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-   -   1981 RCA VFT-650 has me stumped (http://www.videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=268210)

TUD1 12-16-2016 05:41 PM

1981 RCA VFT-650 has me stumped
 
Speaking of broken VCR's, I've had this VCR for almost a year now, and I still have not located the source of the goofy problem it's having. It's stuck in stop mode. Every time you turn it on, the tape transport motor goes crazy trying to bring the tape guide posts back to the ready position, and since it does that, the tape basket will not mechanically latch. It you take the bottom off and manually spin the tape transport wheel, the lid will latch, but as soon as you turn it on, it just goes back to stop mode. It's like it doesn't know when to stop trying to stop. I have gotten it into play mode, twice. I took the belt off the motor that drives the transport, pressed play, the motor started going to opposite way, and then shortly after that, it went back into stop mode. The VFT650 is in my opinion, one of the coolest top loading VHS machines made. And I didn't even know this, but my VFT650 has 4 video heads. I counted.

Captainclock 12-16-2016 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TUD1 (Post 3174948)
Speaking of broken VCR's, I've had this VCR for almost a year now, and I still have not located the source of the goofy problem it's having. It's stuck in stop mode. Every time you turn it on, the tape transport motor goes crazy trying to bring the tape guide posts back to the ready position, and since it does that, the tape basket will not mechanically latch. It you take the bottom off and manually spin the tape transport wheel, the lid will latch, but as soon as you turn it on, it just goes back to stop mode. It's like it doesn't know when to stop trying to stop. I have gotten it into play mode, twice. I took the belt off the motor that drives the transport, pressed play, the motor started going to opposite way, and then shortly after that, it went back into stop mode. The VFT650 is in my opinion, one of the coolest top loading VHS machines made. And I didn't even know this, but my VFT650 has 4 video heads. I counted.

Interesting it seems that 'tis the season for broken down VCRs with issues that cannot be traced to a definite source. I wish I could help you but I've never worked on Top-loader VCRs that old successfully especially not RCAs. It seems like every single Top-loader VCR I find that needs work, ends up having some sort of issue with it that is beyond my repair expertise and I end up having to junk it out. To me in my experience it seems that the Top-loader VCRs are more of a hassle than they're worth as far as working on them goes and as far as having more problems than the front loaders ever did.

TUD1 12-16-2016 10:43 PM

Yep. It definitely is VCR season. I got my first old VCR around this time seven years ago, and last year on this very weekend, I made the trip to Atlanta and scored seven super old VCR's and a Sylvania TV.

Ed in Tx 12-17-2016 10:06 AM

Equivalent to a Panasonic PV-1770 if that will help you find info about it.

Without having it here in front of me I don't recognize the symptom.

Blast 12-17-2016 06:10 PM

Computer tells me I worked on three VFT650's in the early to mid 90's (and, one PV-1770) but all were not anything considered to be a 'dog', as this one sounds like it may be.

It does sound like the classic dirty mode switch, however. You might try some contact cleaner in the switch.

Ed in Tx 12-17-2016 06:33 PM

Yep many times odd mechanism operation can be the mode switch. I don't recall if those have the load-unload complete leaf switches at the rear of the mechanism like some old top-loaders had.

Those were loaded with alignments for SP LP and SLP servos norm, ff & rev search, cylinder servos norm ff rev search still and slow tracking presets PG phase + and - , head peaking, all sorts of adjustments. I think the RCA version only had SP and SLP record, only play LP tapes? Anyway don't go turning things! Unless you have the service manual and oscilloscope.

Blast 12-17-2016 08:05 PM

True. Could be individual switches, indeed. It only had to be "loaded", or "not". There wasn't all that "in between" crap that came along later.

TUD1 12-17-2016 08:58 PM

I was thinking that it was a switch somewhere. What exactly do I need to do to this thing?

Blast 12-17-2016 09:53 PM

Locate the switch(es)and clean the contacts.

TUD1 12-19-2016 05:47 PM

Well I decided to scrap the VFT650 and use it for parts for my PV-1770. The latter had a cylinder drum that was so locked up, it was hard to turn by hand. I took the entire cylinder drum out of the VFT650 and put it in the PV-1770, and it spins perfectly. All the PV-1770 needs now is a couple belts and an idler tire.
"I AM THE VCR MASTER! MWA HA HA"

Ed in Tx 12-19-2016 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TUD1 (Post 3175148)
All the PV-1770 needs now is a couple belts and an idler tire.

Not quite. Any time you replace a drum assy you should to do a tape path alignment, the cylinder servo alignments and head switching phase alignment, ACE head position (or "X-value") and tracking center. Even taking out and putting back the same drum isn't a sure thing it will be in exactly the same position. There's a slight amount of play in the fit of the drum to the chassis. But maybe you got lucky and are pretty close. At least it makes a picture!

TUD1 12-19-2016 06:42 PM

I have no idea if it makes a picture or not. It won't load all the way into play mode. I'm going to order belts for it from Studio Sound Electronics pretty soon and we'll find out.

Captainclock 12-19-2016 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TUD1 (Post 3175151)
I have no idea if it makes a picture or not. It won't load all the way into play mode. I'm going to order belts for it from Studio Sound Electronics pretty soon and we'll find out.

The Panasonic VCR on the left side of the TV in your picture is just like one that was given to me by a friend of mine I used to go to church with years ago, that one (which was my first bad experience with top-loader VCRs) had an issue where when you tried to play a tape in the VCR it would play back in only Black and White and no color, and I tried everything I could to try and fix it but no such luck and that VCR ended up in the scrap pile (of course this was before I knew about this website).

TUD1 12-19-2016 07:56 PM

I have always been of the opinion that if you have the patience and skill to fix antique VCR's, they are a joy to behold. But if you don't know what you're doing, they are a major PITA. I have been fixing VCR's since I was in 5th grade. I know a thing or two, because I've seen a thing or two. (Taken from Farmers commercial.)

Captainclock 12-19-2016 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TUD1 (Post 3175159)
I have always been of the opinion that if you have the patience and skill to fix antique VCR's, they are a joy to behold. But if you don't know what you're doing, they are a major PITA. I have been fixing VCR's since I was in 5th grade. I know a thing or two, because I've seen a thing or two. (Taken from Farmers commercial.)

Well at the time that I had received that old Panasonic Top-loader that's like yours in your picture I only had experience working on front loader vcrs that mainly only had mechanical issues (like bad belts or timing of the loading mechanism getting off track) I had never dealt with top loader VCRs before let alone VCRs in general that had electrical problems that would involve actually replacing NLA parts like video heads or ICs or transistors or other electrical parts that would fail and cause a video malfunction such as no color during video play back or what not. So really it had nothing to do with a lack of patience (I have plenty of patience to work on electronics because I've completely recapped and restrung antique tube radios for myself and for other people and that is a very time consuming and requires lots of patience) the problem was a lack of experience dealing with Top-Loader VCRs (which are a whole other beast to deal with, issues wise than a front loader VCR is), and a lack of experience dealing with electrical failures in VCRs in general (because like I said, up to that point all I've ever dealt with were front-loader VCRs that only had minor mechanical issues.) And actually I have been working on electronics in general since I was in 7th grade and I'm 28 now, so that kind of gives you an idea of how long I've been working on electronics in general. My very first electronics repair was a 1983 vintage Montgomery Wards 13" B & W TV that someone gave me that had a messed up Vertical and Horizontal hold and all I did was readjust the horizontal and vertical hold knobs on the back of the TV and it worked fine and I used that TV for about a year before I finally got a 13" Zenith Color TV from a friend from school and I donated the old Montgomery Wards TV to Goodwill and the TV was still working fine when I donated it, and I used that old Zenith TV up until just shortly before the DTV Transition (I had a cable compatible VCR hooked up to it and I watched cable through the VCR as the TV was a knobbed TV but still had great picture and was still working with excellent picture yet when I finally donated it to Goodwill.)


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