Hello,

My Panasonic PV-4060 VCR has stopped playing tapes. It loads the tapes, and will even play them for a few moments (with good image quality) until it stops. It also has trouble rewinding and fast forwarding, stopping randomly. Eventually I have to unplug the set for it to respond at all to commands.

With the cover off, it seems like everything is in order. Where can I start looking?

Operate it with the cover off and while playing observe the take-up reel, see if it's stalling causing it to stop. Might be a rubber idler or somesuch.

With the cover off, this is how it stops.

youtu.be/OqbOsY6nAVc

And this is the resultant clicking during which the mechanism won't respond to commands.

youtu.be/8HAyjs_QPdk

Sometimes it turns off at this point also.

Where is the rubber idler?

Hello,

My Panasonic PV-4060 VCR has stopped playing tapes. It loads the tapes, and will even play them for a few moments (with good image quality) until it stops. It also has trouble rewinding and fast forwarding, stopping randomly. Eventually I have to unplug the set for it to respond at all to commands.

With the cover off, it seems like everything is in order. Where can I start looking?

Did you watch the operation of the unit with the cover off?
Seems like the slack of the tape isn't being taken up. I don't remember if that model has an idler wheel or a gear. It's located between the two spindles. I don't miss working on those things.
I use VCR's a lot! If one gives me grief, I just grab another one off the pile, as I have several.
BTW, the condition your unit is in, could lead to damaged tapes!

Yeah, I posted videos in my last post.

There's nothing between the two spindles, so I guess the unit uses a gear.

I only have the one, but I only use it for the few tapes I don't have on DVD. I'll probably digitize them as soon as I get this VCR working again.

Here's a video of the unit being disassembled from someone else. You can see the lack of an idler wheel at 4:29.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eATL5x1hZQA

I guess you're on your own, or someone else with a YouTube acc't can help you. Your YouTube is private and I do not have a YouTube account any more.

Oops, that's an error. Should be public now.

EDIT: The issue has all the symptoms of a dirty/worn idler tire, but it doesn't seem like there is one.

Looks like a "G" chassis, which doesn't have an idler tire as I recall. It's got some other oddball problem. I'll have to think about it. Maybe someone with G chassis experience can offer an opinion too!

I wish I wasn't so helpless, I don't even have a service manual to go on.

I found this: http://www.science-bbs.com/72-electronics-repair/6bc7a7ae5c2f5178.htm.

for intermittant mechanical operation check for bad mode switches
famous for going bad

and here: http://www.science-bbs.com/72-electronics-repair/0a328f4371422272.htm.

I have several panasonic G chassis vcr's in the shop with the same problem. The
capstan motor hesitates to turn and the relay clicks intermittently. The tape
will and will not load at times.

Sounds familiar.

Mode switch.
This is most likely your problem. G chassis are known for this problem.

On G-chassis with mechanical problems I usually replace all gears (about $15
a set). This guaranteed to fix most mechanical faults on G-chassis.

Where are the two mode switches?

Does that unit have a mechanical counter? If yes, look to see if the belt is slipping.

I never understood how those things worked anyway, what w/all those teeny-tiny parts...And all the Monkey-Motion they had to go thru..

I can say these do NOT have the belt driven counter.

There is a slider switch on the FL assy and a rotary encoder switch down on the deck mechanism that turns with the cam gear, only two I recall. BUT!! You have never had a G chassis apart and don't have the manual and the mechanical timing is critical.

It almost sounds to me like power supply problems, these do have the SMPS power supply buried on the back. Like not enough current to power the motor and engage the mechanism control solenoid.. Should be a good solid 12V or 15V somewhere on a pin to the capstan or cylinder motors.

Ed is right, no belt counter.

You're right, I'll do more damage than good. I'll check the voltage.

It's been too long since I worked on VCRs but I remember that G deck. Boy, do I remember it (the mechanism, in a general sense).
Also remember trying to find the very first instance of the complaint- It's just like someone presses the STOP button, isn't it? But, it's not the reel sensor.
Ed said something about the switch on the FL- isn't THAT the problem? Try cleaning that out.
If not, sorry. It's been at least 15 years for me.
Brian

I have little experience and don't have a manual. Yes, that's exactly it. Sometimes, the unit turns off during those clicking sessions. Where is the FL switch usually located?

Thank you for your help.

If memory serves its on the front load mech itself, right side. You should see wires leading to it.
Know that the FL needs to be installed in exactly the spot it is now so don't pull it without studying it. A specific tooth of the 'rack' goes in a specific place in the gear.
I feel like I'm handing you a firearm...
And, that it's been 15 years since I shot one only a few times...
Brian

Ok, I took this thing out.

http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s451/apples555/IMG_0666_zpszb7o0mmt.jpg

http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s451/apples555/IMG_0667_zpswfzphowf.jpg

I cleaned the bulb and the hole it peeks through. It seemed pretty clean already as in the picture. I fired it up, but it still stops. Your description is perfect, it's just as if the stop button is pressed.

EDIT: Ok, I can't get it back in so for diagnostics I put the slider all the way at the end. It seems to be playing fine now. So is the switch broken?

EDIT: OK, I put it back in. The VCR seems to be playing fine now. I'll let this thread know what happens.

If it still misbehaves, how can I clean the slider sensor? That seems to be the cause. Deoxit?

It works!

I didn't even do anything. All I did was take out the sliding sensor and put it back in.

Blast, I have no idea how you did that. 15 years is a long time.

Hmmm... On one hand it's not "fixed" in the professional sense. On the other, it may be "fixed" enough for the tech being the end user (and, 25 years later).

The professional "fix" was to replace the switch. The semi-professional "fix" was to open the switch and clean it out. Back then I may have used head cleaner, don't remember. Today? Fader Lube? I don't know. Ed? Others?

It's not the "bulb". It's the slide switch. You can't tell anything from the outside. It's the inside where the electrical connections are made.
Brian

I can use Deoxit on it if it starts acting up again. I assume new parts are non-existant.

Blast was, once again, completely right. The switch started acting up again. How do I repair it properly? It is sealed pretty tight as can be seen in the photo.

I couldn't figure out how to open the switch because it is sealed, so I used deoxit on it. Seems to work ok now again, but it might start acting up again. Is it possible to buy a new/working one?

The switch is still causing problems. It seems that right after deoxing it, it works fine (meaning it can get through playing/recording a full-length tape). Afterwards, it's anyone's guess. It still stops randomly/doesn't eject/all sensor problems.

When it works, it works quite well.

Any ideas?

Well, it just completely died.

I took it apart to clean the mode switch this time. Plugged it in and ejected the tape. Located the mode switch and put a little deoxit into it. Try to do something, and find the unit completely dead.

Plug out and in. No effect. No lights, no nothing. What the heck?!

Sounds like something you might have accidentally shorted something in the process of taking things apart and caused a short, blowing a fuse in the power supply. Also check the power supply for bad caps. However I vote for a bad mode switch. I've changed lots of these back when VCRs were popular as they caused lots of problems in many different models. I remember replacing the exact type of mode switch exactly like yours many times. Cleaning sometimes brings them back to operation. I doubt if it's the end of tape sensors as usually what happens is that it starts to play then stops and goes into rewind. Also counter belt. If counter doesn't run, it tells the processor that the tape isn't being taken up and causes it to stop. All of the suggestions above are possible reasons as to why the tape plays for a bit and stops. Sometimes VCRs are a nightmare to fix, and with so many out there, picking one up that works for cheap or even free might be an option. I think I have 3 of them here, that work, and didn't pay anything for them. I also have an old RCA piano key type VCR with only up to 4 hour mode, (one of the very early ones made by Panasonic) that if I ever get a chance to work on it, it want to fix it up just for nostalgia's sake.

I would check all those circuit protector fuse that look like two legged transistors.

There's a regular fuse that pops out, and it checks out OK. I can't see any other fuses. What do the transistor-type fuses look like?

There's a regular fuse that pops out, and it checks out OK. I can't see any other fuses. What do the transistor-type fuses look like?

They are called IC protectors and they look like a TO92 transistor with two or three legs like the photo below.

The part number usually starts with ICP-N or similar .

The 1990's Sony VCR I have here is loaded with them and took me for a loop until I checked them.

https://www.google.com/#q=to92+ic+protectors

Circuit or IC protectors can look like this too...

There is a three leg transistor like that on the board. When I plug it in, as I mentioned, the VCR is completely dead, but that little guy heats up hot. So the power supply is doing its job and delivering power to the mainboard.

How do I fix it, and why did it fail?

Would a photo help?

Looks like the bottom right one in this picture.

https://dlnmh9ip6v2uc.cloudfront.net/assets/9/4/3/4/1/518d2bfdce395fa672000000.png

I've visually identified four three-leg IC protectors.

With a continuity multimeter, connecting the voltage pins of the 2nd and 3rd protectors makes the VCR do stuff.

With the power off, all the ground pins go to metal cage ground EXCEPT for the first transistor. How do I fix/confirm this situation?

It says D1776 on it.

Here are the results for the voltages:
1: Vin=13V, Vout=9V
2: (makes click if bridged): Vin=13V, Vout=0V
3: (makes click if bridged): Vin = 13V, Vout = 0V
4: Vin=13V, Vout=0.6V

I tried bridging 2 and 3 but the VCR still doesn't turn on, though the mechanism clicks.

D1776 datasheet (http://www.datasheet4u.com/datasheet/D/1/7/D1776-PanasonicSemiconductor.pdf.html) (transistor 1).

EDIT: I think I might've been way off on transistor 1 being an IC protector.

The part you are describing is a power transistor (2SD1776). Sams has the OEM manual for the PV-4060K Item number 199750 for $20.00. All the best,Tom.J

You are right.

Are IC protectors on the mainboard or power supply? Because the power supply is delivering power to the mainboard. I can even make the mechanism move if I ground some of the pins on the mainboard.