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Old 18th Apr 2021, 12:24 am   #12
dj_fivos_sak
Heptode
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Lefkada, Greece
Posts: 969
Default Re: VHS Tape Path Alignment

Quote:
Originally Posted by hillsrob View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by dj_fivos_sak View Post
You can usually find out if the P2 (entrance side) or P3 (exit side) guide posts are out of alignment by simply pressing on them with your finger while the tape is playing. A common problem with early JVC machines is the metal base where the pinch roller is mounted can flex and bend. This can easily happen if someone pushes too hard with a screwdriver to remove the screw that's holding the pinch roller in place. This will cause the tape to ride upwards on the capstan shaft, then the control head will miss the control track and the top edge of the tape will get screwed up. So you need to pay extra attention when trying to replace the pinch roller on one of these machines.

Fivos
Thanks Fivos for some more useful tips for my notes. I assume P2 and P3 are the supply and take-up guide 'rollers' either side of the head drum with P1 and P4 being the supply and take-up guide 'poles' using JVC's terminology?

I didn't start well by getting this wrong in my original post. I'll try to edit it.
The P1 guide is the stationary guide right before the full erase head (called supply guide pole in JVC's service manuals). The P2 guide is called supply guide roller in the manual, the P3 guide is called take-up guide roller, and the P4 guide, the one right after the audio/control head, is called take-up guide pole. Like the P1 guide, the P4 guide is also stationary.
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