Question on V:C:R:s .

K

Kevin the grey

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Aug 26, 2005
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I keep an elcheapo V:C:R: to play tapes of movies not available on d:v:d .
It has started to eat the tapes . It plays reasonably well . When it ejects the tape gets caught on two upright rollers . They seem to be two tensioners to both keep the tape in contact with the heads and help feed it back into the cassete . They travel back towards the cassete with the tape tensioned across them . Therein lies the rub .nothing appears broken . I do not see how the tape can lift off of them so as to examine the mechanism . Can anyone tell me how this works ? Can anyone tell me how to fix the problem ?
 
Take the lid off and look inside for any kind of stuff that may have gotten in there. Sometimes a bit of paper or food can get into the mechanism and cause things to jam. While you are at it clean the heads and metal rollers using a cotton swab(Q tip) that has some paper towel wrapped around it dipped in Alcohol (even Vodka will do in a pinch). Do not ever use just a cotton swab Q-tip. You will get strands of cotton stuck to the head, and the VCR will be toast.

Next check the metal frame and clean the lint from the metal rails the tensioners and ejectors ride on. Usually there is some lubricant grease applied at the factory. Carefully move the grease that has been pushed aside from use back into the slides.

For the rubber pinch rollers I used my old music cassette tape cleaner system. There was a liquid designed for cleaning rubber parts. I don't know if this stuff is still available, but I do know not to use alcohol on the rubber rollers or they will turn hard and break down.

Check the little belts for wear and replace any bad ones.

I had a toshiba VCR that lasted 15 years and recieved a regular work-out for hours everyday. It was totaly worn out in the end, and its death was the motor as it could not eject or rewind any more.

Now I have gone to DVD recorders. No more rewinding, no more tape hassles either. Unlike VCRs I don't think there are any user serviceable parts inside.
 
Bufford that sounds like practical advice . It has never gotten to the peanutbutter sandwich in the V:C:R: . (Why do that when the toaster broils the peanut butter so much better?):D :D :D

I do however burn a fair amount the floppy drive of my computer.) (Very hard to format.):grumpy: :grumpy: :grumpy:

So this may just be a maintenance issue ? I hope so as I have been picking up tapes when most of the local stores switch completely over to d:V:d: .

There is such a difference in quality that it can be somewhat hard to look at the old tapes . I think some will become so rare as to make it prohibitive to pick up more than absolute favourites as new tapes .

I will also look at the sites suggested .
 
Good luck with your VCR. We still have a couple of them around. They are hardly ever used, but since we invested substantial $$$ in kid's tapes (you know, Barney, Wiggles, Land Before Time, etc.) before DVDs became popular, I kind of hate the idea of dumping the technology altogether.

Eric
 
I checked with Dave...he says a Ganga Ram will fix that right up.
 
VCRs are quickly going the way of the Dodo. Once the VCR is running again, it would be wise to start transfering the tapes you want to keep to DVD. Tapes break down with time too. While no one knows for sure how long DVDs last it is a safe bet that their shelf life is much longer than tapes.

One last tip about VHS tape storage. Play them through and do not rewind. Rewinding only tightens the tape to the spools which is harder on them. Store the tape upright in a place with low humidity near room temperature. Once a year re-wind and play them through.
 
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