Amstrad/Funai Transport Fault (VHS)

[RobustReviews]

Hello all,

Nealy finished restoring this "Double Decker" but I still have this puzzling fault which I'm sure is easy for people used to the mechanics of these units but I'm not so... .Here goes.



https://youtu.be/zJ7rJ07SgNQ

See Linked Video

Press play, tape unwinds, pinch-roller engages and well, there's no take up the machine resets.

Forward and rewind transport controls work perfectly, this only happens duing playing a cassette.

One deck does this about 50% of the time, the other 100% of the time.

Any suggestions on a fix?

Cheers,
RR

[HamishBoxer]

Is there a mode switch that needs cleaning?Guess all the idler tyres etc are good?

[toshiba tony]

Looked at your Utube video. Its a bit misleading, the head looks to be spinning slowly but that might be a strobing effect of the camera or something. Does the head appear to turn at the right speed when you press play? I worked on these a lot in the 80\90s. When you press ff\rw are you pressing stop or is the machine entering stop on its own? I seem to remember they don't have a conventional mode switch. We saw a lot of the Amstrad version (dd8800?), luckily yours is the top deck that is faulty. If ff\rw work ok I would be tempted to look for FG pulses from the heads. Try this, as soon as the tape has laced press the pause button, lastly does the tape counter work?

[RobustReviews]

Originally Posted by toshiba tony

Looked at your Utube video. Its a bit misleading, the head looks to be spinning slowly but that might be a strobing effect of the camera or something. Does the head appear to turn at the right speed when you press play? I worked on these a lot in the 80\90s. When you press ff\rw are you pressing stop or is the machine entering stop on its own? I seem to remember they don't have a conventional mode switch. We saw a lot of the Amstrad version (dd8800?), luckily yours is the top deck that is faulty. If ff\rw work ok I would be tempted to look for FG pulses from the heads. Try this, as soon as the tape has laced press the pause button, lastly does the tape counter work?

Both transports have been thoroughly cleaned and both have new pinch rollers and belts.

This is the first and only VCR I've ever worked on so difficult for me to say, I can get the frequency from the test-point of the head for rotation speed if that's useful?

Both decks do the same, I switched the most problematic transport to the top, the other one does this about 50% of the time, rest of the time it plays fine. Oddly I had another one of these for spares that was doing the same thing.

For clarity, press play, tape laces, capstan unwinds about 60mm of tape, take-up remains stationary machine then shuts down to standby. Press stop and the machine unlaces the tape without issue. Both fast forward and rewind drive perfectly.

[samjmann]

During my time I serviced a few of these. If I remember there was a stock fault that did develop. It was a small rubber collar that was on a the end of a slide bar. As the deck aged, this collar got squashed on the side that it was in contact with a fixed part of the chassis. This gave rise to, I think, the problem you have. As a stop gap just turn the collar through 180 degrees, and the thicker side should be OK.

Sorry to be so vague, but it must be 20 years or more since I last worked on one of these.
I don't recall much else going wrong with them, other than they were horrid things to work on.

Cheers, SJM.

[toshiba tony]

Sorry, just read your post fully, that's one of my faults, I never do! As ff\rw are ok I would be looking at FG pulses from the heads. Have you a scope?
I take it the tape counter is working?

[RobustReviews]

To confirm do get a 'pause' in a two-head cheap Amstrad kinda way, but yes if I get it straight in to pause something is visible.

Can somebody tell me where this rubber pad/bumper is that causes all of the issues on these, I have three transports in front of me and I'm damned if I can see anything obvious untoward?

I can get the 'scope out tomorrow if required.

Cheers,
RR

[samjmann]

The collar is about 3mm in diameter by around 4-5mm in length, and it is fitted on a small piece of bent steel of the main chassis or a slide bar. This was on the underside of the deck. From what I can recall, we only found this by very closely looking at two mech's. The buffer compresses and allows one slide lever to move slightly to far.

It might be rectangular, rather than round!!!

As I mentioned, this was all a few years back.

[toshiba tony]

Yes, something is stirring about this, but it's so long now

[ben]

Almost certainly mode switch. From my notes of one repair about 10 years ago:

"ROADSTAR vcr762 (FUNAI 6000 DECK)
NO TAPE MVT.
-BELT KIT KÖNIG 7615.10
load mtr stops in threading sequence/ very poor take up and spooling
-dismalntle and clean main cam-mode sw assly. Dismantle and clean hardened grease off clutch assly. See photos."

(will try to find said photos! wonder if they still exist in some dark corner of my HDD? )

For the benefit of the OP and /or anyone reading this in future, here are some more related fault tips for this same mech.

SHINKO VCI 4300 (AMSTRAD VCR600O, MECH FUNAI-101
NO REW, FF.
-RUBBER SLEEVE ON METAL STUB FRONT RH SIDE OF DECK PERISHED. FIT 10MM SLEEVE OFF 2 CORE MAINS FLEX.

FUNAI VCR5800E-
NOT RESPONDING TO POWER SW
-BROKEN PCB -REMAKE TRACES
CASS JAMMED INSIDE, WHIRRING.
-BELTS FALLEN OFF - REPLACE BELT KIT. ALSO REMOVE CHILD'S DRINKING STRAW FROM DECK
CHEWING IN REWIND/NO PICTURE SEARCH/STOPS AFTER 5 SECS
-CLEAN MODE SW


APELSOUND A-1088 / ZANELA Z14 (AMSTRAD-FUNAI VCR 6000)
STICKING IN UNTHREADING, ERRATIC ETC.
-CLEAN MODE SWITCH - DISMANTLE CAM MECH ON UNDERSIDE OF UNIT

[Welsh Anorak]

It's worth changing this rubber piece - as Ben says use a piece of two-core cable sleeving - it works. Doubt there's a drinking straw in your machine!
If I remember the mode switches aren't that easy to get to, so try cleaning in situ. Otherwise take great care over the timing. Helpfully you have more than one machine for comparison purposes.

[Maarten]

The official name in the exploded views is probably "dumper rubber". A piece of cable sleeving will work as a replacement. In a pinch, you could even bend the tab the rubber is sitting on so that it will work without a rubber.

[Welsh Anorak]

That's right - i always wondered why it was called a dumper. Probably meant to say Damper.