[Frameworks] Broken mini DV

[Dave Tetzlaff]

I've transplanted tape innards into a different shell, and also just replaced the door. I can't remember if I've done either with mini-DV though. I just looked at a tape, and it's not held together by screws, and it's not obvious how to take it apart. It looks like there are 4 holes on the bottom into which you would insert some sort of tool to release lock catches. If worst came to worst, you might have to break these catch points to get the cassette apart, in a way the cassette couldn't be reassembled properly permanently. However, you could probably just tape a repaied cassette back together temporarily, capture the whole thing to your computer, and lay it back to a fresh DV tape.

You (Gene) probably don't want to try any of this yourself. Get someone with nimble fingers and basic mechanical ability. In any case, experiment with tapes you can spare (e.g. blanks) before touching the one with content you want to save. Check YouTube and Google for videos and/or web-pages on how to take the cassette apart.