Video 2000 tape interchangeability and reliability questions

[TonyDuell]

I thought I remembered something and I just checked the (paper) VR2020 and VR2022 service manuals on my bookshelf and I was right...

There are 3 switches that detect holes (or lack of them) in the V2000 cassette in these machines. One of them is the record-prevention switch. The other 2 are labelled 'tape type' in the manual. In these machines they are not really used, just one or the other has to be pressed to detect there is a cassette loaded. But it looks as though Philips were considering having different tapes which needed different drive levels)

[Joe_Lorenz]

I am afraid I don't have any Philips V2000's any more, but some Grundig 4x4 and one or two Siemens. Yes, some tapes would not allow you to play on another machine. We still have got a lot of tapes I should dig out and try them now after resting for a decade or so. Me thinks 50 Hz mains stability was a difficult issues those days, at least near the border to former Eastern Germany.
Joe

[whaka54]

Originally Posted by TonyDuell

I thought I remembered something and I just checked the (paper) VR2020 and VR2022 service manuals on my bookshelf and I was right...

There are 3 switches that detect holes (or lack of them) in the V2000 cassette in these machines. One of them is the record-prevention switch. The other 2 are labelled 'tape type' in the manual. In these machines they are not really used, just one or the other has to be pressed to detect there is a cassette loaded. But it looks as though Philips were considering having different tapes which needed different drive levels)

it's for detecting tape presence, record allow/block and tape duration.
because later, philips implemented a realtime counter by detecting the tape type duration, and estimate elapsed time by the number of revolutions reels make, that's pretty neat.
it was only availabe on some 23xx models, but the idea was probabely already there in first generation.

[German Dalek]

Originally Posted by stevehertz

Point taken but I've never experienced a problem using latest/last generation VHS tape in Betamax, V2000 (both generations), and Philips 1700 machines. In fact, as I've already mentioned, the results were superb, verging on (to the eye) off-air quality.

Hi Steve,
How did you solve the problem with the metallic stop-stripe?
Folks, please watch this video, see the stripe at 24.22 min:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gbeMvWNxYA

How do you glue tapes?

B.t.w., see now what is all recorded on old VCR-cassettes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFCJpEjgJvs

Regards,
German Dalek

[stevehertz]

Originally Posted by German Dalek

Hi Steve,
How did you solve the problem with the metallic stop-stripe?
Folks, please watch this video, see the stripe at 24.22 min:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gbeMvWNxYA

How do you glue tapes?

B.t.w., see now what is all recorded on old VCR-cassettes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFCJpEjgJvs

Regards,
German Dalek

Hi Dalek, It was over ten years ago and I can't remember the details, but I definitely did it and they worked. I have never used glue on tapes, in fact I don't know what you mean by that.

[German Dalek]

Originally Posted by stevehertz

Hi Dalek, It was over ten years ago and I can't remember the details, but I definitely did it and they worked. I have never used glue on tapes, in fact I don't know what you mean by that.

Hi Steve,
Because VHS tapes have no metallic stop stipes, the new tape (VHS) has to be
connected with the end-pieces of the old tape.
VHS tapes were controlled with transparent end-pieces.
I remember at my post where I point to the stripe in the video.

Regards,
German Dalek

[stevehertz]

Originally Posted by German Dalek

Hi Steve,
Because VHS tapes have no metallic stop stipes, the new tape (VHS) has to be
connected with the end-pieces of the old tape.
VHS tapes were controlled with transparent end-pieces.
I remember at my post where I point to the stripe in the video.

Regards,
German Dalek

Indeed, as I stated, I did it. It wouldn't have worked if I hadn't. I recall applying stick on metal strip from a roll that sold for such tape recording purposes.

[Techman]

Originally Posted by Techman

I've put it all back together for the time being, as I don't want bits to get lost or damaged and I've got a lot of other things on the go at the moment. However, if anyone has any ideas on this particular fault condition, I may have another look at it in the future, although I seem to remember there was some thoughts that this particular type of fault could be a main processor chip fault.

I did have another look at the machines a few days ago and nearly had the 2020 working. So having proved that one had a good processor board, I removed it from the machine, unsoldering and removing its dodgy looking back up battery and fitted it into the 2022 machine, and it brought it immediately back to life. From the previous comment regarding some still visible corrosion that the camera had picked up on the original board, I gave them both a good clean with IPA, but the original board still had the fault after the cleaning and exhibited the same fault in both machines.

I repaired the broken tape, it had come off the end of the spool. It was a bit chewed at the end, but still had the silver foil strip intact, so I decided not to shorten it and stuck it back on as it was. It played the tape (and others) fine, but this was short lived, as another fault then developed, in that the machine will not go into play mode and just sits there in pause, with the only way to view video being in fast picture search. Guessing that this was yet another processor board fault, I swapped the board back into the 2020 machine where it exhibited the same fault, thus proving my guess correct.

It crossed my mind that running these boards without any backup battery installed could perhaps be causing some sort of over voltage spike that's knocking out the processor chip. Another test that I could have done would have been to swap over between boards the main socketed 8049C processor to narrow down what was happening, but at this stage I decided to call it a day!

Pictures below show the board in the 2020 before having its battery removed and being cleaned and fitted to the 2022 machine. Also the innards of the 2020 and some batteries that I was given the other day that might have fitted as replacements and shown next to one of the removed yellow originals - perhaps I should have fitted one before running the board in the 2022 machine without one? I was using a small CRT portable B&W TV as a monitor before the machine packed up yet again. I remember these machines always being very unreliable, possibly worse than the 15/17/1750 models. I also remember a work colleague back in the day, after doing much research, buying the Grundig version brand new, and I remember him eventually giving up with it and dumping all his recordings and the machine when it went wrong and he couldn't fix it - or perhaps couldn't be bothered to fix it any more - he was a qualified TV engineer.

[ninjaboy]

I love the video 2000 format. I've got 10-12 players, almost 1000 pre-recorded tapes (and getting more) and I watch V2000 tapes weekly.

I have also found 3 alignment tapes and the English service manual for the VR2020.