I appreciate you sharing your experience with us. I love your videos and always looking forward to watching and learning from them. thanks and God bless.
Thank you for making this video. I'm in the process of digitizing a whole bunch of my family's home videos made with a JVC VHS-C camera back in the 80's. A lot of them have been deteriorating over the years and it is time to digitize them and I was having issues with some of the tapes because there was no sound and some hissing noise coming out. Again, thanks again for helping a lot of people to correct this problem.
The big issue i have with VHS c is they came ewuipt with the EP speed. this should never have been an option. Same with 8mm and dv having an lp speed. Or perhaps a big warning that pops up on the screen every time a recording was started in EP warning the user that they may not be able to play their tape back in the future. EP on VHS and lp on 8mm and DV had zero guarantee that the tape could be played on any machine other than the machine that recorded it. You should see the look i get from clients when i have to spend 4 or 5 hours working at getting a recovery of some 8mm or digital tape recorded in LP and none of my machines will play it and the original camera is long gone. Not uncommon to charge 200 or more for a damaged or moldy tape.
This is exactly the guide I was looking for when I was trying to adjust the ACE on an old top loader - i think you did a video with a JVC with belt and SP/EP Relay issues recently. Question I have a Daewoo VHS/DVD which has overscan when planying VHS over HDMI, adjusting the lower guide moves the framing of the image as expected but doesn't get rid of the overscan - DVD doesn't have the problem.
This is good information for sure.... I adjusted the head on my Magnavox and took the lines out but it stopped recording. After watching this I'm thinking I need to adjust, align the tape on the recorder... to hopefully start the machine recording again. I'll give it a try. Thanks very much.
Thank You! My picture problems with my second hand Phillips DVP3350V was actually an audio problem! I tried to adjust the tape guides but no go; static bars kept coming from bottom and top. And the bloody audio sounded like an old black and white movie. I put in an old Rush concert tape from late 80´s and tried to play with the 3 screws that balance the audio head. BOOM! Word Hi-Fi appeared into display, those static bars are gone and sound is pure gold! No issues what so ever! Thanks! I would like to buy you a coffee, how we could do that? :-D If you ever visit Finland, pls message me and I buy a lunch! Keep up the great work, this channel rocks! Stay safe and Covid free!
The Akai VCR I have has a setting to mix the linear audio track with the hifi-track. This I think is perfect to allign the audio head and its correct when there is noch echo at all. Of course it depends how accurate the recording VCR was.
Yeah. I have 2 kiss exposed tapes. One pal and one ntsc. The ntsc has an echo when mixing hifi and linear on every vcr i tried. The pal one doesnt have that
Hey Mr 12voltvids! Thanks for this channel! I want to build a tape speed arduino-logger and log the tape speed from the audio head. The prupse of this is to later to take that log into postprocessing and alter the digital recording (adjust fps speed) and build a tbc. Question is: Do you have schematics for audio heads somewhere, do the audio head vary in build? Any exp with that?
So my VCR's audio works fine in a way that I can hear it crystal clear and there's no fuzz or buzzing noise when playing, however there is a weird ticking noise that comes in and out when the audio is playing. Imagine watching a random VHS and you hear "tik tik tik" everytime. sometimes you can't hear it but it's there and it sometimes goes from soft ticks to a bit more louder ticks, then goes away for .5 seconds the comes back.
Thanks for this tutorial demonstration. Is it true that if the audio head isn't clean enough or out of alignment, the vhs won't be able to properly read the tape to determine to play it in sp mode, or lp or ep mode? Rendering the picture quality static or blue screen and slows the video way down. I was told that could be a possible reason why my video speed slows down and the picture gets static and blue screen more often than not.
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.
That brings back some interesting memories, oh that soft VHS picture. I know I’ve got a Panasonic NV-HD600 HiFi machine that I bought new in I think 1998, that’s always been a bit strange, if you record a tape in that machine and play back in that machine, the picture and sound are good, but if you play that tape in another machine the picture is fine but the sound is distorted, and likewise if you take a tape recorded in another machine and play in the NV-HD600, the sound will be distorted... I think it’s an issue with alignment. When it was new I sent it back for warranty service, they said it was the NICAM board, then obviously recorded something in that machine and then played it back, and went yep all OK. Even now that machine has low operating hours, so I’ll try to delve into what’s going on but I’m thinking it’s an alignment problem. It’s a HiFi machine. I went to use it a while ago and it’s got mode switch problems now, so there’s more to look at on that one besides the sound.
Adjustment of the CTL head without special test equipment may be done "by ear and by sight" (since it also controls playback tracking as well as linear audio) to get a reasonable (or "near-enough") result.
Mostly by ear as modern machines with auto tracking will adjust the service for highest rf waveform. So you are fighting against it unless you select manual tracking. The audio quality will dial you in close enough.
This was the explanation I was looking for! But I have a problem... the screw with the spring in it... well, the spring is missing (the VCR is years old...). Trying to find something to replace it...
Love the vcr and vhs videos! A video i'd like to see it's the difference between a cheap or entry level vhs camera versus a professional ibe. Mostly in picture diference, resolution and noise from the sensor when recorded to VHS. Mostly because I see theres a difference buy dunno how much of a difference.
Well I could do this as I still have a couple of broadcast quality cameras here. Both are 3CCD types. My broadcast JVC ENG camera I believe is broken, at least the tape transport it. Only has about 500 hours on it and it broke. JVC = Junk Very Cheap. It wasn't cheap though, that camera and tripod cost me 10 grand 20 years ago.
Amazing, @@12voltvids! Thanks in advance, Dave! I would love to see that! If you could put some printed test pattern too, would be amazing to see how each captures more or less details or with wich things has issues a entry level versus a professional. This doubt came to me the other day, 'cause I have a old JVC GR-AX30 and I was transfering tapes to digital and when compared to my other JVC GR-SXM747UM (sure, it's SVHS-C but I used common VHS-C's) the difference it's quite noticiable. Plus in the captures with the AX30 I noticed a lot of gain noise in low light and other artifacts... It's like if the sensor resolution was a lower than the ntsc standard and then scaled to "fit the tape". I don't know if I make sense, maybe you got the idea of what I try to say. PS: Sorry the bad english
Hi, I follow you often and with pleasure in your repair business. I would like to ask if you can help me understand the problem I have on one of my two Panasonic NV-F75s, as it has fluctuating and slightly perceptible audio noise and sometimes much more evident when changing vhs and which drags on especially under sounds or voices when they are stronger. The audio tracking seems to work perfectly, the green light immediately turns green but fluctuated noise present, only intervening with manual tracking solves the problem but removing hi-fi soud. The other Panasonic NV-F75 in all conditions and with the same videotapes never shows the problems that the first already mentioned has. I want to clarify that I have replaced the capacitors on the power supply module for both. Could you give me indications on these problems if they are electronic and mechanical in nature? Thank you very much in advance for any indication you can give me, I continue follow you with pleasure. Regards.
Thank you so much! It was very informative plus I had an issue and I didn't know what it was you explained it very well and did a great job! Thank you so much.
@12voltvids Please help me. I have a National (Panasonic) NV-F50 Hi-Fi high-end VCR VHS. It plays, the sound is superb BUT there is noise/snow on playback with any tape I play on it. I've tried cleaning the heads using IPA.
So, I've been trying to find help with this but so far my help has been unsuccessful. I have this VCR that plays SP tapes beautifully, but it constantly skips with SLP tapes. I wanted to digitize some old VHS tapes from my parents but they're unwatchable. I noticed that every second or so, the VCR switches back to SP speed for a very slight frame of time and then goes back to SLP, it does that constantly and, while it might stop for a couple of minutes, it eventually goes back to doing it again. Any idea what could be wrong? I assume it has to do with the control area of the head not reading the tape properly or something, but the screws for the head on my VCR are in completely different places and one of them is glued.
@@12voltvids It's an RCA VRS620. Thing is, finding information about this machine is nearly impossible, at least Google searching it gets no results, not even a picture of what the VCR looks like. I assume it's just a generic thing with the RCA logo. It also needs a change of bulb since it doesn't detect when tapes start and end and a belt change since it can't fast forward or rewind properly.
Anything can happen. The head doesn't get our I'd alignment. No head do, only by people sticking a screwdriver in thinking they can do better than the manufacture.
My vhs cannot play linear audio. hifi audio works fine, but linear audio does not play I ran the tape to the other vhs, and it's working fine. The product name is sharp vc - es20b. I can't get the manual at all and I must repair it. Please help me to check which parts are good! You are the only hope.
The tape that's been recorded in mono, There's no sound, only a "sneak" sound. Mono audio head is clean and clean, but it is the same symptom. Mono audio cable is normal. It's hard to find anyone with this repair technology in our country. I need your help.
I have a JVC HR-S3500U S-VHS VCR with a similar problem, when I first set up the VCR and played back a few tapes that I already have, the audio was fine. But when I started recording tapes in EP mode, for the "linear" mono audio track when played back, it would sound wobbly every 10 to 12 seconds or so. Unfortunately, the issue also affected some of my pre-recorded EP tapes after the fact, where it does the same thing. What could the issue be?
What if I record a Beta tape on one machine, then play it back on another machine, and the machine doesn't pick up the control track, but, if I mess up the azimuth of the head up to the point where the sound is muffled, the machine tracks up? The way I do it is I record a 7KHz sine wave using known-good machine and then play it back on the target machine and then adjust the azimuth.
Mine is Phillips VR997 and I have a tracking problem on some of my VHS. After I figured that the Audio Control head That muffles the audio, I adjusted it, but the video has problems with tracking. I can't even adjust the two screws (white cylinder and the top Cross head), so how I can even adjust it?
Gee I love your videos! Tons of great info. Which leads to my question: the audio out of my vcr just failed completely. No normal or hifi audio, picture is still perfect. Got any ideas? Thanks again!!!
fighting with a flat screwdriver in dual (flat/cross head) screw is a bit painful. showing most possible mistakes of "over/undersetting" the 3 lift-screws makes it somewhat transparent for the viewer. Nevertheless, a bit more commenting "what actually is wrong now" would have helped. i have to confess that "during those days" for the simpler machines we used to do it "by headphone" quicker than conncting the scope and looking for audio level and ctl-level. (especially since no one had spectrum analyzer scopes back then, so it was just a single sinusoidal 1kHz which was not the most perfect for the adjustment. And then you needed to switch tapes anyways for the lipsync adjust....
I have a Pana Super VHS that I use for digitizing. More or less from one day to another, the audio that comes out suffere from phase problems. Like if a powerful comb filter has been inserted on the left and right channel separately. Could this be as simple as a missalign issue of the audio head, and if so, why did it appear from out of nowhere? (The vcr has been stationary for yrs.) Thanks in advance!
I screwed up mine and have been messing with it for hours and cant seem to get it right can you give me any pointers? Sound was off now the picture is all jerky
I have an LG LV880 which has every guide and head out of alignment, killing me, even damaged the bottom edge of one of the tapes I need to recover, is it beyond hope?
Hello i have a problem with my VCR hopefully you can help me out, when i press play the everything works fine head spins but when the tapes touches the heads the head stops spinning then everything else rotates but slow and paused. Help!! Its a Panasonic omnivision tech4 pv-730 the one made in 1984 thanks!!
I still don't understand how control track works and why it's needed since this video prove that even with misaligned audio/control head, the machine is able to auto adjust the tracking. Can you please explain how control track and tracking are related to each other? What each control pulse tells to machine? is each pulse start of frame? Also how tracking adjustment is done - is it by slightly changing the speed of the video drum (changing phase) or by slightly changing the speed of the tape? Because I remember when manually adjusting tracking there was change in audio - like if it was slow down slightly for a short time.
The control track is the electronic equivalent to the sprocket holes on film. It is used on VHS, beta, umatic and open reel vtr of all formats. It is not used on 8mm, hi8, digital 8 or any DV format. The control track job is to mark where vertical sync is. This is the point where the heads switch from one head to the other. It serves 2 jobs. One is to tell the playback machine what speed the tape is recorded at. It is also pulsed typically only at the start of the "A" field. This way the VCR knows which head to position to the start of the video track. The tracking control shifts a delay which changes the phase of the capstan motor to shift the start of the video frame. Speed is detected as the speed is 30hz coming off the head so if the frequency is 90hz when the machine starts the speed detector knows it is an ep speed tape and slows down the capstan speed. Newer machines use an envelope detector to measure the rf coming off the tape to maximize so the ctl is not used to the same degree except to detect the speed and the presence of a signal. Of no ctl the VCR generally shows a blue screen. It is still used even on auto tracking machines to detect the start of field "A" otherwise the tracking could track up on the odd fields. Picture would play but it wouldn't look very good. So it is still needed. 8mm and DV don't use a control track. They use a pair of pilot tones recorded on the tape to steer the correct head to the correct track. Called auto track finding. The v2000 system in Europe used a similar system.
@@12voltvids Thank you for detailed explanation. Yes, I knew it is also used for speed detection. So generally, is it possible to play a tape if control track is missing? I think it is possible on old machine with manual tracking control - or am I wrong?
@@Felix2417425 I once messing around a vcr's ace head, and simply FORGOT to reconnect its flex cable when done. It does play fine for a few second before picture starts to roll for a moment, then religns itself, and the cycle continues. I believe the vcr's servo/auto tracking was working hard trying to do its job relying only on rf feed from the head alone - sort of. So yes, it may play to a certain degree without control track but not that long. (Took me a while to figure out why the rolling pic&no sound at all!😅)
hi, great vid. im trying to find a solution to my audio popping problem. i have a a hifi vcr and every film has a popping sound during the highs. its part of my old school hifi setup and i have tried everything to get rid of the pops( even got a different vcr) and nothing helps. have you ever encountered this problem before?
Crackling sound during loud passages is usually the hifi heads wearing out. The audio is FM and on loud sounds the deviation is greatest. Worn heads can't capture all the bandwidth and dropouts is the result. Same with video heads. You see it on bright sharp edged scenes first like titles over a black background.
i was just wondering what causes the brake and pinch roller solenoid to get very hot and what is the cure in a teac a-1200 -u reel deckthank you and love your channel
There are mechanical switches that activate when the solenoid is closed that opens and allows a current limit resistor to be put in series with the solenoid coil. The switch is closed with the solenoid is not activated and shorts the resistor. When the power is applied full power goes to the solenoid to pull it in, then the switch opens to reduce the current as it doesnt take as much current to hold solenoid in. If the switch fails to open the current limiter isn't switched in and the coil will overheat.
@@12voltvids thank you very much for the information I also noticed when the solenoids got hot after I was playing a tape for 25 minute the play button was released and looked in the service manual and saw a mini solenoid that releases the transport keys when there is an issue like this to protect the unit
@@12voltvids hello thank you for the very fast reply I did notice by the take up reel hub that there was a switch that when is put into any function is turned on and that activates the hub brakes and the only time the solenoid is functioning is in play mode I do not see any switch that gets released the only switch is the break one and I have a factory modified unit so it might be different there are no fuses for the solenoid section there is a jumper and two people told me the transport release is a safety feature what do you think I trust you
@@12voltvids hello there is a switch near the take up hub and that is the only switch I see other then the captain motor switch and shut off when the play or ffwrd or rew are used that switch gets turned on could that switch be the problem thank you again all the best have a great week
i have a tape that has several years of home movies - one section of the tape, isolated to one specific record session - has sped up audio and flickering of the video. When i digitize this section of the tape I can slow it down to 80% and it appears to normalize the audio. I suspect this one section of the tape might have been recorded in a slower speed. Is there a reason why the VCR would not be auto detecting the proper tracking? I saw that the control head looked to be peaking out from under the tape so I raised the head - it didn't fix the issue. My VCR, Mitsubishi HS-U790 doesn't have a manual tracking mode. Any ideas?
Likely the tape was recorded at LP or EP. By default many machines went to the slowest EP speed when they were plugged in and you have to change them to sp using remote. Personally i think every machine should have defaulted to the sp best quality speed but what to I know. The speed is detected by reading the control track. If bottom of the tape damaged and the ctrl track can not be read it will go to the sp speed
@@12voltvids yeah that’s what I am thinking. Unfortunately this deck doesn’t let me manually change speeds. I can slow it down in editing software but there are flashes of static every 30 frames or so. Looks like I might need to take the tape to a transfer place to see if they can do better. Thanks for the reply.
@@cannedjam6191 My tapes recorded in the mid 1990's do the same thing, but I know the cause behind it. The VCR that was used to record those tapes, was a low-end unit with 2 video heads. Plus if I recall, it never got a head cleaning and it was out of track too. It always had a static bar at the top of the video, and the tapes were recorded in EP mode. Those tapes when played on my Sony and Zenith VCRs, always switch from EP and SP playback back and forth. Lol
Just saved my VCR/DVD combo that started acting up after a move. Thank you!!! 🙌
I appreciate you sharing your experience with us. I love your videos and always looking forward to watching and learning from them. thanks and God bless.
You are so welcome!
I just now adjusted my vcr audio with this method. Thank you.
Thank you for making this video. I'm in the process of digitizing a whole bunch of my family's home videos made with a JVC VHS-C camera back in the 80's. A lot of them have been deteriorating over the years and it is time to digitize them and I was having issues with some of the tapes because there was no sound and some hissing noise coming out. Again, thanks again for helping a lot of people to correct this problem.
The big issue i have with VHS c is they came ewuipt with the EP speed. this should never have been an option. Same with 8mm and dv having an lp speed. Or perhaps a big warning that pops up on the screen every time a recording was started in EP warning the user that they may not be able to play their tape back in the future. EP on VHS and lp on 8mm and DV had zero guarantee that the tape could be played on any machine other than the machine that recorded it. You should see the look i get from clients when i have to spend 4 or 5 hours working at getting a recovery of some 8mm or digital tape recorded in LP and none of my machines will play it and the original camera is long gone.
Not uncommon to charge 200 or more for a damaged or moldy tape.
This is exactly the guide I was looking for when I was trying to adjust the ACE on an old top loader - i think you did a video with a JVC with belt and SP/EP Relay issues recently. Question I have a Daewoo VHS/DVD which has overscan when planying VHS over HDMI, adjusting the lower guide moves the framing of the image as expected but doesn't get rid of the overscan - DVD doesn't have the problem.
Gosh.. That brings back memories...
This a nice companion video for your tape path alignment adjustment video!
This is good information for sure.... I adjusted the head on my Magnavox and took the lines out but it stopped recording. After watching this I'm thinking I need to adjust, align the tape on the recorder... to hopefully start the machine recording again. I'll give it a try. Thanks very much.
Thank You! My picture problems with my second hand Phillips DVP3350V was actually an audio problem! I tried to adjust the tape guides but no go; static bars kept coming from bottom and top. And the bloody audio sounded like an old black and white movie. I put in an old Rush concert tape from late 80´s and tried to play with the 3 screws that balance the audio head. BOOM! Word Hi-Fi appeared into display, those static bars are gone and sound is pure gold! No issues what so ever! Thanks! I would like to buy you a coffee, how we could do that? :-D If you ever visit Finland, pls message me and I buy a lunch! Keep up the great work, this channel rocks! Stay safe and Covid free!
You can buy be a coffee (or beer) here
HTTPS://PayPal.me/12voltvids
The Akai VCR I have has a setting to mix the linear audio track with the hifi-track. This I think is perfect to allign the audio head and its correct when there is noch echo at all. Of course it depends how accurate the recording VCR was.
Yeah. I have 2 kiss exposed tapes. One pal and one ntsc. The ntsc has an echo when mixing hifi and linear on every vcr i tried. The pal one doesnt have that
Hey Mr 12voltvids! Thanks for this channel! I want to build a tape speed arduino-logger and log the tape speed from the audio head. The prupse of this is to later to take that log into postprocessing and alter the digital recording (adjust fps speed) and build a tbc. Question is: Do you have schematics for audio heads somewhere, do the audio head vary in build? Any exp with that?
George Benson seems really proud of his Sony BVP-330!
Well it was an expensive camera! Notice he wouldn't say what it cost him. Oh well he can afford it.
Thanks, I have solved a big problem, but I ask you, I see that the image is in slow motion briefly.
So my VCR's audio works fine in a way that I can hear it crystal clear and there's no fuzz or buzzing noise when playing, however there is a weird ticking noise that comes in and out when the audio is playing. Imagine watching a random VHS and you hear "tik tik tik" everytime. sometimes you can't hear it but it's there and it sometimes goes from soft ticks to a bit more louder ticks, then goes away for .5 seconds the comes back.
Thanks for this tutorial demonstration. Is it true that if the audio head isn't clean enough or out of alignment, the vhs won't be able to properly read the tape to determine to play it in sp mode, or lp or ep mode? Rendering the picture quality static or blue screen and slows the video way down.
I was told that could be a possible reason why my video speed slows down and the picture gets static and blue screen more often than not.
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.
That brings back some interesting memories, oh that soft VHS picture. I know I’ve got a Panasonic NV-HD600 HiFi machine that I bought new in I think 1998, that’s always been a bit strange, if you record a tape in that machine and play back in that machine, the picture and sound are good, but if you play that tape in another machine the picture is fine but the sound is distorted, and likewise if you take a tape recorded in another machine and play in the NV-HD600, the sound will be distorted... I think it’s an issue with alignment. When it was new I sent it back for warranty service, they said it was the NICAM board, then obviously recorded something in that machine and then played it back, and went yep all OK. Even now that machine has low operating hours, so I’ll try to delve into what’s going on but I’m thinking it’s an alignment problem. It’s a HiFi machine. I went to use it a while ago and it’s got mode switch problems now, so there’s more to look at on that one besides the sound.
Adjustment of the CTL head without special test equipment may be done "by ear and by sight" (since it also controls playback tracking as well as linear audio) to get a reasonable (or "near-enough") result.
Mostly by ear as modern machines with auto tracking will adjust the service for highest rf waveform. So you are fighting against it unless you select manual tracking. The audio quality will dial you in close enough.
This was the explanation I was looking for! But I have a problem... the screw with the spring in it... well, the spring is missing (the VCR is years old...). Trying to find something to replace it...
Love the vcr and vhs videos! A video i'd like to see it's the difference between a cheap or entry level vhs camera versus a professional ibe. Mostly in picture diference, resolution and noise from the sensor when recorded to VHS. Mostly because I see theres a difference buy dunno how much of a difference.
Well I could do this as I still have a couple of broadcast quality cameras here. Both are 3CCD types. My broadcast JVC ENG camera I believe is broken, at least the tape transport it. Only has about 500 hours on it and it broke. JVC = Junk Very Cheap. It wasn't cheap though, that camera and tripod cost me 10 grand 20 years ago.
Amazing, @@12voltvids! Thanks in advance, Dave! I would love to see that! If you could put some printed test pattern too, would be amazing to see how each captures more or less details or with wich things has issues a entry level versus a professional.
This doubt came to me the other day, 'cause I have a old JVC GR-AX30 and I was transfering tapes to digital and when compared to my other JVC GR-SXM747UM (sure, it's SVHS-C but I used common VHS-C's) the difference it's quite noticiable. Plus in the captures with the AX30 I noticed a lot of gain noise in low light and other artifacts... It's like if the sensor resolution was a lower than the ntsc standard and then scaled to "fit the tape". I don't know if I make sense, maybe you got the idea of what I try to say.
PS: Sorry the bad english
Superb video, thankyou
Hi, I follow you often and with pleasure in your repair business. I would like to ask if you can help me understand the problem I have on one of my two Panasonic NV-F75s, as it has fluctuating and slightly perceptible audio noise and sometimes much more evident when changing vhs and which drags on especially under sounds or voices when they are stronger. The audio tracking seems to work perfectly, the green light immediately turns green but fluctuated noise present, only intervening with manual tracking solves the problem but removing hi-fi soud. The other Panasonic NV-F75 in all conditions and with the same videotapes never shows the problems that the first already mentioned has. I want to clarify that I have replaced the capacitors on the power supply module for both. Could you give me indications on these problems if they are electronic and mechanical in nature? Thank you very much in advance for any indication you can give me, I continue follow you with pleasure. Regards.
Amazing video engineer, always interesting, Thanks.
Hi there, I have a problem, when i put a tape in I see black lines all over, is this dirty heads?
Thank you so much! It was very informative plus I had an issue and I didn't know what it was you explained it very well and did a great job! Thank you so much.
@12voltvids Please help me. I have a National (Panasonic) NV-F50 Hi-Fi high-end VCR VHS. It plays, the sound is superb BUT there is noise/snow on playback with any tape I play on it. I've tried cleaning the heads using IPA.
So, I've been trying to find help with this but so far my help has been unsuccessful. I have this VCR that plays SP tapes beautifully, but it constantly skips with SLP tapes. I wanted to digitize some old VHS tapes from my parents but they're unwatchable. I noticed that every second or so, the VCR switches back to SP speed for a very slight frame of time and then goes back to SLP, it does that constantly and, while it might stop for a couple of minutes, it eventually goes back to doing it again. Any idea what could be wrong? I assume it has to do with the control area of the head not reading the tape properly or something, but the screws for the head on my VCR are in completely different places and one of them is glued.
What is the brand and model?
@@12voltvids It's an RCA VRS620. Thing is, finding information about this machine is nearly impossible, at least Google searching it gets no results, not even a picture of what the VCR looks like. I assume it's just a generic thing with the RCA logo. It also needs a change of bulb since it doesn't detect when tapes start and end and a belt change since it can't fast forward or rewind properly.
All the ones I have are on Bata-Max, can't play them now, but still have them. They are Promo Videos from the Artists of the day. Way before MTV.
So what are the odds of 2 vcrs audio not working?
Anything can happen. The head doesn't get our I'd alignment. No head do, only by people sticking a screwdriver in thinking they can do better than the manufacture.
What brand was the vcr? And its model number.
My vhs cannot play linear audio.
hifi audio works fine, but linear audio does not play
I ran the tape to the other vhs, and it's working fine.
The product name is sharp vc - es20b. I can't get the manual at all and I must repair it.
Please help me to check which parts are good! You are the only hope.
The tape that's been recorded in mono,
There's no sound, only a "sneak" sound.
Mono audio head is clean and clean, but it is the same symptom.
Mono audio cable is normal.
It's hard to find anyone with this repair technology in our country.
I need your help.
I have a JVC HR-S3500U S-VHS VCR with a similar problem, when I first set up the VCR and played back a few tapes that I already have, the audio was fine. But when I started recording tapes in EP mode, for the "linear" mono audio track when played back, it would sound wobbly every 10 to 12 seconds or so. Unfortunately, the issue also affected some of my pre-recorded EP tapes after the fact, where it does the same thing. What could the issue be?
What if I record a Beta tape on one machine, then play it back on another machine, and the machine doesn't pick up the control track, but, if I mess up the azimuth of the head up to the point where the sound is muffled, the machine tracks up? The way I do it is I record a 7KHz sine wave using known-good machine and then play it back on the target machine and then adjust the azimuth.
Mine is Phillips VR997 and I have a tracking problem on some of my VHS. After I figured that the Audio Control head That muffles the audio, I adjusted it, but the video has problems with tracking. I can't even adjust the two screws (white cylinder and the top Cross head), so how I can even adjust it?
Gee I love your videos! Tons of great info. Which leads to my question: the audio out of my vcr just failed completely. No normal or hifi audio, picture is still perfect. Got any ideas? Thanks again!!!
Head is dorty
fighting with a flat screwdriver in dual (flat/cross head) screw is a bit painful.
showing most possible mistakes of "over/undersetting" the 3 lift-screws makes it somewhat transparent for the viewer. Nevertheless, a bit more commenting "what actually is wrong now" would have helped. i have to confess that "during those days" for the simpler machines we used to do it "by headphone" quicker than conncting the scope and looking for audio level and ctl-level. (especially since no one had spectrum analyzer scopes back then, so it was just a single sinusoidal 1kHz which was not the most perfect for the adjustment. And then you needed to switch tapes anyways for the lipsync adjust....
That was one way they did it when re-aligning VCR's. Crude but it worked.
I have a Pana Super VHS that I use for digitizing. More or less from one day to another, the audio that comes out suffere from phase problems. Like if a powerful comb filter has been inserted on the left and right channel separately. Could this be as simple as a missalign issue of the audio head, and if so, why did it appear from out of nowhere? (The vcr has been stationary for yrs.) Thanks in advance!
Panasonic vcr used those crap ceramic modules with the surface mount caps that leak. Its toast
😭 But thanks for your swift reply 👍🏼
My sharp vcr started making a noise like it's tight and showing wavy picture and noise is off, like it's slowing down . Any suggestions, thank you.
Tape sticking to parts?
@12voltvids I sounds like it. I also noticed that the tape is so tight.
I screwed up mine and have been messing with it for hours and cant seem to get it right can you give me any pointers? Sound was off now the picture is all jerky
I have an LG LV880 which has every guide and head out of alignment, killing me, even damaged the bottom edge of one of the tapes I need to recover, is it beyond hope?
I got all excited I thought I read the title as how to align tracking without a test tape. I can't even find a test tape but I've got a oscilloscope.
You don't need a test tape, all you need is a tape that is recorded on a machine that you know is correct.
Hello i have a problem with my VCR hopefully you can help me out, when i press play the everything works fine head spins but when the tapes touches the heads the head stops spinning then everything else rotates but slow and paused. Help!! Its a Panasonic omnivision tech4 pv-730 the one made in 1984 thanks!!
I still don't understand how control track works and why it's needed since this video prove that even with misaligned audio/control head, the machine is able to auto adjust the tracking.
Can you please explain how control track and tracking are related to each other?
What each control pulse tells to machine? is each pulse start of frame?
Also how tracking adjustment is done - is it by slightly changing the speed of the video drum (changing phase) or by slightly changing the speed of the tape? Because I remember when manually adjusting tracking there was change in audio - like if it was slow down slightly for a short time.
The control track is the electronic equivalent to the sprocket holes on film. It is used on VHS, beta, umatic and open reel vtr of all formats. It is not used on 8mm, hi8, digital 8 or any DV format. The control track job is to mark where vertical sync is. This is the point where the heads switch from one head to the other. It serves 2 jobs. One is to tell the playback machine what speed the tape is recorded at. It is also pulsed typically only at the start of the "A" field. This way the VCR knows which head to position to the start of the video track. The tracking control shifts a delay which changes the phase of the capstan motor to shift the start of the video frame. Speed is detected as the speed is 30hz coming off the head so if the frequency is 90hz when the machine starts the speed detector knows it is an ep speed tape and slows down the capstan speed. Newer machines use an envelope detector to measure the rf coming off the tape to maximize so the ctl is not used to the same degree except to detect the speed and the presence of a signal. Of no ctl the VCR generally shows a blue screen. It is still used even on auto tracking machines to detect the start of field "A" otherwise the tracking could track up on the odd fields. Picture would play but it wouldn't look very good. So it is still needed.
8mm and DV don't use a control track. They use a pair of pilot tones recorded on the tape to steer the correct head to the correct track. Called auto track finding. The v2000 system in Europe used a similar system.
@@12voltvids Thank you for detailed explanation. Yes, I knew it is also used for speed detection. So generally, is it possible to play a tape if control track is missing? I think it is possible on old machine with manual tracking control - or am I wrong?
@@Felix2417425
I once messing around a vcr's ace head, and simply FORGOT to reconnect its flex cable when done. It does play fine for a few second before picture starts to roll for a moment, then religns itself, and the cycle continues. I believe the vcr's servo/auto tracking was working hard trying to do its job relying only on rf feed from the head alone - sort of.
So yes, it may play to a certain degree without control track but not that long.
(Took me a while to figure out why the rolling pic&no sound at all!😅)
hi, great vid. im trying to find a solution to my audio popping problem. i have a a hifi vcr and every film has a popping sound during the highs. its part of my old school hifi setup and i have tried everything to get rid of the pops( even got a different vcr) and nothing helps. have you ever encountered this problem before?
Crackling sound during loud passages is usually the hifi heads wearing out. The audio is FM and on loud sounds the deviation is greatest. Worn heads can't capture all the bandwidth and dropouts is the result. Same with video heads. You see it on bright sharp edged scenes first like titles over a black background.
I got a Vcr it only play good only in L.P. AND SLP OR EP MODE BUT IT'S Fuzzy's on the SP mode u know the problem please let me know
i was just wondering what causes the brake and pinch roller solenoid to get very hot and what is the cure in a teac a-1200 -u reel deckthank you and love your channel
There are mechanical switches that activate when the solenoid is closed that opens and allows a current limit resistor to be put in series with the solenoid coil. The switch is closed with the solenoid is not activated and shorts the resistor. When the power is applied full power goes to the solenoid to pull it in, then the switch opens to reduce the current as it doesnt take as much current to hold solenoid in. If the switch fails to open the current limiter isn't switched in and the coil will overheat.
@@12voltvids thank you very much for the information I also noticed when the solenoids got hot after I was playing a tape for 25 minute the play button was released and looked in the service manual and saw a mini solenoid that releases the transport keys when there is an issue like this to protect the unit
@@12voltvids hello thank you for the very fast reply I did notice by the take up reel hub that there was a switch that when is put into any function is turned on and that activates the hub brakes and the only time the solenoid is functioning is in play mode I do not see any switch that gets released the only switch is the break one and I have a factory modified unit so it might be different there are no fuses for the solenoid section there is a jumper and two people told me the transport release is a safety feature what do you think I trust you
@@12voltvids hello there is a switch near the take up hub and that is the only switch I see other then the captain motor switch and shut off when the play or ffwrd or rew are used that switch gets turned on could that switch be the problem thank you again all the best have a great week
i have a tape that has several years of home movies - one section of the tape, isolated to one specific record session - has sped up audio and flickering of the video. When i digitize this section of the tape I can slow it down to 80% and it appears to normalize the audio. I suspect this one section of the tape might have been recorded in a slower speed. Is there a reason why the VCR would not be auto detecting the proper tracking? I saw that the control head looked to be peaking out from under the tape so I raised the head - it didn't fix the issue. My VCR, Mitsubishi HS-U790 doesn't have a manual tracking mode. Any ideas?
Likely the tape was recorded at LP or EP. By default many machines went to the slowest EP speed when they were plugged in and you have to change them to sp using remote. Personally i think every machine should have defaulted to the sp best quality speed but what to I know. The speed is detected by reading the control track. If bottom of the tape damaged and the ctrl track can not be read it will go to the sp speed
@@12voltvids yeah that’s what I am thinking. Unfortunately this deck doesn’t let me manually change speeds. I can slow it down in editing software but there are flashes of static every 30 frames or so. Looks like I might need to take the tape to a transfer place to see if they can do better. Thanks for the reply.
@@cannedjam6191 My tapes recorded in the mid 1990's do the same thing, but I know the cause behind it. The VCR that was used to record those tapes, was a low-end unit with 2 video heads. Plus if I recall, it never got a head cleaning and it was out of track too. It always had a static bar at the top of the video, and the tapes were recorded in EP mode. Those tapes when played on my Sony and Zenith VCRs, always switch from EP and SP playback back and forth. Lol
Is that a sony vcr?
I got problem, my vcr plays audio only when the tape supports Hi-Fi
Other VHS tapes plays only video no audio
Try cleaning the linear audio head.
Thank you my aiwa mc 50 audio is so low and makes so much buzzing noice I can watch hardball and my copy of john wick better now
Could you do one for a vhs dvd combo.
There's no difference, it's just a VCR stuck in the same unit as a DVD recorder, with a signal conversion/digitizing circuit between.
Woo hoo 12voltvids vcr upload
Обожаю этот канал! 😜
Bolocks I'm freaking out here I can't get my head's aligned
5:45 me too!