1981 RCA VFT-650 has me stumped

[Ed in Tx]

If it was in front of me, with it in play I would look down at the control head with a flashlight and my little dental mirror to see how the head is aligned, the pickup pole or core should be just barely visible below the edge of the tape. And the audio pole should be barely visible above the tape.


And I assume you cleaned it. Sometimes I would have to use a polishing compound on the AC head to get hardened-on gunk off, especially the older linear stereo VCRs would come in with the L channel muffled and barely audible. No freon or alcohol would cut it. Put a bit of automotive polishing compound on the tip of a wet Q tip and gently going back-and-forth in a horizontal motion I would polish the head.Then clean it with alcohol to remove any of the compound. Audio restored. Same can happen with the CTL track especially since it's on the bottom edge of the tape.

[Blast]

Everything that Ed and Central said (particularly about alignment), plus:

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

And I assume you cleaned it. Sometimes I would have to use a polishing compound on the AC head to get hardened-on gunk off, especially the older linear stereo VCRs would come in with the L channel muffled and barely audible. No freon or alcohol would cut it. Put a bit of automotive polishing compound on the tip of a wet Q tip and gently going back-and-forth in a horizontal motion I would polish the head. Then clean it with alcohol to remove any of the compound. Audio restored. Same can happen with the CTL track especially since it's on the bottom edge of the tape.

Usually, for those real stubborn cases, iso/rubbing alcohol followed by the usual head cleaner fluid treatment was effective enough in my experiences. I never tried polishing compound but I'll bet that would do great! Wish I could ever have an opportunity to try it!

[Ed in Tx]

Originally Posted by Blast

... I never tried polishing compound but I'll bet that would do great! Wish I could ever have an opportunity to try it!

Our audio guy used to keep some on his bench too. Cassette decks in particular with a weak muffled L channel (usually L) and reel to reel decks too with the same.

I remember getting in VCRs the customer had used the wet type cleaner tape in. Would pick up whatever crud before the pinch roller then get rung out at the pinch roller leaving buildup mostly above and below the tape path which would dry on the capstan shaft. Tough stuff to get off without polishing compound.

[Blast]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

I remember getting in VCRs the customer had used the wet type cleaner tape in. Would pick up whatever crud before the pinch roller then get rung out at the pinch roller leaving buildup mostly above and below the tape path which would dry on the capstan shaft. Tough stuff to get off without polishing compound.

Yeah, that makes sense.

Ha! That reminds me of an '83 or 84 Panasonic model I looked at decades ago.

Have you seen/do you remember the spin paint machines at the fairs/carnivals? Where you'd set a plate (or, whatever) on a spinning turntable and squeeze the paint out of bottles? And, the paint would go all over the place including up against the interior walls of the machine?

Well, in this particular VCR there was some kind of white stain all over the inside. Maybe it was a wet cleaner that someone just totally overdosed on. Wherever it was sprayed outward from the upper cylinder. I have no idea what the substance was. But, it was all over the place and at the very same angle as the cylinder! Weird looking.