Always love the VCR repair videos, I've noticed that a lot of modern day VCRs use similar Front Panel Displays Which are limited in what information they give you, I remember back in the day when almost all HI-FI VCRs had Audio Level Meters on their Front Panel Displays
Hey man I absolutely love your channel. It reminds me of when I lived with my parents and my dad was a electrical engineer and no matter what piece of equipment that we purchased it was invariably taken apart shortly after its first use!!
Was just working on my unit checking the belts and cleaning it, thanks for the info on getting the mech out. Albeit mine had 4 screws, 2 in the front where the ones on this one are, and 2 near the back panel. and everything was socketed, and there is no board on top of the head, but mine is an older 2000 model. Good to know that my model isnt as cheap.
That Panny, even though it is a newer unit is so much better engineered than the Magnavox combo VCR DVD player recorders that were cranked out say 10 years ago or so. Thanks so much for the tour of the unit and what each part of it does and thanks for posting these videos. You do an awesome job!
I have one of these Panasonics, my grandparents bought it new in 2002 and barely used it so it's clean and in pretty good shape. They weren't at the absolute bottom of the market and by the standards of a last of line VCR they aren't bad. In my experience they can reliably track poor quality recordings that a lot of other VCRs of this era struggle with, so if you need a cheap VCR to digitize old recordings this is probably the one to get. At least it doesn't have one of those terrible foam-on-a-stick "head cleaners".
I like how EVERYTHING is labeled on the circuit board, even which block does what. I had a Symphonic TV VCR combo that bit the dust so I took it apart and pulled the main board out and was able to find and hook up the TV's audio amp and play audio through it. the amp chip gets really hot though. I don't run it much because I'm afraid it's going to burn out.
For something as cost reduced as these late model VCRs were, they were surprisingly functional. I'm debugging the power supply in my 2004 vintage Panasonic VCR, which had served well for 16 years!
Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge and expertise. I just fixed my Panasonic PV-9451 (mfr'd 1999). It would not REWIND. Cleaned the Mode Switch with DeoxITLiquid D100L and that did the trick. I was hoping that the tape sensors didn't go bad on me since the tape position feature was also not working on this unit, but after cleaning the Mode Switch -- that also got fixed. I bought this unit new back then. Still have original remote control. The unit is still in good condition, now working 100% (thanks to you) which will make it easy on me to transfer some old home made videos to digital. Thanks a million! Definitely subscribing. -- Oh almost forgot, the head cleaning trick with regular paper with alcohol was new to me!
This one brought back memories of my first successes and greatest failures. With this exact model, I found and fixed a power supply failure. Then, like a fool, didn't properly reinstall the tape assembly. The mechanism got jammed which caused an over-current to blow a hole in the driver IC. I never looked for a replacement. Didn't think the chances of getting one were good, and it wasn't a great loss.
Same Problem in my VCR today I try to play it will play like your's. I went home and try this kind of Cleaning. thank you very much for this Valuable Video. Greetings From "TamilNadu" India,
I just picked up a PV-9661. It's a HiFi machinehine with what appears to be a decent quality mechanism. What's intriguing is the "Made in Japan" label on it! Seems like a decent machine (as far as Panasonic VCRs go.)
I use to use my VCR to record, my programme, then used Freeview recorder which broke down or not recording because of the flash drive .then I waited for weeks to try reboot it , when I just clicked that I could of used my VCR or DVD player to record my programme as I did before Freeview recorder.and more and more people I found out are going back to cassette player etc with the cost of living, and IAM glad I didn't throw away my VCR or cassette player, and record players, because I saw a few vinyl record shops opening in my area.
Those later VCR's were horrible really. Remember having a high spec Sony SLV, it had so much on it, with even more revealed when the drawbridge was lowered 😅 Great vid 👍
Love your channel and the knowledge you possess and willing to share been working on my panasonic svhs VCR totally pos cleaned the head cleaned the mode switch now it won't load a tape or power up
Our first was a Sylvania top loader. Probably over $400. It didn't have a wireless remote. The wired remote only did pause/play and forward and reverse scan. 1984. We recorded lots of TV shows and movies on it. Btw, cool repair! You have to be a mechanic to work on many electronic devices.
In fact this is not an original Panasonic made VCR but a general that came in the market with many various names around the globe.The permanent problem of all i have repaired is the contacts oxidation of the rotary positioner leading to malfunctions or broken gears and once had the center infrared led that burnt and couldnt sense the presence of the cassette.
With the incredible amount of jumper wires on this, I wonder why the PCB manufacturer didn't opt for a dual sided board ? Probably still cheaper to have a pick-and-place machine insert all those jumpers. Also, there seems to be quite a few Tantalum capacitors on there (those yellow ones), just waiting to short out. But at least the electrolytic ones don't seem to have leaked out. Great repair work. Thanks for sharing. BTW, do you have any idea where I could get my hands on a drive belts set for my RCA full size VHS camcorder CC300 ? Because it's still in great condition, only the belts are turning to tar inside it...
This is one of the VCR’s that Brendan’s Movie Corner and other users had this to do VHS openings and such and such due to eating tapes and all kinds of problems. Other VCR’s made by Funai are trashed. Funai was the company that manufactured Magnavox, Emerson, RCA, and Sylvania.
With the help of this and another of your repair videos I've been able to resurect and clean my twenty year old Panasonic NV-HD630. It was made in Japan and seems to have been well built. It was easy to dissamble and remove the mechanism to get at the mode switch which was placed on the circuit board underneath. I could see some corrosion on the tracks of the switch but the Deoxit removed that quickly. The heads and the rest of the running gear were quite clean. I took off the little head cleaner roll which had some dark gunk on it but this came off easily with some alcohol and so went back on nice and clean. The small circuit board above the motor had some strange white almost dusty coating but again that came off quickly with alcohol. It all went together ok and is working fine so thanks for your help. Y
We like Pannys because they allowed LP (4-hour) recording when everyone else was limited to SP and EP recording. Also, that their IR remotes for '80s VCRs (GE and Quasar OEMs as well) would work on their newer VCRs - at least until the 'Light Tower' series came out after the turn of the century...
Yes Panasonic had LP speed. The others didn't because LP was never a licensed speed, and JVC would not license anyone else to use that speed. Since Matsushita was a co-devoloper of VHS with JVC and Sony, they basically gave JVC the raised middle finger. When VHS first appeared it was single speed SP only. Matsushita was making vcrs for RCA and RCA said that Americans would not go for a machine that only recorded 2 hours, so Matsushita halved the speed for the RCA machines. JVC never accepted licensed that speed from Matsushita and instead reduced the speed again, and required all companies to use the official speeds SP and EP. Panasonic branded machines don't even call it EP, they call it SLP. There is a reason for that too. JVC never recognized the LP speed and only licensed SP and EP speeds. The only reason that Matsushita got away with this without being sued is because JVC is a sister company of Matsushita, just like Aiwa is a sister company of Sony. Independent, but under the thumb of the big sibling. JVC or course stands for Japanese Victor Company. Victor made phonographs. People seem to thing that it had something to do with RCA as everyone remembers RCA Victor. Well, RCA was the Radio Corp of America, and the "Victor" was phonograph and record company. RCA Victor combined the radio parts from RCA and the phonograph from Victor. The original Victor phonograph were the wind up types with the big horn. When RCA bought in, it became an amplified pickup and was known as RCA Victor. Victor also sold phonographs in Japan, and became known as JVC.
@@crashbandicoot4everr Some did, namely those same models they made for RCA. None of the shvs models did. JVC tightened the noise on the svhs units. No lp for you.
In uk it must be different, its just sp and lp whatever make vcr you have, ive never seen an ep machine.. it seems thay are capable as you can see ep in the vfd display when taken apart in older machines. No vfd display in newer machines.. . our standard tape is e180=3 hours sp or 6 hour LP and e240 tapes = 4 hour sp or 8 hours LP speed. Dont know why we dont have ep speed? So now I want a vcr designed for usa in uk to see if it works and to try ep. I will lower the supply voltage before I plug it in.. unless it will take 240 volt ac.
@@09danstart Yes pal machines are different. Speeds based on line frequency as your frame rate is based on that. Ntsc are 30 frame 60 field. Pal/secam 25 frame 50 field. The drum spins slower and tape speed is slower. A t120 tape here becomes an e180 tape on pal. Ep tape speed is the same tape speed, your so speed is half way between our sp and LP speeds.
There was a "fix" for these that had slow rewind/random eject problems which was to half the resistance going to the IR diode for the tape sensor. Tell tale sign was unit would malfunction every time with the cover off in low ambient light and spit the tape out. Other units wouldn't do this, even with the cover off. As I recall, this same chassis was also sold as Zenith and Symphonic.
Great job on your well done repair details in your video. Do you offer a repair service if machine is shipped to you? I have a PV-S4670 that probably needs belts and cleaning. I have no resources to do it myself.
I'd want that VCR when nobody wants these anymore to the point they are switch to DVD or Blu-Ray Disc Player, I'd having a ball of this mechanisms reminding me of my 2000 Quasar VV-1302, the one I used to not only watch movies and shows, but also recording Thunder Over Louisville until I got a good Broksonic VAHFA-6741GST Series D Hi-Fi Stereo VCR, they're made in Thailand, and not an issue there once so ever, and I like them, it's got some metal and plastic, still keeping it with me, recording the weather observation from the chief meteorologist along with meteorologist (and yes of course, Thunder Over Louisville, my favorite fireworks displays), and the storm chasers and along with the tornadoes. Only thing I don't use them is Apex Hi-Fi VCR/DVD combo and Samsung VCR/DVD Combo, because I don't feel like that I don't need them, but this Panasonic ones, the pair of them I like.
Hi mate thanks for sharing this. I always learn plenty whilst watching your videos. I have a panasonic nv-fj630 and notinced that when I take the top metal cover off, the unit will not play a tape. At first I thought the metal cover was completing a circuit to tell the unit when the cover is attached. But I'm guessing its a light sensor because if I shade the unit with a sheet of cardboard the unit works as expected but when i remove the cardboard or cover the tape ejects. My question is, do u know where that light sensor is and how I can trick it into thiniking the cover is on? I thought it may have something to do with the light sensor tape post so I covered the clear perspex post with tape, but it didn't solve my question. Any help or advice much appreciated. Thanks in advance
Hi 12voltvids. I have the Panasonic PV-4623S which looks exactly the same on the inside as the one in this video. After watching the video and doing my own troubleshooting, including cleaning the mode switch, I determined it is most likely the center IR emitter. I suspect this because of the way the unit is acting and because I don’t see it blinking when I turn the lights out. It could also be the take-up sensor since it starts to play for second and then goes into shutdown mode. Is there a way to remove the main circuit board to replace it? I don’t see any screws. What holds it in? Also, do you have a video that shows the replacement for these sensors? Can it even be done?
One of the reasons for belt deterioration is the chemical reaction between the belt and certain types of plastic. I just found a melted balloon in a box of remote controls. The balloon only melted in the places it was in contact with the plastic remote controls. And some of the remotes didn't melt the balloon.
I have a c-cassette case that got permanently stuck together with a pencil eraser. There's some kinda stuff, maybe plasticizer in the eraser that turned the plastic into a sticky goo where it touched that. The two are unseparable now.
@@750kv8 Something very similar happened to me only it was a rubber bands instead of an eraser. The balloon I found just melted itself and did not damage anything else. Also I think PVC power cords will react with styrofoam.
How does the loading mechanism works in these type of machines? I got a PV-4601 that is similar to this (older, from 1996), and it doesn't take or ejects tapes. I don't see a gear that takes the tape in, so I don't understand how it works. It looks like there are some springs that are supposed to do the work, but I can't figure it out. Even with the service manual been available online.
I reviewed that mp3 board years ago. The plastic box came from a speaker kit that was turned into a stereo bluetooth speaker and the spare parts became the cabinet for the mp3 player. Videos of these projects on the channel.
I have one of these, the mono version unfortunately. Bought it new around 2002 like you said when these things were being made. I still have the original box, remote, and manual. It was retired shortly after it was bought because of a bizarre issue it developed. On movie tapes the vcr worked perfectly, but when playing recorded tapes the audio would be very muffled and sometimes it seemed as though the vcr was playing the audio from something it had recorded over. These tapes played fine in other machines so it wasn't the tape itself. I never attempted to fix it since it was such a strange problem but I would give it a go if i had an idea what to look for.
A little late... clean the audio/tracking head for mono. If the pic is good, stereo hifi is encoded with the video and read by the video head. Suspect the other head is dirty or out of alignment. It can be adjusted with a screw on top but be careful not to screw up the top of the tape which will ruin that section of the tape.
I have a Panasonic similar to that and it seems to judder when rewinding. Looking inside, it looks like the tensioner is juddering but it causes the winding back to be inconsistent. Sometimes it will slow down way to early when it comes to the 'end' of the tape and take forever to rewind. Is there any way to fix this? The belt seems fine - I gave it a clean anyway plus all the sensors I could see.
pretty sure these VCR's came out for the UK market too, the UK VCR's had a NICAM Decoder built in for the Analogue Stereo Sound from the Ground Based Transmitters, and 2 Scart sockets as well as Stereo audio outputs
This is a new model comparing of my 1981VCR , I have National NV 390 em by Matsushita company which is what we called Panasonic later ,An original version Made n Japan 😁😁😁..
Do you have video where you are applying oil and grease on moving parts? I have panasonic that works fine, but i noticed that i need to push the cassette a bit harder when inserting in the vcr. Which parts of the loading mechanism should be lubricated? Thank you!
Did you ever do any repairs on VHS camcorders? I have a Hitachi 3150A that I'm working on. I replaced the belts and lubed it. I still haven't been able to get it to play a tape. Then I noticed one of the belts I put in the wrong area of one of the spindles. After I fixed that it would play the tape a few seconds and shut off. If I turned it back on while it was still in play mode it would automatically shut off again. I can FF, RW, Stop and Eject. I just can't play or record without it shutting off. Any ideas? Mode switch I'm guessing?
Thanks, is there a way to remove the head and still be able to play the tape without image. I'm working on a project and need to put a similar tape (not video/audio tape) in VHS spools and just play, FF, RR.
Can the basket assembly from this Panasonic be used as a replacement for the one in an AG-1980? Since mine doesn't load tapes I assumed this might be the cause as it was in your AG-1980 repair video. What other models can be used for replacement parts? Having a hard time finding ANY old Pannies to use as parts donors. Lots of Sony, Hitachi, JVC, and crap like Emerson, and house brands for Walmart, Canadian Tire, Zellers, etc. but no Panasonic...
That thing is way less complex inside than my General Electric VG-7720 from 1988 (it was made in Japan, and I think Panasonic was the actual manufacturer). The mechanism has so many gears that it looks like the inside of a mechanical wristwatch, and the mechanism is attached to a rigid cast-metal (looks like aluminum alloy) frame. I want to replace the electrolytic capacitors because on its OSD screens that have a solid blue background, there's slight random, constant motion in the picture that shouldn't be there, but they are going to be a nightmare to get to. I suspect that the electrolytic capacitors in the power supply are the culprit. I don't know how I'm going to get to those yet because they are all boxed in. It would help if I could remove the main PCB, but there are several ribbon cables attached to it. They look like they have connectors (rather than being directly soldered to the PCB), but so far I haven't been able to get them to budge. Have you ever done a video on a GE VG-7720 or one in the same product line, such as, VG-7510, VG-7520, VG-7725, VG-7775, or VG-7785?
You have exactly discribed the problem that my vcr does it works for a couple of seconds and then shuts down Does the part you mentioned get cleaned as well or does it get replaced or is it not even worth replacing in the first place?
Thank you for your fast response. What kind are they.? Do they have RCA type audio and video outputs.? What do they cost.? And how can I contact you.? Please foreward this info to me. Thank you
Hi mate how do I remove the plastic catches/tabs that hold the mechanism in place, mine I had to remove the circuit board, but what do I use to remove the white plastic tabs that hold the mechanism etc.
My mom's Panasonic Omnivision VCR developed an odd fault with the heads. It would make an odd noise when the head was in motion and it affected playback. I never figured out the problem or why it happened as it was a great VCR for years. At least you can find remotes for them on eBay.
I have a picture of a part from my Toshiba M-752 VCR and was wondering if you could and would identify it for me. I'm sure it's a simple identification, but hours on the internet has yielded me no answers. Thanks!
The door thing on my vcr fell off and I can't get it back on right. It has a spring with a long end and a short end sticking out of it... Can you help me reassemble this thing? I knows it's gotta be easy peasy but I'm just not getting it back to how it was
What's a shame is those machines are better quality than the one I want to repair. It is a Funai that is Sylvania branded and was the last VCR I bought brand new. I don't have much hope for it though. I think the drive belt is bad I think I paid $40 for it back in 2003 as a teenager on an impulse purchase because I wanted to upgrade to a HiFi deck so I could record and playback Dolby Pro-Logic Surround programming for my home theater. I've done a lot with this deck over the years. I even made a RUclips video after dubbing the camera tape to this deck and also recorded the final computer edit back to VHS for my parents on this deck (they got a DVD copy also). I stopped using it for a while (my primary recording device was a DVD recorder for a bit), and in 2013 it started giving me issues. After another 5.5 year hiatus it is virtually unusable and eats tapes as well as fails to start rewind and FF. I'm probably going to look at either a Japanese made Panasonic or a maybe a Sony on eBay.
I have this vcr. It won’t play, rewind or fast forward. I cleaned as shown in your video. But it looks like the head won’t turn. Do you know how to fix this problem? Also I jumped the gun and cleaned it with a w tip. Is it done for? The VCRs for sale online are too expensive. I am looking to fix this one.
Hi great video. Can I ask where I would be able to find parts for a Panasonic Omnivision VCR...probably need a belt I hear squealing and then it shuts it stops playing
Try lightly sanding the idler tire in the middle that goes back and forth between the two reels with 600+ grit sandpaper. Just get it so it's not shiny. No flat spots. There are no parts except a doner unit.
This is the way the pros do it. I was taught this by the cheif engineer at the TV station I worked at. Engineers and tape operators clean the heads on the broadcast machines before every tape is loaded. Cleaning tapes are hall assed at best except for 8mm, DV and DAT. This is because those tapes are metal tapes and the metal when it contaminates the head literally fuses itself to the surface. A dry cleaning tape is used to "grind" the debris off, which also takes a little but of the head material with it resulting in reduced head life.
Love yoe videos and its very very helpful for me i have Panasonic vcr i just open it after long time then i try to play cassette there is problem eject tape and no load no play error code f06 then i searched for video here and found your genuine videos i following ur video teardown my vcr now i open everyday from body now look up this videos here in india i cant buy deoxit can u sugges me any other i will let u know when resume
Would this be an Orion-made VCR? I don't recognise it but it does have a few design cues that suggest Orion. They weren't that bad, even late on, for reliability - better than Funai for sure. One of the big problems with these later machines is the single PCB, which makes them very susceptible to damage in transit.
I have a UK-model Panasonic HDD/DVD/VHS machine on which the VHS drive has started to move the tape backwards when a tape is inserted. Doesn't wait for remote or other commands, just starts itself off and gets in a tangle. If anyone has any suggestions for specifics to look at, or links to other online guides ....
Random question.. I've always wondered how tracking works on a VCR. What exactly is happening inside when you press the tracking button? Is it something physical with the heads?
repairfaq.cis.upenn.edu/sam/vhsfmt.gif As you can see, a VHS tape got helical tracks for the video signal head drum (they don't look helical on this diagram, but they become helical once the tape is laced around the head); there are also tracks for left and right audio channel, and one for a tracking signal, that tells the VCR when should the drum heads be in what position so they can run along the helical tracks on the tape, perfectly aligned to them. If the alignment is not perfect, the capstan motor controller offsets the control signals a tiny bit, which results in slight changes in the tape speed, until the alignment becomes perfect again. Sometimes it can be heard as a slight flutter in the audio when this happens (also during manual tracking).
Not physical no. What tracking does is change the phase of the capstan motor, to advance, or retard the tape position with respect to the spinning head. The same could be done on the drum, advance or retard the phase.
@@12voltvids Wonder why Sony never used that for their decks? Manual tracking is okay but many times will not track tapes made on other decks. I have a lot of Japanese recorded tapes from the 1980s that won't track for love or money. Will probably have to watch your mod video for changing the guide path to force them to track. The last of the Sony Betamaxes DID have auto tracking as I recall but no idea whether it would work on my tapes. But I have several older Beta decks that could be modded to try...
@@hawleygriffon9290 In Japan they use both 50hz and 60 depending on region. Even though ntsc was used in Japan if I'm not mistaken the vertical scanning frequency is tied to line frequency so tapes recorded in the 50hz regions require a multi system machine just like playing a pal tape. A single frequecy machine won't work. My multi system VCR has a switch for 50hz but I have never seen a tape personally that is in 50 Hz except for pal and secam.
Old video, I know. Before DeOxit was a well known product (great product btw) we used to use a fiberglass brush then relube the mode switch with ... of all things... liquid wrench! Worked every time. Don't recall any callbacks.
I have a Philips VCR that turns off when inserting a tape. Exactly at the moment where the tape blocks the light sensor in the mechanism to tell the VCR that a tape is inserted. What may be the cause of that?
i got me one im trying to fix so i can add it to my home music recording studio. what make it kick the tape out and not play nothing it just keeps kicking the tape vhs back out
I have two vhs jvc version HR-D721EN and both play with sound but black image, I already cleaned the heads and it's still the same, if I fast-forward there you can see the rain but then it's black with the play logo. any idea how to repair it or a circuit that is wrong. Thank you
It's not getting a signal. The heads are filthy or worn out. Clean them like he shows in the video and make sure you use a good tape. Old/Bad tapes may clog the heads. If heads are worn out they're probably not available.
Hello. I have a similar Panasonic deck that I just cleaned because a store bought recorded tape would play, but a blank tape that I recorded something myself wouldn't play. What could cause this?
Thanks so much for the reply. I didn't record anything, but I played the working prerecorded tape all the way through and now the tapes I recorded on (years ago), play fine. I wonder if the tape had "cleaned" something. I thought I had cleaned everything I needed to clean. What I want to do is archive my personal recordings to a dvd recorder (Liteon). The only purpose of this machine is to play tapes I recorded and not prerecorded movies or to make new tapes. I was just using that as a test. I wanted to use my Sony deck, but thanks to watching your videos, I realized that I have the dreaded blue loading gear problem. It reminds me of a problem with old Ford odometers. I had a couple issues where it was the same bad plastic gear that broke and I had to replace them. If I hadn't just FUBAR'd an old Sony cd player by taking the cd mechanism out and not getting it back together correctly (binds up when I put the cover over the laser assembly), I would've attempted the blue gear. I'll probably get my courage up one of these days. I don't want to screw up the Sony because it's a good player. Much better than this cheap Panasonic.
Yes that is exactly why. They didn't want the expense of a double sided board. The reason there are unpopulated areas of the board would be for other markets. PAL or SECAM versions would have components mounted there.
@@12voltvids Well you excell in repairing vcr's, I haven't seen a vcr issue even come close to stumping you! You may have had betamax training but I think you are also a Savant! And thank you for sharing your knowledge through this vids to us hopeless lunatics who in 2019 still use a vcr! 😁
@@midnitematador6249 I have one that has me stumped. I will some day actually figure it out. It is a Panasonic with 6 motors. 2 reel motors (direct drive) capstan, drum, loading and cassette loader.
I'm trying to figure out why my VCR doesn't work when plugged in. When I press "power" nothing happens. It is a Panasonic Omnivision PV-4501. Can you give a suggestion of what might be wrong and where I can find the fuse?
What would cause a VCR to have no sound with a recorded tape but has sound with a commercial tape? I've tried multiple different tapes, only get sound when playing a commercial tape
Tracking head reads mono audio as well. It's either out of alignment or the circuit is bad. If the tape is tracking, it's probably not out of alignment.
Panasonic made great VCR's. I still own the V4660 I bought back in 1993. It has 4 metal heads and is Hi-Fi. That fucker cost $350 back then which is $600 in today's money
@@12voltvids I would like to try I have the belts and the electronics are ok it just needs re adjustment and new belts is that something you can do I also think its really dirty?
I have a problem with the tape takeup to the readvhead It only pull the tape to one side of the read head. The puller arm on the other side do not move. How to solve this problem? Tq.
I don't mean to hurt you, I just want to say my personal ideas. First of all, I want you to know that I respect your efforts for years. Still I think; After you have covered your desk with a nice material, you should clean it thoroughly and put it in an order that looks good for you and us. Also ( maybe I'm wrong, but I think you're doing your job a little rough ). You should treat the devices that have been brought to you more gently. Thank you for your understanding.
First of a these devices are generally mine. When you see me toss a VCR on the bench it is mine. Second I don't have time to clean my bench. To quote the gifted mechanic Scotty Kilmer "my workshop is a pigsty". If I clean my bench it will be a disaster again after the first repair job. That is just the way it goes. When I worked in repairs there was 3 of us in the shop. One guy was a neat freak and had to put his tools in a certain place and if one tool was out of place he had a fit. Guess what his productivity was 1/3 of myself and the other guy. Why? Because he had to clean up after every job, clean the bench and sweep the floor. He also polished everyone's cabinets to a high luster. He didn't last long as he was always locking horns with the boss for wasting time cleaning up.
I'm trying this repair but I can't "pull the mechanism down" like in 3:20 it just won't move... EDIT: there is a white leg on the right side that has to be pulled out from the white plastic in front of it... just discovered it by accident :) but you didn't mention it in the vid
Those low range VCR from that era whoever is the manufacturer seems to be all based on the same chassis. The PCB are unworkable as traces get lift or broken by even applying the lowest temperature possible to desolder thing with low melt alloy. They might look good quality at first, but the inside says otherwise.
Whenever I see a VCR repair video on your channel, I just drop everything and watch.
Same
Always love the VCR repair videos, I've noticed that a lot of modern day VCRs use similar Front Panel Displays Which are limited in what information they give you, I remember back in the day when almost all HI-FI VCRs had Audio Level Meters on their Front Panel Displays
Hey man I absolutely love your channel. It reminds me of when I lived with my parents and my dad was a electrical engineer and no matter what piece of equipment that we purchased it was invariably taken apart shortly after its first use!!
I guess it is kinda randomly asking but do anyone know a good website to stream new series online ?
@Gerald Vincent i use FlixZone. Just search on google for it =)
@Darius Collin definitely, I have been watching on FlixZone for since march myself =)
@Darius Collin thank you, I signed up and it seems like a nice service :D I really appreciate it !!
@Gerald Vincent glad I could help :)
Was just working on my unit checking the belts and cleaning it, thanks for the info on getting the mech out. Albeit mine had 4 screws, 2 in the front where the ones on this one are, and 2 near the back panel. and everything was socketed, and there is no board on top of the head, but mine is an older 2000 model. Good to know that my model isnt as cheap.
Found the model, mine is a PVV4520, so 2 numbers off
That Panny, even though it is a newer unit is so much better engineered than the Magnavox combo VCR DVD player recorders that were cranked out say 10 years ago or so. Thanks so much for the tour of the unit and what each part of it does and thanks for posting these videos. You do an awesome job!
I have one of these Panasonics, my grandparents bought it new in 2002 and barely used it so it's clean and in pretty good shape. They weren't at the absolute bottom of the market and by the standards of a last of line VCR they aren't bad. In my experience they can reliably track poor quality recordings that a lot of other VCRs of this era struggle with, so if you need a cheap VCR to digitize old recordings this is probably the one to get. At least it doesn't have one of those terrible foam-on-a-stick "head cleaners".
I like how EVERYTHING is labeled on the circuit board, even which block does what. I had a Symphonic TV VCR combo that bit the dust so I took it apart and pulled the main board out and was able to find and hook up the TV's audio amp and play audio through it. the amp chip gets really hot though. I don't run it much because I'm afraid it's going to burn out.
For something as cost reduced as these late model VCRs were, they were surprisingly functional. I'm debugging the power supply in my 2004 vintage Panasonic VCR, which had served well for 16 years!
The new ones were very reliable due to reduced parts count.
Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge and expertise. I just fixed my Panasonic PV-9451 (mfr'd 1999). It would not REWIND. Cleaned the Mode Switch with DeoxITLiquid D100L and that did the trick. I was hoping that the tape sensors didn't go bad on me since the tape position feature was also not working on this unit, but after cleaning the Mode Switch -- that also got fixed. I bought this unit new back then. Still have original remote control. The unit is still in good condition, now working 100% (thanks to you) which will make it easy on me to transfer some old home made videos to digital. Thanks a million! Definitely subscribing. -- Oh almost forgot, the head cleaning trick with regular paper with alcohol was new to me!
This one brought back memories of my first successes and greatest failures. With this exact model, I found and fixed a power supply failure. Then, like a fool, didn't properly reinstall the tape assembly. The mechanism got jammed which caused an over-current to blow a hole in the driver IC. I never looked for a replacement. Didn't think the chances of getting one were good, and it wasn't a great loss.
I open these and it brings back bad memories of a shop I hated working for.
Lightning fast repair!
Same Problem in my VCR today I try to play it will play like your's. I went home and try this kind of Cleaning. thank you very much for this Valuable Video. Greetings From "TamilNadu" India,
I just picked up a PV-9661. It's a HiFi machinehine with what appears to be a decent quality mechanism. What's intriguing is the "Made in Japan" label on it! Seems like a decent machine (as far as Panasonic VCRs go.)
I use to use my VCR to record, my programme, then used Freeview recorder which broke down or not recording because of the flash drive .then I waited for weeks to try reboot it , when I just clicked that I could of used my VCR or DVD player to record my programme as I did before Freeview recorder.and more and more people I found out are going back to cassette player etc with the cost of living, and IAM glad I didn't throw away my VCR or cassette player, and record players, because I saw a few vinyl record shops opening in my area.
This guy is a genius I am your fan from India Mumbai and want learn how to repair vcr just like u.
Those later VCR's were horrible really. Remember having a high spec Sony SLV, it had so much on it, with even more revealed when the drawbridge was lowered 😅
Great vid 👍
Love your channel and the knowledge you possess and willing to share been working on my panasonic svhs VCR totally pos cleaned the head cleaned the mode switch now it won't load a tape or power up
"Dirty Heads" movie is very actual for VCRs :))
Our first was a Sylvania top loader. Probably over $400. It didn't have a wireless remote. The wired remote only did pause/play and forward and reverse scan. 1984. We recorded lots of TV shows and movies on it. Btw, cool repair! You have to be a mechanic to work on many electronic devices.
i have a jvc top loader
Great work, great cause.
In fact this is not an original Panasonic made VCR but a general that came in the market with many various names around the globe.The permanent problem of all i have repaired is the contacts oxidation of the rotary positioner leading to malfunctions or broken gears and once had the center infrared led that burnt and couldnt sense the presence of the cassette.
With the incredible amount of jumper wires on this, I wonder why the PCB manufacturer didn't opt for a dual sided board ? Probably still cheaper to have a pick-and-place machine insert all those jumpers. Also, there seems to be quite a few Tantalum capacitors on there (those yellow ones), just waiting to short out. But at least the electrolytic ones don't seem to have leaked out. Great repair work. Thanks for sharing. BTW, do you have any idea where I could get my hands on a drive belts set for my RCA full size VHS camcorder CC300 ? Because it's still in great condition, only the belts are turning to tar inside it...
This is one of the VCR’s that Brendan’s Movie Corner and other users had this to do VHS openings and such and such due to eating tapes and all kinds of problems. Other VCR’s made by Funai are trashed. Funai was the company that manufactured Magnavox, Emerson, RCA, and Sylvania.
With the help of this and another of your repair videos I've been able to resurect and clean my twenty year old Panasonic NV-HD630. It was made in Japan and seems to have been well built. It was easy to dissamble and remove the mechanism to get at the mode switch which was placed on the circuit board underneath. I could see some corrosion on the tracks of the switch but the Deoxit removed that quickly. The heads and the rest of the running gear were quite clean. I took off the little head cleaner roll which had some dark gunk on it but this came off easily with some alcohol and so went back on nice and clean. The small circuit board above the motor had some strange white almost dusty coating but again that came off quickly with alcohol. It all went together ok and is working fine so thanks for your help. Y
@14:23 is magical. Thanks for posting!
I have this model. The tape wont gi all the way in. It automatically comes back out. Any thoughts?
Great video very interesting learnt alot
We like Pannys because they allowed LP (4-hour) recording when everyone else was limited to SP and EP recording. Also, that their IR remotes for '80s VCRs (GE and Quasar OEMs as well) would work on their newer VCRs - at least until the 'Light Tower' series came out after the turn of the century...
Yes Panasonic had LP speed. The others didn't because LP was never a licensed speed, and JVC would not license anyone else to use that speed. Since Matsushita was a co-devoloper of VHS with JVC and Sony, they basically gave JVC the raised middle finger.
When VHS first appeared it was single speed SP only. Matsushita was making vcrs for RCA and RCA said that Americans would not go for a machine that only recorded 2 hours, so Matsushita halved the speed for the RCA machines. JVC never accepted licensed that speed from Matsushita and instead reduced the speed again, and required all companies to use the official speeds SP and EP.
Panasonic branded machines don't even call it EP, they call it SLP. There is a reason for that too. JVC never recognized the LP speed and only licensed SP and EP speeds. The only reason that Matsushita got away with this without being sued is because JVC is a sister company of Matsushita, just like Aiwa is a sister company of Sony. Independent, but under the thumb of the big sibling.
JVC or course stands for Japanese Victor Company. Victor made phonographs. People seem to thing that it had something to do with RCA as everyone remembers RCA Victor.
Well, RCA was the Radio Corp of America, and the "Victor" was phonograph and record company.
RCA Victor combined the radio parts from RCA and the phonograph from Victor.
The original Victor phonograph were the wind up types with the big horn. When RCA bought in, it became an amplified pickup and was known as RCA Victor. Victor also sold phonographs in Japan, and became known as JVC.
@@12voltvids Hitachi also had LP.
@@crashbandicoot4everr
Some did, namely those same models they made for RCA. None of the shvs models did. JVC tightened the noise on the svhs units. No lp for you.
In uk it must be different, its just sp and lp whatever make vcr you have, ive never seen an ep machine.. it seems thay are capable as you can see ep in the vfd display when taken apart in older machines. No vfd display in newer machines.. . our standard tape is e180=3 hours sp or 6 hour LP and e240 tapes = 4 hour sp or 8 hours LP speed. Dont know why we dont have ep speed? So now I want a vcr designed for usa in uk to see if it works and to try ep. I will lower the supply voltage before I plug it in.. unless it will take 240 volt ac.
@@09danstart
Yes pal machines are different. Speeds based on line frequency as your frame rate is based on that. Ntsc are 30 frame 60 field. Pal/secam 25 frame 50 field. The drum spins slower and tape speed is slower. A t120 tape here becomes an e180 tape on pal. Ep tape speed is the same tape speed, your so speed is half way between our sp and LP speeds.
I still have the same model still working good 😊
There was a "fix" for these that had slow rewind/random eject problems which was to half the resistance going to the IR diode for the tape sensor. Tell tale sign was unit would malfunction every time with the cover off in low ambient light and spit the tape out. Other units wouldn't do this, even with the cover off. As I recall, this same chassis was also sold as Zenith and Symphonic.
Great job on your well done repair details in your video. Do you offer a repair service if machine is shipped to you? I have a PV-S4670 that probably needs belts and cleaning. I have no resources to do it myself.
I'd want that VCR when nobody wants these anymore to the point they are switch to DVD or Blu-Ray Disc Player, I'd having a ball of this mechanisms reminding me of my 2000 Quasar VV-1302, the one I used to not only watch movies and shows, but also recording Thunder Over Louisville until I got a good Broksonic VAHFA-6741GST Series D Hi-Fi Stereo VCR, they're made in Thailand, and not an issue there once so ever, and I like them, it's got some metal and plastic, still keeping it with me, recording the weather observation from the chief meteorologist along with meteorologist (and yes of course, Thunder Over Louisville, my favorite fireworks displays), and the storm chasers and along with the tornadoes.
Only thing I don't use them is Apex Hi-Fi VCR/DVD combo and Samsung VCR/DVD Combo, because I don't feel like that I don't need them, but this Panasonic ones, the pair of them I like.
Coffee filter paper is great for video heads!
Hi mate thanks for sharing this. I always learn plenty whilst watching your videos. I have a panasonic nv-fj630 and notinced that when I take the top metal cover off, the unit will not play a tape. At first I thought the metal cover was completing a circuit to tell the unit when the cover is attached. But I'm guessing its a light sensor because if I shade the unit with a sheet of cardboard the unit works as expected but when i remove the cardboard or cover the tape ejects. My question is, do u know where that light sensor is and how I can trick it into thiniking the cover is on? I thought it may have something to do with the light sensor tape post so I covered the clear perspex post with tape, but it didn't solve my question. Any help or advice much appreciated. Thanks in advance
Hi 12voltvids.
I have the Panasonic PV-4623S which looks exactly the same on the inside as the one in this video. After watching the video and doing my own
troubleshooting, including cleaning the mode switch, I determined it is most likely the center IR emitter. I suspect this because of the way the unit is acting and because I don’t see it blinking when I turn the lights out. It could also be the take-up sensor since it starts to play for second and then goes into shutdown mode. Is there a way to remove the main circuit board to replace it? I don’t see any screws. What holds it in? Also, do you have a video that shows the replacement for these sensors? Can it even be done?
One of the reasons for belt deterioration is the chemical reaction between the belt and certain types of plastic.
I just found a melted balloon in a box of remote controls. The balloon only melted in the places it was in contact with the plastic remote controls. And some of the remotes didn't melt the balloon.
I have a c-cassette case that got permanently stuck together with a pencil eraser. There's some kinda stuff, maybe plasticizer in the eraser that turned the plastic into a sticky goo where it touched that. The two are unseparable now.
@@750kv8 Something very similar happened to me only it was a rubber bands instead of an eraser.
The balloon I found just melted itself and did not damage anything else.
Also I think PVC power cords will react with styrofoam.
How does the loading mechanism works in these type of machines? I got a PV-4601 that is similar to this (older, from 1996), and it doesn't take or ejects tapes. I don't see a gear that takes the tape in, so I don't understand how it works. It looks like there are some springs that are supposed to do the work, but I can't figure it out. Even with the service manual been available online.
Where did you get that awesome MP3 clear box with your music on it when you test your work?
I reviewed that mp3 board years ago. The plastic box came from a speaker kit that was turned into a stereo bluetooth speaker and the spare parts became the cabinet for the mp3 player. Videos of these projects on the channel.
I have one of these, the mono version unfortunately. Bought it new around 2002 like you said when these things were being made. I still have the original box, remote, and manual. It was retired shortly after it was bought because of a bizarre issue it developed. On movie tapes the vcr worked perfectly, but when playing recorded tapes the audio would be very muffled and sometimes it seemed as though the vcr was playing the audio from something it had recorded over. These tapes played fine in other machines so it wasn't the tape itself. I never attempted to fix it since it was such a strange problem but I would give it a go if i had an idea what to look for.
A little late... clean the audio/tracking head for mono. If the pic is good, stereo hifi is encoded with the video and read by the video head. Suspect the other head is dirty or out of alignment. It can be adjusted with a screw on top but be careful not to screw up the top of the tape which will ruin that section of the tape.
I have a Panasonic similar to that and it seems to judder when rewinding. Looking inside, it looks like the tensioner is juddering but it causes the winding back to be inconsistent. Sometimes it will slow down way to early when it comes to the 'end' of the tape and take forever to rewind. Is there any way to fix this? The belt seems fine - I gave it a clean anyway plus all the sensors I could see.
pretty sure these VCR's came out for the UK market too, the UK VCR's had a NICAM Decoder built in for the Analogue Stereo Sound from the Ground Based Transmitters, and 2 Scart sockets as well as Stereo audio outputs
NICAM was digital.
This is a new model comparing of my 1981VCR , I have National NV 390 em by Matsushita company which is what we called Panasonic later ,An original version Made n Japan 😁😁😁..
Do you have video where you are applying oil and grease on moving parts? I have panasonic that works fine, but i noticed that i need to push the cassette a bit harder when inserting in the vcr. Which parts of the loading mechanism should be lubricated? Thank you!
Use molytone grease on all parts of the FLM. Very, very little.
Did you ever do any repairs on VHS camcorders? I have a Hitachi 3150A that I'm working on. I replaced the belts and lubed it. I still haven't been able to get it to play a tape. Then I noticed one of the belts I put in the wrong area of one of the spindles. After I fixed that it would play the tape a few seconds and shut off. If I turned it back on while it was still in play mode it would automatically shut off again. I can FF, RW, Stop and Eject. I just can't play or record without it shutting off. Any ideas? Mode switch I'm guessing?
Thanks, is there a way to remove the head and still be able to play the tape without image. I'm working on a project and need to put a similar tape (not video/audio tape) in VHS spools and just play, FF, RR.
Does the mode switch not have to be aligned on this one?
Can the basket assembly from this Panasonic be used as a replacement for the one in an AG-1980? Since mine doesn't load tapes I assumed this might be the cause as it was in your AG-1980 repair video. What other models can be used for replacement parts? Having a hard time finding ANY old Pannies to use as parts donors. Lots of Sony, Hitachi, JVC, and crap like Emerson, and house brands for Walmart, Canadian Tire, Zellers, etc. but no Panasonic...
No totally different design.
That thing is way less complex inside than my General Electric VG-7720 from 1988 (it was made in Japan, and I think Panasonic was the actual manufacturer). The mechanism has so many gears that it looks like the inside of a mechanical wristwatch, and the mechanism is attached to a rigid cast-metal (looks like aluminum alloy) frame.
I want to replace the electrolytic capacitors because on its OSD screens that have a solid blue background, there's slight random, constant motion in the picture that shouldn't be there, but they are going to be a nightmare to get to. I suspect that the electrolytic capacitors in the power supply are the culprit. I don't know how I'm going to get to those yet because they are all boxed in. It would help if I could remove the main PCB, but there are several ribbon cables attached to it. They look like they have connectors (rather than being directly soldered to the PCB), but so far I haven't been able to get them to budge.
Have you ever done a video on a GE VG-7720 or one in the same product line, such as, VG-7510, VG-7520, VG-7725, VG-7775, or VG-7785?
Aren't these those Funai machines? The same - made in Indonesia as well - are made for JVC, Samsung, LG etc.
Great video thanks.
You have exactly discribed the problem that my vcr does it works for a couple of seconds and then shuts down
Does the part you mentioned get cleaned as well or does it get replaced or is it not even worth replacing in the first place?
Just clean the mode switch and you will solve 95% of the troubles. I have never replaced one just cleaning.
This video is helpful good job bro
Sir i love u and ur channel. My panasonic vcr has clear audio,but in video,there are two vertical lines displaying on blue screen. Please help sir !
Thank you for your fast response. What kind are they.? Do they have RCA type audio and video outputs.? What do they cost.? And how can I contact you.? Please foreward this info to me. Thank you
Hi! Thank you for posting this video! Did you use rubbing alcohol to clean the heads with a sheet of copier paper?
Yes isopropanol alcohol 99%
Hi mate how do I remove the plastic catches/tabs that hold the mechanism in place, mine I had to remove the circuit board, but what do I use to remove the white plastic tabs that hold the mechanism etc.
I concur with 12voltvids, paper and alcohol is the way to do it.
My mom's Panasonic Omnivision VCR developed an odd fault with the heads. It would make an odd noise when the head was in motion and it affected playback. I never figured out the problem or why it happened as it was a great VCR for years. At least you can find remotes for them on eBay.
That was usually the ground strap that was on the bottom of the drum to discharge any build up.
They started to squeek and caused picture disturbance.
you didn't mention those head cleaning tapes. how well do those work?
They don't work.
I have a picture of a part from my Toshiba M-752 VCR and was wondering if you could and would identify it for me. I'm sure it's a simple identification, but hours on the internet has yielded me no answers. Thanks!
my vcr has coax output but no av output do you have any ideas?
The door thing on my vcr fell off and I can't get it back on right. It has a spring with a long end and a short end sticking out of it... Can you help me reassemble this thing? I knows it's gotta be easy peasy but I'm just not getting it back to how it was
What's a shame is those machines are better quality than the one I want to repair. It is a Funai that is Sylvania branded and was the last VCR I bought brand new. I don't have much hope for it though. I think the drive belt is bad I think I paid $40 for it back in 2003 as a teenager on an impulse purchase because I wanted to upgrade to a HiFi deck so I could record and playback Dolby Pro-Logic Surround programming for my home theater. I've done a lot with this deck over the years. I even made a RUclips video after dubbing the camera tape to this deck and also recorded the final computer edit back to VHS for my parents on this deck (they got a DVD copy also). I stopped using it for a while (my primary recording device was a DVD recorder for a bit), and in 2013 it started giving me issues. After another 5.5 year hiatus it is virtually unusable and eats tapes as well as fails to start rewind and FF.
I'm probably going to look at either a Japanese made Panasonic or a maybe a Sony on eBay.
I have this vcr. It won’t play, rewind or fast forward. I cleaned as shown in your video. But it looks like the head won’t turn. Do you know how to fix this problem? Also I jumped the gun and cleaned it with a w tip. Is it done for? The VCRs for sale online are too expensive. I am looking to fix this one.
Clean the mode switch as he shows in the video.
Hi great video. Can I ask where I would be able to find parts for a Panasonic Omnivision VCR...probably need a belt I hear squealing and then it shuts it stops playing
Try lightly sanding the idler tire in the middle that goes back and forth between the two reels with 600+ grit sandpaper. Just get it so it's not shiny. No flat spots. There are no parts except a doner unit.
Would you say it's better to clean the head this way you do it, or by using a standard cleaning tape?
This is the way the pros do it. I was taught this by the cheif engineer at the TV station I worked at.
Engineers and tape operators clean the heads on the broadcast machines before every tape is loaded.
Cleaning tapes are hall assed at best except for 8mm, DV and DAT. This is because those tapes are metal tapes and the metal when it contaminates the head literally fuses itself to the surface. A dry cleaning tape is used to "grind" the debris off, which also takes a little but of the head material with it resulting in reduced head life.
Could you tell me what vcr would be best with a TBC ? I am starting on a vhs to digital journey and wanted to gain the best insight
TBC is not necessary. All the half decent capture cards so that for you
Love yoe videos and its very very helpful for me i have Panasonic vcr i just open it after long time then i try to play cassette there is problem eject tape and no load no play error code f06 then i searched for video here and found your genuine videos i following ur video teardown my vcr now i open everyday from body now look up this videos here in india i cant buy deoxit can u sugges me any other i will let u know when resume
Probably the belt
Would this be an Orion-made VCR? I don't recognise it but it does have a few design cues that suggest Orion. They weren't that bad, even late on, for reliability - better than Funai for sure.
One of the big problems with these later machines is the single PCB, which makes them very susceptible to damage in transit.
As far as I know Panasonic never used other manufactures VCRs. They built their own.
I have a Panasonic VHS player and everytime I Eject the tape their is a squeeking noise,any suggestions how to fix it? Thank You.
I have a UK-model Panasonic HDD/DVD/VHS machine on which the VHS drive has started to move the tape backwards when a tape is inserted. Doesn't wait for remote or other commands, just starts itself off and gets in a tangle.
If anyone has any suggestions for specifics to look at, or links to other online guides ....
Random question.. I've always wondered how tracking works on a VCR. What exactly is happening inside when you press the tracking button? Is it something physical with the heads?
repairfaq.cis.upenn.edu/sam/vhsfmt.gif
As you can see, a VHS tape got helical tracks for the video signal head drum (they don't look helical on this diagram, but they become helical once the tape is laced around the head); there are also tracks for left and right audio channel, and one for a tracking signal, that tells the VCR when should the drum heads be in what position so they can run along the helical tracks on the tape, perfectly aligned to them. If the alignment is not perfect, the capstan motor controller offsets the control signals a tiny bit, which results in slight changes in the tape speed, until the alignment becomes perfect again. Sometimes it can be heard as a slight flutter in the audio when this happens (also during manual tracking).
Not physical no. What tracking does is change the phase of the capstan motor, to advance, or retard the tape position with respect to the spinning head. The same could be done on the drum, advance or retard the phase.
@@12voltvids Wonder why Sony never used that for their decks? Manual tracking is okay but many times will not track tapes made on other decks. I have a lot of Japanese recorded tapes from the 1980s that won't track for love or money. Will probably have to watch your mod video for changing the guide path to force them to track. The last of the Sony Betamaxes DID have auto tracking as I recall but no idea whether it would work on my tapes. But I have several older Beta decks that could be modded to try...
@@hawleygriffon9290
In Japan they use both 50hz and 60 depending on region. Even though ntsc was used in Japan if I'm not mistaken the vertical scanning frequency is tied to line frequency so tapes recorded in the 50hz regions require a multi system machine just like playing a pal tape. A single frequecy machine won't work. My multi system VCR has a switch for 50hz but I have never seen a tape personally that is in 50 Hz except for pal and secam.
Old video, I know. Before DeOxit was a well known product (great product btw) we used to use a fiberglass brush then relube the mode switch with ... of all things... liquid wrench! Worked every time. Don't recall any callbacks.
Hi. I need help. LG v882nwk dvd and VCR. DVD works fine. VCR has sound but not picture. What can I try.
I have a Philips VCR that turns off when inserting a tape. Exactly at the moment where the tape blocks the light sensor in the mechanism to tell the VCR that a tape is inserted.
What may be the cause of that?
Could be a few different things but you should clean the mode switch for sure.
I have this one, I press the power and put the tape in... says play but ejects seconds later, any suggestions?
Do you know what the Panasonic Superdrive exactly means?
i got me one im trying to fix so i can add it to my home music recording studio. what make it kick the tape out and not play nothing it just keeps kicking the tape vhs back out
You are good man 😬👍
Sony VCR player capstan motor stops after a while ...... please reply
I have two vhs jvc version HR-D721EN and both play with sound but black image, I already cleaned the heads and it's still the same, if I fast-forward there you can see the rain but then it's black with the play logo. any idea how to repair it or a circuit that is wrong. Thank you
It's not getting a signal. The heads are filthy or worn out. Clean them like he shows in the video and make sure you use a good tape. Old/Bad tapes may clog the heads. If heads are worn out they're probably not available.
Hello. I have a similar Panasonic deck that I just cleaned because a store bought recorded tape would play, but a blank tape that I recorded something myself wouldn't play. What could cause this?
Did you try recording at both speeds. Same result?
Thanks so much for the reply. I didn't record anything, but I played the working prerecorded tape all the way through and now the tapes I recorded on (years ago), play fine. I wonder if the tape had "cleaned" something. I thought I had cleaned everything I needed to clean.
What I want to do is archive my personal recordings to a dvd recorder (Liteon). The only purpose of this machine is to play tapes I recorded and not prerecorded movies or to make new tapes. I was just using that as a test.
I wanted to use my Sony deck, but thanks to watching your videos, I realized that I have the dreaded blue loading gear problem. It reminds me of a problem with old Ford odometers. I had a couple issues where it was the same bad plastic gear that broke and I had to replace them.
If I hadn't just FUBAR'd an old Sony cd player by taking the cd mechanism out and not getting it back together correctly (binds up when I put the cover over the laser assembly), I would've attempted the blue gear. I'll probably get my courage up one of these days. I don't want to screw up the Sony because it's a good player. Much better than this cheap Panasonic.
Game of thrones! On VHS! Love it! Did you tape it right off the tv? How did you do that?
It is important to use"liqour"when cleaning ?
Absolutely as long as it is 99% moonshine.
Hi I have a PR-4501 VCR made in 1995, and when I press the power button nothing happens what do you recommend? thanks
Check the fuse and capacitors in the power supply.
I tried that, then somebody sent me their Play button off their VCR in the mail. WTF?
Why does that circuit board have so many jumper wires on it? Was that an inexpensive way to make 2 sided circuit boards?
Yes that is exactly why. They didn't want the expense of a double sided board. The reason there are unpopulated areas of the board would be for other markets. PAL or SECAM versions would have components mounted there.
@@12voltvids Thank you for the reply and for answering my question!
How did you learn to repair vcr's? Did you have formal training or are you just a vcr savant? 😀
I had formal training when I worked for Sony. Trained for betamax but they are pretty much the same.
@@12voltvids Well you excell in repairing vcr's, I haven't seen a vcr issue even come close to stumping you! You may have had betamax training but I think you are also a Savant! And thank you for sharing your knowledge through this vids to us hopeless lunatics who in 2019 still use a vcr! 😁
@@midnitematador6249 I have one that has me stumped. I will some day actually figure it out. It is a Panasonic with 6 motors. 2 reel motors (direct drive) capstan, drum, loading and cassette loader.
@@12voltvids Stumped, you? No way! That thing will regret the day it challenged you! 😀
I'm trying to figure out why my VCR doesn't work when plugged in. When I press "power" nothing happens. It is a Panasonic Omnivision PV-4501. Can you give a suggestion of what might be wrong and where I can find the fuse?
Blown power supply. Check capacitors and Zener diodes in power supply section of the board.
What would cause a VCR to have no sound with a recorded tape but has sound with a commercial tape? I've tried multiple different tapes, only get sound when playing a commercial tape
Problem in the audio recording circuit.
@@12voltvids
The tapes in question have sound on another machine. The machine with the problem will only have sound in HiFi
Tracking head reads mono audio as well. It's either out of alignment or the circuit is bad. If the tape is tracking, it's probably not out of alignment.
Panasonic made great VCR's. I still own the V4660 I bought back in 1993. It has 4 metal heads and is Hi-Fi. That fucker cost $350 back then which is $600 in today's money
Can you fix a phillips reel 2 reel I am intersted in getting it repaired?
I wouldn't know unless I saw it unfortunately. Getting mechanical parts for reel 2 reel is pretty much impossible these days.
@@12voltvids I would like to try I have the belts and the electronics are ok it just needs re adjustment and new belts is that something you can do I also think its really dirty?
@@12voltvids The buttons respond and it wants to go i think the back of it just needs a good cleaning.
I have a problem with the tape takeup to the readvhead
It only pull the tape to one side of the read head. The puller arm on the other side do not move. How to solve this problem? Tq.
What is the make and model?
Do you have any Beta format vcr’s for sale that are working fine please?
I do have a couple in good working order.
I don't mean to hurt you, I just want to say my personal ideas. First of all, I want you to know that I respect your efforts for years. Still I think; After you have covered your desk with a nice material, you should clean it thoroughly and put it in an order that looks good for you and us. Also ( maybe I'm wrong, but I think you're doing your job a little rough ). You should treat the devices that have been brought to you more gently. Thank you for your understanding.
First of a these devices are generally mine. When you see me toss a VCR on the bench it is mine. Second I don't have time to clean my bench. To quote the gifted mechanic Scotty Kilmer "my workshop is a pigsty". If I clean my bench it will be a disaster again after the first repair job. That is just the way it goes. When I worked in repairs there was 3 of us in the shop. One guy was a neat freak and had to put his tools in a certain place and if one tool was out of place he had a fit. Guess what his productivity was 1/3 of myself and the other guy. Why? Because he had to clean up after every job, clean the bench and sweep the floor. He also polished everyone's cabinets to a high luster. He didn't last long as he was always locking horns with the boss for wasting time cleaning up.
@@12voltvids Okay Mr. 12VoltVids, i shared my thoughts, and thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Was that noise the mechanism playing?
In the picture, yup from my plasma noise generator.
In my panasonic sd320 when playing only snow on whole screen but when ff or reversing the tape it displays picture, what's the problem..
Dirty heads
I have a video of funai but its belt is damaged so where can I get this belt ??
I've gotten belts from Studio Sound Electronics in the past, but I find them to be overpriced and they don't stock everything anymore.
I put a tape in my vcr and the power turns off, I turn the power back on and it ejects, any ideas?
I Think the Light Sensor of the VCR is Dirty
I'm trying this repair but I can't "pull the mechanism down" like in 3:20 it just won't move...
EDIT: there is a white leg on the right side that has to be pulled out from the white plastic in front of it... just discovered it by accident :) but you didn't mention it in the vid
My white plastic leg won’t budge. I’m afraid I’ll break it.
Those low range VCR from that era whoever is the manufacturer seems to be all based on the same chassis. The PCB are unworkable as traces get lift or broken by even applying the lowest temperature possible to desolder thing with low melt alloy. They might look good quality at first, but the inside says otherwise.
Throw away device. Just like everything else.
A spot of super glue on the audio tracking head is what I do so the tracking never drops out .
They do not seal them anymore with the blue stuff .