20 Most Recent RCA CC285 Camcorder Questions & Answers

Without power, you can do nothing

As I understand your query, you are attempting to use equipment without any of the required peripherals, and without wishing to purchase them. Good luck.

yes you can "Rig" something up,but make sure you are using the right voltage as well as the right milliamps the cam is made to recieve.this is Very important. and of course make sure the wires you are using to power the cam are not touching or crossing each other at any time, and they do not touch the wrong contact in the camera as well. I have found using a piece of cardboard and taping the wires to it, keeps the wires seperated. good luck, and take your time when connecting your wires.

This sounds very much like a tape jam and the camera is trying to un-load the tape but it is stuck round the capstan, run the tape back a little if you can, that should release it from it's snag area okay.

Yes, when both lights are on.. it means the battery is charging. The "charging" light should turn off once the battery is fully charged. If the "charging" light remains on 12 or more hours later, your battery might need to be replaced.

That monster looks old. My guess is that the battery is not holding enough of a charge and may need replacement. Can you plug this into the wall for power? Are you getting any error codes?

If you have not already tried it, use a wet or dry tape in an attempt to clean the video head, I recommend the dry tape because it is easier on the mechanism. The other option is to use a store bought blank tape and run it on sp mode the fastest speed and let it run through. If you still have trouble, buy a swab kit with cleaning fluid from Radio Shack, open the door so you can clearly see the video head. Now dip the swab in cleaning fluid and put swab against the head "gently" use the other hand "top part" to manually turn the head one or more times around for a deep cleaning and allow several minutes to dry, this a good opportunity to clean the rollers and other parts with Q-Tips and fluid to finish the job. If none of these work it probably indicates a bad video head.

Question edited into written English with punctuation. The lens isn't black, the viewfinder is black. Connect it to a television or computer and see if playback and live recording is working. In that way you know the optics and the electronics are working. The viewfinder is a small LCD display screen with a magnifying glass in front of it. Take it to your local camera shop, they will know someone that still repairs these camcorders. I was hoping to find a free PDF manual as I wondered if there is a switch or a setting to turn OFF the viewfinder? https://www.google.com/search?q=RCA+CC604+VHCS+Camcorder+manual ..

The 950 is here, but no 949. https://www.google.com/search?q=manual+for+RCA+PROV949HB+Camcorder ..

Hi, You can first check for any debris in the video tape player and double check that no settings are stopping the tape from playing (ie a stuck rewind button) . Otherwise, please use the services of geeksquad/bestbuy to refurbish your vcr player. You might also check out BandH (?) video to see if they can refurbish your video tape player. Thank you.

Probably an age related issue. A repair is possible but not ecconomic.

I don't know anything about the vhs camera - other than they produce superior quality, when they work ok. It would be reasonable to assume the tape transport mechanism would be the same as in a vhs video recorder. I remember an engineer telling me there is a post or protrusion containing a light source and sensor that sometimes fails. The purpose of this is to detect a cassette has been properly loaded into the machine and if it isn't working the machine won't work or only partly work. I think the camera is worth saving but I strongly suggest such specialist equipment should be entrusted to a suitably experienced professional specialist.

Do you have a model number? I found a manual for the RCA Pro8, Pro807, from Voxx here: https://voxxintl.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/225487888-Information-and-Owner-s-Manual-for-the-RCA-PRO8-Model-PRO807-Camcorder . The direct link to this manual appeared as https://sc.voxxintl.com/docs/common/PRO807/PRO807_OM.pdf in my browser history. I hope this helps. Cindy Wells

I am sorry to say that it appears you may have answered your own question, the "hundreds of hours" is the clue. Consider the possibility that your camera is worn out. Sorry.

It appears to have a built-in USB connector, use that.