Tapes getting chewed on old VCR

Snickers Man

Have a VERY old VCR and am looking to convert last few VHS tapes to DVD before ridding myself of all this old technology and media.

Proplem is that it is chewing tapes, ie they are getting scrunched up in the mechanism and I don't want to risk any more beloved old tapes until I can fix it.

Anybody old enough to know is there something I can do to ensure proper spooling in the VCR? Any cleaning etc. Or failing that, anywhere that could actually still fix an old VCR player?

ZENER

Most machines used rubber belts and pulleys. There's a good chance the rubber has perished at this stage and is slipping. What's the make/model of the VCR ?

Ken

wonski

I used to take the cover of vcr and start a tape to see where the problem was. Perished rubber - as poster above mentioned - is very likely.

If you have a spare tape to sacrifice you can give it a go and see where it starts to fail.

I doubt there is anyone fixing those these days, but if it is really important there are guys / companies who can transfer those tapes to dvd or whatever format you need. Shouldn't be too expensive, but doing it yourself would be cheaper obviously:D

I literally don't know anyone who still have vcr, you could ask around and maybe, just maybe somebody has one in the attic or somewhere.

Good luck!

ZENER

Getting the parts is the problem, I stopped repairing them over 15 years ago. Another possibility is that the head drum is dirty and the tape is sticking to it, that was a common fault with a lot of them. Cheap tapes or tapes that had been in use for years where the oxide was separating from the tape backing were the biggest culprits. Tapes that weren't stored particularly well could also be the problem, they could be damp or simply perished, if they were stored in an uninsulated attic for years then they may be just past it.

If you've nothing to lose then why not have a go at cleaning it your self ?

Ken

The Sidewards Man

Just buy a working vcr op.

wonski

ZENER wrote: »

Getting the parts is the problem, I stopped repairing them over 15 years ago. Another possibility is that the head drum is dirty and the tape is sticking to it, that was a common fault with a lot of them. Cheap tapes or tapes that had been in use for years where the oxide was separating from the tape backing were the biggest culprits. Tapes that weren't stored particularly well could also be the problem, they could be damp or simply perished, if they were stored in an uninsulated attic for years then they may be just past it.

If you've nothing to lose then why not have a go at cleaning it your self ?

Ken

Used to clean them with alcohol based solution back then

I would open it up, start a tape and see what's going on.

I remember fixing these by just opening it, giving it a quick look and closing the cover Most unreliable devices ever...