VCR image only when fast-forwarding (tried cleaning heads)

20 Sep 2005 2:32 AM

tim_c838

Hi,

The VCR quit playing tapes (all of them), but the sound still works.
When fast forwarding, the picture is crystal clear (except for the
normal static bar). When I switch from fast-forward to play, the
picture goes to 3/4 static (where I can still make out the picture,
which is no longer fast-forwarding), for a half-second (or less),
before going to full static, then just blue.

I tried cleaning the heads, which had no effect.

The VCR is as ESA. Any ideas?

A note on head cleaning: Did I do it right? I must have spent an hour
on Google trying to find a picture of VCR heads IN a VCR, before giving
up. I had some VCR cleaning fluid and chamois cleaning sticks someone
left behind long ago. So I just opened it up and guessed. There's a
cylinder that has horizontal lines on the top half, with none at the
bottom. At two points 180 deg. apart, in the middle of the cylinder,
there are small openings. I assume those are the video heads. I moved
the cleaning stick back and forth horizontally over these two areas, as
I had read about (no pictures...). I tried this three times, checking
with a tape in between. No effect. I still only get an image while
fast-forwarding. (So I apparently didn't do additional damage...) I
checked the manual, and this is supposed to be a 4-head VCR. Are the
heads paired up, with two in each of those two small holes?

20 Sep 2005 4:28 AM

electricitym

tim:
Either the heads are still dirty or clogged..... or the heads are
damaged or broken. An improper or haphazard cleaning can easily damage
the fragile head chips.
A quick examination by a service shop tech can give you the answer....
many times a small shop can give you a fairly inexpensive diagnosis for
the price of a cleaning or less.... and if it just needs to be
cleaned, it will be done properly and safely by a shop tech.... and of
course, expect to be charged for a cleaning.... and then your VCR will
work properly.
electricitym
..
..
..

20 Sep 2005 10:14 AM

nolsar

Try adjusting the tape guide posts, white plastic cylinders on chrome posts,
up or down may need tightening with small flat screwdriver or hex tool,
sometimes they become loose and the picture will be half missing.
<electrici***@yahoo.com> wrote in message
Show quoteHide quote

news:1127190521.297997.115780@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> tim:
> Either the heads are still dirty or clogged..... or the heads are
> damaged or broken. An improper or haphazard cleaning can easily damage
> the fragile head chips.
> A quick examination by a service shop tech can give you the answer....
> many times a small shop can give you a fairly inexpensive diagnosis for
> the price of a cleaning or less.... and if it just needs to be
> cleaned, it will be done properly and safely by a shop tech.... and of
> course, expect to be charged for a cleaning.... and then your VCR will
> work properly.
> electricitym
> .
> .
> .
>

20 Sep 2005 12:49 PM

Sam Goldwasser

"nolsar" <nol***@rogers.com> writes:

> Try adjusting the tape guide posts, white plastic cylinders on chrome posts,
> up or down may need tightening with small flat screwdriver or hex tool,
> sometimes they become loose and the picture will be half missing.

DON'T touch the alignment! I'd quicker go with clogged heads if it's
a 4 (or more) head VCR. Then, a different set of heads is used for
normal play and FF, and for different speeds. Have you tried playing
back tapes recorded at both SP and EP speed?

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Show quoteHide quote

> <electrici***@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:1127190521.297997.115780@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> > tim:
> > Either the heads are still dirty or clogged..... or the heads are
> > damaged or broken. An improper or haphazard cleaning can easily damage
> > the fragile head chips.
> > A quick examination by a service shop tech can give you the answer....
> > many times a small shop can give you a fairly inexpensive diagnosis for
> > the price of a cleaning or less.... and if it just needs to be
> > cleaned, it will be done properly and safely by a shop tech.... and of
> > course, expect to be charged for a cleaning.... and then your VCR will
> > work properly.
> > electricitym
> > .
> > .
> > .
> >

20 Sep 2005 5:48 PM

tim_c838

>
> DON'T touch the alignment! I'd quicker go with clogged heads if it's
> a 4 (or more) head VCR. Then, a different set of heads is used for
> normal play and FF, and for different speeds. Have you tried playing
> back tapes recorded at both SP and EP speed?
>

The VCR quit recording 3-4 months ago, and there isn't another VCR
around to make a tape to test SP/EP. This VCR was junk right out of the
box - see my reply to the first reply in this thread.

20 Sep 2005 5:00 PM

Laurence Payne

On Tue, 20 Sep 2005 06:14:18 -0400, "nolsar" <nol***@rogers.com>
wrote:

>Try adjusting the tape guide posts, white plastic cylinders on chrome posts,
>up or down may need tightening with small flat screwdriver or hex tool,
>sometimes they become loose and the picture will be half missing.

Don't fiddle with those unless you know exactly what you're doing and
have the necessary equipment.   You'll only make things a lot worse.

Are you sure you're actually cleaning the heads, not just polishing
the drum?   Again, if you don't know what you're doing, don't do
anything.    A professional clean is cheaper than new heads.

20 Sep 2005 5:51 PM

tim_c838

> Are you sure you're actually cleaning the heads, not just polishing
> the drum? Again, if you don't know what you're doing, don't do
> anything. A professional clean is cheaper than new heads.

I don't know. That's why I included all those details. Are the heads
180 deg apart in the middle of the drum? There are only two "holes" in
the drum, and it's supposed to be a 4-head VCR.

20 Sep 2005 5:45 PM

tim_c838

nolsar wrote:
Show quoteHide quote

> Try adjusting the tape guide posts, white plastic cylinders on chrome posts,
> up or down may need tightening with small flat screwdriver or hex tool,
> sometimes they become loose and the picture will be half missing.
> <electrici***@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:1127190521.297997.115780@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> > tim:
> > Either the heads are still dirty or clogged..... or the heads are
> > damaged or broken. An improper or haphazard cleaning can easily damage
> > the fragile head chips.
> > A quick examination by a service shop tech can give you the answer....
> > many times a small shop can give you a fairly inexpensive diagnosis for
> > the price of a cleaning or less.... and if it just needs to be
> > cleaned, it will be done properly and safely by a shop tech.... and of
> > course, expect to be charged for a cleaning.... and then your VCR will
> > work properly.
> > electricitym
> > .

There doesn't seem to be a way to adjust that. Like the heads, I can't
find a picture of "guide posts" with Google. Are you talking about
those two pieces that move to push the tape against the cylinder? Those
seem to be fixed, and I don't see any other parts that could effect the
tapes position on the cylinder.

21 Sep 2005 1:08 PM

Leonard Caillouet

Bad advice. Unless one understands the principles of operation quite well,
tweaking alignment on a VCR is almost certainly not going to solve a
problem. If the guides are loose, that needs to be fixed, not just
adjusted. Likely still a clogged head or a damaged head.

Leonard

Show quoteHide quote

"nolsar" <nol***@rogers.com> wrote in message
news:ebednTi_MtNqfbLeRVn-hw@rogers.com...
> Try adjusting the tape guide posts, white plastic cylinders on chrome
> posts,
> up or down may need tightening with small flat screwdriver or hex tool,
> sometimes they become loose and the picture will be half missing.
> <electrici***@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:1127190521.297997.115780@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>> tim:
>> Either the heads are still dirty or clogged..... or the heads are
>> damaged or broken. An improper or haphazard cleaning can easily damage
>> the fragile head chips.
>> A quick examination by a service shop tech can give you the answer....
>> many times a small shop can give you a fairly inexpensive diagnosis for
>> the price of a cleaning or less.... and if it just needs to be
>> cleaned, it will be done properly and safely by a shop tech.... and of
>> course, expect to be charged for a cleaning.... and then your VCR will
>> work properly.
>> electricitym
>> .
>> .
>> .
>>
>
>

20 Sep 2005 5:40 PM

tim_c838

electrici***@yahoo.com wrote:
Show quoteHide quote

> tim:
> Either the heads are still dirty or clogged..... or the heads are
> damaged or broken. An improper or haphazard cleaning can easily damage
> the fragile head chips.
> A quick examination by a service shop tech can give you the answer....
> many times a small shop can give you a fairly inexpensive diagnosis for
> the price of a cleaning or less.... and if it just needs to be
> cleaned, it will be done properly and safely by a shop tech.... and of
> course, expect to be charged for a cleaning.... and then your VCR will
> work properly.
> electricitym
> .
> .
> .

I'm not taking this thing to a repair shop. It was junk right out of
the box, and the person who bought it didn't keep the box or receipt.
I suggested taking it back a week after it was purchased (again it's an
ESA). It would constantly not fully rewind tapes, you would have to
stop and then hit rewind again a couple times on most tapes. The time
it takes to spit out a tape is extremely annoying, who know what the
*** it's doing before it just ejects the stupid tape. About 4 months
later is quit recording - everything came out as just noise, like you
are tuned to a non-existant channel - and we had recorded with it
infrequently. Now it has quit playing our daughters cartoon tapes,
which is its main use. (It's only a few months old.) I'd just throw the
thing away right now, except the TV gets broadcast channels better when
the antenna goes through the VCR - the ONLY thing that still works. I'm
looking for a replacement. If I can't easily fix it, it's going in the
trash.

22 Sep 2005 6:08 PM

Gene E. Bloch

tim_c***@hotmail.com wrote in
Show quoteHide quote

news:1127238042.674305.313690@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

>
> electrici***@yahoo.com wrote:
>> tim:
>> Either the heads are still dirty or clogged..... or the heads are
>> damaged or broken. An improper or haphazard cleaning can easily
>> damage the fragile head chips.
>> A quick examination by a service shop tech can give you the
>> answer.... many times a small shop can give you a fairly
>> inexpensive diagnosis for the price of a cleaning or less....
>> and if it just needs to be cleaned, it will be done properly and
>> safely by a shop tech.... and of course, expect to be charged for
>> a cleaning.... and then your VCR will work properly.
>> electricitym
>> .
>> .
>> .
>
> I'm not taking this thing to a repair shop. It was junk right out
> of the box, and the person who bought it didn't keep the box or
> receipt. I suggested taking it back a week after it was purchased
> (again it's an ESA). It would constantly not fully rewind tapes,
> you would have to stop and then hit rewind again a couple times on
> most tapes. The time it takes to spit out a tape is extremely
> annoying, who know what the *** it's doing before it just ejects
> the stupid tape. About 4 months later is quit recording -
> everything came out as just noise, like you are tuned to a
> non-existant channel - and we had recorded with it infrequently.
> Now it has quit playing our daughters cartoon tapes, which is its
> main use. (It's only a few months old.) I'd just throw the thing
> away right now, except the TV gets broadcast channels better when
> the antenna goes through the VCR - the ONLY thing that still
> works. I'm looking for a replacement. If I can't easily fix it,
> it's going in the trash.

Sounds like you've got it figured out :-)

I would bet money (a dollar or two only) that the heads or their
associated wire leads or amplifiers have died. As one poster pointed
out, there are separate heads for different speeds, which would
explain why FF & REW still show a picture.

Looks like it's time to find a new one and hope it's better made.

Gino

--
Gene E. Bloch (Gino)
letters617blochg3251
replace the numbers by "at" and "dotcom"

20 Sep 2005 11:01 PM

b

tim_c***@hotmail.com ha escrito:

> Hi,
>
> The VCR quit playing tapes (all of them), but the sound still works.
> When fast forwarding, the picture is crystal clear (except for the
> normal static bar). When I switch from fast-forward to play, the
> picture goes to 3/4 static (where I can still make out the picture,
> which is no longer fast-forwarding), for a half-second (or less),
> before going to full static, then just blue.
snip

if you aren't sure on how to clean the heads manually, then just get a
new 3 hour tape, recorded on or not, doesnt matter, and leave it
playing through till the end. This works mostly for light clogs but you
never know in your case it may work also. The dirt works itself out
eventually due probably in part to the mildly abrasive nature of the
videotape. worth a go!
-Ben