Sony VCR Model SLV-741HF Issues
 

Hello Everyone yesterday I went to my local goodwill store and scored a late 1990s Sony VCR Model SLV-741HF that when I got it home it wouldn't play any tapes it would load the tape just fine but when you would try to push play or rewind or fast forward the VCR would just pop the tape back out of the VCR.

Which I had determined that it was the belt and this particular VCR happened to have the classic toothed belts that Sony was famous for using in their VCRs back in the Day and they also had a tensioner pulley for the belt which was adjustable so I tightened the tensioner pulley and the rest of the pulleys started moving again as they should (before they were barely moving when you would turn the pulleys by hand).

But now my problem is that when I was taking this VCR apart (you had to remove the circuit boards from the bottom of the unit to get to the belt, and the head demodulator board) I didn't disconnect all of the cables like I should of and I accidentally tore the ribbon cable that came out of the head unit and connected to the head demodulator board, and so the ribbon cable tore in half and I know theres a way to repair that but I was wondering if anyone knew of a way I could get my hands on a new Head unit for this VCR without having to pay out the wazoo for one, or if anyone on here had a head unit from a junker unit I could have.

See picture below to see the head unit in question and the aforementioned damage.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pb...-no?authuser=0

Picture isn't working.

Video head drum replacement requires mechanical alignment of the mechanism a purpose made calibration tape etc....very few VCRs are worth it.

Picture works for me, what web browser are you using?

Firefox on Android.

That's interesting because I'm using Chrome on android and no issues. I don't have access to my desktop right now because of a tree falling on my house and damaging the roof in my office/workshop otherwise I would of just downloaded the picture and did it that way.

Try it now, the photo was reuploaded using the photo uploader tool rather than the photo embedder tool.

I see it.

The way I understand it if you remove the head drum (as it appears you have) you need an alignment tape and need to align the tape path to make the deck work even if you fix the ribbon cable for your current drum or new drum. Unless that deck is selling in the hundred dollar range I'd round file it and find a cheap working deck or something worth the effort.
One other option if you can find a cosmetically or electrically damaged deck is to just swap the entire mechanism over (I've done this with a JVC chassis family I have a few models of).

I had also found at a local computer repair shop that also has an electronics recycling program a late model Zenith VCR from 1997 that had the same problem as this Sony and the Zenith I was able to fix no problem but this sony was nice because it had a Shuttle Jog feature for the rewind and fast forward and slow motion feature.

And I looked this model up on ebay and this model and similar prosumer grade sony units were indeed going for over $100 or more.

I do have a 1987 vintage prosumer grade JVC deck that is still going strong that I had picked up at goodwill a few years back that came complete with it's original manual and remote but I use that for my LCD projector and this sony I was going to use for my flat panel tv and my old Sylvania Console TV.