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248RPA
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17 Feb 2017, 9:20 am

We have some video cassettes from as early as 1997, and a video camera that's just as old. We lost the charger for the camera, which has no power now, and there seems to be nowhere that still has that kind of charger in stock. Are there any alternative ways to play those cassettes?


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naturalplastic
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17 Feb 2017, 2:48 pm

I assume that you mean VHS video cassettes. I am sure that you can still find old VHS players in pawn shops these days. Buy one, and patch it into your TV set, or into the home theater thing (what they used to call "receivers") that your TV set/and sound system/radio etc are all patched into.

Consumer video cameras of 80's used a different kind of cassette than a VHS tape (different from Beta as well), and thus you could not just pop your homemade videos into your own VHS player to see on your own TV. But by the 90's the newest video cams pretty much all DID use the same standard VHS tapes that you play on your own TV set video deck. So I am assuming that you're talking about VHS tapes.



248RPA
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17 Feb 2017, 3:30 pm

I'm talking about DVM (DVC?) cassettes. They look like mini VHS. Like this:
Image
Sorry for not being clear.


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mr_bigmouth_502
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17 Feb 2017, 7:59 pm

I'd look at the power input on the camera itself to see what kind of input it requires. It should say something like "9V 0.5a" or something along those lines. (I just made those numbers up, btw)

Also, look for the polarity symbol. This is important since it'll tell you what kind of a power adapter you'll need. It'll look like one of these:

This is for a plug with a positive center pin:
Image

This is for a plug with a negative center pin:
Image

If you can find a power adapter with a matching polarity, voltage, and amperage, you're in luck!

Another thing to keep in mind, it's OK if the replacement adapter provides more amperage than the device needs, but going with a higher voltage is a bad idea. Going with a lower voltage can be bad too, so always try to get as close to the required input voltage as possible.


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PerfectlyDarkTails
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18 Feb 2017, 12:28 am

there seem to be a Mini DV 60/90 player, though maybe expensive, plus with the potential of playing it through a tv just as old or wrangling with signal conversion adapters maybe a big chore and investment. http://www.ebay.ie/sch/i.html?_pgn=1&is ... e%20player


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