VHS Machine Repairs

John Duggan1

Is there anywhere in Dublin that repairs DVD / vhs players?

ZENER

What's the problem with it ?

Ken

flutered

are then thing expensive, or are they scarce.

cunnijo

It depends on where In Dublin you are in. One company I know of and found fairly reasonable is BAVS, which are based in the Newcastle area.

http://www.bavs.ie/

As Zener mentions it will depend on what is wrong with it. A repair will on average cost around €40.

ZENER

Even back when VCRs were the norm 40 quid wouldn't get you much. A Head Drum for the more common brands set you back about 60 punts +, a belt kit was about a tenner. That's before you paid for my time.

The chances of getting a head-drum nowadays are remote unless it's something still in use. If it's been stored away in the attic then chances are all the rubber components have perished or hardened.

Ken

cunnijo

ZENER wrote: »

Even back when VCRs were the norm 40 quid wouldn't get you much. A Head Drum for the more common brands set you back about 60 punts +, a belt kit was about a tenner. That's before you paid for my time.

The chances of getting a head-drum nowadays are remote unless it's something still in use. If it's been stored away in the attic then chances are all the rubber components have perished or hardened.

Ken

I totally agree. €40 was only given as an estimate for a general service. As for parts like heads for example then it would not be really worth it, as mentioned they would be virtually impossible to come by and even if they were it would be costly. To the OP it might be a better idea to look on sites like www.adverts.ie or www.donedeal.ie (just to name 2) to find a working replacement.

John Duggan1

Thanks for the interest guys. The machine was in use for max 5 years,bought 2008. The signal suddenly stopped getting through. Only a blue screen although settings such as menus can be brought over the blue screen.

cunnijo

John Duggan1 wrote: »

Thanks for the interest guys. The machine was in use for max 5 years,bought 2008. The signal suddenly stopped getting through. Only a blue screen although settings such as menus can be brought over the blue screen.

Just to clarify. Is the signal loss affecting both inward (eg Sky box via scart or RF) and outwards (playback)?

John Duggan1

Yes, both. No playback signal but tape does engage and run and will also run if I press record but nothing is actually recorded.

cunnijo

John Duggan1 wrote: »

Yes, both. No playback signal but tape does engage and run and will also run if I press record but nothing is actually recorded.

Can I suggest you first clean the heads. Disconnect the power and open the case and using a soft cloth (lightly dampened with either surgical spirit or special head cleaning fluid. Mets will do on this occasion if you have some) lightly apply the cloth turning the drum slowly anti-clockwise for a couple of seconds. Let it dry and try running a tape again.

If this works then it was just down to dirty heads. If however it does not work then you may be better off looking for a replacement on the sites I referred to earlier. It might cost more to repair than replace

ZENER

In your OP you said "DVD/VHS Player" Does the DVD part work ok ? I assume you've tried SCART and RF outputs ?

If the heads were worn then the VCR would stop the tape play mechanism to protect the heads, it would assume you were playing a tape with no programme on it.

Just to point out, if you're using the SCART end you will need a full SCART cable as VCRs don't output RGB - they output S-Video or Composite. So on your TV you would need to select an AV input on the SCART rather than SCART RGB. Some SCART leads don't have the composite pins connected.

Ken

John Duggan1

Thanks,tried that but to no avail.Guess I will look for another unit on the sites you suggested.