GL2 Remove Cassette Error Fix at DVinfo.net

Peter Bunge · February 28th, 2003, 11:21 AM

Page 18 of the GL2 manual says "do not leave the cassette in the camcorder after use.....". Why is this? I have never had to do this with other camcorders (Hi-8 or Digital 8).

Rob Lohman · February 28th, 2003, 03:05 PM

This is for protection of the sensitive heads in your camera and
also to protect your tape. If you leave it there long you can
leave some stuff behing that you do not want on your heads.
Every camera that uses tape has this "feature". Some just do
not tell you about it.

Peter Bunge · February 28th, 2003, 03:59 PM

I thought the camera unloaded the tape from the head when in "stop" mode, or is it left there and just the head stops rotating? VHS and Hi-8 actually retract the tape in stop mode, does mini-DV not do this? Does Canon really mean I have to remove the tape from the camera every day?

Rob Lohman · February 28th, 2003, 04:19 PM

Well.. that is what I remember. I could be wrong ofcourse. I know
there was a discussion here on this board last year about the
same things and most people in the know agreed that you should
remove the tape if you want to avoid problems.

Why would you want to leave it in? I feel safer if it stored in its
little case in a safe place than in my camera. As soon as my shoot
is over I rewind the tape, remove it and put it in a safe spot
(even when travelling from location back to the place the gear is
stored). Unless I would have to do that in the rain or something
ofcourse :)

And, yes, Canon is serious. Why would you not go through this
minor thing to better take care of your expensive camera! This
is not a cheap device! You paid hard bucks for it. It deserves
all the care in the world, at least mine does.

I hope someone else in the know will chime in and tell you a little
bit more about the hows and why's.

Jeff Donald · February 28th, 2003, 07:11 PM

This is the thread Rob is referring to.

Rob Lohman · March 1st, 2003, 07:26 AM

Thanks so much for finding that, Jeff! Much appreciated.

Peter Bunge · March 1st, 2003, 09:16 AM

Thanks Jeff and Rob, but this only makes sense if the tape remains threaded when the camera is turned off. I think the motor noise heard when going in and out of standby is the tape being retracted - I may be wrong. Does anyone know if the tape remains threaded when the camera is turned off?

Jeff Donald · March 1st, 2003, 09:32 AM

Slack in the tape can develop wether the tape is threaded on the heads or not. I use to own a large video production company and we had a consumer division that did video repairs. We removed probably 100's of tapes that got stuck because of slack in the tape. When the camera is turned off, the tape is not fully retracted into the cassette shell. It is not on the heads, either. The tape is only fully retracted when the eject button is pressed. By leaving the tape exposed, you also subject the tape to greater risk of contamination (dropouts) from outside sources. In my line of work it is not worth the risk. However, for some, the risk is justified (news people, etc.).

Will Fastie · March 1st, 2003, 10:19 PM

I'm doing something in between. If I'm using the GL2 (or any of my camcorders) regularly, meaning more than once a week, I leave the tape in and the battery on. If I'm not sure when I'll pick it up again, I take out the tape and remove the battery.

I like leaving the tape in place because it helps eliminate time code problems.

Don Palomaki · March 2nd, 2003, 06:56 AM

I remove tape if not shooting the next day. It is the safe thing to do.

Anton Ber · June 15th, 2003, 04:11 PM

Hi!
I am a new user of XM2 (cca 1 month) and my problem is: during recordig EJECT starts to flash and REMOVE THE CASSETTE. I remove the tape and insert it again, but I get the same message again. I tried to use different tape (the same brand/type) but no success. I read (in the manual) about safety mechanism that protects the tape (f.e. agains humidity). Is my problem connected to tapes? I use FUJI tapes. Well... when I bought the camcorder I used SONY tapes, later I switched to FUJI. I read some posts that FUJI is the best, but I didnt have this problem while using SONYs. What should I do? Should I use the cleaner? Btw, I dont intend to mix the tapes any more, if maybe this would be the cause of the problem.
Hope you can help me. Thank you in advance.

Ken Tanaka · June 15th, 2003, 10:22 PM

This is just my guess, Anton. But I don't think your problem has much to do with your tape brand. I suspect that there may be something wrong with the threading mechanism of your tape transport. Did you recently purchase this camera new? If so, it may be worth exchanging it for a new unit.

Don Palomaki · June 16th, 2003, 03:30 AM

Another possible cause of the eject icon is if the tape is tight; i.e., too much drag in the play process. This could be caused by a problem cassette. Try some of your older tapes that worked before, (a Sony tape?) again, see if it also has the problem?

If known good tapes have the probelm as well, the taep tension sensitng stuff probably needs adjustment. If it is just one or two tapes, try FF and RW the tapes, see if this solves the problem.

With resepct to a few problem tapes, try them in other MiniDV machines. If they play OK, the XM2 may need adjustmet. Send a problem tape in with it so Canon service has a sample of the problem.

Anton Ber · June 16th, 2003, 04:14 PM

Thank you both. You helped a lot. I tried a Sony tape and it worked ok. Maybe I bought bad Fujis? I also tried to rewind the Fuji tape by hand - the tape mechanism was stucked, jammed. On all (10) Fuji tapes! Anyway my XM2 now works OK... on Sony's tapes :-)
In case of any new problems (hope not) I know where to find help. Thanks again.

Frank Granovski · June 16th, 2003, 04:32 PM

You should have cleaned your tapes once or twice before switching tape brands. If Sony wasn't giving you problems, you should have stuck with with them. Fuji tapes are "dry," Sony tapes were always "wet," although Sony may have some "dry" ones now, don't know for sure.

http://www.dvfreak.com/tape.htm

Also, no matter what type of tape you use, if you shoot under humid conditions, the heads/tape will give you problems. Solution: take the tape out and let the cam and tape sit in a dry place for a couple of hours.

February 28th, 2003, 11:21 AM	#1
Peter Bunge Tourist Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Deep River, Ontario, Canada Posts: 4	Why unload the cassette? Page 18 of the GL2 manual says "do not leave the cassette in the camcorder after use.....". Why is this? I have never had to do this with other camcorders (Hi-8 or Digital 8).

February 28th, 2003, 03:05 PM	#2
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	This is for protection of the sensitive heads in your camera and also to protect your tape. If you leave it there long you can leave some stuff behing that you do not want on your heads. Every camera that uses tape has this "feature". Some just do not tell you about it. __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 28th, 2003, 04:19 PM	#4
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Well.. that is what I remember. I could be wrong ofcourse. I know there was a discussion here on this board last year about the same things and most people in the know agreed that you should remove the tape if you want to avoid problems. Why would you want to leave it in? I feel safer if it stored in its little case in a safe place than in my camera. As soon as my shoot is over I rewind the tape, remove it and put it in a safe spot (even when travelling from location back to the place the gear is stored). Unless I would have to do that in the rain or something ofcourse :) And, yes, Canon is serious. Why would you not go through this minor thing to better take care of your expensive camera! This is not a cheap device! You paid hard bucks for it. It deserves all the care in the world, at least mine does. I hope someone else in the know will chime in and tell you a little bit more about the hows and why's. __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 28th, 2003, 07:11 PM	#5
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	This is the thread Rob is referring to. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

March 1st, 2003, 07:26 AM	#6
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Thanks so much for finding that, Jeff! Much appreciated. __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 28th, 2003, 03:59 PM	#3
Peter Bunge Tourist Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Deep River, Ontario, Canada Posts: 4	I thought the camera unloaded the tape from the head when in "stop" mode, or is it left there and just the head stops rotating? VHS and Hi-8 actually retract the tape in stop mode, does mini-DV not do this? Does Canon really mean I have to remove the tape from the camera every day?

March 1st, 2003, 09:16 AM	#7
Peter Bunge Tourist Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Deep River, Ontario, Canada Posts: 4	Thanks Jeff and Rob, but this only makes sense if the tape remains threaded when the camera is turned off. I think the motor noise heard when going in and out of standby is the tape being retracted - I may be wrong. Does anyone know if the tape remains threaded when the camera is turned off?

March 1st, 2003, 09:32 AM	#8
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	Slack in the tape can develop wether the tape is threaded on the heads or not. I use to own a large video production company and we had a consumer division that did video repairs. We removed probably 100's of tapes that got stuck because of slack in the tape. When the camera is turned off, the tape is not fully retracted into the cassette shell. It is not on the heads, either. The tape is only fully retracted when the eject button is pressed. By leaving the tape exposed, you also subject the tape to greater risk of contamination (dropouts) from outside sources. In my line of work it is not worth the risk. However, for some, the risk is justified (news people, etc.). __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

March 1st, 2003, 10:19 PM	#9
Will Fastie Major Player Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Jarrettsville, MD Posts: 353	I'm doing something in between. If I'm using the GL2 (or any of my camcorders) regularly, meaning more than once a week, I leave the tape in and the battery on. If I'm not sure when I'll pick it up again, I take out the tape and remove the battery. I like leaving the tape in place because it helps eliminate time code problems.

March 2nd, 2003, 06:56 AM	#10
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,488	I remove tape if not shooting the next day. It is the safe thing to do.

June 15th, 2003, 04:11 PM	#11
Anton Ber Tourist Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: slovenia Posts: 3	Eject! Remove the cassette! Hi! I am a new user of XM2 (cca 1 month) and my problem is: during recordig EJECT starts to flash and REMOVE THE CASSETTE. I remove the tape and insert it again, but I get the same message again. I tried to use different tape (the same brand/type) but no success. I read (in the manual) about safety mechanism that protects the tape (f.e. agains humidity). Is my problem connected to tapes? I use FUJI tapes. Well... when I bought the camcorder I used SONY tapes, later I switched to FUJI. I read some posts that FUJI is the best, but I didnt have this problem while using SONYs. What should I do? Should I use the cleaner? Btw, I dont intend to mix the tapes any more, if maybe this would be the cause of the problem. Hope you can help me. Thank you in advance.

June 15th, 2003, 10:22 PM	#12
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	This is just my guess, Anton. But I don't think your problem has much to do with your tape brand. I suspect that there may be something wrong with the threading mechanism of your tape transport. Did you recently purchase this camera new? If so, it may be worth exchanging it for a new unit. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

June 16th, 2003, 03:30 AM	#13
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,488	Another possible cause of the eject icon is if the tape is tight; i.e., too much drag in the play process. This could be caused by a problem cassette. Try some of your older tapes that worked before, (a Sony tape?) again, see if it also has the problem? If known good tapes have the probelm as well, the taep tension sensitng stuff probably needs adjustment. If it is just one or two tapes, try FF and RW the tapes, see if this solves the problem. With resepct to a few problem tapes, try them in other MiniDV machines. If they play OK, the XM2 may need adjustmet. Send a problem tape in with it so Canon service has a sample of the problem. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

June 16th, 2003, 04:14 PM	#14
Anton Ber Tourist Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: slovenia Posts: 3	Thank you both. You helped a lot. I tried a Sony tape and it worked ok. Maybe I bought bad Fujis? I also tried to rewind the Fuji tape by hand - the tape mechanism was stucked, jammed. On all (10) Fuji tapes! Anyway my XM2 now works OK... on Sony's tapes :-) In case of any new problems (hope not) I know where to find help. Thanks again.

June 16th, 2003, 04:32 PM	#15
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	You should have cleaned your tapes once or twice before switching tape brands. If Sony wasn't giving you problems, you should have stuck with with them. Fuji tapes are "dry," Sony tapes were always "wet," although Sony may have some "dry" ones now, don't know for sure. http://www.dvfreak.com/tape.htm Also, no matter what type of tape you use, if you shoot under humid conditions, the heads/tape will give you problems. Solution: take the tape out and let the cam and tape sit in a dry place for a couple of hours.