Problem with combined TV/VCR

[Clair]

Hi

IS there anyone who can help me solve a basic fault with our combined TV/VCR?

This is (was!) used as a 2nd VCR, linked to a sat dish to record car/bike/boring/male-orientated programs... if you see what I mean.

This IS essential to our marital peace and harmony and IT'S BROKEN!!!!

HE put a tape in but the tape got jammed and broke inside. The TV part is working fine, but we cannot play any tape, as all we get from previoulsy watched tapes is "grey triangles" going to "all grey"and "snatches of sound"...

Him Indoors is quite handy but as we don't know what the insides of a VCR look like, we don't know what we should be looking at to establish if it's repairable.

Any technical help appreciated!

Thank you.

Clair

[Martin963]

It's a bit late to say this now,  but you've just encountered the problem with these combined units:  one bit goes wrong and you can't just separate them and replace that bit.  With a separate VCR you can whip the lid off,  and clean the heads using a strip of ordinary paper,  folded into a curve,  soaked in meths,  and pressed against the head drum while you rotate them by hand.   Sounds crude but works a treat.

On yours you risk severe electrocution from the TV bit of the unit (even if unplugged) if you go inside it.

Best thing is to buy a head cleaning kit (preferably a wet method one - the solvent is supplied with the kit which contains what looks like an ordinary tape) rather than a dry kit.   If the heads just got clogged during your problems this will cure it.

However if (as is very possible) the heads were damaged more severely it's time to get a new VCR (cheap at the moment!) or perhaps upgrade to a DVD recorder if you can.  The head cleaning kit will tell you whether you have a permanent problem or not.

Breaking tapes (if it happens more than once) can be a sign of a failing loading mechanism.  Damaged heads or loading system are probably not worth repairing given how cheap a replacement VCR is.

 

[Clair]

MartinWatkins, thank you for the timely advice.

In sheer desperation, Him Indoors has spent all morning fiddling with the VCR and has got it to work again!!! Picture and sound are back, and so are car races, motorbikes and B****Y Top Gear!

HOORRAYYY!!!

I'm happy!

Peace and harmony may never leave our home again!!

Clair

[Martin963]

I'm glad you (he) has solved it.  Perhaps he'd/you'd better tell us all what he did - could be useful!

[Clair]

[quote]I'm glad you (he) has solved it. Perhaps he'd/you'd better tell us all what he did - could be useful![/quote]

Quote "I pressed Play and Stop a lot and got some pictures and the sound back. Then I pressed Play and FF at the same time and got more images, so I just put a new tape in and play it through" Unquote

It sounds like this cleaned the heads, as you suggested, although not in the manner you suggested!!

I've put a Head Cleaning Kit on the next shopping list!!

Clair

[Deimos]

This is (was!) used as a 2nd VCR, linked to a sat dish to record car/bike/boring/male-orientated programs ...

I’d cut out recording the boring programs and just stick to recording car/bike/male-orientated programs

Ian

[Clair]

[quote]This is (was!) used as a 2nd VCR, linked to a sat dish to record car/bike/boring/male-orientated programs ... I’d cut out recording the boring programs and just stick to recording car/bike/male-orient...[/quote]

How do you tell them apart?!?

Clair