RCA VLT385 VHS - possible internal damage?

[Findm-Keepm]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

"Most" except for the phototransistor start and end sensors and DC-DC converters (either the discrete components or the DC-DC converter module version depending on model) that failed left and right. Kept technicians in work. I made a lot of money fixin' those back in the day.

Saw a lot of bad end sensors (PT23, PT23L, etc) on Sharp, Toshiba and JVC decks - the display DC-DC converters on the Hitachis and VLT2XX RCA/Hitachis, bad power supply diodes on the Panny (VRXXX) RCAs, and lots of sun gears on the JVCs. This on top of heads, belts, idlers, LB1649 load motor chips, and the mode switches on the cheapo stuff (XR1000, Memorex, Realistic...).

I made about $100 a month while deployed just replacing Fisher belts and idler tires - the ship's store sold Fisher VCRs (FVHXXX) exclusively in the mid-80s, and by 1989, the rubber belts in those VCRs were tired. I bought 20 Sanyo/Fisher belt kits in October, and by Christmas I was reordering - no small feat when you are in the Eastern Mediterranean, 8 days separated by mail...."Peter Pan" with Mary Martin was my test tape......

[Findm-Keepm]

Dunno if this will help anyone, but here's a consolidated list of repair tips for RCA VCRs I collected back in the day - various sources, some from RCA, most from the web.

[ComboCompact]

Thanks for all the additional info, guys. Finally got under the hood; nothing looks bent/broken and head drum appears undamaged (although my magnifier isn't great). So, fingers crossed it wasn't a fatal drop.
Belts are all intact but one or two look pretty tired. Haven't run it open yet to see exactly what's slipping or stuck. That's next, though I'll likely swap belts regardless as preventive maintenance. Going rate for the PRB kit is $20... I gather I should get that and not mess with anything generic/cheaper.

Originally Posted by Findm-Keepm

Dunno if this will help anyone, but here's a consolidated list of repair tips for RCA VCRs I collected back in the day -

That .pdf is great, will come in handy to a novice like myself. Thanks Brian.


One more general question related to this make/ model/ era, for anyone:
Even if I manage to clean & restore this thing to good-as-new factory spec, did older consumer VCRs inherently cause more wear & tear on tapes? I know playback will never match a modern JVC or Panny SVHS deck but I'm more concerned about how rough it is on the media.

[Findm-Keepm]

With new or like-new heads, no problem. Get it gunked up, and it'll wear tapes out fast - first to go is the sharpness of the picture. Think of the old kiosk VCR-tape loops playing in Sears, JC Penney and Montgomery Wards back in the day - most looked smeared and lost color in the pix. Worn tape from 3,000+ playings. Need a head? Dunno if Asti Magnetics still has them for the older stuff, but you can try. They may have gotten stuck with a bunch... Heads were about 20 bucks back in the 90s from Asti - some even cheaper. 4-Head? $$$$...

Others to try:

MAT Electronics
ACME Electronics <- no more......gone entirely from the web.
MCM Electronics <- they've gone corporate, so who knows if any old stuff is still around. I LOVED them in the 80s.

[ComboCompact]

The 2-head drum in my RCA doesn't *look* gunked up, although I cleaned it using cardpaper + 99% isopropyl and got a lot of stuff off.

Asti does have a replacment head P/N for mine but unclear if it's actually available. Gotta contact them directly I guess; will see what they say. If they have one and it's cheap enough, would be nice to play old tapes on this thing without fear of degrading them. Thanks for the hint!

[Findm-Keepm]

Originally Posted by ComboCompact

The 2-head drum in my RCA doesn't *look* gunked up, although I cleaned it using cardpaper + 99% isopropyl and got a lot of stuff off.

Asti does have a replacment head P/N for mine but unclear if it's actually available. Gotta contact them directly I guess; will see what they say. If they have one and it's cheap enough, would be nice to play old tapes on this thing without fear of degrading them. Thanks for the hint!

Buy from Asti once, and you'll get their mailings forever. Dad used to buy a dozen or so heads/month, and he still gets mailings from Asti - 5 years after he died....