What is the worst VCR to work on? - Page 2 - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Welsh Anorak · 22nd Jul 2021, 5:32 pm

Changing the Charlie pinchroller was a doddle if you didn't follow the manual. Replacement required a 9v battery and a long screwdriver used as a crowbar... Five minutes and it was done!

Pattern parts for Philips Echo and Charlie VCRs were actually better than the manufacturer supplied parts that would decompose in their little plastic box.
Luckily I did very few V2000s and played enough with old N1500 and 1700s to know I'd had a lucky escape.

gallowfields · 22nd Jul 2021, 7:47 pm

got to agree with glyn on the charly deck, once you knew them easy. pinch roller fastest time to fit one 12 seconds. dis the loading motor power it from seperate supply watch the pinch go round to the left a little push down the locating cog slide out the old pinch and in with the new let go of the locating cog reverse polarity and pinch is back to rest first shown to me by chs rep many moons ago just one of the tips he passed on his rounds [alan round ]

its ur aerial · 22nd Jul 2021, 8:14 pm

Obviously the Amstrad twin Tape machine and it various clones, were an absolute pile of excrement, the Sanyo Fisher Machines with the Horseshoe Idler were not easy, but once you done a few, were not too bad, the modified chassis helped, I had forgotten about that, good memory Glyn, well done !
And then of course the G and Charlie Decks

But a friend of mine who worked for Panasonic, thought the were a piece of cake

As a matter of interest, I understand they are still used in Commercial Passenger Air Craft for the inflight entertainment system.
Best VCR, 3V30, gets my vote.

Ken, G6HZG.

jayceebee · 22nd Jul 2021, 8:53 pm

Surprised no one has mentioned Sony, I can only speak of their VHS machines but they foisted one or two horrors on us. The worst one by far was the SLV-E40, this heap used an even cheaper and nastier version of the deck design used in many Amstrads.

No hope of electronic fault finding without the extension leads and even then it was a balancing act. Performance was terrible, any tape recorded with less than perfect heads showed lots of noise and much interference from the SMPS. Truly awful machine and not worthy of the Sony name.

John.

22nd Jul 2021, 5:32 pm	#21
Welsh Anorak Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Wales, UK. Posts: 6,916	Re: What is the worst VCR to work on? Changing the Charlie pinchroller was a doddle if you didn't follow the manual. Replacement required a 9v battery and a long screwdriver used as a crowbar... Five minutes and it was done! Pattern parts for Philips Echo and Charlie VCRs were actually better than the manufacturer supplied parts that would decompose in their little plastic box. Luckily I did very few V2000s and played enough with old N1500 and 1700s to know I'd had a lucky escape. __________________ Glyn www.gdelectronics.wales

22nd Jul 2021, 7:47 pm	#22
gallowfields Hexode Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Durham, County Durham, UK. Posts: 325	Re: What is the worst VCR to work on? got to agree with glyn on the charly deck, once you knew them easy. pinch roller fastest time to fit one 12 seconds. dis the loading motor power it from seperate supply watch the pinch go round to the left a little push down the locating cog slide out the old pinch and in with the new let go of the locating cog reverse polarity and pinch is back to rest first shown to me by chs rep many moons ago just one of the tips he passed on his rounds [alan round ]

22nd Jul 2021, 8:14 pm	#23
its ur aerial Hexode Join Date: May 2009 Location: Ryde, Isle of Wight, UK. Posts: 419	Re: What is the worst VCR to work on? Obviously the Amstrad twin Tape machine and it various clones, were an absolute pile of excrement, the Sanyo Fisher Machines with the Horseshoe Idler were not easy, but once you done a few, were not too bad, the modified chassis helped, I had forgotten about that, good memory Glyn, well done ! And then of course the G and Charlie Decks But a friend of mine who worked for Panasonic, thought the were a piece of cake As a matter of interest, I understand they are still used in Commercial Passenger Air Craft for the inflight entertainment system. Best VCR, 3V30, gets my vote. Ken, G6HZG. __________________ Life is not Hollywood, life is Cricklewood.

22nd Jul 2021, 8:53 pm	#24
jayceebee Heptode Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Durham, County Durham, UK. Posts: 640	Re: What is the worst VCR to work on? Surprised no one has mentioned Sony, I can only speak of their VHS machines but they foisted one or two horrors on us. The worst one by far was the SLV-E40, this heap used an even cheaper and nastier version of the deck design used in many Amstrads. No hope of electronic fault finding without the extension leads and even then it was a balancing act. Performance was terrible, any tape recorded with less than perfect heads showed lots of noise and much interference from the SMPS. Truly awful machine and not worthy of the Sony name. John.