NEW LIFE FOR OLD, AND NOT SO OLD

As a part of normal use, heads buildup material. That will eventually decrease the head to tape contact and result in partial or total loss of RF signal recorded on tape. We’ve all seen it show up as a dropouts, break up and color problems.

Sometimes it’s tape or environmental debris, which is easy to remove with cleaning fluid and a lint free cloth. Other times, it’s a stubborn buildup more prevalent with Betacam SP camcorders.

These internal VTR decks have smaller video drums with heads that spin faster and "bakes" material on to the head tips. It’s more frequent on camcorders that use metal tape. We’ve noticed a distinct drop in the lifespan on many of these Betacam heads.

Plus, on certain VTRs, original equipment drums have had a recent history of poor head life when used with some of the popular tape stocks that tend to be more abrasive.

Predicting exactly when a head will clog is nearly impossible. So, frequent cleaning is the best, least expensive and could be the most important task a videographer can do.

Either way, the inevitable is going to happen. Whether it’s from neglect, engineering, abrasive tape or old age, those heads are going to need to be replaced.

DRS was the first of the head refurbishers to come up with a replacement head for Betacam camcorders. In the past six months, we’ve installed 35 DRS replacement camcorder heads without a singe report of a head clog.

To top it off, head-tip measurements of the earliest installed units show remarkably little wear. Not only does the DRS head have a larger head tip surface, but it also averages about five microns greater head tip penetration than its factory replacement. These two factors tend to greatly increase head life which translates into decreased average head costs.