UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Sony Betamax SL-5600 vcr

ct92404 · 20th May 2018, 2:40 am

Hi all,

Well I just bought my first "vintage" VCR a couple of days ago.

It's a Sony Betamax SL-5600. I think it was made in 1980.

I actually have no experience with Betamax at all. I'm honestly not sure exactly why I got it, but I could tell it's very old and a pretty early VCR. It caught my attention and I thought it would be interesting to play around with. I always thought top-loading VCRs were cool. I can faintly remember when Betamax tapes were still in video stores when I was a little kid in the mid-1980's. But it seemed like VHS took over and Betamax disappeared from consumer use pretty fast. At least where I live in the US.
My family never had a Betamax VCR when I was a kid. Our first was a VHS.

This one I found is in fairly good condition, with just a small ding on the trim in one corner. It was just filthy! I started cleaning it and trying to figure out if it works. The clock works when I turn on the vcr, and the channel indicator lights come on when I press the channel buttons. But there are some strange problems. The power light doesn't come on when I switch on the VCR, even though it seems to respond like it has power. I guess the light could just be burned out. When I press the eject button, a noisy motor runs. Since the cassette loads from the top with a simple spring door and isn't motorized like tray loading VCRs, I have no idea why a motor would be running with the eject button. My only guess would be that it's part of the mechanism that actually pulls the tape itself up to the heads? (I don't know much about how VCRs work mechanically). So is there maybe something jammed and the vcr thinks there is still a tape inside?

Also, none of the buttons work. If I try to press play, fast forward, or rewind, nothing happens. I saw a couple of belts that were broken and need to be replaced, but I would think that I should still hear a motor running if I press the buttons, even if the spools don't actually turn. The only thing that seemed to respond is if I press the play button and pause, a "pause/freeze" indicator light comes on.

I've attached some pictures of the VCR. Does anyone have any suggestions on what could be wrong and where I should start to fix it?

- Chris

20th May 2018, 2:40 am	#1
ct92404 Pentode Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: San Bernardino, California, USA. Posts: 101	Sony Betamax SL-5600 vcr Hi all, Well I just bought my first "vintage" VCR a couple of days ago. It's a Sony Betamax SL-5600. I think it was made in 1980. I actually have no experience with Betamax at all. I'm honestly not sure exactly why I got it, but I could tell it's very old and a pretty early VCR. It caught my attention and I thought it would be interesting to play around with. I always thought top-loading VCRs were cool. I can faintly remember when Betamax tapes were still in video stores when I was a little kid in the mid-1980's. But it seemed like VHS took over and Betamax disappeared from consumer use pretty fast. At least where I live in the US. My family never had a Betamax VCR when I was a kid. Our first was a VHS. This one I found is in fairly good condition, with just a small ding on the trim in one corner. It was just filthy! I started cleaning it and trying to figure out if it works. The clock works when I turn on the vcr, and the channel indicator lights come on when I press the channel buttons. But there are some strange problems. The power light doesn't come on when I switch on the VCR, even though it seems to respond like it has power. I guess the light could just be burned out. When I press the eject button, a noisy motor runs. Since the cassette loads from the top with a simple spring door and isn't motorized like tray loading VCRs, I have no idea why a motor would be running with the eject button. My only guess would be that it's part of the mechanism that actually pulls the tape itself up to the heads? (I don't know much about how VCRs work mechanically). So is there maybe something jammed and the vcr thinks there is still a tape inside? Also, none of the buttons work. If I try to press play, fast forward, or rewind, nothing happens. I saw a couple of belts that were broken and need to be replaced, but I would think that I should still hear a motor running if I press the buttons, even if the spools don't actually turn. The only thing that seemed to respond is if I press the play button and pause, a "pause/freeze" indicator light comes on. I've attached some pictures of the VCR. Does anyone have any suggestions on what could be wrong and where I should start to fix it? - Chris Attached Thumbnails