Originally Posted by echo1434 View Post

I'm non a complete idiot, as I practice know how to manually clean the tape path and heads, etc. but as for knowing how to gauge the condition of internal parts via visual inspection is something I am CLUELESS about. Whatever and all related information will be greatly appreciated!

Ordinarily, I'yard all for people learning new skills and doing their own repairs, merely honestly if yous have zero prior experience or aptitude for tearing into electromechanical devices you should probably Not get-go at present with VCRs (beyond simple cleaning). The supply of premium models in good working condition is far likewise deficient and valuable present: if nosotros're talking an everyday common consumer model easily replaced for under $50, sure poke around inside. But anything with TBC/DNR should be sent to a dedicated pro tech who clearly states their specialization, and/or has a good runway record at sites like DigitalFAQ.

Some issues you tin can diagnose by sight, merely appearances can be deceiving and each brand/model series volition accept internal differences. Noticeably muddied capstans, guides, pinch rollers and stationary audio/tracking heads are an indication of hard use, merely not necessarily a defective VCR: a little astute cleaning and many work fine. The big trouble areas are ofttimes located inaccessibly below the mechanism (brakes, gears, tiny belts, cracked worm gears): troubles with load/eject or screeching in FF/REW tin be traced to this surface area. Some VCRs use a complicated pinch roller arm that moves up and down vertically when loading/unloading: the timing for this is critical. Dried gummy grease or misaligned gear train will ho-hum the vertical roller movement plenty to snag tapes. Eyeballing the tape ribbon every bit it moves thru the transport can offer some clues:if it seems to be riding a little too high or low (bowing at the edge), tracking can exist impeded and eventually cause border damage (some models are easier to re-marshal for this problem than others). Hidden switches and sensors tin can go dirty, throwing timing off. Then of course you lot accept electronic bug: bulging leaky caps are fairly obvious to the middle, but many smaller cap failures require instrumentation to diagnose.

Unfortunately, the whole VCR field is one behemothic Catch-22 PITA today. The perverse fact is the improve the VCR, the more likely it is to require repairs, and not just ordinary repairs: nitpicky, resistant, peculiar, specialized repairs. The techs who could do this task well are dropping out of the business at an alarming charge per unit, similar to how skilled camera repair specialists and FM tuner techs are evaporating like dew in August. In that location isn't enough demand to actually brand a living at these repairs: it seems that way from all the churr on AV forums, just in reality its a low volume, very niche business model. Coupled with the ridiculous amount of time and endeavour necessary to overhaul something like the popular Panasonic AG-1980, the cost has skyrocketed in the last couple years. As the fees become ever higher, fewer and fewer people can afford proper VCR service, and requite up in despair. In plough, the decreasing client base pushes many aging techs toward retirement (with no apprentices preparation in the wings).

So there isn't much of a middle, affordable ground anymore: you either splurge on a fully restored AG-1980 from TGrant Photo, or have your chances on the eBay lottery. The former is like investing in gold coinage: I swear I blinked a few months ago, and the TGrant price for a 1980 jumped from $999 to $1499 overnight. $1500 is a LOT of money for a VCR: unless yous take a decent margin of disposable income, that toll volition stop you cold. The platitude bromides "that's what the 1980 cost brand new in 1997" or "its a temporary purchase: y'all can always resell and get all your money back" merely don't fly anymore. The retail cost of the AG1980 in 1997 has no relevance today (back so it was a professional person tool for wedding ceremony/event firms that could write information technology off, Boilerplate Joe with 100 tapes to transfer in 2022 is gonna choke hard on that price). Equally for "only flip information technology when your project is done" - good luck with that. Very very few interested buyers are truly willing to fork over $1500 for a TGrant unit: those that do generally agree onto them for the long term. If y'all save all the service documentation, you might recoup almost half that from a savvy VH or DigitalFAQ member. And so the question becomes, do y'all have plenty tapes (and do you prize them enough) to eat a vi or 7 hundred dollar loss?

Of course, for some people the answer is a resounding "aye" or TGrant wouldn't have a business. The Panasonic AG-1980 is a unique VCR that has no exact alternative: if you need information technology, you demand it and must detect a way to afford it. The level of rebuild depth and testing TGrant performs on their VCRs is an lodge of magnitude better than your average "VCR repair" - remaking the flaky sow's ear AG1980 into a silk pocketbook paragon is a difficult trick indeed. Same goes for the popular JVC DigiPure models, tho these tend to be notably less expensive and less difficult to restore. If yous desire to merely purchase a VCR and get to piece of work, going with a pricey specialized restoration service recommended at DigitalFAQ can be worth every penny. Check the repair threads oft: active and shut downwardly status of these firms can alter speedily as techs retire.

Those with restricted budgets can still win at the eBay lottery, but its very risky for some models and prices are not the chump change they were years ago. I'd strongly circumspection against an eBay AG1980 unless you've already decided to transport it directly to TGrant or Deter for an expensive fourth dimension-consuming overhaul: theres nigh nothing take a chance an eBay AG1980 is actually working "perfectly" every bit-is. They all have one or more gremlins: if y'all know the model well, it is possible to brand functional tradeoffs of price vs glitches and snag a "deal". Only the gremlins can be unstable, then you'd need to transfer all suitable tapes immediately (IOW, don't play around with random bargain AG1980s unless you lot know exactly what you're playing at).

JVC SVHS DigiPure VCRs are much less volatile than the Panasonic, merely many require PSU service and they will shred tapes if out of mechanical alignment. JVC repairs are not nearly as exotic or involved as with the AG1980 (cypher is), but the mechanics and cap problems are just peculiar enough that you should wait for a JVC specialist if possible. Good deals can sometimes be found if one looks for JVC industrial-series "SR-MV" SVHS+DVD combo recorders instead of the better-known standalone VCR models. These combos all incorporate a variant of the JVC SR-V101 DigiPure VCR with TBC/DNR, which is quite good when working properly. The "gotcha" with the philharmonic units is the notorious JVC "Loading..." defect, when failed caps or resistors in the ability supply or a faulty optical drive prevents the unit of measurement from completely booting. Repairing this and so the VCR section tin can be used is rather catchy, but since these combos sell for one-half the asking toll of popular JVC VCRs you can nonetheless come out ahead if you lot've got the name of a good repair service. They aren't platonic for playing non-hifi tapes, however: the linear mono sound circuit is rather poor, esp at SLP/EP.

Currently, the best "toll-performance-risk" bet on eBay is the Mitsubishi HS-HD2000U DVHS model. For reasons I can't figure, prices on these have dropped dramatically in recent months vs like JVCs and Panasonics. The Mitsu 2000 has TBC/DNR features copied from JVC DigiPure, only with significantly more reliable electronics and mechanism (most examples are still fully operational). Fantabulous video functioning at SP, tho like JVCs tracking ability at SLP/EP is non as practiced as Panasonic. The Mitsu 2000 tin can be had in adept functional condition for as little as $195 sometimes, esp if it doesn't include the bespoke argent remote. All of its VHS functions can exist operated with any common grey Mitsubishi VCR remote that has a jog/shuttle dial, the dedicated remote just adds a few DVHS-specific buttons most owners volition never use anyway.