OT: But please save my bacon.


SpaceMouse

SpaceMouse

Fun Lover
My son had gotten two videos stuck in my 2 TV/VCR units. Now they shut down and won't even play the TV. I can't watch my old train videos and I certainly don't want to spend hobby money on new TVs.

I know there is a trick to it, because my old TV guy took them to the back room and came out 5 minutes later and charged me $50. He's gone and the only repair guys in town are total crooks.

So how do I kit-bash these suckers.
 
Invert the unit, take out the screws, remove bottom cover, use a bamboo skewer to lift any jammed tape off spools? Or, if the tape is upside down, you may have to remove two or three/four metal chassis screws and spread it enough so that it clears the geared driving spools. I have never done this, Chip, I'm just trying to visualize what it would likely take. I'll bet a club buddy who installs decoders and fixes his own engines has also won back a VCR or four.

-Crandell
 
Yup, surgical removal or plain old brute force. You may lose the tape though. I would try to pop the tape lose with a screw driver. As you can tell, I have know idea what to do!:)
 
I've actually dissected one. There is a circuit board under the tape player. No obvious push button. Also the door of the tape is open and there are locking mechanisms holding the tape down. The tape is wound around the magnetic heads.

I don't mind losing the tapes, but the repair guy never did. I'm just thinking there is a little hole you push like in the front of the CD drives on a computer that ejects the drive tray manually when you lose power.
 
The self help websites I found suggested flipping it upside down, then try to eject. It's suppose to relieve the pressure? I don't know about that. They also advocated pushing up on the top edge of the tape while pressing eject as another option. There was something about a loose belt that causes the problem. It all sounds like another way to say," hit it with a hammer". I would imagine there is a release button for the mechanism. I googled "how to eject VHS tape from broken player". It turned up a few things. Apparently this is a common problem. The combo you have makes things much more difficult though. Good luck!

Oh, this just in! Another great piece of information is ............unplug it...............then plug it back in! This is the universal fix for broken electronics.
 
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Even more OT, and absolutely no help to you, but one of my favorite TV commercials back in the '80s was the one where a woman starts out in the commercial saying "How can I live High on the Hog when I can't even bring home the bacon?"


:D

Kennedy
 
It all depends on the make/model and vintage. Usually there would be a loading motor on the loading cage that will pull in/push out the tape and generally there is a small circuit board next to it that the motor wires attach to. It'll possibly have two pads where you can apply power to reverse the tape out. Just run low voltage to the motor (with the VCR unplugged), maybe 6 or 8 volts, and see if the tape starts to back out. Reverse the wires if it is going the wrong direction.

Whatever you do don't remove parts or the cage as the gears are usually timed to mode switches, and dissassembly will knock everything out of sync. That is also specific to models.

Mark
 
Things, I have two. No, but I haven't gottne the gumption to pull the shell yet. I plan on it. But other things are more pressing. The outside the box stuff didn't work. TV's look funny upside down.
 
When I was in construction, we carried around what we called a "minor adjustment tool." It was used when a wall was a couple inches out of place or out of plumb. It was a 12 lb sledge.

I still have it.
 
As a single dad balancing a deck of cards on my head while kicking myself in circles to the famous circus themed music that's playing as I'm blowing out the many lit matches being tossed into a packed room of gasoline which represents my life by an evil clown who wants to see me burn, I've learned to pick my battles. Just buy a new unit and call it a day............:rolleyes::D
 
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Pick my battles?

The only way I can get a new (my wife wants one that will fit in the kitchen and play VCRs) is to try to fix this one until my fingers are bloody. Then if I fail, I can try to take it to the shop and if the shop costs more than a new one, then I can get the new one.
 
Mouse...once they get a taste of tapes, their hunger deepens. They will continue to eat tapes to their hearts content.

Tell the CFO you NEED a new one, before this one eats the wedding, baby or holiday tapes, or her favorite movie gets eaten. :D

Rotor
 
SpaceMouse said:
I can try to take it to the shop and if the shop costs more than a new one, then I can get the new one.
Click to expand...

This reminds me of the "Battle of the lamp!" in a Christmas Story.
Act as if you're working on it and simply push it off the counter......:eek: :D
 
Chip try the long needle nose pliers . I had VCRs do this and I would use the longest needle nose that I had and just work the darn tape out. It will work with a little effort !
 
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