I'd like to have just one fully functioning Beta machine but haven't had much luck.

This machine will load a tape and play it, it will eject it if you stop it before it gets to the end of the tape, however it will not Rewind it or Pause it, that is to say those buttons don't function, the indicator lights for those buttons don't even come on like they do for Play and FF.

If you allow the tape to run to the end it will stop but you can't rewind it and you can't even eject it, at that point the unit acts like it's dead other than the display is on (Display is dim too if that means anything) I have to remove the tape by manually turning the drive motors until it unloads and ejects.

The Power button doesn't really seem to do anything either, I can't see any change in the display but if you shove a tape in the slot it will load it regardless.

Is this going to be bad caps or a blown chip in the control circuits somewhere?

My success rate with Solid State is around 10% so maybe I should toss it while I'm ahead?

Don't toss it, it can be fixed(if not by you then someone else).

Recaping the power supply is a good place to start. If you have an ESR meeter that will allow you to find bad caps (which are probably the offenders here).

I have a Sony super Beta unit that had a bad surface mount lytic on the capstan motor board which would cause it to freeze frame in play mode then shut down. changing that cap fixed the problem, but a new tracking issue cropped up that I didn't feel like messing with.

This one says "Super Beta" on it too, nice unit overall if I can get it fixed.

I know a guy who knows a guy who fixes these things, maybe I'll have him take a look at it.

I can do the PS Caps :D

Hello these type of sony beta vcr always had a power supply issue and some times in the deck just as well I had my SL 300 since the early 90s I had to replace the deck in 2000 I was lucky on finding a junk machine at a second hand store for 5 clams .. good luck on your repair those are great machines when they work right..