Machines of this vintage are my favorite to watch you fix. There certainly aren’t many people working on stuff like this anymore, especially techs with your level of experience. Can’t wait for part 2!
Make that "...a top of the *line* machine in *its* day"... and it's amazing that RCA had already gone through multiple generation of VHS machines by the time they finally introduced their CED player in 1981, which had been in development since the 1960s.
@@crashbandicoot4everr RCA marketed both VHS and CED as "SelectaVision". The name was originally meant for CED, but it was delayed so long that they used it on their VHS VCRs first.
I had one of those 1978 models with piano keys, got it as a demonstrator in 1978 for $850. The kids ran that thing for many hours. When my oldest son passed away in 2004, that machine was in his bedroom and still worked. We used to make good equipment in this country.
I still own an RCA 600. My first VHS machine that didn't have visual fast forward or visual rewind and with piano key like controls. My second machine was a 650 just like the one in your video. Great machine for time shifting during their time. Great to see a 650 being worked on.
I'm jealous that you got this far with this. I had one of these a couple of years ago, with the same two seized pivot points as yours had, and despite solving that issue, it still wouldn't go into play mode. It would sit fully loaded with the pinch roller engaged, but the solenoid wouldn't engage, and after a few seconds it would give up and unload. No change when I cleaned the mode switch. My guess was it had something wrong with the mode detection circuitry. I'm glad I was able to give it to a fellow VCR enthusiast - fixing it was way over my pay grade.
I have a different model by the same brand from 1978 that I just got today. For the most part it works with picking up the signal from my digital to analog broadcast converter box hooked up to the tuner of the machine, the clock lights up, the little incandescent light in the tape area turns on, and I even notice the drum heads still spin in there. But when I insert a tape and press play, I'll hear something but the tape won't turn, but will turn back a bit when I press stop. I also made sure the dew light was off when I put in a tape to play and had the speed switch turned to the designated one for the tape.
I’m waiting on the delivery of an original (Mastsushita/Panasonic) National Maclord NV-8800. The same deck that was rebranded in the states as the RCA VBT-200. The seller said it’s stuck in rewind mode. I’m hoping it’s something simple like the levers being stuck. But at the very least I’ve watched enough of your videos to have a go at popping mine open and seeing if there’s anything obvious I can fix. Thanks for your inspiring videos! ❤
I had the VFT650. Wireless remote for the first time!!!! These were decent machines. When it was new the reel take up motor developed a fault where it would cause skipping that was especially notable at the SLP speed. It was giving too much torque pulling the tape too hard. But at the same time the CED disc came out giving us RCA being the acronym for Real Crappy Appliances.
The thing's older than me (only by a few months) & it's got tactile button controls... Very fancy, and a top loader too... I want one! lol if it could be made to run off 240/50 and record/playback PAL i'd be asking for shipping quotes! Looks like a very well made piece of machinery, and definitely tough as old boots. Sit for who knows how long & all it's needed so far is a clean and lube really. Looking forward to the next installment, hopefully a simple fix.
The unit is fixed. If you are a patreon viewer you will see it before anyone else. Going up tonight. 1 capacitor, just a point of find 1 cap out of 400!
@@crashbandicoot4everr thanks, i'll give those a search out. Currently in the process of trying (once again!) to identify the Pioneer seperates system I had handed down from my dad (and him from his dad previously) as a kid. So far I've got that the amp looked very similar to an SA-520 but it was brushed anodized black & I don't recall it having a VFD just LED selector lights. If I ever get back out of this rabbit hole though, that's very much appreciated info! Dave, wish I could afford patreon as I'd join for sure to help support the madness lol Glad it's sorted though, sounds like fun, finding that cap must have been a bit like finding this damn amp model!
I think it's hilarious to think of any vcr as an antique, LOL! I remember our first VCR was a top loader with dials to change the channels on the tv with. Then they came out with the kind that had those little tuning coils for each channel to "set" the channel like you'd do on old push button radios from the 40's and we got one of those...a GE in 1984 if I remember right. The last one I ever owned was in the late 90's and it was a sears Series LXI 4 head hifi stereo VCR. I bought my first DVD player in 1999 (also a GE that doubled as a karaoke machine having two mic inputs for cd+graphics discs) but it had one problem I didn't find out about for a year until I discovered there were certain dvd titles it absolutely refused to play. I noticed all of the ones that wouldn't play came packaged in those half paper/half plastic cases and they were all Warner Bros. releases, the first being "Deep Blue Sea". By the time I figured out which discs wouldn't play I had 3 movies like that, lol. I kept that player till about 2003 so it was a few years until I got to watch those movies. :)
OMG! That model was the first VCR is ever repaired for a fee! it was the little tape sense light-bulb! my business exploded when word got out that I fixed VCR's So many $3500 units cam through my little shed! In the 80's no-one local here in Vancouver was into fixing them, and I just left the Shaw Community TV station after learning what I could about tape machines. Pure Gold was back in Vancouver!
Well I was in the area. I worked for Sony in 83 and went on to work for a large servicing dealer for full factory authorization accreditation. I made big time money fixing TVs VCRs and Stereo equipment. The shop I was at did about 400,000 a year in service. There were 3 of in the shop for years, then 2, then it was just me and I had to get out because I just couldn't afford to work there anymore. Lot of money though, my friends were jealous. I actually worked for 2 shops. I worked for the large shop, and did work at home for the competition across the street. The guy from that shop would bring me VCRs every night and I would fix them at home, and he would pick them up the next day. My boss never found out about me double dipping working for the competition. I did it because it was the competition that I had worked at when I was in high school, and the guy in there had taught me everything he knew about tube TVs as there were still plenty of them around in the late 70's and into 80s but he wasn't busy enough to hire me full time. So I got a job at Sony for a year and then ended up across the street from the guy that taught me so much, I returned the favour by doing his VCRs right up to when he sold the shop. The new owners ran the shop into the ground an closed within a year.
This is the VCR I learned from the most, they were piano type mostly, easy to replace the bulb, kinda.. That VCR type(as Panasonic omnivision) was what we learned about mechanically..
In 1986 I bought the top of the line RCA HiFi stereo VCR. I believe it was over $500.00 with 5 year extended warranty... Thank God I bought that extended warranty cause it was broken constantly,, towards the 5 year mark I brought it to the authorized service center and they said no,, we're not touching it again, and that was the end of it... My next VCR was a Mitsubishi HS-U55 which was $629 plus tax and the single best piece of electronics I've ever owned in my life..
The mitsubishi units did have their daemons. Dried grease that broke the plastic pinch arm that rode up and down the pole. I have several of their decks. HSU52,55, SVHS 62, 65 and 82. A few were branded electrohomo AVRJ04 and 05. Same as HSU 62 and82 if I remember. I have done videos on those. Also the explody capacitor in the linear power supply. Fish oil caps.
Those old Panasonics are indeed a work of art. They may be old but they're a dream to service, and they're fixable! I have later ('83-'84ish) but similar AG-6200, NV-8500 semi-pro tanks, plus a consumer NV-332 (two of these still toploaders). The bottom PCBs fold out to reveal the mech as seen here; it really doesn't get any easier than this. These things were built to last, unlike the junk produced in the 90s. The picture is remarkably good for VHS, even on the consumer model.
But on a reliability scale they were about a 3 out of 10. Newer machines were more like 9. When something broke the old machines were easy to get into which was a good thing because they were always breaking. The newer ones just kept on going. Eventually something would break and many times it was due to someone slamming a tape in, or a kid putting something in it (chicken bones. Grilled cheese sandwich) thank you American Express commercial. Alsop wet cleaners did a good job breaking machines. However, the newer machines were far more reliable despite plastic parts because there were so few mechanical and electrical parts compared to the old models that were full of machanical parts circuit boards completely loaded with parts and a few pounds of copper wire connecting everything. These museum pieces are good for show and that's about it. I bet if I hold this machine out and plugged it in something would be wrong with it they game despite it not being used since the video was made.
@@12voltvids Actually, those three Panas so far turned out to be among the most reliable gear I have here. I've had to replace a cap in the audio section of the NV-332, plus some belts in all three, but that's about it. Granted, I don't use them regularly. I also have two solid U-matics, but those are in another league. By contrast, I have two identical JVC S-VHS decks from the 90s which are fantastic _when_ they work, but when they fail -- which happens very often -- they're absolute dogs. I've also had lots of agro with pricy but cheaply built 90s junk from Philips (notably "Turbodrive" models) and Grundig. I didn't even bother to repair those; they were tossed out after developing the same faults over and over within months. In general I noticed the newer stuff has more PSU issues. I haven't had any such problems with the older Panas. Again, I don't stuff powered up for extended periods anymore, so YMMV.
@@NuGanjaTron I'm just going back to when my repair days when I was in the repair business. All those old machines were always coming in. Belts. Idler tires, incandescent tape end sensor bulbs, capstan motors (Hitachi) alignment (Mitsubishi). JVC were always junk. We called them junk very cheap. These old machines had so many parts compared to a modern one. Yes they would take more abuse but those that were in heavy use tended to spend more time at the repair shop. That was fine with me at 60 bucks a pop to repair them. They were easy to get into.
@@12voltvids Agreed, and experience is always appreciated. Was there anything that stood out in terms of reliability? Any particular models, brands or tape formats?
I've also got a specific (and slight OT) question: where are the magnets located in a capstan servo? I have one in a Mitsubishi that uses 3 hall effect generators (and 3-phase motor judging by the schematic). I see what appears to be either dust or a magnetic oxide coating on the rim of the motor flywheel -- is that a control track or are the magnets embedded in the plastic rim itself? The reason I'm asking is because I'm not sure I should clean that. Thanks!
That was great, Dave. Most of the music videos on my YT channel were recorded in SP with my Panasonic PV-1750 which was the same as the unit you show here. I bought it new in Dec. of 1980 and always used good tape. YT viewers always think I used a TBC. I kept that big machine for 20-30 years after it finally failed and I wish I still had it. Best looking transfers seem to come from the original recording deck, huh?
Yes best transfers came from the VCR that made the transfer though every few years the equipment would get upgraded or repaired if a fault arrised. The upgrades were due to features that the VCR had. Commercial released tapes were copied on a stack and they could copy 10 or more tapes a time, with a big stack it could copy lots more but took alot of room. The equipment was not for consumers but publishing houses. It would cost you alot of money to buy one, around $12,000 it was a beast but had lots of functions and features you would not see on a normal VCR. You could get a VCR stack that could dub a 3 hour tape in high speed in 20 mins, a 4 hour in 40 mins. These weren't used until years later in the late 80's.
It is a beast. Some day someone will offer me something that I can't refuse and then it will be their beast. I had another one, an old JVC that was in my collection and one day out of the blue one of my viewers wanted to buy it. They made me an offer, I didn't take it, they came back with a higher offer I still didn't take it they made a third offer and then I thought to myself I'm stupid to keep saying no what the hell do I want this for and took it. Collector got what they were wanting and I got a stack of cash for it. That's what will happen with this one eventually I'm sure.
I have the exact same model from when I was a kid. Decided to try it out a year ago. Won't play and stops. Won't ff or rewind either. Opened it up today and saw the spindle pulleys weren't turning. It did eventually fast forward for a little while. Got the rubber bands out and plan to order more replacements. Will update if this fixed the issue later.
I had a Quasar VCR from 1980, top loader with the big piano key controls. The little light bulb looks just like the one in my Quasar. The thing must've weighed about 35 pounds. It had click-stop mechanical knobs for the TV tuner, with green back-lit numbers.
Yes that was the prior unit, and both were made by Matsushita (Panasonic). I had the RCA VCT201 myself. Bought it in 1979. Crank tuner and multi colored piano keys. I have a couple of piano key Sony Beta in my collection.
This machine appears to be very similar to a National/Panasonic NV7000, I have two of them among my hoard of vintage electronics, the 7000 is SP only. These are great old boat anchors, look forward to the next installment 👍
This is a great video! I'm a sucker for the early piano key versions of which I have one '79 model restored and used for 80s action flicks. It looks like these beasts all are about to suffer from EOL panasonic capacitor death though as Jordan Pier explained recently. Not looking forward to changing those as these are stuffed to the brim with those.
Well done 😀 Now that's not bad for such an old machine 😀 Not many dropouts on playback so the heads cant be too bad, and the static pad must still be grounding the heads ok. And unlike newer vcr's it's caps must be roughly the right values. 41 year old caps. Yes it does look like a heavy bugger, i could not move my laptop lol.
@@crashbandicoot4everr Oh yes that is true, but i expected the machine to have dead caps everywhere, but they cant be open circuit. I have some pcbs from the old piano key machines and they dont seem to be leaking Yet! lol.
Any idiot can replace all the caps. Even though they will eventually fail. typically only 1 or 2 will cause trouble. This is where experience and troubleshoot skils come in. Finding that needle in a hayatack. For the amateur just go buy a bag of caps and replace them all.
@@12voltvids My Technics SU-Z1 integrated amp and NV-7500 VCR have plenty of visibly leaking caps but I don't really care because those machines still work and I don't think I will gain anything by replacing them lol.
Looks like a very early Panasonic vcr ( NV2000 ?? ) . Don't muck around. A full belt kit, pinch roller and a service on these old machines and most can be brought back into service. If you have worn upper drum assembly, these are also cheap as. Main problem can also be a worn lower drum assemble, but these vintage machines can take the abuse, unlike the present day equipment, also worth checking the mode switch. As for the reel motor, remove the motor and run up at a higher voltage 6 ~ 9 volts as you may have gummed up brushes or commentator.
I have a Quasar VH5300SE toploader that goes with my tube camera. I get video out from the rca jacks when using the camera, but not when I play a tape. is it supposed to be this way? Do I have to play tapes via the RF output and use the tuner module?
@@12voltvids I don't have audio either, no audio or video, but the transport seems to be functioning properly. Cleaned the heads... I don't even get static or garbled audio. I don't repair stuff to sell, I fix vintage gear when I can figure out how because I like using it.
Wow, wonder how much it cost RCA to make the VCR's much have been way less than a $1000 dollars. Must have cost at least £350 or less to make still they made millions of dollars over the years.
I love videos about these machines, massive and vintage. This reminds me of that professional S-VHS unit (I think it was a Panasonic?) that you were nursing back to life in a multi-part series a couple of years ago (a bunch of boards were bent, it was in pretty rough shape...) - did you end up finishing those videos and getting that unit to work?
I just did all of this to repair my Panasonic PV-1400. It’s my first time working on a VCR and I got everything up and running until I put it back together. Now it powers on and clock comes on but Eject, Play, Rewind, Fast Forward don’t seem to work. Any ideas?
Don't know if you still monitor this video. But I have an identical machine. Turns on but stays with STOP light illuminated. Pressing the other buttons doesnt seem to do anything. Any ideas of where to start troubleshooting?
I just opened a RCA VPT294...The belts were all soft/ stuck to the pulley wheels.I used rubber bands as belts.When I loaded a Tape...the mechanism that leads the tape on the drum did not advance.I watched another video where a node switch problem was the culprit. DOES THIS SOUND ABOUT RIGHT? Sure it could be a number of things.This player uses 5 belts.I'd love to get it working again...I'm thinking the fidelity would be a plus(?)..but it is MONO... so I also wonder why I'm bothering..Mainly because I live Made in Japan equipment.I'll start by trying rubber bands for all 5 belts...and I'll clean the node switch.
That's a rebadged Panasonic PV-1750. I have the NV-7500 which is very similar to this. I have the SAMS manual for the VET650 and according to that, IC2004 (AN6343) in the servo board is the playback speed selector.
@@12voltvids Yeah ICs rarely fail, but the AN6350 drum servo IC went bad on my NV-7500 and caused the picture to wobble on NTSC (it was fine on PAL). Luckily I had a replacement from a scrap machine.
@@crashbandicoot4everr really? The servo ic does the same on ntsc and pal. Only difference is the speed and that is selected by resistors. Generally it is capacitors that fail. Namely the sample and hold cap.
@@12voltvids Yeah it's quite bizzare. I'm now wondering if I somehow reformed a bad cap with my soldering iron when I was replacing the chip. It's been 10 months since I did this and the machine still works fine though. I remember that the drum free run adjustment trimmer for the NTSC system was doing nothing, but the PAL adjustment was affecting the drum's speed as it should.
I have a newer Panasonic top loader VCR (PV-1220) and everything works fine on it except for the rewind/search function. It tries to do something when you press the button, because the picture pauses and goes staticky like it normally would when rewinding, but the tape never moves. When you let go of the button it goes back to playing the tape. Fast-forward/search works fine though, and the high-speed rewind and fast-forward both work fine. Do you have any idea what the problem with it is? Edit: I tried it without a tape in there and RW/search does make the left-hand spindle turn, but very slowly, about like if it were playing in reverse at 1x speed. When a tape is in there it apparently doesn't have enough torque to move it, yet high-speed RW works fine. Is a different mechanism at work for high-speed RW vs. RW/search?
@@12voltvids Thanks. I cleaned the idler tire with isopropyl alcohol, along with the surface on the left-hand spindle that it engages when rewinding, and RW/search works now, though it's still on the slow side, about 2x speed. Maybe that's just the speed it's supposed to be, because FF/search, which has been working all along, is about 2x speed too. I wish I could get the top cover off this thing but it refuses to come off, and I have no idea why. There are only 2 screws in the back holding it on, and when I remove them I can easily pull the right-hand side of the top cover backwards and then up off the locking tabs, but the left-hand side will only move backwards about 1/8" no matter how hard I pull on it, not enough to free it from the locking tabs.
@@12voltvids There aren't any hidden screws; something just seems to be jammed on one side. If there were hidden screws, the right-hand side wouldn't be about to move, but I can easily slide it back and up off the locking hooks, and the left side wouldn't be able to move either (I can move it back about 1/8" before it won't go any farther). Also, I asked someone about it who did a video on a rebadged version of my VCR, and he confirmed that there are only 2 screws to remove and his top cover comes right off with ease.
Hi Dave, great video. I just bought this exact model and the incandescent light is out. Any detail on replacing? I could be open to selling it as well. Might be above my level of knowledge. Thanks, Andrew
Anybody know why they got rid of the LP speed on the later models? Even my 1984 Panasonic PV-8000 probable can do LP recording but my Sony SLV-N50 won't.
Exactly why should i if they are working? Not every caoacuitr will fail. Amateur's do because they don't know battery. The pros know which ones cause trouble and have test gear. It's not like this is being put back in service. After the shoot it was put back in the box where it remains. It's a collector piece these days. How many can say they have a VCR of this vintage that still works? I'll haul it out some day and make a comparison video to compare the record quality vs newer machines, betamax, 8mm, hi8 DV betacam SP, 3/4 umatic ect.
Question for 12volt. I have a VET650 VCR I bought at an estate sale and found it in the original box with all the accessories and packaging. Looks like it was never used. I tested it and it only will fast forward & reverse. So I took it to my repair shop and Lou who has done some work for me before said it a couple minor issues which will cost $180.00 to repair. My question is do you have any idea of value I want to make sure it's worth the money to repair it. Also thank you for your video it helped me a lot.
Well I wouldn't spend $180 on a machine like that but what do I know. I sold a service working JVC top loader a couple years ago and got $150 for it but that was including shipping it down to Seattle. I thought it did okay I think out of the out of the money I made maybe $75 and the other 75 was for the shipping and I thought it did okay making 75 bucks on an old machine. If someone came and offered me a hundred bucks for this one it would be sold so fast.
I have an old sanyo top loader Everything works good except that the contrast seems to be very low. Other vcr connected to the same tv show much higher contrast. What can cause that? I am not aware of any tuning on a vcr that influences contrast?
@@ilanurielilanuriel I have a 9350 which is almost identical. There are many adjustments in the luminance signal circuit that will affect the picture and should be set using a scope and the service manual. You can usually eyeball the adjustments but it will take you some time to do it.
@@crashbandicoot4everr I have the service manual Can you specify which one of them relates to a pail picture? Btw, how do you get hold on these multi system vcr versions? I never see them on ebay
@@ilanurielilanuriel If the picture is too bright, try reducing the level with the playback level adjustment. Multi system machines were sold officially here in Greece. The 9350 is just a PAL/SECAM version of the 9300. The 9455 supports NTSC playback.
And not just 200+ lines, also without any level of VHS HQ picture processing whatsoever. Of course, yeah, this is a model from 1981, so that predates HQ by a few years.
Hq did nothing to improve horizontal frequency response. Sp speed could manage about 230 lines and ep was closer to 200. Betamax did 240. It is the FM carrier frequency and deviation that sets the resolution. Hq just added extra white clip overshoot and cranked up the sharpness. It didn't increase the actual detail. Svhs and svhs et did. But this also made the recordings incompatible with standard equipment.
@@12voltvids _"Hq did nothing to improve horizontal frequency response."_ I beg your pardon, but I never said that it did. HQ did help apparent picture quality, but it obviously could not record more picture information beyond what VHS was technically capable of, nor could it add any more information than what's already recorded on the tape. With VHS, I find that it looks better with HQ than without it. Ironically, one of the best looking VHS HQ machines I owned was a Sony SVO-160. But, of course, Beta had a better picture, and did it without something like VHS HQ.
@@Watcher3223 that's right. On record it clipped the white level harder and on playback cranked up the top end. It actually degrades the picture if you copied the tape. Machines came out with an edit switch to disable it.
@@12voltvids Yep. My old SVO-160 had an edit switch and it did disable HQ. My old SLV-R1000 also had such a switch. Thinking of my R1000, I kind of wished I kept it because it did work great once I got it repaired. But after a while, I wanted S-VHS ET.
I'm not up on JVC model numbers as the shop i worked at was an RCA Panasonic and Sony dealer. We became a Toshiba and JVC dealer after RCA went down the crapper. (Thompson acquisition )
@@markpirateuk It's actually a Panasonic. It's very similar to the NV-7000 and 7200 sold in the UK. The Ferguson machines of the same vintage were all JVC.
@@markpirateuk Concurring with others here, this one is a Panasonic. A crap ton of stuff in this machine has Matsushita part numbers as well as Matsushita branding all over the parts and boards. And the VHS transport in this machine is a Panasonic, through and through. All early generation RCA machines were made by Matsushita Electric. JVC never made an RCA machine, at least not in the 70s and 80s. Although this specific machine being serviced is a 2-4-6 speed machine (SP/LP/SLP or EP), the very first RCA VHS VCRs were 2 and 4 hour speed machines. JVC would never make those because the 4 hour speed was not developed by them, despite being "the Inventor of VHS." At the time RCA expressed interest in VHS and JVC wasn't open to developing a longer tape speed when inquired, RCA would go around JVC to their corporate parent at the time, Matsushita, and got the cooperation of Panasonic/National to develop the 4 hour speed for NTSC VHS. As such, the first RCA VCRs were all made by Matsushita, and they continued to make VCRs for RCA until they started having machines made by Hitachi. This is why JVC refers to the 4 hour speed as "the bastard" and begrudgingly supported the speed for playback only later on, and only with very limited utility (pause/still as well as visual search functions would blank the picture out on a lot of JVC-made machines). Eventually, JVC would develop the 6 hour speed and the electronics industry, including RCA, would incorporate that speed in their VHS models. AFAIK, in North America, RCA Corporation had machines manufactured for them by Panasonic, Hitachi, and Samsung. With RCA under Thomson, you had those three along with some machines from the 90s incorporating Toshiba VHS transports.
Way back in the 90s after IDE hard drives had been on the market a few years, we said that IDE = "I Die Easily" because superior SCSI drives would prac last forever by comparison.
@@12voltvids - Well... actually that would be SAS (Enterprise) vs SATA (Desktop). But sure, I get your point. ;-) SCSI was an enterprise protocol/standard with better performance, reliability, expandability and durability while IDE was designed for desktop with less performance and expense. The same goes for SAS vs SATA, albeit with a bit less of a difference.
@@RustyTheGeek my first non linear editir used uw scsi drives. 5000 for a 9 gig drive, 10,000 rpm. Scsi small computer serial interface. Sata serial ata. Ide intelligent drive electronics which was a parallel direct memory access protocol if memory serves correct. Then there were the ancient mfm and rll interfaces from the 80s.
@@12voltvids Yeah, I still remember most of the acronym stuff too. SAS actually evolved from SCSI and uses some of the same fundamental protocols. SATA is very similar to SAS but lacks many of the advanced features SAS offers. IDE was renamed PATA after SATA came out to help differentiate them. The connector for SATA was a massive improvement!
Vintage VCR : history vintage, panasonic made a top loader 1983 , panasonic VCR the knob tuned VCR, panasonic Vintage they channel touch channel like the RCA,
🐌Bonnie wee beastie! Years ago, we found a JVC toploader with buttons that look like they belong on the side of Partridge Family bus. Used to find loads of VCRs 'released in the wild' on our walks in the neighborhood. Was working last time we played with it nearly a decade (yikes!) ago... th-cam.com/video/0L7K6sHDwTw/w-d-xo.html Probably shouldn't be asking Jesus where €-clips went off to. That's Saint Anthony's job... (help, St Anthony, look around... something's lost that can't be found!) 😃
Machines of this vintage are my favorite to watch you fix. There certainly aren’t many people working on stuff like this anymore, especially techs with your level of experience. Can’t wait for part 2!
Part 2 is on patreon now. Soon to all
Make that "...a top of the *line* machine in *its* day"... and it's amazing that RCA had already gone through multiple generation of VHS machines by the time they finally introduced their CED player in 1981, which had been in development since the 1960s.
That's because they couldn't get the ced player to work. Even once they released it, it didn't work.
Aha, 2 favorit Tubers in one comment 😀👌. Both your work matters a lot in my daily life. If i had a milion to give i would.
Also, people mistake the CED format as "SelectaVision", when in fact SelectaVision VCRs were first released in 1977, long before CED.
@@crashbandicoot4everr RCA marketed both VHS and CED as "SelectaVision". The name was originally meant for CED, but it was delayed so long that they used it on their VHS VCRs first.
If it wasn’t for that technology, we wouldn’t have today what we have.
You all worked so hard then to keep it going too.. Thank you!!🙂
Plus it's way more fun to watch in action than a DVD or streaming media player. 😉
AND... it's fixable.
I had one of those 1978 models with piano keys, got it as a demonstrator in 1978 for $850. The kids ran that thing for many hours. When my oldest son passed away in 2004, that machine was in his bedroom and still worked. We used to make good equipment in this country.
I had a 1979 model, mine was about 2000. Plastic gears finally split.
"....in this country." ? You're kidding, right?
My family's first VCR was the RCA VGT-200, purchased from a store called Gemco in 1982. For a VCR with linear mono audio, it sounded great in SP.
That would have been a 1983 model.
My Dad had a top loader believe it was an RCA was not here for long. It was fun seeing it as a top loader, it had a light creamy facia.
I still own an RCA 600. My first VHS machine that didn't have visual fast forward or visual rewind and with piano key like controls. My second machine was a 650 just like the one in your video. Great machine for time shifting during their time. Great to see a 650 being worked on.
#me too
What a fantastic old machine Dave !!
I'm jealous that you got this far with this. I had one of these a couple of years ago, with the same two seized pivot points as yours had, and despite solving that issue, it still wouldn't go into play mode. It would sit fully loaded with the pinch roller engaged, but the solenoid wouldn't engage, and after a few seconds it would give up and unload. No change when I cleaned the mode switch. My guess was it had something wrong with the mode detection circuitry. I'm glad I was able to give it to a fellow VCR enthusiast - fixing it was way over my pay grade.
I have actually fully finished this one. The video will be going up tonight for patreon viewers and released to everyone at a later date.
I have a different model by the same brand from 1978 that I just got today. For the most part it works with picking up the signal from my digital to analog broadcast converter box hooked up to the tuner of the machine, the clock lights up, the little incandescent light in the tape area turns on, and I even notice the drum heads still spin in there. But when I insert a tape and press play, I'll hear something but the tape won't turn, but will turn back a bit when I press stop. I also made sure the dew light was off when I put in a tape to play and had the speed switch turned to the designated one for the tape.
I’m waiting on the delivery of an original (Mastsushita/Panasonic) National Maclord NV-8800. The same deck that was rebranded in the states as the RCA VBT-200.
The seller said it’s stuck in rewind mode. I’m hoping it’s something simple like the levers being stuck.
But at the very least I’ve watched enough of your videos to have a go at popping mine open and seeing if there’s anything obvious I can fix.
Thanks for your inspiring videos! ❤
I had the VFT650. Wireless remote for the first time!!!! These were decent machines. When it was new the reel take up motor developed a fault where it would cause skipping that was especially notable at the SLP speed. It was giving too much torque pulling the tape too hard. But at the same time the CED disc came out giving us RCA being the acronym for Real Crappy Appliances.
The thing's older than me (only by a few months) & it's got tactile button controls... Very fancy, and a top loader too... I want one! lol if it could be made to run off 240/50 and record/playback PAL i'd be asking for shipping quotes! Looks like a very well made piece of machinery, and definitely tough as old boots. Sit for who knows how long & all it's needed so far is a clean and lube really. Looking forward to the next installment, hopefully a simple fix.
See if you can find a National/Panasonic NV-7000/7200/7500/7800 or Blaupunkt RTV-200/222/224. They are all PAL and very similar to this RCA.
The unit is fixed. If you are a patreon viewer you will see it before anyone else. Going up tonight. 1 capacitor, just a point of find 1 cap out of 400!
@@crashbandicoot4everr thanks, i'll give those a search out. Currently in the process of trying (once again!) to identify the Pioneer seperates system I had handed down from my dad (and him from his dad previously) as a kid. So far I've got that the amp looked very similar to an SA-520 but it was brushed anodized black & I don't recall it having a VFD just LED selector lights. If I ever get back out of this rabbit hole though, that's very much appreciated info!
Dave, wish I could afford patreon as I'd join for sure to help support the madness lol Glad it's sorted though, sounds like fun, finding that cap must have been a bit like finding this damn amp model!
I think it's hilarious to think of any vcr as an antique, LOL! I remember our first VCR was a top loader with dials to change the channels on the tv with. Then they came out with the kind that had those little tuning coils for each channel to "set" the channel like you'd do on old push button radios from the 40's and we got one of those...a GE in 1984 if I remember right. The last one I ever owned was in the late 90's and it was a sears Series LXI 4 head hifi stereo VCR. I bought my first DVD player in 1999 (also a GE that doubled as a karaoke machine having two mic inputs for cd+graphics discs) but it had one problem I didn't find out about for a year until I discovered there were certain dvd titles it absolutely refused to play. I noticed all of the ones that wouldn't play came packaged in those half paper/half plastic cases and they were all Warner Bros. releases, the first being "Deep Blue Sea". By the time I figured out which discs wouldn't play I had 3 movies like that, lol. I kept that player till about 2003 so it was a few years until I got to watch those movies. :)
I had one of those It was a good machine, actually it was my first VCR
OMG! That model was the first VCR is ever repaired for a fee! it was the little tape sense light-bulb! my business exploded when word got out that I fixed VCR's So many $3500 units cam through my little shed! In the 80's no-one local here in Vancouver was into fixing them, and I just left the Shaw Community TV station after learning what I could about tape machines.
Pure Gold was back in Vancouver!
Well I was in the area. I worked for Sony in 83 and went on to work for a large servicing dealer for full factory authorization accreditation. I made big time money fixing TVs VCRs and Stereo equipment. The shop I was at did about 400,000 a year in service. There were 3 of in the shop for years, then 2, then it was just me and I had to get out because I just couldn't afford to work there anymore. Lot of money though, my friends were jealous. I actually worked for 2 shops. I worked for the large shop, and did work at home for the competition across the street. The guy from that shop would bring me VCRs every night and I would fix them at home, and he would pick them up the next day. My boss never found out about me double dipping working for the competition. I did it because it was the competition that I had worked at when I was in high school, and the guy in there had taught me everything he knew about tube TVs as there were still plenty of them around in the late 70's and into 80s but he wasn't busy enough to hire me full time. So I got a job at Sony for a year and then ended up across the street from the guy that taught me so much, I returned the favour by doing his VCRs right up to when he sold the shop. The new owners ran the shop into the ground an closed within a year.
Much more exciting than a power bar.
This is the VCR I learned from the most, they were piano type mostly, easy to replace the bulb, kinda.. That VCR type(as Panasonic omnivision) was what we learned about mechanically..
i had an RCA vcr like that in 1997, it had a very sharp picture
our first VCR had a wired remote control, it was an Emerson if i remember right.
had one! in 2000 or so,still worked
Does it still work? This one does, fully now.
In 1986 I bought the top of the line RCA HiFi stereo VCR.
I believe it was over $500.00 with 5 year extended warranty...
Thank God I bought that extended warranty cause it was broken constantly,, towards the 5 year mark I brought it to the authorized service center and they said no,, we're not touching it again, and that was the end of it...
My next VCR was a Mitsubishi HS-U55 which was $629 plus tax and the single best piece of electronics I've ever owned in my life..
The mitsubishi units did have their daemons. Dried grease that broke the plastic pinch arm that rode up and down the pole. I have several of their decks. HSU52,55, SVHS 62, 65 and 82. A few were branded electrohomo AVRJ04 and 05. Same as HSU 62 and82 if I remember. I have done videos on those. Also the explody capacitor in the linear power supply. Fish oil caps.
Those old Panasonics are indeed a work of art. They may be old but they're a dream to service, and they're fixable! I have later ('83-'84ish) but similar AG-6200, NV-8500 semi-pro tanks, plus a consumer NV-332 (two of these still toploaders). The bottom PCBs fold out to reveal the mech as seen here; it really doesn't get any easier than this. These things were built to last, unlike the junk produced in the 90s. The picture is remarkably good for VHS, even on the consumer model.
But on a reliability scale they were about a 3 out of 10. Newer machines were more like 9. When something broke the old machines were easy to get into which was a good thing because they were always breaking. The newer ones just kept on going. Eventually something would break and many times it was due to someone slamming a tape in, or a kid putting something in it (chicken bones. Grilled cheese sandwich) thank you American Express commercial. Alsop wet cleaners did a good job breaking machines. However, the newer machines were far more reliable despite plastic parts because there were so few mechanical and electrical parts compared to the old models that were full of machanical parts circuit boards completely loaded with parts and a few pounds of copper wire connecting everything. These museum pieces are good for show and that's about it. I bet if I hold this machine out and plugged it in something would be wrong with it they game despite it not being used since the video was made.
@@12voltvids Actually, those three Panas so far turned out to be among the most reliable gear I have here. I've had to replace a cap in the audio section of the NV-332, plus some belts in all three, but that's about it. Granted, I don't use them regularly. I also have two solid U-matics, but those are in another league.
By contrast, I have two identical JVC S-VHS decks from the 90s which are fantastic _when_ they work, but when they fail -- which happens very often -- they're absolute dogs. I've also had lots of agro with pricy but cheaply built 90s junk from Philips (notably "Turbodrive" models) and Grundig. I didn't even bother to repair those; they were tossed out after developing the same faults over and over within months.
In general I noticed the newer stuff has more PSU issues. I haven't had any such problems with the older Panas. Again, I don't stuff powered up for extended periods anymore, so YMMV.
@@NuGanjaTron I'm just going back to when my repair days when I was in the repair business. All those old machines were always coming in. Belts. Idler tires, incandescent tape end sensor bulbs, capstan motors (Hitachi) alignment (Mitsubishi). JVC were always junk. We called them junk very cheap. These old machines had so many parts compared to a modern one. Yes they would take more abuse but those that were in heavy use tended to spend more time at the repair shop. That was fine with me at 60 bucks a pop to repair them. They were easy to get into.
@@12voltvids Agreed, and experience is always appreciated. Was there anything that stood out in terms of reliability? Any particular models, brands or tape formats?
I've also got a specific (and slight OT) question: where are the magnets located in a capstan servo? I have one in a Mitsubishi that uses 3 hall effect generators (and 3-phase motor judging by the schematic). I see what appears to be either dust or a magnetic oxide coating on the rim of the motor flywheel -- is that a control track or are the magnets embedded in the plastic rim itself? The reason I'm asking is because I'm not sure I should clean that. Thanks!
I would have been 10 years old when this was manufactured. 😁
That was great, Dave. Most of the music videos on my YT channel were recorded in SP with my Panasonic PV-1750 which was the same as the unit you show here. I bought it new in Dec. of 1980 and always used good tape. YT viewers always think I used a TBC. I kept that big machine for 20-30 years after it finally failed and I wish I still had it. Best looking transfers seem to come from the original recording deck, huh?
Yes best transfers came from the VCR that made the transfer though every few years the equipment would get upgraded or repaired if a fault arrised. The upgrades were due to features that the VCR had. Commercial released tapes were copied on a stack and they could copy 10 or more tapes a time, with a big stack it could copy lots more but took alot of room. The equipment was not for consumers but publishing houses. It would cost you alot of money to buy one, around $12,000 it was a beast but had lots of functions and features you would not see on a normal VCR. You could get a VCR stack that could dub a 3 hour tape in high speed in 20 mins, a 4 hour in 40 mins. These weren't used until years later in the late 80's.
now this is a beast, few years older than i am
It is a beast. Some day someone will offer me something that I can't refuse and then it will be their beast. I had another one, an old JVC that was in my collection and one day out of the blue one of my viewers wanted to buy it. They made me an offer, I didn't take it, they came back with a higher offer I still didn't take it they made a third offer and then I thought to myself I'm stupid to keep saying no what the hell do I want this for and took it. Collector got what they were wanting and I got a stack of cash for it. That's what will happen with this one eventually I'm sure.
I have the exact same model from when I was a kid. Decided to try it out a year ago. Won't play and stops. Won't ff or rewind either. Opened it up today and saw the spindle pulleys weren't turning. It did eventually fast forward for a little while. Got the rubber bands out and plan to order more replacements. Will update if this fixed the issue later.
I had a Quasar VCR from 1980, top loader with the big piano key controls. The little light bulb looks just like the one in my Quasar. The thing must've weighed about 35 pounds. It had click-stop mechanical knobs for the TV tuner, with green back-lit numbers.
Sounds like the Panasonic PV-1200. Quasar was owned by Matsushita when this machine was made.
Yes that was the prior unit, and both were made by Matsushita (Panasonic). I had the RCA VCT201 myself. Bought it in 1979. Crank tuner and multi colored piano keys. I have a couple of piano key Sony Beta in my collection.
Wicked. Looking forward to the next part.
It's out. For patreon viewers.
This machine appears to be very similar to a National/Panasonic NV7000, I have two of them among my hoard of vintage electronics, the 7000 is SP only. These are great old boat anchors, look forward to the next installment 👍
I worked on many of those in the 80's and 90's.
This is a great video! I'm a sucker for the early piano key versions of which I have one '79 model restored and used for 80s action flicks. It looks like these beasts all are about to suffer from EOL panasonic capacitor death though as Jordan Pier explained recently. Not looking forward to changing those as these are stuffed to the brim with those.
I actually have a vcr from 1984 (it’s a Magnavox with soft touch buttons) but it’s way older than me and it works (I like old tech😁)
What a beauty. Not even a hint of SMD components
Smd components came a few years after this beast.
The more videos the merrier 👌 Stay awsome and thnx.
Well this is how i get paid. I certainly don't make any money actually fixing stuff. I Al lucky to break even on the physical repair.
YOU ARE GREATE CANADIAN MAN..LOVE THIS CHANNEL
In exactly half a month, I'll hopefully be 41 years old. Still running on original belts though 😆.
And in 9 years your warranty will be done.
First VCR was a VCT-201? Nice taste, my first was a PV-7450, works like it’s new all the time
My old 201 went in the bin years ago when nylon gears split. Oldest one i have now is this one.
That thing is a beauty
Well done 😀
Now that's not bad for such an old machine 😀
Not many dropouts on playback so the heads cant be too bad, and the static pad must still be grounding the heads ok.
And unlike newer vcr's it's caps must be roughly the right values. 41 year old caps.
Yes it does look like a heavy bugger, i could not move my laptop lol.
Unfortunately those purple and blue Matsushita capacitors tend to leak and corrode the boards. My NV-8600 and 7500 are loaded with them.
@@crashbandicoot4everr Oh yes that is true, but i expected the machine to have dead caps everywhere, but they cant be open circuit.
I have some pcbs from the old piano key machines and they dont seem to be leaking Yet! lol.
Any idiot can replace all the caps. Even though they will eventually fail. typically only 1 or 2 will cause trouble. This is where experience and troubleshoot skils come in. Finding that needle in a hayatack. For the amateur just go buy a bag of caps and replace them all.
@@12voltvids My Technics SU-Z1 integrated amp and NV-7500 VCR have plenty of visibly leaking caps but I don't really care because those machines still work and I don't think I will gain anything by replacing them lol.
I have VBT200 built Nov 1 1977 and manuals for it and also have SelectaVision VideoDisc Player.
Looks like a very early Panasonic vcr ( NV2000 ?? ) . Don't muck around. A full belt kit, pinch roller and a service on these old machines and most can be brought back into service. If you have worn upper drum assembly, these are also cheap as. Main problem can also be a worn lower drum assemble, but these vintage machines can take the abuse, unlike the present day equipment, also worth checking the mode switch. As for the reel motor, remove the motor and run up at a higher voltage 6 ~ 9 volts as you may have gummed up brushes or commentator.
I have a Quasar VH5300SE toploader that goes with my tube camera. I get video out from the rca jacks when using the camera, but not when I play a tape. is it supposed to be this way? Do I have to play tapes via the RF output and use the tuner module?
Video should output during play. If not then the machine has a problem which is certainly expected from something that is 44 old.
@@12voltvids I don't have audio either, no audio or video, but the transport seems to be functioning properly. Cleaned the heads... I don't even get static or garbled audio. I don't repair stuff to sell, I fix vintage gear when I can figure out how because I like using it.
@@12voltvids I think it's a relay. It's not switching away from video input during playback. I guess I'll just use it only for recording
I bought a new RCA VBT-200 back in 1978. Cost was $1K.
Wow, wonder how much it cost RCA to make the VCR's much have been way less than a $1000 dollars. Must have cost at least £350 or less to make still they made millions of dollars over the years.
It's gonna need a full re-cap
1
I love videos about these machines, massive and vintage. This reminds me of that professional S-VHS unit (I think it was a Panasonic?) that you were nursing back to life in a multi-part series a couple of years ago (a bunch of boards were bent, it was in pretty rough shape...) - did you end up finishing those videos and getting that unit to work?
No that one is not finished. It is a work in progress. I have a few of them. Lots of problems with it.
I have the Vct201 clone, the magnavox one. One gear inside is cracked and for years I can’t find a replacement.
Same thing happened to my vct201 and that is why i threw mine out.
I just did all of this to repair my Panasonic PV-1400. It’s my first time working on a VCR and I got everything up and running until I put it back together. Now it powers on and clock comes on but Eject, Play, Rewind, Fast Forward don’t seem to work. Any ideas?
Don't know if you still monitor this video. But I have an identical machine. Turns on but stays with STOP light illuminated. Pressing the other buttons doesnt seem to do anything. Any ideas of where to start troubleshooting?
Does the light in the tape compartment light up?
It's an incandescent bulb and if it burns out everything shuts down.
@@12voltvids Yes. That works. Big motor looking thing spins too.
I just opened a RCA VPT294...The belts were all soft/ stuck to the pulley wheels.I used rubber bands as belts.When I loaded a Tape...the mechanism that leads the tape on the drum did not advance.I watched another video where a node switch problem was the culprit. DOES THIS SOUND ABOUT RIGHT? Sure it could be a number of things.This player uses 5 belts.I'd love to get it working again...I'm thinking the fidelity would be a plus(?)..but it is MONO... so I also wonder why I'm bothering..Mainly because I live Made in Japan equipment.I'll start by trying rubber bands for all 5 belts...and I'll clean the node switch.
That's a rebadged Panasonic PV-1750. I have the NV-7500 which is very similar to this. I have the SAMS manual for the VET650 and according to that, IC2004 (AN6343) in the servo board is the playback speed selector.
Guaranteed to NOT be an IC at fault. More likely the level from CTRL head to the and or gate.
@@12voltvids Yeah ICs rarely fail, but the AN6350 drum servo IC went bad on my NV-7500 and caused the picture to wobble on NTSC (it was fine on PAL). Luckily I had a replacement from a scrap machine.
@@crashbandicoot4everr really? The servo ic does the same on ntsc and pal. Only difference is the speed and that is selected by resistors. Generally it is capacitors that fail. Namely the sample and hold cap.
@@12voltvids Yeah it's quite bizzare. I'm now wondering if I somehow reformed a bad cap with my soldering iron when I was replacing the chip. It's been 10 months since I did this and the machine still works fine though. I remember that the drum free run adjustment trimmer for the NTSC system was doing nothing, but the PAL adjustment was affecting the drum's speed as it should.
I have a newer Panasonic top loader VCR (PV-1220) and everything works fine on it except for the rewind/search function. It tries to do something when you press the button, because the picture pauses and goes staticky like it normally would when rewinding, but the tape never moves. When you let go of the button it goes back to playing the tape. Fast-forward/search works fine though, and the high-speed rewind and fast-forward both work fine. Do you have any idea what the problem with it is?
Edit: I tried it without a tape in there and RW/search does make the left-hand spindle turn, but very slowly, about like if it were playing in reverse at 1x speed. When a tape is in there it apparently doesn't have enough torque to move it, yet high-speed RW works fine. Is a different mechanism at work for high-speed RW vs. RW/search?
Idler tire or clutch depending if it is gear driven or idler driven.
@@12voltvids Thanks. I cleaned the idler tire with isopropyl alcohol, along with the surface on the left-hand spindle that it engages when rewinding, and RW/search works now, though it's still on the slow side, about 2x speed. Maybe that's just the speed it's supposed to be, because FF/search, which has been working all along, is about 2x speed too.
I wish I could get the top cover off this thing but it refuses to come off, and I have no idea why. There are only 2 screws in the back holding it on, and when I remove them I can easily pull the right-hand side of the top cover backwards and then up off the locking tabs, but the left-hand side will only move backwards about 1/8" no matter how hard I pull on it, not enough to free it from the locking tabs.
@@MaximRecoil hidden screws.
@@12voltvids There aren't any hidden screws; something just seems to be jammed on one side. If there were hidden screws, the right-hand side wouldn't be about to move, but I can easily slide it back and up off the locking hooks, and the left side wouldn't be able to move either (I can move it back about 1/8" before it won't go any farther).
Also, I asked someone about it who did a video on a rebadged version of my VCR, and he confirmed that there are only 2 screws to remove and his top cover comes right off with ease.
Hi Dave, great video. I just bought this exact model and the incandescent light is out. Any detail on replacing? I could be open to selling it as well. Might be above my level of knowledge. Thanks, Andrew
It's an 8 volt bulb
Anybody know why they got rid of the LP speed on the later models? Even my 1984 Panasonic PV-8000 probable can do LP recording but my Sony SLV-N50 won't.
I think you should also replace the electrolytic capacitor in the video head drum motor drive circuit and servo control.Please ignore if it's okay.
Exactly why should i if they are working? Not every caoacuitr will fail. Amateur's do because they don't know battery. The pros know which ones cause trouble and have test gear. It's not like this is being put back in service. After the shoot it was put back in the box where it remains. It's a collector piece these days. How many can say they have a VCR of this vintage that still works?
I'll haul it out some day and make a comparison video to compare the record quality vs newer machines, betamax, 8mm, hi8 DV betacam SP, 3/4 umatic ect.
I just got one of these and the bulb is burnt out. Any idea where to get a replacement or how to even replace it?
It's an 8 volt bulb. Any 8 to 9 volt incandescent pilot lamp with leads can be soldered into the base.
i did have an rca later but it had a fault dew sensor which rendered it unusable until the sensor was replaced
I have this player, the stop button stays on and want do anything else. The belt looks fine and the video head still spins, Any ideas? Thanks
Is the detection lamp lit?
@@12voltvids yes
I found a RCA VMT385 that appears to work but the rubber belts have disintegrated. Can I get new belts or can I send it to you for repair?
Question for 12volt. I have a VET650 VCR I bought at an estate sale and found it in the original box with all the accessories and packaging. Looks like it was never used. I tested it and it only will fast forward & reverse. So I took it to my repair shop and Lou who has done some work for me before said it a couple minor issues which will cost $180.00 to repair. My question is do you have any idea of value I want to make sure it's worth the money to repair it. Also thank you for your video it helped me a lot.
Well I wouldn't spend $180 on a machine like that but what do I know. I sold a service working JVC top loader a couple years ago and got $150 for it but that was including shipping it down to Seattle. I thought it did okay I think out of the out of the money I made maybe $75 and the other 75 was for the shipping and I thought it did okay making 75 bucks on an old machine. If someone came and offered me a hundred bucks for this one it would be sold so fast.
@@12voltvids thank you so much for the information I appreciate it you just save me some money I'll sell it for parts on eBay
I have a JVC SR-MV40 Super VHS / DVD Combo stuck with LOADING on the screen How can I fix that problem?
Have no idea.
Did the drum speed fix itself or did you work on it off-camera? I know you often put in little things like that to see who's paying attention.
It didn't fix itself. Watch part 2 to find our.
I have an old sanyo top loader
Everything works good except that the contrast seems to be very low.
Other vcr connected to the same tv show much higher contrast.
What can cause that? I am not aware of any tuning on a vcr that influences contrast?
A Sanyo top loader...now that would be a Betamax, right?
@@crashbandicoot4everr correct, Vtc9300.
@@ilanurielilanuriel I have a 9350 which is almost identical. There are many adjustments in the luminance signal circuit that will affect the picture and should be set using a scope and the service manual. You can usually eyeball the adjustments but it will take you some time to do it.
@@crashbandicoot4everr I have the service manual
Can you specify which one of them relates to a pail picture? Btw, how do you get hold on these multi system vcr versions? I never see them on ebay
@@ilanurielilanuriel If the picture is too bright, try reducing the level with the playback level adjustment. Multi system machines were sold officially here in Greece. The 9350 is just a PAL/SECAM version of the 9300. The 9455 supports NTSC playback.
I have a 1982 Panasonic NV-333-EE top loader vcr that probably needs some work but there is never time for it
I have one of these in the original box. I think it is missing the remote.
maybe the contacts inside the motor were just oxidized and by you spinning it manually you clean them up a little bit
WTF did I say?
And not just 200+ lines, also without any level of VHS HQ picture processing whatsoever.
Of course, yeah, this is a model from 1981, so that predates HQ by a few years.
Hq did nothing to improve horizontal frequency response. Sp speed could manage about 230 lines and ep was closer to 200. Betamax did 240. It is the FM carrier frequency and deviation that sets the resolution. Hq just added extra white clip overshoot and cranked up the sharpness. It didn't increase the actual detail. Svhs and svhs et did. But this also made the recordings incompatible with standard equipment.
@@12voltvids _"Hq did nothing to improve horizontal frequency response."_
I beg your pardon, but I never said that it did.
HQ did help apparent picture quality, but it obviously could not record more picture information beyond what VHS was technically capable of, nor could it add any more information than what's already recorded on the tape.
With VHS, I find that it looks better with HQ than without it. Ironically, one of the best looking VHS HQ machines I owned was a Sony SVO-160.
But, of course, Beta had a better picture, and did it without something like VHS HQ.
@@Watcher3223 that's right. On record it clipped the white level harder and on playback cranked up the top end. It actually degrades the picture if you copied the tape. Machines came out with an edit switch to disable it.
@@12voltvids Yep. My old SVO-160 had an edit switch and it did disable HQ. My old SLV-R1000 also had such a switch.
Thinking of my R1000, I kind of wished I kept it because it did work great once I got it repaired. But after a while, I wanted S-VHS ET.
Magnavox was actually worse especially when Philips got them as far is needing constant adjustment, Collaro changers were a prime example
Wasn't comparable JVC HR7300? It's been a long time since I saw one of those
I'm not up on JVC model numbers as the shop i worked at was an RCA Panasonic and Sony dealer. We became a Toshiba and JVC dealer after RCA went down the crapper. (Thompson acquisition )
It is made by JVC, I have some of the UK models.
@@markpirateuk this is most definitely Panasonic.
@@markpirateuk It's actually a Panasonic. It's very similar to the NV-7000 and 7200 sold in the UK. The Ferguson machines of the same vintage were all JVC.
@@markpirateuk Concurring with others here, this one is a Panasonic. A crap ton of stuff in this machine has Matsushita part numbers as well as Matsushita branding all over the parts and boards. And the VHS transport in this machine is a Panasonic, through and through.
All early generation RCA machines were made by Matsushita Electric. JVC never made an RCA machine, at least not in the 70s and 80s.
Although this specific machine being serviced is a 2-4-6 speed machine (SP/LP/SLP or EP), the very first RCA VHS VCRs were 2 and 4 hour speed machines. JVC would never make those because the 4 hour speed was not developed by them, despite being "the Inventor of VHS."
At the time RCA expressed interest in VHS and JVC wasn't open to developing a longer tape speed when inquired, RCA would go around JVC to their corporate parent at the time, Matsushita, and got the cooperation of Panasonic/National to develop the 4 hour speed for NTSC VHS. As such, the first RCA VCRs were all made by Matsushita, and they continued to make VCRs for RCA until they started having machines made by Hitachi.
This is why JVC refers to the 4 hour speed as "the bastard" and begrudgingly supported the speed for playback only later on, and only with very limited utility (pause/still as well as visual search functions would blank the picture out on a lot of JVC-made machines). Eventually, JVC would develop the 6 hour speed and the electronics industry, including RCA, would incorporate that speed in their VHS models.
AFAIK, in North America, RCA Corporation had machines manufactured for them by Panasonic, Hitachi, and Samsung. With RCA under Thomson, you had those three along with some machines from the 90s incorporating Toshiba VHS transports.
Chick Corea on the VHS video...haha
i must retract, mine was a Panasonic
I have also top loader NV340. Panasonic
Way back in the 90s after IDE hard drives had been on the market a few years, we said that IDE = "I Die Easily" because superior SCSI drives would prac last forever by comparison.
And yet sata is basically a scsi drive.
@@12voltvids - Well... actually that would be SAS (Enterprise) vs SATA (Desktop). But sure, I get your point. ;-) SCSI was an enterprise protocol/standard with better performance, reliability, expandability and durability while IDE was designed for desktop with less performance and expense. The same goes for SAS vs SATA, albeit with a bit less of a difference.
@@RustyTheGeek my first non linear editir used uw scsi drives. 5000 for a 9 gig drive, 10,000 rpm.
Scsi small computer serial interface. Sata serial ata. Ide intelligent drive electronics which was a parallel direct memory access protocol if memory serves correct. Then there were the ancient mfm and rll interfaces from the 80s.
@@12voltvids Yeah, I still remember most of the acronym stuff too. SAS actually evolved from SCSI and uses some of the same fundamental protocols. SATA is very similar to SAS but lacks many of the advanced features SAS offers. IDE was renamed PATA after SATA came out to help differentiate them. The connector for SATA was a massive improvement!
Vintage VCR : history vintage, panasonic made a top loader 1983 , panasonic VCR the knob tuned VCR, panasonic Vintage they channel touch channel like the RCA,
Oldest machine i've seen with a direct drive capstan...
This was the first year they used direct drive capstan motors.
👍👍😎✌️
My dad paid $1000 USD for it brand new
sorry I commented before I watched the whole video
I wonder what type or VHS the wealthy had in the 80’s. Probably some $5,000 piece of equipment.
Well in 1981 they had this VCR.
Maybe needs some new capacitors?
Well 1 anyway.
@@12voltvids I knew that ;-)
You know I am a punctual person and I am not a troll but 41 years is not an antique and you know that.
It is when it is a VCR. Now if it was a record player no, but the 1916 Edison I have certainly is.
Play back circuit issue vintage RCA VCR
🙂👍
🐌Bonnie wee beastie! Years ago, we found a JVC toploader with buttons that look like they belong on the side of Partridge Family bus. Used to find loads of VCRs 'released in the wild' on our walks in the neighborhood. Was working last time we played with it nearly a decade (yikes!) ago...
th-cam.com/video/0L7K6sHDwTw/w-d-xo.html
Probably shouldn't be asking Jesus where €-clips went off to. That's Saint Anthony's job... (help, St Anthony, look around... something's lost that can't be found!) 😃
Love your videos, but please clean your desk up just a little bit. Makes it easier to focus on the device.
Its a work bench. It's meant to look like a mess.
You are welcome to come over and clean it.
@@12voltvids I like it just the way it is 👍
Hahaha Jesus clip… exactly
I've had so many of those go flying, cut washers too...
It's a JC.
Wow i still got on.e