[Shipbuilder]

Hoping maybe someone can give me a clue as to where to look to solve this fault.
Funai VHS/DVD video player.
I have not used it for some time, and it was OK when I stopped using it.
On trying to get it to play a VHS tape, it started to play the tape, and picture appeared, but the tape stopped moving after about 5 seconds.
It will fast forward, and re-wind OK, so it looks like the motor is OK.
I cleaned up the LEDs and lasers inside it, in the hope it would fix the problem, but no difference.
Anyone got any ideas please?
I have tried it on remote and manual as well, and holding the manual play button in does not make any difference!

 

[Mad Landsman]

Couple of things come to mind:
Is it the same problem with all cassettes?
As far as I recall there is usually some form of 'magic eye' system to detect presence of the actual tape. Maybe it is not seeing the tape.
Check all the spring loaded detents and levers inside, one might be stuck or spring come adrift.

 

[Shipbuilder]

Thanks, I will look at that, but it is puzzling that it works for about five seconds before stopping. I can't actually see what goes on when I start it because it will not work with the top of the case removed, no doubt a safety precaution because of the laser. But I will take a look at the springs and levers - Bob

 

[Harry Nicholson]

As ML asks: does this happen on all cassettes? If only one cassette does this, try a full ff to the end and then do a rewind (sometimes a tape might have wound too tightly or might be binding.)

 

[Shipbuilder]

I did try several tapes, all with the same result. It was OK when we stopped using it over a year ago, but it remained in position under the TV in a warm room. We went on to a Freesat box that is very good, but just wanted to watch an old video again, and found out that it no longer worked!

 

[Mad Landsman]

In that case it might be as simple as a perished belt or drive roller.

 

[makko]

Could it be the "detente" sticking - There must be something like a microswitch that detects that the tape has wound to the end. This might not affect when FF and FR due to the higher speed, but on PLAY, the slower speed/tape pressure combination might make it operate after a few seconds.
The option might to be to buy a new one - If you can find where they sell them!
Rgds.
Dave

 

[Frank P]

Bob, as far as I am aware the laser is for the DVD, the head for reading the VHS tapes is a large spinning wheel, you can buy a head cleaning tape..Does it play a DVD?

Frank

 

[Shipbuilder]

Thanks for further replies. The tape loads OK with the top off, and the video head spins OK. I have roughened up the rubber wheel, to no effect. The only drive belt visible is on the green motor top right and that seems tight and springy. I haven't tried it on a DVD yet. It is not a matter of head cleaning, but why it stops after five seconds. Here is a photograph of the inside. I would normally have just got another, but they don't seem to produce them these days. Pity for all those people who have hundreds of videos! May try and find a 2nd hand one. Bob

 

[Mad Landsman]

I have to admit that it is years since I last looked at one, so running out of ideas.
Just another thought- if the take up spool is not running in play mode, but OK in fast forward. The drive speed is different, so different gearing.
Fail to take up should stop it running to avoid tape running loose inside the machine.

 

[Shipbuilder]

When I first6 tried it, it pulled the tape out and tangled it up. I tried another and that started OK, and actually played for a few minutes, but after that, it stopped at 5 seconds, and now it is not playing at all!

 

[johnvvc]

As MadLandsman says quite possibly a drive belt.

Cassettes have a brake mechanism inside which stops the tape become loose when they are out of the machine and this brake is released when the cassette is placed in the machine. Looking underneath the cassette you can see a small hole and pushing a pencil carefully into the cassette mechanism will release the brake and it should then be possible to turn the spools to confirm that the mechanism hasn't jammed. But you 've tried other cassettes anyway so that presumably is not the problem.

The other possibility is a jockey wheel somewhere in the drive train is slipping.

When these problems appear we used to get a service kit and change all the consumables in the drive train. You can often get away with it for a short while by removing the belt(s) and lightly cleaning it/them with some fairly weak cleaning agent, perhaps a tissue and some diluted window cleaner. The machine is presumably pretty old so they need to be treated with respect - they may have perished - be gentle! You might get away with it.

Another possibility is that on play the tape is not fully loading. Looking at the top of the deck you'll see two arms, one on either side. In the play mode these pull two loops of tape out of the cassette and wind it around the big drum which has the playback heads. If the machine has been standing for a long time the lubrication may have dried out and these two arms may not be able to fully complete their travel which could affect the play function. Maybe a 'very' small drop of light oil in that general area might help...

Years and years since I dug inside a VHS m/c - thank God !!!

Good luck!

 

[Shipbuilder]

The two arms do pull the tape out, but I will check to make sure they are going all the way. The only visible drive belt is on the green motor, and that is OK. At the mment, I can't even see a way of getting at the underneath of the chassis to check any more belts that may be there. I think VHS designers put a lot of effort into makng their machines almost impossible tobget into, but they have nothing on PC printer designers in that field! It isn't all that old - less than 5 years.

 

[Frank P]

Bob, I also have a Funai VHS/DVD player and I often use it...it is about 10 years old

 

[John Rogers]

As MadLandsman says quite possibly a drive belt.

Cassettes have a brake mechanism inside which stops the tape become loose when they are out of the machine and this brake is released when the cassette is placed in the machine. Looking underneath the cassette you can see a small hole and pushing a pencil carefully into the cassette mechanism will release the brake and it should then be possible to turn the spools to confirm that the mechanism hasn't jammed. But you 've tried other cassettes anyway so that presumably is not the problem.

The other possibility is a jockey wheel somewhere in the drive train is slipping.

When these problems appear we used to get a service kit and change all the consumables in the drive train. You can often get away with it for a short while by removing the belt(s) and lightly cleaning it/them with some fairly weak cleaning agent, perhaps a tissue and some diluted window cleaner. The machine is presumably pretty old so they need to be treated with respect - they may have perished - be gentle! You might get away with it.

Another possibility is that on play the tape is not fully loading. Looking at the top of the deck you'll see two arms, one on either side. In the play mode these pull two loops of tape out of the cassette and wind it around the big drum which has the playback heads. If the machine has been standing for a long time the lubrication may have dried out and these two arms may not be able to fully complete their travel which could affect the play function. Maybe a 'very' small drop of light oil in that general area might help...

Years and years since I dug inside a VHS m/c - thank God !!!

Good luck!

Why dont you convert the Tapes to DVDs as tapes dont last.

 

[pippin]

I used to repair video recorders - as you say, an absolute nightmare of mechanical complexity.
One trick was to remove belts and boil them in the kettle for a few minutes to re-vulcanise them.
Made the tea taste horrible though!!!
Be very careful of the spinning video head disc, the actual heads are tiny and very fragile.

 

[R651400]

Image #9 says you should be able to see the mechanical play action up to the point it stops ie goes to stand-by and if that is normal and maybe giving 5 secs of image/sound on the TV screen my guess there's a component failure somewhere eg an electrolytic cpacitor in the PSU breaking down and putting ripple or worse on the VHS DC and traceable with an oscilloscope.

 

[R651400]

Posted in wrong thread.. Self delete.