an RF modulator with a channel 3 or 4 output to allow viewing on an unmodified conventional television receiver. Judging solely by appearance, I would place the vintage of this deck in the mid to late 1970s. Upon receiving the VTR, I tried to operate it. It needs some work. It started out with a broken fuse. Next the pinch roller would not close far enough to grip the tape. Fixing that, I discovered that the heads were not rotating. I did not have time or resources to probe further. Stay tuned. NEEDED & WANTED: Operators' manual, service manual, sales literature, magazine articles for this VTR. 03.01.27  
Panasonic NV-3120 COLOR EIAJ Videotape Recorder This is a basic color EIAJ VTR. Able to record in either BW or color and play back the same. Sixty minutes recording time on a 7" diameter reel filled with 2400 feet of 1 mil standard bias half inch videotape. Fully interchange compatible with all VTRs conforming to the color EIAJ specification. This particular machine is in excellent, fully operational, condition. In the second photo, you can clearly see this machine playing back my favorite 25 year old color tape. (Star Trek is Copyright of Paramount Corporation) The image on the monitor is not really as washed out as it appears, it just photographs that way. I turned the flash off in the second photo to preserve the image on the CRT and to get some action blur on the reels. The labels that are attached to the top of the head drum appear to be a tape counter to minutes and seconds look up table, placed there by the original owner. NEEDED: Operators' manual for the Panasonic NV-3120. 02.11.13   
JVC KV-360 B/W EIAJ VTR with slow motion playback. Quoting from my 1976 JVC catalog: The KV-360 is a B/W EIAJ video tape recorder with slow motion playback capability. A special vertical stabilization circuit prevents monitor rollover in slow motion and still frame playback. A built in 2:1 sync generator provides a stable picture with good resolution. Video and audio automatic gain control circuits simplify operation. Simple editing control permits easy program assembly. Skew and tracking controls guarantee interchange with any other properly adjusted EIAJ VTR. Audio dub lets you add new sound track to previously recorded video. The second photo shows the connector panel. The large jutting object is the RF unit. NEEDED: Service manual and or Operators manual. 02.10.16  
Concord VTR-850 "Automatic" B/W EIAJ Videotape Recorder. This is a basic B/W VTR in all ways except one. The Concord VTR-850 is the only VTR in the series that could be operated remotely. This was done through a big fat 20 pin connector on the back of the VTR. Most other VTR's, of the time, were controlled by manually shifting the internal mechanism. Usually, by either twisting a big knob or pressing down a mechanical "piano" key. This deck works with the lightest press of a button! This particular machine is in fully operational condition. The cabinet is missing a few trim pieces, but is otherwise fully intact. Plays and records for one hour. Has an audio over dub and counter memory feature. The Concord VTR-850 is really a Panasonic [NV-3040] in disguise. Both machines are identical except for the external labeling. NEEDED: Operator's manual or sales literature for this model. 02.03.11 
 
Audiotronics PVR-708 B/W EIAJ Videotape Recorder. Wow! Here is a very rare artifact! This is the Audiotronics PVR-708 EIAJ VTR from around 1974? You remember Audiotronics, don't you? They made those bullet proof record players we all played with in grade school! I swear, you couldn't break one of those with a hammer! The heavy duty construction is quite apparent in this product as well. I have very little information about this particular machine, other than what I can observe. One unique feature of this deck is the audio jacks. They are European style 3 pin DIN connectors. I have never seen these on any VTR before now. The video in and out jacks are the BNC type. These would have appeared much later than the early 70's, so does that mean anything? From my quick inspection of the unit, I have not been able to determine who the original manufacturer was. As the rumor goes, no companies actually manufactured their own (small format) VTRs in America. The head drum, in this unit, is definitely from Matsushita, but that could have been purchased as a sub assembly by Audiotronics. I don't know. Do you know who made these machines? Allegedly, this is the B/W "roll free" editing version of the series. The series consisted of the three models. The other two were the PVR-707 B/W basic VTR and the PVR-709 COLOR editing VTR. Up to now, the only info I've found for these machines came from my good friend Matt Patoray in the way of a scanned magazine advert. [See it here.] All three models were based on one unit with options installed as to the customer's desire. This machine has not been stored well over the years and it shows. It may have been serviced by an inexperienced tech too from the looks of it. The rubber belts and wheels are too far gone to seriously consider restoring this machine at this time. NEEDED: Service manual and or Operators manual and or any other literature or history about this product. 01.06.05 
Concord VTR-1100K Color EIAJ Videotape Recorder. This is a color editor deck. Extremely similar to the Panasonic NV-3160 editor. This unit is still untested at this time, though it appears to need some serious TLC. Stay tuned. . . . NEEDED: Service manual and or Operators manual and or any other literature about this product. 01.05.22 
Concord VTP-310 B/W EIAJ Videotape Player. This is a play only deck. Very bare bones and basic, it got the job done. Very small and light ~30 lbs, it's one of the smallest I've seen in this class. One of the reasons for its light weight is the all plastic cabinet. It is a miracle that it has lasted all these years without getting cracked! This particular unit is excellent cosmetic condition. Untested at this time. Stay tuned. . . . NEEDED: Service manual and or Operators manual and or any other literature about this product. 01.03.07 New Photo! 01.03.14 
Ampex VR-420 Color / Stereo / Editing EIAJ VTR. This is a very fancy color EIAJ record / play deck with stereo audio. This particular unit is excellent cosmetic condition. Testing reveals that this deck needs minor repairs. Stay tuned. . . . The only EIAJ model Ampex ever shipped. Made for Ampex by Toshiba during their short partnership known as TOAMCO. It lasted barely a year. NEEDED: Service manual and or Operators manual and or any other literature about this product. 01.01.30  
Panasonic NV-3160 Color Editing EIAJ VTR. A full color editor! It supports B/W or color operation. It can use normal or high density tape. Has input select for two cameras and a TV receiver monitor. Independent automatic or manual level controls for both audio and video recording. The NV-3160 has a bunch of sync options to support insert or assemble editing as well as variable slow motion and still frame playback. This one is in running condition but, needs a tune up. The video heads are in good shape and I see no reason why this machine won't be running again in short order. Stay tuned! WANTED: Service and or Operators' Manuals for this machine. 
Panasonic NV-3020 EIAJ VTR. This particular machine is in the best condition of any in my collection. It is fully operational to this day. This is a basic B/W EIAJ record / play deck. It has provisions for input from a camera via a PL-239 jack or a TV receiver / monitor via an EIAJ 8 pin connector. Outputs are by way of the 8 pin jack, a PL-239 jack or with an optional RF adapter. Two AC utility outlets, one switched, one unswitched are also provided for powering the camera and monitor, obviating the need for an additional power strip. Panasonic made an excellent high quality product here. Panasonic also sold their products under the name: "National" in the late 1960's. Sometimes these machines show up with the National brand name marked on them instead of today's, more familiar Panasonic brand. Question: Does anyone know the significance of the "NV" vs the "WV" prefix used, somewhat loosely, for the Panasonic VTR model numbering system? 01.04.23 
Panasonic NV-3020C (non-standard?) Color EIAJ VTR. Is this Panasonic's answer to the Sony AV-5000A? This is a Colorized version of the NV-3020 B/W EIAJ VTR. The question is, "is this thing EIAJ standard in the color mode"? The poor thing doesn't run good enough right now for me to find out. But, it did come with a classic Panasonic tape spool! Stay tuned for more exciting developments as they occur. 01.00 
Panasonic NV-3020SD EIAJ Editor VTR. This is the improved version of the last machine. The "SD" in the model number stands for "servo drive". With the addition of a capstan servo system, Panasonic was able to create a low cost editing VTR. Inputs and output facilities are exactly the same as for the NV-3020. Some additional controls were added. These are: Skew (tape back tension), Still (stop motion) and Slow Motion (playback only). This particular machine is not in as good of condition as my NV-3020, though the quality of the product is still quite obvious upon examination. Anyone have a spare set of video heads for one of these? 10.99  
Panasonic NV-5110 EIAJ-2 VCP. This is an EIAJ-2 format, 1/2 inch Color Cartridge Video Tape Player. Shown, on the left, with two tapes and an EIAJ 8 pin video monitor cable. The signal recording format is identical to EIAJ-1, it's only the cartridge that makes this one different. Running time is only 30 minutes and the tape must be entirely rewound before it can be removed from the deck. This makes viewing multiple tapes time consuming if you take into account the time it takes to rewind each tape. Because the NV-5110 contains a complex threading system and a captive take up reel, tape jams are extremely difficult to clear. The picture, on the right, gives a clue to the complexity of this type of system.    
Javelin X-400 EIAJ B/W VTR various views with close up of the head drum assembly. This machine is really a Sanyo model VTR-1200. It has some special features that make it unique. First, this machine has four video heads. Two for record/play and two flying erase heads for editing. The brochure claims that it can record at 1/7 speed for time lapse recording or playback standard speed recordings at 1/7 speed for slow motion analysis. Though my machine is operational, I can not get these lower speeds to give any gratifying results. Maybe it just needs a tune up. Tape interchange between all of my working VTR's is the worst on this VTR. Still, this particular X-400 is in excellent, operating condition and looks great! 07.99   
Sanyo VTR-1375 EIAJ time lapse VTR. This machine comes from the University of Kentucky agriculture department. It was used for time lapse recording of research. (My guess based on the operators manual I received with the machine). It is capable of normal speed recording as well as 25, 50 or 75 hour time lapse recording modes. In addition, it can play back the time lapse recordings at 25X, 50X or 75X speeds. This machine has a control input jack that can switch it from time lapse mode to normal speed. This would probably be a signal provided by an alarm system if the machine were being used in a surveillance application. It also has a timer output signal that can drive a camera switcher at 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 second intervals. Unfortunately, the video heads are broken on this machine. Even though the VTR-1375 looks remarkably like the Javelin X-400, it only has (had) two video heads. Anybody out there got a pair of video heads for this guy? This machine was obviously used a lot! 11.99 
Sanyo VTR-1360 EIAJ time lapse VTR. This machine was also used for time lapse recording. It's a slightly earlier model than the VTR-1375. It is capable of normal speed recording as well as 24, 48 or 60 hour time lapse recording modes. In addition, it can play back the time lapse recordings at 24X, 48X or 60X speeds. 01.05.08 New Photo & Info! 02.08.04  
Shibaden SV-510 B/W EIAJ VTR. A conventional record / play machine of the early to mid 1970s. EIAJ compatible, B/W video and sound dub capability. Apparently, there is no difference between the same models of either Hitachi or Shibaden marking. From the 1969 Catalog Flyer: EIAJ Standard, Type-1 Solid State Video Tape Recorder. This is a self contained, high quality, moderately priced solid state VTR employing rotary two head system, and is designed specifically to meet with the EIAJ-1 format to assure perfect tape interchangability between one SV-510U to the other including any other EIAJ standard Type-1 format VTR. The SV-510U records and plays back OFF-THE-AIR TV programs supplied from a Shibaden TU series receiver / monitor as well as CCTV camera signals. Both the mechanical and electrical performance is guaranteed by Shibaden's well established capability of producing a variety of excellent equipment such as VTRs, Cameras, Monitors, Studio Consoles, Accessory units, etc. to furnish complete set-up of CCTV systems. The first photo is of LabGuy's SV-510U and the second photo is from the 1969? Shibaden Catalog Flyer. [CLICK HERE] to read the features and specifications of the SV-510U VTR. NEEDED: Service and or Operators' Manuals. 
Hitachi SV-520D Color EIAJ VTR. A conventional color record/play machine of the early to mid 1970s. This one is a non functional representative of the series. The video heads are broken off. Observe that the basic deck feature match the Shibaden SV-510 exactly. The portion below the video head drum, in the picture above, is where the additional color circuits were added on to the basic unit. NEEDED: Service and or Operators' Manuals. Click here to: Go to the Next Exhibit: Half Inch EIAJ Portapacks Return to the Exhibit Index Return to The Top of LabGuy's World Last updated: November 03, 2003 |
