When beginning any camcorder repairs, first start with finding out and researching the specific brand and model that you own. This will help you recognize any differences involved in opening the device and/or identifying any problems you may have. Many websites are available that either have pictures of the various available models, and/or downloadable manuals to help you with your device.
How Your Camcorder Works
To understand and diagnose problems with your camera, you need to know what is going on inside your machine. To get the picture, the camera captures the light beams through a lens that reads the light and sends it to the camera via digital processing. The camera processes this light as a series of "1"s and "0"s that represents each individual colored pixel that makes up the image. The more pixels your camera records, the better the image you can capture. The camera then puts the image together to be capture onto the tape via tape heads. Tape heads are the only thing that can be cleaned and repaired at home.
General Maintenance
Some stores will carry a tape that cleans your heads, but using a cotton swab and alcohol is the best and most effective means. Reading your manual or looking up online manuals to open up the camera may be necessary. Once you have opened up your device, identifying the heads is your next step. In most cases, the heads are cylindrical metal parts that resemble a spool. You will see them just above where the tape touches the inside of the camera. After locating the heads, carefully rub a cotton swab with a little alcohol over the entire head. Do not ever use a swab that is dripping wet because this can damage the inside mechanics of your recorder. When you use a wet swab, follow immediately with a dry one. You should soon see a brighter color coming through on the surface of the heads. If you see brown residue, you may have to repeat this step a few times. If this still does not help, there is certainly nothing wrong with using store-bought cleaner tapes to finish the job. The alcohol should have loosened it up enough to make the tapes more effective.
Problems that Require Professional Service
One common problem in all analog recording devices would be a stuck tape. If the tape will not eject or eject fully, there really is no practical way to get it free. Attempting to do so will more then likely prove to do more harm then good to the recording medium, and to the camcorder itself. If you are sure the device has the proper power and is turned on, but the tape will not eject, sending it to the shop to be disassembled is the best option.
If your camcorder is having trouble focusing, or if the picture deteriorates, you may find replacing the lens to be the easiest fix. Diagnosing this problem may too be left in the hands of a professional technician as it is difficult to detect. The viewfinder on your camera can also be a virtually impossible problem to recognize and repair at home. In some cases, the viewfinder will show a picture during recording, but then fail when playback mode is selected. This is almost certainly an internal problem with your device. Due to the fact that it is a digital display, only trained individuals will be able to properly handle such issues. If your playback function has little to no sound and/or the picture is fuzzy or difficult to view, you may need to replace those heads, which is best done by a professional technician.
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