Technical
Fault and repair guide
No reel rotation
This is a very common problem which can have several causes. The first thing which fails is usually the reel idler assembly. Replacement units are readily available and can be fitted easily after removal of the cassette carriage. Next suspect the drive belt which connects the ideler to the motor. Finally the motor itself is prone to failure.No tuner input
This is usually caused by failure of the RF combiner / splitter unit. Unfortunately it is not easy to repair this unit.Timer and/or standby LED fail to illuminate
This is caused by dry joints where the LED are soldered onto the front PCB. In order to gain access to the PCB you'll need to remove the front panel and the servo board on the LHS of the deck.VCR tape transport is sluggish
Internally the VCR contains many drive belts which are used in the mechanics of tape transport. With age these belts become slack causing malfunctions and when this happens the whole lot should be replaced.
Quick fault guide
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| Fault | Solution |
|---|---|
| Stops in PLAY/FF/REW after 2 seconds | Tape counter not running. Check the two belts connecting the take-up reel to the tape counter and replace them if necessary. The same applies for the models VTC 5300/5330/5350/5400/5410 and the portable VPR-5800. NOT for the later models VTC 5000/5550/5150/5250 nor the front loaders. |
| Loading ring stalls when loading or unloading even with a new loading belt | Flat spot on the loading idler tyre. File it down with fine grit sandpaper. Rubber Renue can also help restoring the tyre's grip. |
| Head drum/head pre-amp interference, noisy picture | Poor head drum grounding/earthing. Make sure all screws are tight and if necessary, solder one end of jumper wire onto the outer case of the head pre-amp box, hook the other end of the wire under the screw of the upper drum assembly that holds a brass clip behind the audio/control head, then tighten the screw firmly. |
| Capstan speed variations | Check C4040. |