Is this Sony VCR worth repair ?

[enryfox]

Hi, I'm chatting with a guy selling a Sony SLV-E830 which, he says, has worked only few hours but now picture looks like in the attachment.
He says it was working few years ago when he tested it, but now after more years in storage in the attics, it plays like that.
I do not think it is just "dirty heads", do you think it is worth buying and fixing ?

thanks

[HamishBoxer]

Go for it if it is priced right. Could be dirty heads are even power supply caps on the secondary.

[enryfox]

he's asking 25 EURs .. is that right ?

[Michael Maurice]

For €25 I'd take it.

[enryfox]

I will get it next Saturday, I hope it is a trivial fix or, worst case, a recap of the power supply board. If the heads are damaged, it will be a loss.

[Maarten]

Even then it won't be a loss as similar heads are in other Sony machines, so you could always use 2 to make 1.

[ben]

Probably hardened grease preventing full threading, or one of the guides is a bit out.

[vhs doctor]

This unit has the sony S mechanism there are difficult to find parts for this mech
When you receive the unit test if the VCR stop in the end and the start of the tape only in PLAY CUE and REVIEW functions, otherwise do not run the VCR in REW and FF before cleaning the infrared prism inside ONLY with glass cleaner liquid.
The second fault is the gear of the P5 arm you might find the part of the gear broken and the tape can not loaded in pinch roller section.

[enryfox]

Originally Posted by vhs doctor

This unit has the sony S mechanism there are difficult to find parts for this mech

You are a bit scaring me off, if there are broken gears, not sure if it can be actually fixed.

The pros is that apparently it is in perfect cosmetic condition (to be verified) and complete with its remote.
The cons is that it supposedly spent most of its life disconnected in a shelf and saw very little use. Mechanical faults on unused units are not that uncommon.

I'm still in time to cancel the purchase, do you think it is actually worth it ?

thanks

[HamishBoxer]

Yes, I think it is worth a go.

[vhs doctor]

No one can guarantee that if it is a good choice or not. You can buy and if does not worth to fix it, you can use parts to repair other sony machines.

[enryfox]

I agree with you, my only point is to understand if this type of VCR is known to be unreliable or has typical faults which are hard (if not impossible) to fix.

VHS VCR is a new territory for me, but just to make a comparison with other devices I am more familiar with, cassette walkman's, in that case there are known models which are always a "do-not-buy" regardless of their conditions. Such models have a 100% guarantee to have specific broken pieces, dead capacitors and are impossible to fix because due to age the tape transport is out of spec. Even highly regarded brand like Sony and Panasonic have such models in their old catalogue. If you buy one of those, you spend a lot of money trying to fix it, and even if you are somehow successful, the result is guaranteed to be disappointing with high Wow&Flutter and poor audio quality.

thanks

[vhs doctor]

If you fix it properly then you have a good result.
For example you can not service a vcr 30 yearsold and replace only one belt or not recap the PSU etc.

In my country most of VCR units was "vandalized" from repairs and many of them was connected via RF when both VCR and TV had scart and yes the result was terrible.

[murphyv310]

Any item that has been lying around for years will have some issues.
Power supply caps are a strong possibility as is sticky mechanism and stripped gears, dried out lubricants can cause damage. Head wear is unlikely, as its hardly been used which is a plus. The final decision is yours of course and if its not as tidy as has been said make a smaller offer.

[dj_fivos_sak]

That looks like a tape path alignment error to me like the P2 and P3 guides might have come loose. It happens sometimes. On hi-fi machines it's more ideal to adjust the guides until the hi-fi audio tracking is perfect.

Fivos

[agardiner]

Yes, agree with all the above. If the machine is indeed a low hours unit, then well worth a punt. Before even trying it out, I would be stripping and cleaning and re-lubricating the transport. Check the PSU caps and replace if needed. Clean the heads and then fingers crossed, you might end up with an excellent low hours machine in full working order.

Keep us posted on your findings!

[enryfox]

Well it turned out the deal was a no-deal: the seller was quite scatterbrained and had already sold the item in May 2021. I guess I will never know what was wrong with that SLV-E830.

I'm now in contact with a guy selling an SLV-E710, this one in full working order and with remote. Anything i should be aware of that model and/or the H mechanism ?

thanks

[vhs doctor]

Hi

Sony H mech was the previous mech from S. You can still find some parts as NOS.
The H mech suffer with exactly the same problem with start/stop sensors, but it is very easy to fix it.
The most serious fault but it was rare was the FL BLOCK with the cassette flap lever. When you press eject the cassette crashes on the front flap. The result of this in some cases was broken motor coupling

[ben]

I have one, and also the 720 (or was it 730?). Fairly reliable electronically but by then the decline in quality was setting in. My 730 (?) is out of use at present, I suspect a cracked pinion on a motor as it whirrs and sticks in one mode or other at times.

This range was very widely sold so you can easily find another to cannibalize if you need to.

[vhs doctor]

Ben check the coupling on the loading motor at the bottom it stucks usually when needs torque to rotate.