Thank you Tom.. managed to save over 20 tapes of my son growing up with this adjustment , i tried no end of so called solutions to it and yours to 5 mins... you are a GENIUS!!
It's refreshing to watch a "how-to-fix" video on YT, and it actually works! The best part is that it's short, and straight to the point. Thank you uploading this, very much appreciated.
Very Good. Just an explanation here. The roller in the left of the VCR drum is to adjust the upper portion of the screen, and the right one is to adjust the bottom.
Thank you for still having this on TH-cam!!! After a serious meltdown from my adult autistic child and trying to clean the head, this absolutely fixed the problem!!! Thank you so much more than you can ever imagine!!!
I've repaired many machines and have never had to mess with that adjustment until today. Had a Toshiba tv/vcr combo [ FUN! ] that just wouldn't hold steady. Found your video and presto!..Thanks a million.
Wow, you just saved me having to purchase another VCR. I was copying a VHS tape to a digital file on my old Sharp VCR today when the tape just stopped and rewound to the beginning. When I played the tape again there was audio but no video (just a blue screen). I tried a couple other videotapes and got the same result. I followed your instructions and got the video to play again with even better results than before. Thanks so much!
I found this trick soon after I first got my VCR in the 70s. One warning - always mark the original positions of the poles before adjusting so if you screw it up you can return the them to the original positions. Otherwise you might have a good picture with pre-recorded tape but the tapes you record will be difficult to play in other VCRs.
@Glenn John Sorry that happened. That's why I recommend only slight adjustments. If it was working at all before, you should be able to get it back to where it was if you keep trying.
@@glennjohn3919 there is a groove where the tape sits as it slides by. you should be able to get it very close by adjusting the heights to where the tape 'sits' just on top of the edge of this groove. It may take a little trial and error, but you should be able to get it really close.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Managed to get my misaligned Samsung back to work, so I could transfer an old video of my grandparents and my dog. Wish I could offer you an enormous beer!!! Should you need an illustration for any project, count on me!!!
Thanks for the great comment and I'm happy you saved your precious video tape. A hit on the like button will be payment enough and I will think of you while tipping one back later in the day.
Well, to tell you the truth, I wasn't expecting much when I tried this out. We've got an old Emerson VCR, and, although it does have a tracking button on the front panel, it didn't seem to do anything. So, I opened up the case, and made the adjustments as shown in this video, and it worked like a charm! Color me very happy, and very grateful! Thanks for a great little video, Tom!
I’ve been looking for over a year at thrift stores for a 4 head vcr with remote. Finally found one and was bummed to find it had tracking problems. Five minutes later after this video it was fixed and work great; thanks!!
I would not recommend adjusting the alignment unless you are certain that is the problem. If you do tty adjusting it, note the original positions of the guide rollers first and only turn it a bit. Noise at the bottom indicates right hand roller, noise at the top indicates left hand roller. I would try cleaning the heads first by playing a new blank or good condition (not played much, been kept in box) tape all the way through. They don't usually go out of alignment on their own, it's more likely to be a worn pinch roller
Thanks so much! I ordered a dual deck VCR from eBay and one of the decks had a broken video head drum. I replaced it with a head from a similar VCR and the tracking was all screwed up. I did what you show in this video and fixed the messy video output in less than 5 minutes!
Omg! Thank you! You confirmed my VCR is the problem. My tapes were going bad! I was so sad. I thought my childhood tapes were gone! But all I have to do, get a new VCR
Oh. I did... I tried, unfortunately it was a cheap piece of garbage, and I adjusted the pins but the screen was still extremely bad. So I found another good one in our house.
This machine has tracking control using the channel up and down buttons. It wasn't working or was so far out of alignment that I had to use this procedure.
I have to thank you personally for this tip. i have been going crazy buying tape cleaners etc.. I was checking in the casette everything is ok but still shjowing bad image. This explanation saved me. Thnak you Bunch
After cleaning the heads 5 times.. i brought a VCR off ebay. I came across your video and problem solved... Oh well.. now I have 2 VCR's Thanks for your tip.
Thanks! I was looking for generic advice, but was elated to open this video and see that the player I picked up at Goodwill as the exact same model. I had a precious video that was not tracking at all, and with these adjustments I got it 95% stable. I think I could tweak it more, but this will be great for a first run digital conversion.
Dude, thank you. I bought a used Philips DVP3150 to digitize some VHS tapes and there were tracking problems. No manual tracking buttons on the front or on the remote. I had no idea you could pop it open and adjust it like you show here🙏
Thank you!!! I thought my dear Panasonic NV-HV61 was a wreck.. and that exact aligment was just misadjusted. I had to adjust it with fingers since it didn't have a place for a screwdriver, but it worked anyway, especially after cleaning. :) Panasonics are awesome.
Thanks. Your video just saved my day. I just got a panasonic vcr from ebay and the first problem was that the picture was black and white. I fixed that right away cause there was a button on the back where you could switch between s-video and normal. But the tracking problem was something i could not figure out until i saw your video. thanks.
That helped I fixed mine tonight, besides the door. I bought one just like this one for $5.00 I got tons of VHS tapes close to 1,500 with original sleeves I am a huge collector of movies and games.
Ďakujem Tom🙏🙏🙏....Pozrel som si vaše inštruktážne video a veľmi mi pomohlo.Moje video zasa funguje ako má. Veľká vďaka. Srdečne zdravím zo Slovakia 🇸🇰🙏👍🍻
@@TomandJulieMineExploring What's causing fuzzy lines to appear from top and bottom I have adjusted the P2 guides still no luck. It stays there and does not go away, I have cleaned the heads, still no luck. Any tape I play its showing these fuzzy lines not sure why.
I fixed picture but I messed up another thing on my Panasonic. After video cassette is IN white roller (on the left side) take the track but only half of the way and stopped where this black thing or sensor is (visible on 1:40). As you place cassette your roller on the left side goes all the way up while mine only until this black mid way. Right roller is ok, I tried everything but do not know what could be a problem since it is definitely something simple, it happened right after I fixed image exactly as you did :( . I notice that this white pedal (on the left rollers right side) do not push to tighten the tape until this mid zone so that maybe the issue too. I know it is simple but do not know what is issue...
I'm not sure what could have changed from adjusting the tracking a little bit. It sounds like a roller is hanging up on something and not wrapping the tape around the head. Make sure there is not any dirt build up in any of the mechanisms. Sometimes a good cleaning can help.
Tom, what happen when that screw on my Mitshubishi VCR won't turn even with a special screw driver? The strangest thing is everytime when I eject a tape and insert it back, the noise will be at a totally different spot. Sometime that same tape will play crystal clear. I couldn't figure out where is the problem. Thanks!
There actually should be a soft adjustment for alignment on all VCR's, using the channel +/- buttons. I have this same VCR, and that usually did the trick, until a few weeks ago, that is... However, I used your method and opened it up to adjust the alignment that way. But there's something wrong with mine, because it looks like scrambled cable channels, and no sound was present when I'd tinker with both alignment methods, they just didn't seem to make a difference. Maybe it's a video card, or something. My last option is to just replace it. (I feel like I see that same model every time I go to the thrift store, and they're not more than $10)
I discuss the normal tracking controls in the video description. Yes, you can still find machines pretty cheap. How well they work will be the question. I'm not sure what the problem is with yours. Probably some electronic components on the circuit board not functioning properly. Thanks for commenting!
Thank you soooo Much! I did exactly as you suggested and it works perfectly! Now on with Many Many tapes to capture. Really appreciate it! Now I want to se the best way to clean the heads!
I think these tapes were recorded from a vcr with the tape guides misaligned, for sure. But, if the tapes were recorded on the same VCR, it is valid to make this adjustment "in luck". The problem is when using tapes from other different sources, the problem will continue. It is best to use an oscilloscope for fine tuning that is able to fix images of all tapes (especially pre-recorded tapes) that are recorded in adjusted vcr. Thanks for the video!
I hope you see this soon! But I just bought a Magnavox Vcr and my home movies are rolling and having those lines. Not through it the whole movie but randomly and it's so annoying. I don't know how to fix it.
There should be a tracking adjustment on the machine. If there is not a button labeled as tracking somerimes the channel up/down button is also the tracking control. Try pushing that while the tape is playing. As a last resort you can try the procedure in this video. Good luck!
Hi Tom. Thanks for this tip. Would you know how to adjust the drum centre screw. I moved it but can't get it back to where it should be. Any help would be great. Good video thanks for posting.
I'm not sure if it's actually a mechanical adjustment. If your remote doesn't work try the channel up/down on the player itself. Or if you have a dedicated tracking control button try that. If none of those work then your tracking adjustment isn't working, or it is too far out of alignment. I would then try the procedure outlined in this video. Good luck.
.. thanks for your reply - I lost the remote a while back .. it's like the way you've outlined it here - an unconventional 'backdoor' approach - that works !! :)
That Panny does have a tracking control. It's probably activated using the remote control. My JVC decks are like that. You can find the manuals for most of these old decks online. Now, can you do this with a Beta deck? Won't you then have to get it back the way it was BEFORE the adjustments? Otherwise, why would the companies have produced alignment tapes for use in aligning the heads? Just keep it out of alignment...
Hawley Griffon I've done alignment on Betamax. It's basically the same thing. Turn the guide posts with a flat-tipped screwdriver. But unlike VHS, the entrance side and exit side guide posts on Beta VCRs are stationary. You always need an alignment tape and an oscilloscope for the best results.
Unfortunately, I have neither. Well, my next project is to fix my SLHF750 that popped off the rails in shipment. Good thing I have that service manual for that model. Trying to get the old tapes to track in the Betas will have to wait for another day. Thanks for the info though...
How does that work if I turn that part? Does the location go up or down when I turn the parts? And have you ever uploaded a video of replacing that part?
It moves the tape guides slightly when you turn the screws. Try your tracking adjustment first if your machine has them that work. Don’t turn the screws very much and look at the picture as you are adjusting them. I don’t have any other videos on VCRs.
Very helpful, thanks! Recently, my Toshiba VCR has started playing back tapes and only showing static. When I rewind or fast forward, I can see the picture clearly, but it goes away again when I resume playback. Have you come across this issue before?
I have this exact model, so this video was particularly helpful. The problem I’m having now is that it seems I have to adjust the tracking for each individual tape I play. Any idea what I can do about that? Otherwise, I’m thinking I’ll just have to buy another VCR with manual tracking.
You have tracking controls on your machine. They are the channel up and down buttons as I mentioned in the video description. Mine weren't working so I went the route shown in this video. I hope this helps you.
I swear I’m usually the kind to read the description first. 😅 Thanks for the tip! Seems to be working, so at least I can keep the VCR shut. It’s just weird that this tracking issue only came up in the last few days, conveniently at the same time I decide to digitize some old tapes, ha. The VCR has been in my family and functional since it was new, and had been playing tapes without issue as recently as last week. Now I have to adjust the tracking when I put in a new tape or even just rewind/fast forward the one that’s in there.
You might have solved the tracking mystery yourself when you said "old tapes". Depending on how they were recorded and stored I guess I wouldn't be surprised if they needed some help to play. If they were all new factory produced tapes I bet the machine would work better.
Great video everything proven vhs tapes don't stop playing at all everything proven vhs tapes don't lock up at all like internet does everything proven when vhs tape itself gets broken there are fixable with Scotch tape it starts playing again with out no problem's great video again keep up the good work
@@TomandJulieMineExploring Tom, if I can ask a question, no worries if this is too much: I have another, mid 00s Panasonic VCR. Excellent condition. But, when a tape is inserted, the rollers engage the tape reel as intended, but move only about .25", stop, then eventually the tape gets spit back out. I have taken the thing apart, everything is correct, seems to be engaging, and very clean...have no clue the issue other than possibly tape sensor? Any experience with anything like that?
@@EoCx1 Many times people are trying to run tapes that are old and haven't been used for many years. If the tape isn't running smoothly and/or bunching up it will get ejected. Sometimes rewinding the tape and fast forwarding it a few times will reset and retension the tape which might help it run smoothly. There are ways to rewind a tape by hand if the machine won't run it. If it does the same thing on many different tapes that probably wouldn't be the problem. Orher than that there are sensors, motors and connections that could cause a problem. I'm probably not a lot of help for you on your particular problem.
already clean the head few times,but when put tape for play it will play few seconds and then no more picture only showing- problem head status-,what to do?
mine plays fine nice n clear for about 30 seconds and then visual cuts out to blue for 10 sec then comes back. audio plays fine throughout. adjusting the screws has no effect. any ideas?
I succeeded in aligning this way. By the way, my mistake caused me to lose alignment and turn several laps. Now no reaction occurs when tightened or loosened. Can you help me? There's no one around me who does this kind of repair. Please give me an answer.
Sorry, I'm not going to be much help for you. Try to get it back to where it was when it was working. It's possible something else has failed on the machine. Good luck.
It could. Try the tracking controls on your machine first, if it has them. The channel up/down are sometimes the tracking adjustment if there is not a dedicated control. A lot of VHS tapes are getting pretty old so they can get damaged from age causing playback problems.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring thanks for the quick reply! I did try tracking first before doing what you show in the video. No luck, unfortunately. However, I tried a different VCR and the same issue was happening w/ the tracking / flicker on the playback. Perhaps the issue is w/ the VHS-to-DVD converter attached between the VCR and PC?
Thanks for that. I've seen these screw heads before, but never had the proper tool for them. The screws in the vcr could probably be turned with a fingernail. Thanks for your input, Koltin.
Any suggestions for a VHS recorder that plays only sound with no picture at all? The VHS is connected to the TV via scart cable. The only thing that is displayed is the menu when i press the menu button, but when i wanna play the VHS the screen is completely black like there is no signal, but the sound is perfectly fine. Already tried different scart cables, different TV’s and different VHS’s. The VHS recorder only has scart output. Would appreciate any kind of help..
Since it is not a problem with a particular tape, and you have tried different cables and TV's, I would think you have a problem with the head or possibly the cable jack. Are all the connectors, or pins, of the jack on the machine in good shape? Head cleaning might help but you need to be careful as the head can be broken fairly easily. Usually a dirty or "clogged" head will still have some picture but will be snowy or otherwise faulty. I wish I could offer you more help. Maybe some research on TH-cam or Google will yield some answers.
If I put a tape and I see the picture very well and then I put another tape that is a little bit dirty, so I see those strips, does your suggestion fix the problem? It won't change how I see the picture for tapes that are fine?
It probably will change the picture quality for the ones that work fine. That's why there are tracking controls on most machines so you can adjust from tape to tape as necessary. Have you tried the tracking controls on your particular machine? Many times if there is not a dedicated tracking control knob, it is the channel up and down buttons that double as tracking controls while a tape is playing.
You could try it and see if it helps. You could also look into what is called a time base corrector, or TBC. If you do some research you might find the answer to your video problem.
have a weird problem with Panasonic VCR ,(model NV HV61) one of ther last machines made around 2004 , if you move the machine physcally, the loading mechanism gets a bit moved too and then nearly every time you insert a tape it ejects it out near imediatly , then I have to adjust it with the hand (no need to open it, grab it manually when no tape in and move it around a bit ) and once it's back alligned it works properly again , any idea what may cause this ? some lose bit so soemthing like that ?
What sort of screw driver are you using I have used a flat head screw driver and it made no difference to the picture, also if I remove grease from the VCR mechanism could that cause any playback issues
I used a very small flat head screw driver. The screws turn very easily. The grease shouldn't make a big difference unless you get it on drum or heads.
Fantastic.. Tips i added on your Channel. Laetitia from belgium fan de of all the old appliiances.. Of technology.. Vidéo and more.. Continuous with yours vidéos its very exciting. To find the goal. To fix up. The shootings of troubles...
Hi, I'm having a problem with my VCR. It either gives a snowy picture or a very out of frame picture. Yesterday it played every tape fine! It has autotracking but this doesn't seem to make it any better. I have cleaned the parts where the tape touches, do I need to clean some other parts too maybe?
Not sue what could have changed that quickly. If it does that on every tape maybe the auto tracking stopped working. Try the manual tracking controls if you have them.
I have some problems with audio tracking, very difficult that hi-fi audio triggers on and when happens the L side is disturbed more than R side. I fear touching that section because there are too many adjustments and without oscilloscope I think it is better not to touch. Do you please have any advice for me. Its a G Deck Panasonic
I've already digitized my VHS tapes, however, many of them have vertical chop. Is there a software that can easily identify and remove this jitter? I don't have the original VCR tapes anymore but I have the digital files.
Sorry, but I can't help you in that area. A few years ago, I would have said it would be impossible to fix. Now, with all the Photoshop and AI capabilities, I wouldn't be surprised if you could find a fix. Good luck!
My vcr is showing half top of the frame at the bottom and the other half of the frame at the top. How can I reset the xy position of the frame on any vcr? in my case is a Sony Time-lapse vcr SVT-S168P
If you can't get it working with the tracking controls on the machine, I would try the procedure shown in this video. If you noticed in the video when I was adjusting the tape guides the condition you described showed up. Thanks for the comment!
I have a Hi8 deck that keeps ejecting. It was perfectly fine the other day and all of a sudden it stopped working. Basically, I put a tape in (any tape, tried multiple) and instead of the head starting to spin it just sits for a second and then automatically ejects. Any thoughts?
HIya. I'm trying to do the same as you, transfer some vhs to dvd. Problem I have? is that on a cpl of tapes, the audio is either non existant or I have a terrible buzzing noise. Have you any idea how i might be able to recover the audio? Any ideas would be really helpful. many thanks.
If the audio head on the machine is dirty the sound would be affected on all your tapes. Since you say it is only missing or buzzing on a couple tapes, it's possible the audio on those tapes was not recorded properly, or the audio track on the tape has been damaged. I would try a bit more research to see if you can find a solution. Thanks for the comment and good luck with your conversion.
I have a vcr that has auto tracking, and sometimes, it stops counting the seconds played on tape and therefore constantly tries to adjust the tracking, even when the video would otherwise play just fine. Could this problem be solved by using a vcr that has no autotracking? .There is no option to disable that function in the one y have and i tried cleaning the reading heads and manually adjust the tracking like you do in the video.
QUESTION: I cleaned the VCR heads similar to what is done in this video. I used paper and the 91% rubbing alcohol. The tapes played with improved video and audio. Everything seemed fine. But then I put the cover back on the VCR and the video problems and audio problems returned. I then cleaned the heads again. This time when I put the cover on the VCR the video problems no longer existed, but there was still a slight "static" hiss type of noise. This happens EVERY TIME. I have tried this over a dozen times and the moment I place the cover onto the VCR while a tape is playing, the static "hiss" starts to be there. What is causing this and how can it be corrected?
I don't know what the starting point would be from the factory on all the different machines. If there was a halfway decent picture there to begin with I would keep trying. If there was no picture to begin with I would look for another machine. I only had to turn mine about half a turn or so. You used to be able to get these machines for nothing, but, they are getting more scarce now. Good luck.
Oh yeah I tried that back in the 80s and 90s. And it helped of course thanks for reminding us. But I remember that the channel selector arrows up and down to control the tracking you haven't mentioned that in the video have you tried that first.?? again thanks for your clip
Thanks for your comment, George. I do mention trying the channel up/down in the video description. If that fails to do the job then you can try the procedure uaed in this video.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring Hi thank you for getting back to me and for the heart. I don't remember you saying that you tried the channel arrows up and down but I just remembered when you said 32 seconds into the video that there's no way to align the noise on the bottom.. immediately remembered those arrows that marginally correct the tracking.. oh yeah I should have fun taking the top off experimenting with those two bars that pull out the tape it's a lot of fun to watch it hug around the drum.. so yeah that is kind of radical 2 adjust that current but you had only luck with one of those bars in correcting the alignment.. yeah I hardly use my VCR.. since I became a landlord 6 years ago I used a simple Bunker Hill two camera security system for $70 and I have it hooked up to a Panasonic Roadshow VCR /tv.. I only get 6 hours I was wondering do you know how I can change and slow down the speed of the motor to give it maybe 8 or 10 or more hours so don't have to keep rewinding the tape?? cuz I remember those sophisticated VCRs that give around 25 hours of footage on the tape for the businesses and stores montining systems. Do you know where that speed control might be thanks again for your response maybe can help me with this one
@@georgeplagianos6487 The only recording speed I know of would be in the menu. You usually have three options. Short, long and extra or super long. I don't know of any hacks that wull get you more recording time. Get the longest tape you can find and set the recording time to the longest option.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring Hi thanks again for your reply. I know there 6-hour tapes and the 8-hour tapes.. I know you could have just the speed to SP,, LP and SLP to get the 6 hours. That's where I have my Panasonic Roadshow set on the slowest SLP..l should look on TH-cam for these surveillance video systems that can give you up to 12 hours or longer that work by slowing down the tape Motor. Thanks again take care and have a great New Year.
Hi I have a Panasonic dmr ez48v vcr/dvd unit, had to replace the power board circuit board had no power that worked but in doing that I had to remove the DVD player and vcr player now I am getting a F04 code and can’t get beyond that, have any idea what is wrong? I think it has something to do with the timing appreciate any input....
You would need the service manual for the Panasonic k deck, it should have instructions on how to set up the timing for the loading mechanism. There are timing markers on the various cogs that need to be lined up.
Haha, The VCR King said no to the sub after thanking you for the great video, then sent you a link to their channel? I hope you didn't click the link and give even 1 view, haha. And what "VCR King" doesn't know how to fix tracking? Anyway, do you know if there's a way to adjust the audio as opposed to the video? Mine works sometimes, but not others while trying to digitize my VHS tapes. I'm on a JVC Super-VHS VCR.
@@jasondashney Sorry for the slow response and yeah, the VCR King is maybe not a real king of vcr's. The audio head is separate from the video head and yours might need to be cleaned. A head cleaning tape, or if you want to open it up and use alcohol and a cloth, might help your audio quality.
Have a. G.E. vg4011 vcr it works as it should except when playing it will pull back on the tape for a split second. I can see the tape get lose then tight again lose again tight again .l cleaned everything but still doing same thing
Mine is misaligned Phillips VR997 and these two cylinders between Video head are un-adjustable. I really dunno why, I tried differen't screws but it doesn"t get to work.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring Yeah, I tried to screw the tape guides but not moving. Mine is Phillips, 6 Head Hi-Fi NICAM German Stereo. No wonder why it misaligned when I adjust Control/Audio Track.
hello everybody, who can tell me the exact name of the screwdriver used here? I can't figure out where to find it, can you kindly post a link to amazon / ebay or so, where to purchase it? I live in Italy (Europe), it does not seem to be so common among all friends of mine who I asked for.. thanks
There is a special screwdriver made for this type of screw head, however, I did not use that. I used a small standard flat head screwdriver. The screws turn VERY easily, at least on my machine. Hope this helps.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring same in my machine, the problem is that mine has gone way too much out of alignment, I'm afraid I need a osciloscope-based re-alignment, but I have no idea about where the RF / Switch test points are on the board.....
Your vcr probably doesn't have a digital tuner like newer televisions have. Remember the digital converter boxes that were necessary in the early 2000's to tune digital channels to an analog television? Maybe that would work. I'm not sure what exactly you are trying to do but you should also be able to use a newer television as your digital tuner then go in to your vcr. Hope this helps.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring Yes, I am using a digital Panasonic television. This is a flat widescreen TV. I connect my Panasonic VCR to my TV using SCART and RF cables, and an Aerial cable to the Aerial wall socket, and I cannot tune in the digital channels from my TV.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring Yes, I have tuned my TV after connecting my Aerial to the TV and plugged it in the socket. The only problem I face now is tuning the VCR to be able to record TV programmes. Do you have any instructions on how to tune a VCR nowadays with digital TVs?
If your tv doesn't have any outputs that you can hook up the vcr to then you will need a converter box. A DTV converter box just like you would use for an analog tv to be able to tune in digital channels should work the same way for the vcr. They were not very expensive when they were common in the early 2000's. I don't know how much they cost now.
Most players have a tracking control or adjustment. If the tracking control is not working, or the tape guides are too far out of alignment for the tracking control to fix, then you can try this. If the tracking adjustment on your machine is not helping you get a good picture I would try his method. It's fairly simple just be careful not to touch anything besides the screws on the tape guides with your screwdriver. Good luck with your fix, Andrew.
Hi! My I have a problem in which those transporting mechanisms don’t even move. Any ideas on what that could be? And do you know if this is something that could be fixed? Thank you!
If it's only on certain tapes, especially if they are not factory made recordings, I would guess the tape is bad or incompatible with your VCR. You could try the tapes that go black in another VCR if you have one, that might tell you something. Hope this helps a little.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring tried what you did seemed to work but mine done have screw to adjust. I just added pressure and it cleaned up the picture and quality
![[How To] Best Way To Clean Tape Heads On Any Camcorder](/img/n.gif)
Thank you Tom.. managed to save over 20 tapes of my son growing up with this adjustment , i tried no end of so called solutions to it and yours to 5 mins... you are a GENIUS!!
You're welcome, Ceri. Not sure about the genius part, but, I'm happy for you that it worked. Thanks for the comment!
@@TomandJulieMineExploring Yes, I made it with a normal screwdriver! thanks!
@@AdolfoMelilli That's good to know. Thanks, Adolfo.
Help with audio please i got no sound
It's refreshing to watch a "how-to-fix" video on YT, and it actually works!
The best part is that it's short, and straight to the point.
Thank you uploading this, very much appreciated.
Thanks for the nice comment, Adam!👍
Very Good. Just an explanation here. The roller in the left of the VCR drum is to adjust the upper portion of the screen, and the right one is to adjust the bottom.
Thanks for your input, Vitor. I appreciate you watching and commenting.
Do you have to adjust the audio head to improve sound quality or is that on the main head too?
@@kingshearer2 Do not adjust the "control / audio" head. There´s no need to, unless they´re misaligned. But there´s a very small chance to it happen.
@@kingshearer2 you're likely to really screw something up if you try to adjust the audio/control head.
Thank you for still having this on TH-cam!!! After a serious meltdown from my adult autistic child and trying to clean the head, this absolutely fixed the problem!!! Thank you so much more than you can ever imagine!!!
You're welcome, Robin. Glad that you're able to get your machine working!👍👍
I've repaired many machines and have never had to mess with that adjustment until today. Had a Toshiba tv/vcr combo [ FUN! ] that just wouldn't hold steady. Found your video and presto!..Thanks a million.
Glad you got it fixed, Andy.
Wow, you just saved me having to purchase another VCR. I was copying a VHS tape to a digital file on my old Sharp VCR today when the tape just stopped and rewound to the beginning. When I played the tape again there was audio but no video (just a blue screen). I tried a couple other videotapes and got the same result. I followed your instructions and got the video to play again with even better results than before. Thanks so much!
That's what I like to hear, Jim! Good job getting your machine working again.
Thank you man! Thanks to this video I was able to "save" a VCR which wasn't working for many years and I thought was lost!
You are welcome, sir. Glad you got the machine running!
I found this trick soon after I first got my VCR in the 70s. One warning - always mark the original positions of the poles before adjusting so if you screw it up you can return the them to the original positions. Otherwise you might have a good picture with pre-recorded tape but the tapes you record will be difficult to play in other VCRs.
Good advice. Also, you generally only need to make a small adjustment, like a quarter of half turn.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring I turned both way off. I can't seem to get it back to where it was. Any tips?
@Glenn John Sorry that happened. That's why I recommend only slight adjustments. If it was working at all before, you should be able to get it back to where it was if you keep trying.
@@glennjohn3919 there is a groove where the tape sits as it slides by. you should be able to get it very close by adjusting the heights to where the tape 'sits' just on top of the edge of this groove. It may take a little trial and error, but you should be able to get it really close.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Managed to get my misaligned Samsung back to work, so I could transfer an old video of my grandparents and my dog. Wish I could offer you an enormous beer!!! Should you need an illustration for any project, count on me!!!
Thanks for the great comment and I'm happy you saved your precious video tape. A hit on the like button will be payment enough and I will think of you while tipping one back later in the day.
Well, to tell you the truth, I wasn't expecting much when I tried this out. We've got an old Emerson VCR, and, although it does have a tracking button on the front panel, it didn't seem to do anything. So, I opened up the case, and made the adjustments as shown in this video, and it worked like a charm! Color me very happy, and very grateful! Thanks for a great little video, Tom!
Color me happy that it worked for you. Thanks for the nice comment, Keith!
Saved me scrapping my VCR, as you been told before-You are a genius!
Hi Irene. Glad that you got your machine working. Not sure about the genius part, but thanks for the nice comment!😊
I’ve been looking for over a year at thrift stores for a 4 head vcr with remote. Finally found one and was bummed to find it had tracking problems. Five minutes later after this video it was fixed and work great; thanks!!
That's great. Thanks for the feedback, Robbie!👍
I would not recommend adjusting the alignment unless you are certain that is the problem. If you do tty adjusting it, note the original positions of the guide rollers first and only turn it a bit. Noise at the bottom indicates right hand roller, noise at the top indicates left hand roller. I would try cleaning the heads first by playing a new blank or good condition (not played much, been kept in box) tape all the way through. They don't usually go out of alignment on their own, it's more likely to be a worn pinch roller
Yup good advice. Mark the position with a pen or something.
Thanks for the advice! Do you know what would cause green and pink horizontal lines and how to fix?
Thanks so much! I ordered a dual deck VCR from eBay and one of the decks had a broken video head drum. I replaced it with a head from a similar VCR and the tracking was all screwed up. I did what you show in this video and fixed the messy video output in less than 5 minutes!
Glad to hear that you got your machine working. Thanks for the comment, Charl!
Omg! Thank you! You confirmed my VCR is the problem. My tapes were going bad! I was so sad. I thought my childhood tapes were gone! But all I have to do, get a new VCR
Maybe try and fix your VCR first.
Oh. I did... I tried, unfortunately it was a cheap piece of garbage, and I adjusted the pins but the screen was still extremely bad. So I found another good one in our house.
Thank You So much for sharing!!
I fixed my sister's vcr in under 2 minutes after watching this!!
Good for you, Kelli. Thanks for the comment!
I have messed with a lot of things but never a VCR, what a valuable piece of information, thank you.
This machine has tracking control using the channel up and down buttons. It wasn't working or was so far out of alignment that I had to use this procedure.
I have to thank you personally for this tip. i have been going crazy buying tape cleaners etc.. I was checking in the casette everything is ok but still shjowing bad image. This explanation saved me. Thnak you Bunch
Happy for you that it's working better!
I just found my old vhs camcorder and I thought it was done forever. You are a genius, thank you for such a short to the point video. 🙏🏻
Hope you got it working. Thanks for the comment!
Thank you so much!! I actually had a black screen when the video should have been playing. Just a few turns and it's working perfectly again!
Glad to hear that your machine is working again. Thanks for the comment!
After cleaning the heads 5 times.. i brought a VCR off ebay.
I came across your video and problem solved... Oh well.. now I have 2 VCR's
Thanks for your tip.
Oh well, now you know in case you need to adjust them in the future. Thanks for the comment.
Thanks! I was looking for generic advice, but was elated to open this video and see that the player I picked up at Goodwill as the exact same model. I had a precious video that was not tracking at all, and with these adjustments I got it 95% stable. I think I could tweak it more, but this will be great for a first run digital conversion.
Thanks for the comment, I appreciate it!
Awesome tip thanks. Although on this model I believe the channel selector is also the tracking adjustment
It is, but was not working.
Dude, thank you. I bought a used Philips DVP3150 to digitize some VHS tapes and there were tracking problems. No manual tracking buttons on the front or on the remote. I had no idea you could pop it open and adjust it like you show here🙏
You're welcome, John. Hope you got it working!
Thank you!!! I thought my dear Panasonic NV-HV61 was a wreck.. and that exact aligment was just misadjusted. I had to adjust it with fingers since it didn't have a place for a screwdriver, but it worked anyway, especially after cleaning. :) Panasonics are awesome.
You're welcome. Glad that you got it fixed.
Thanks. Your video just saved my day. I just got a panasonic vcr from ebay and the first problem was that the picture was black and white. I fixed that right away cause there was a button on the back where you could switch between s-video and normal. But the tracking problem was something i could not figure out until i saw your video. thanks.
You're welcome! Thanks for the comment.
Thank you! Fixed my old VCR with these instructions.
That's great. Glad you were able to get it going.
Did not know how to do this and can now convert all my videos thank you very much
You're welcome.
You’re the best!!! It’s 2020, nothing else worked but this!
Glad that it worked for you!
That helped I fixed mine tonight, besides the door. I bought one just like this one for $5.00 I got tons of VHS tapes close to 1,500 with original sleeves I am a huge collector of movies and games.
Glad that it worked. Thanks for commenting!👍
Thank you so much I was pulling my hair out trying to troubleshoot something and THAT was the problem! You rock! Thank you so much!
Glad you got your machine fixed, Nealson!
This worked perfectly on my magnavox combo player. Thank you!
Hi Eric. Glad to hear that you were successful in fixing the Magnavox. Thanks for commenting!👍
Ďakujem Tom🙏🙏🙏....Pozrel som si vaše inštruktážne video a veľmi mi pomohlo.Moje video zasa funguje ako má. Veľká vďaka. Srdečne zdravím zo Slovakia 🇸🇰🙏👍🍻
Hi Frantisek. You're welcome. I'm happy that your machine is working properly. Thanks for commenting and for the beer!😁🍺🍺🍻
Thanks for putting up exactly what i needed to know about an "auto tracking" VCR. Working on the same project here!
You're welcome and good luck with the fix.
Auto tracking simply doesn't work. Never trust it.
Hi do I need a CRT monitor or LCD display used an HD TV, I get these fuzzy lines on the top and bottom of the picture,
The type of TV shouldn't matter.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring What's causing fuzzy lines to appear from top and bottom I have adjusted the P2 guides still no luck. It stays there and does not go away, I have cleaned the heads, still no luck. Any tape I play its showing these fuzzy lines not sure why.
Thank you so much! May G-d bless you in all your endeavors!
Thank you!
@@TomandJulieMineExploring You're welcome. You saved me a lot of time :)
Thanks for the vid. I was alcohol on the silver disk and letting it dry, helped for awhile but ur method is so much better
Thanks for the nice comment, Ronnie!
Thank you! This is exactly what I needed fixed!
@@emanx1138 That's great. Thanks for commenting!👍👍
I fixed picture but I messed up another thing on my Panasonic. After video cassette is IN white roller (on the left side) take the track but only half of the way and stopped where this black thing or sensor is (visible on 1:40). As you place cassette your roller on the left side goes all the way up while mine only until this black mid way. Right roller is ok, I tried everything but do not know what could be a problem since it is definitely something simple, it happened right after I fixed image exactly as you did :( . I notice that this white pedal (on the left rollers right side) do not push to tighten the tape until this mid zone so that maybe the issue too. I know it is simple but do not know what is issue...
I'm not sure what could have changed from adjusting the tracking a little bit. It sounds like a roller is hanging up on something and not wrapping the tape around the head. Make sure there is not any dirt build up in any of the mechanisms. Sometimes a good cleaning can help.
The right side roller on mine is too low and the tape goes over the top of it. How can i fix that
Hard to say from here, Joe. Sounds like something is broken or loose.
Tom, what happen when that screw on my Mitshubishi VCR won't turn even with a special screw driver? The strangest thing is everytime when I eject a tape and insert it back, the noise will be at a totally different spot. Sometime that same tape will play crystal clear. I couldn't figure out where is the problem. Thanks!
There actually should be a soft adjustment for alignment on all VCR's, using the channel +/- buttons. I have this same VCR, and that usually did the trick, until a few weeks ago, that is...
However, I used your method and opened it up to adjust the alignment that way. But there's something wrong with mine, because it looks like scrambled cable channels, and no sound was present when I'd tinker with both alignment methods, they just didn't seem to make a difference. Maybe it's a video card, or something.
My last option is to just replace it. (I feel like I see that same model every time I go to the thrift store, and they're not more than $10)
I discuss the normal tracking controls in the video description. Yes, you can still find machines pretty cheap. How well they work will be the question. I'm not sure what the problem is with yours. Probably some electronic components on the circuit board not functioning properly. Thanks for commenting!
Thank you soooo Much! I did exactly as you suggested and it works perfectly! Now on with Many Many tapes to capture. Really appreciate it! Now I want to se the best way to clean the heads!
Glad that you got it working!
I think these tapes were recorded from a vcr with the tape guides misaligned, for sure. But, if the tapes were recorded on the same VCR, it is valid to make this adjustment "in luck". The problem is when using tapes from other different sources, the problem will continue. It is best to use an oscilloscope for fine tuning that is able to fix images of all tapes (especially pre-recorded tapes) that are recorded in adjusted vcr. Thanks for the video!
That makes perfect sense. The problem is that most people don't have an oscilloscope. Thanks for the comment!
I had this exact same problem. Thank you for posting this video!
You're welcome!
How to fix a loose roller guide? Including the black base of it
I'm not sure but I believe some snap into s slot. If it's loose the base might be cracked or broken. Sorry, not much help for you.
I hope you see this soon! But I just bought a Magnavox Vcr and my home movies are rolling and having those lines. Not through it the whole movie but randomly and it's so annoying. I don't know how to fix it.
There should be a tracking adjustment on the machine. If there is not a button labeled as tracking somerimes the channel up/down button is also the tracking control. Try pushing that while the tape is playing. As a last resort you can try the procedure in this video. Good luck!
Very good an easily probably the most easiest missed fix ever! Lol good job
Thanks, Mike!👍👍
Thanks for posting this, worked perfectly on my Sony Video8 camcorder !
You're welcome. I'm glad it worked for you.
Hi Tom. Thanks for this tip. Would you know how to adjust the drum centre screw. I moved it but can't get it back to where it should be. Any help would be great. Good video thanks for posting.
I really can't tell you how to get it back to where it was. Hopefully, some research will help you figure it out. Good luck fixing your machine.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring OK thanks again. Keep safe you and yours.
Oh many thanks, it worked, i was trying hard to fix it from many years bt this video became savior for me
You're welcome, Gurpreet. I'm happy it worked for you.
..cool - I used to be able to do this with the remote control !! Does this mean it is activated mechanically..??!
I'm not sure if it's actually a mechanical adjustment. If your remote doesn't work try the channel up/down on the player itself. Or if you have a dedicated tracking control button try that. If none of those work then your tracking adjustment isn't working, or it is too far out of alignment. I would then try the procedure outlined in this video. Good luck.
.. thanks for your reply - I lost the remote a while back .. it's like the way you've outlined it here - an unconventional 'backdoor' approach - that works !! :)
That Panny does have a tracking control. It's probably activated using the remote control. My JVC decks are like that. You can find the manuals for most of these old decks online. Now, can you do this with a Beta deck? Won't you then have to get it back the way it was BEFORE the adjustments? Otherwise, why would the companies have produced alignment tapes for use in aligning the heads? Just keep it out of alignment...
I think this one uses the channel up and down but that wasn't working. The tape guides might have been too far out of the adjustment range.
Hawley Griffon I've done alignment on Betamax. It's basically the same thing. Turn the guide posts with a flat-tipped screwdriver. But unlike VHS, the entrance side and exit side guide posts on Beta VCRs are stationary. You always need an alignment tape and an oscilloscope for the best results.
Unfortunately, I have neither. Well, my next project is to fix my SLHF750 that popped off the rails in shipment. Good thing I have that service manual for that model. Trying to get the old tapes to track in the Betas will have to wait for another day. Thanks for the info though...
How does that work if I turn that part? Does the location go up or down when I turn the parts?
And have you ever uploaded a video of replacing that part?
It moves the tape guides slightly when you turn the screws. Try your tracking adjustment first if your machine has them that work. Don’t turn the screws very much and look at the picture as you are adjusting them. I don’t have any other videos on VCRs.
Very helpful, thanks! Recently, my Toshiba VCR has started playing back tapes and only showing static. When I rewind or fast forward, I can see the picture clearly, but it goes away again when I resume playback. Have you come across this issue before?
I haven't had that problem myself. Thanks for commenting on the video!👍
I have this exact model, so this video was particularly helpful. The problem I’m having now is that it seems I have to adjust the tracking for each individual tape I play. Any idea what I can do about that? Otherwise, I’m thinking I’ll just have to buy another VCR with manual tracking.
You have tracking controls on your machine. They are the channel up and down buttons as I mentioned in the video description. Mine weren't working so I went the route shown in this video. I hope this helps you.
I swear I’m usually the kind to read the description first. 😅 Thanks for the tip! Seems to be working, so at least I can keep the VCR shut. It’s just weird that this tracking issue only came up in the last few days, conveniently at the same time I decide to digitize some old tapes, ha. The VCR has been in my family and functional since it was new, and had been playing tapes without issue as recently as last week. Now I have to adjust the tracking when I put in a new tape or even just rewind/fast forward the one that’s in there.
You might have solved the tracking mystery yourself when you said "old tapes". Depending on how they were recorded and stored I guess I wouldn't be surprised if they needed some help to play. If they were all new factory produced tapes I bet the machine would work better.
Great video everything proven vhs tapes don't stop playing at all everything proven vhs tapes don't lock up at all like internet does everything proven when vhs tape itself gets broken there are fixable with Scotch tape it starts playing again with out no problem's great video again keep up the good work
Thanks for the comment, Joshua!👍👍
Absolutely great to the point video!! Thank you!
Steve Dantonio You're welcome, Steve.
I haven’t made the adjustments yet but I think this video will solve my problem!
I hope you get it working. It usually doesn't take much.
Tom, unbelievable...THANK YOU!
You're welcome. Thanks for the comment!
@@TomandJulieMineExploring Tom, if I can ask a question, no worries if this is too much: I have another, mid 00s Panasonic VCR. Excellent condition. But, when a tape is inserted, the rollers engage the tape reel as intended, but move only about .25", stop, then eventually the tape gets spit back out. I have taken the thing apart, everything is correct, seems to be engaging, and very clean...have no clue the issue other than possibly tape sensor? Any experience with anything like that?
@@EoCx1 Many times people are trying to run tapes that are old and haven't been used for many years. If the tape isn't running smoothly and/or bunching up it will get ejected. Sometimes rewinding the tape and fast forwarding it a few times will reset and retension the tape which might help it run smoothly. There are ways to rewind a tape by hand if the machine won't run it. If it does the same thing on many different tapes that probably wouldn't be the problem. Orher than that there are sensors, motors and connections that could cause a problem. I'm probably not a lot of help for you on your particular problem.
already clean the head few times,but when put tape for play it will play few seconds and then no more picture only showing- problem head status-,what to do?
Make sure the tape is moving freely by hand. Try a different tape to see if the same thing happens.
just done it, absolutely brilliant, thank you so much
Thanks for the comment, Russell.
mine plays fine nice n clear for about 30 seconds and then visual cuts out to blue for 10 sec then comes back. audio plays fine throughout. adjusting the screws has no effect. any ideas?
Make sure it's not a bad tape. If it's not a factory tape, it could be incompatible with your player for a technical reason.
I succeeded in aligning this way. By the way, my mistake caused me to lose alignment and turn several laps. Now no reaction occurs when tightened or loosened. Can you help me? There's no one around me who does this kind of repair.
Please give me an answer.
Sorry, I'm not going to be much help for you. Try to get it back to where it was when it was working. It's possible something else has failed on the machine. Good luck.
Great tip! Would this also likely work w/ tapes that have a small jitter / flicker at the bottom of screen when played back?
It could. Try the tracking controls on your machine first, if it has them. The channel up/down are sometimes the tracking adjustment if there is not a dedicated control. A lot of VHS tapes are getting pretty old so they can get damaged from age causing playback problems.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring thanks for the quick reply! I did try tracking first before doing what you show in the video. No luck, unfortunately. However, I tried a different VCR and the same issue was happening w/ the tracking / flicker on the playback. Perhaps the issue is w/ the VHS-to-DVD converter attached between the VCR and PC?
Maybe a bad cord on the converter or dirty connection. You could try a different tape to see if that helps.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring I have > 100 tapes from different eras and source VCRs. I’ve tried a handful and they all playback w/ the same jitter.
@@inallairness If they play without a problem it must be something wrong with the converter. I've never had any issues with mine.
The special tool you need is spanner slotted bit. A flathead works good though.
Thanks for that. I've seen these screw heads before, but never had the proper tool for them. The screws in the vcr could probably be turned with a fingernail. Thanks for your input, Koltin.
For sound improvement do you have to adjust the audio head on the right?
A good cleaning would be a starting point.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring I've already cleaned the picture and audio heads👍
@@kingshearer2 Not sure about the audio adjustment.
Any suggestions for a VHS recorder that plays only sound with no picture at all? The VHS is connected to the TV via scart cable. The only thing that is displayed is the menu when i press the menu button, but when i wanna play the VHS the screen is completely black like there is no signal, but the sound is perfectly fine. Already tried different scart cables, different TV’s and different VHS’s. The VHS recorder only has scart output. Would appreciate any kind of help..
Since it is not a problem with a particular tape, and you have tried different cables and TV's, I would think you have a problem with the head or possibly the cable jack. Are all the connectors, or pins, of the jack on the machine in good shape? Head cleaning might help but you need to be careful as the head can be broken fairly easily. Usually a dirty or "clogged" head will still have some picture but will be snowy or otherwise faulty. I wish I could offer you more help. Maybe some research on TH-cam or Google will yield some answers.
Thank you very much for your reply. I will try to clean the head maybe it will help.
This was so helpful thank you!
You're welcome, thanks for the comment.
If I put a tape and I see the picture very well and then I put another tape that is a little bit dirty, so I see those strips, does your suggestion fix the problem? It won't change how I see the picture for tapes that are fine?
It probably will change the picture quality for the ones that work fine. That's why there are tracking controls on most machines so you can adjust from tape to tape as necessary. Have you tried the tracking controls on your particular machine? Many times if there is not a dedicated tracking control knob, it is the channel up and down buttons that double as tracking controls while a tape is playing.
Thanks for the video! Does a curve that appears on top of the screen during playback can be fix the same way? Thanks in advance!!
You could try it and see if it helps. You could also look into what is called a time base corrector, or TBC. If you do some research you might find the answer to your video problem.
Tom Wigren: Mine Exploration and Hiking Thank you so much for taking the time! I will
Brilliant! This has worked perfectly - Thanks
Glad that you got your machine fixed, Mike. Thanks for the comment!
have a weird problem with Panasonic VCR ,(model NV HV61) one of ther last machines made around 2004 , if you move the machine physcally, the loading mechanism gets a bit moved too and then nearly every time you insert a tape it ejects it out near imediatly , then I have to adjust it with the hand (no need to open it, grab it manually when no tape in and move it around a bit ) and once it's back alligned it works properly again , any idea what may cause this ? some lose bit so soemthing like that ?
Maybe a loose or missing screw inside.
You’re adjusting the p1 guide and the p2 guide.
Thanks for adding that.👍👍
What sort of screw driver are you using I have used a flat head screw driver and it made no difference to the picture, also if I remove grease from the VCR mechanism could that cause any playback issues
I used a very small flat head screw driver. The screws turn very easily. The grease shouldn't make a big difference unless you get it on drum or heads.
Fantastic.. Tips i added on your Channel. Laetitia from belgium fan de of all the old appliiances.. Of technology.. Vidéo and more.. Continuous with yours vidéos its very exciting. To find the goal. To fix up. The shootings of troubles...
Hi Laetitia. I'm glad that you like the VCR adjustment tips. Thank you for leaving me a comment. Good luck with your repairs!
Nice tip , thanks helps a bunch!
Will this also help fix the "Vertical Roll" problem?
It should help.
Hi, I'm having a problem with my VCR. It either gives a snowy picture or a very out of frame picture. Yesterday it played every tape fine! It has autotracking but this doesn't seem to make it any better. I have cleaned the parts where the tape touches, do I need to clean some other parts too maybe?
Not sue what could have changed that quickly. If it does that on every tape maybe the auto tracking stopped working. Try the manual tracking controls if you have them.
I have some problems with audio tracking, very difficult that hi-fi audio triggers on and when happens the L side is disturbed more than R side.
I fear touching that section because there are too many adjustments and without oscilloscope I think it is better not to touch. Do you please have any advice for me.
Its a G Deck Panasonic
Other than cleaning and checking electrical connections I have no other advice. Good luck, I hope you get it working.
I've already digitized my VHS tapes, however, many of them have vertical chop. Is there a software that can easily identify and remove this jitter? I don't have the original VCR tapes anymore but I have the digital files.
Sorry, but I can't help you in that area. A few years ago, I would have said it would be impossible to fix. Now, with all the Photoshop and AI capabilities, I wouldn't be surprised if you could find a fix. Good luck!
@@TomandJulieMineExploring thank you for the quick response, maybe someone else can weigh in with a solution.
Yes, maybe they can.
My vcr is showing half top of the frame at the bottom and the other half of the frame at the top. How can I reset the xy position of the frame on any vcr? in my case is a Sony Time-lapse vcr SVT-S168P
If you can't get it working with the tracking controls on the machine, I would try the procedure shown in this video. If you noticed in the video when I was adjusting the tape guides the condition you described showed up. Thanks for the comment!
I have a Hi8 deck that keeps ejecting. It was perfectly fine the other day and all of a sudden it stopped working. Basically, I put a tape in (any tape, tried multiple) and instead of the head starting to spin it just sits for a second and then automatically ejects. Any thoughts?
I would start by giving it a good cleaning.
HIya. I'm trying to do the same as you, transfer some vhs to dvd. Problem I have? is that on a cpl of tapes, the audio is either non existant or I have a terrible buzzing noise. Have you any idea how i might be able to recover the audio? Any ideas would be really helpful. many thanks.
If the audio head on the machine is dirty the sound would be affected on all your tapes. Since you say it is only missing or buzzing on a couple tapes, it's possible the audio on those tapes was not recorded properly, or the audio track on the tape has been damaged. I would try a bit more research to see if you can find a solution. Thanks for the comment and good luck with your conversion.
I have a vcr that has auto tracking, and sometimes, it stops counting the seconds played on tape and therefore constantly tries to adjust the tracking, even when the video would otherwise play just fine. Could this problem be solved by using a vcr that has no autotracking? .There is no option to disable that function in the one y have and i tried cleaning the reading heads and manually adjust the tracking like you do in the video.
I'm guessing that problem could be solved by using a VCR without auto tracking. Thanks for commenting, David.
thank you for the tip, and for still answering questions after all this time.
You are welcome, Sir!
QUESTION: I cleaned the VCR heads similar to what is done in this video. I used paper and the 91% rubbing alcohol. The tapes played with improved video and audio. Everything seemed fine. But then I put the cover back on the VCR and the video problems and audio problems returned. I then cleaned the heads again. This time when I put the cover on the VCR the video problems no longer existed, but there was still a slight "static" hiss type of noise. This happens EVERY TIME. I have tried this over a dozen times and the moment I place the cover onto the VCR while a tape is playing, the static "hiss" starts to be there. What is causing this and how can it be corrected?
I don't know what would cause that type of problem, Michael. That is a strange one. Sorry for the slow response, your comment was marked as the spam.
Any advice if you've turned both so much you don't remember the starting value and the image is so far off.
I don't know what the starting point would be from the factory on all the different machines. If there was a halfway decent picture there to begin with I would keep trying. If there was no picture to begin with I would look for another machine. I only had to turn mine about half a turn or so. You used to be able to get these machines for nothing, but, they are getting more scarce now. Good luck.
Oh yeah I tried that back in the 80s and 90s. And it helped of course thanks for reminding us. But I remember that the channel selector arrows up and down to control the tracking you haven't mentioned that in the video have you tried that first.?? again thanks for your clip
Thanks for your comment, George. I do mention trying the channel up/down in the video description. If that fails to do the job then you can try the procedure uaed in this video.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring Hi thank you for getting back to me and for the heart. I don't remember you saying that you tried the channel arrows up and down but I just remembered when you said 32 seconds into the video that there's no way to align the noise on the bottom.. immediately remembered those arrows that marginally correct the tracking.. oh yeah I should have fun taking the top off experimenting with those two bars that pull out the tape it's a lot of fun to watch it hug around the drum.. so yeah that is kind of radical 2 adjust that current but you had only luck with one of those bars in correcting the alignment.. yeah I hardly use my VCR.. since I became a landlord 6 years ago I used a simple Bunker Hill two camera security system for $70 and I have it hooked up to a Panasonic Roadshow VCR /tv.. I only get 6 hours I was wondering do you know how I can change and slow down the speed of the motor to give it maybe 8 or 10 or more hours so don't have to keep rewinding the tape?? cuz I remember those sophisticated VCRs that give around 25 hours of footage on the tape for the businesses and stores montining systems. Do you know where that speed control might be thanks again for your response maybe can help me with this one
@@georgeplagianos6487 The only recording speed I know of would be in the menu. You usually have three options. Short, long and extra or super long. I don't know of any hacks that wull get you more recording time. Get the longest tape you can find and set the recording time to the longest option.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring Hi thanks again for your reply. I know there 6-hour tapes and the 8-hour tapes.. I know you could have just the speed to SP,, LP and SLP to get the 6 hours. That's where I have my Panasonic Roadshow set on the slowest SLP..l should look on TH-cam for these surveillance video systems that can give you up to 12 hours or longer that work by slowing down the tape Motor. Thanks again take care and have a great New Year.
Hi I have a Panasonic dmr ez48v vcr/dvd unit, had to replace the power board circuit board had no power that worked but in doing that I had to remove the DVD player and vcr player now I am getting a F04 code and can’t get beyond that, have any idea what is wrong? I think it has something to do with the timing appreciate any input....
I wouldn't be able to say what is wrong. Guessing would be; a connection, sensor, wire or computer.
You would need the service manual for the Panasonic k deck, it should have instructions on how to set up the timing for the loading mechanism. There are timing markers on the various cogs that need to be lined up.
Thank you! I've fixed my Sylvania top loading VCR
Haha, The VCR King said no to the sub after thanking you for the great video, then sent you a link to their channel? I hope you didn't click the link and give even 1 view, haha. And what "VCR King" doesn't know how to fix tracking?
Anyway, do you know if there's a way to adjust the audio as opposed to the video? Mine works sometimes, but not others while trying to digitize my VHS tapes. I'm on a JVC Super-VHS VCR.
@@jasondashney Sorry for the slow response and yeah, the VCR King is maybe not a real king of vcr's. The audio head is separate from the video head and yours might need to be cleaned. A head cleaning tape, or if you want to open it up and use alcohol and a cloth, might help your audio quality.
Have a. G.E. vg4011 vcr it works as it should except when playing it will pull back on the tape for a split second. I can see the tape get lose then tight again lose again tight again .l cleaned everything but still doing same thing
Maybe a sticky tape? Does it happen with all tapes?
@@TomandJulieMineExploring yes all tapes
Mine is misaligned Phillips VR997 and these two cylinders between Video head are un-adjustable. I really dunno why, I tried differen't screws but it doesn"t get to work.
In this video the tape guides are being adjusted not the drum.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring Yeah, I tried to screw the tape guides but not moving. Mine is Phillips, 6 Head Hi-Fi NICAM German Stereo. No wonder why it misaligned when I adjust Control/Audio Track.
hello everybody, who can tell me the exact name of the screwdriver used here? I can't figure out where to find it, can you kindly post a link to amazon / ebay or so, where to purchase it?
I live in Italy (Europe), it does not seem to be so common among all friends of mine who I asked for.. thanks
There is a special screwdriver made for this type of screw head, however, I did not use that. I used a small standard flat head screwdriver. The screws turn VERY easily, at least on my machine. Hope this helps.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring ok, good ideaI will try with a standard flathead one.... thanks...
You're welcome. The screws should turn easily and you should only have to turn them a little until picture is adjusted.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring same in my machine, the problem is that mine has gone way too much out of alignment, I'm afraid I need a osciloscope-based re-alignment, but I have no idea about where the RF / Switch test points are on the board.....
I have a vhs camcorder I can adjust it to work but when I put another tape back in it’s back static
The different rapes must be tracking or recorded differently. Using a factory made tape to adjust the tracking might help.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring I’ve done it with a factory vhs to.
If I eject them tape and put the same one back in it’s a bad picture again.
@@wessandlin8056 Possibly something broken or loose?
What could be loose?
I have trouble tuning digital channels to my VCR.
Your vcr probably doesn't have a digital tuner like newer televisions have. Remember the digital converter boxes that were necessary in the early 2000's to tune digital channels to an analog television? Maybe that would work. I'm not sure what exactly you are trying to do but you should also be able to use a newer television as your digital tuner then go in to your vcr. Hope this helps.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring Yes, I am using a digital Panasonic television. This is a flat widescreen TV. I connect my Panasonic VCR to my TV using SCART and RF cables, and an Aerial cable to the Aerial wall socket, and I cannot tune in the digital channels from my TV.
@@CesareVesdani Can you get digital channels if you go straight to the TV with the antenna wire without having the vcr hooked up?
@@TomandJulieMineExploring Yes, I have tuned my TV after connecting my Aerial to the TV and plugged it in the socket. The only problem I face now is tuning the VCR to be able to record TV programmes. Do you have any instructions on how to tune a VCR nowadays with digital TVs?
If your tv doesn't have any outputs that you can hook up the vcr to then you will need a converter box. A DTV converter box just like you would use for an analog tv to be able to tune in digital channels should work the same way for the vcr. They were not very expensive when they were common in the early 2000's. I don't know how much they cost now.
Thanks so much. I sale VCRs on eBay and had one messing up that this fixed.
You're welcome! Thanks for the comment.
I have an issue with one of my JVC decks where the top of the screen blurs at a 45 degree angle, would this fix that type of issue?
Most players have a tracking control or adjustment. If the tracking control is not working, or the tape guides are too far out of alignment for the tracking control to fix, then you can try this. If the tracking adjustment on your machine is not helping you get a good picture I would try his method. It's fairly simple just be careful not to touch anything besides the screws on the tape guides with your screwdriver. Good luck with your fix, Andrew.
Hi! My I have a problem in which those transporting mechanisms don’t even move. Any ideas on what that could be? And do you know if this is something that could be fixed?
Thank you!
Some possibilities would be a bad motor or switch or possibly a broken wire.
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On my vcr the picture goes black on some tapes but still have sound.
If it's only on certain tapes, especially if they are not factory made recordings, I would guess the tape is bad or incompatible with your VCR. You could try the tapes that go black in another VCR if you have one, that might tell you something. Hope this helps a little.
I have the same issue i have to pry the video and audio plugs to get a clear picture. Is the issue the head or my plugs
Sounds like it's possibly a bad plug or wire.
@@TomandJulieMineExploring tried what you did seemed to work but mine done have screw to adjust. I just added pressure and it cleaned up the picture and quality
@@yezkaholic Glad that you got it figured out.