Early 1980s RCA SelectaVision VHS Player

[ZenithDude88]

Originally Posted by andy

About 75% of the time I was able to save the DC-DC converter by removing it and resoldering all the connections on the bottom of the converter (they will be badly oxidized, and difficult to solder). You will also need to replace the nearby caps and the blown IC protector (fuse that looks like a transistor with only 2 pins).

OK so what does the DC-DC Converter look like so I can find it in the VCR when I take my unit apart? Also where might I source the IC Protector? And how many capacitors will I need to replace and are they fairly common values?

[andy]

Originally Posted by ZenithDude88

OK so what does the DC-DC Converter look like so I can find it in the VCR when I take my unit apart? Also where might I source the IC Protector? And how many capacitors will I need to replace and are they fairly common values?

It's a rectangular metal box on the board behind the display. Replace all the electrolytics near it. The IC protector is a common part that should still be available from parts suppliers. It's just a fast acting fuse.

I'm not completely sure if this is what you need, but it looks like it probably is (I don't see the IC protector in there).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-HITACHI-...-/141802554517

The main problem with these VCRs were the poor quality belts they used. Better rubber doesn't turn to goo like that. I didn't care for the belt driven capstan because it only allowed for 3x visual search speed instead of the normal 7x. This is probably one of the last top loading VCRs made. Most RCA/Hitachi VCRs had been front loading for a few years by the time the L line was made.

[waltchan]

Originally Posted by andy

I didn't care for the belt driven capstan because it only allowed for 3x visual search speed instead of the normal 7x.

Some of the old Hitachis I've seen had the optional direct-drive capstan motor with no belt installed, along with its individual idler motor. They were found in 5-head Hi-FI and 7-head Hi-Fi models. So, a few people ended up dealing with 4 replacement belts instead.

[ZenithDude88]

Originally Posted by andy

It's a rectangular metal box on the board behind the display. Replace all the electrolytics near it. The IC protector is a common part that should still be available from parts suppliers. It's just a fast acting fuse.

I'm not completely sure if this is what you need, but it looks like it probably is (I don't see the IC protector in there).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-HITACHI-...-/141802554517

The main problem with these VCRs were the poor quality belts they used. Better rubber doesn't turn to goo like that. I didn't care for the belt driven capstan because it only allowed for 3x visual search speed instead of the normal 7x. This is probably one of the last top loading VCRs made. Most RCA/Hitachi VCRs had been front loading for a few years by the time the L line was made.

Alright thanks, that will be a help. How hard is it to take this part out and put it back in? I'm wondering because I tried replacing a Convergence STK chip in an old Rear-Projection TV once and that was a pain in the butt, ended up ruining the circuit traces on the board because the soldering iron slipped several times when I was trying to remove the old STK Chip from the board which I had to do it one at a time.

Speaking of STK Chips I noticed that this VCR uses an STK chip for the power supply, not sure if its for a voltage regulator or what, but that was the first time I had seen an STK Chip in that position before on a VCR.

I believe this is a 2-Head VCR which might explain why they used so many belts, but I'm not sure.

[waltchan]

Originally Posted by ZenithDude88

I believe this is a 2-Head VCR which might explain why they used so many belts, but I'm not sure.

The number of belts were determined who's the manufacturer of the VCR, not the number of heads. 1985 Panasonic 2-head VCR only used 2 belts. That's all.

[ZenithDude88]

Originally Posted by waltchan

The number of belts were determined who's the manufacturer of the VCR, not the number of heads. 1985 Panasonic 2-head VCR only used 2 belts. That's all.

Yes, but someone else on here mentioned that the more elaborate 4,5 and 7 head VCRs needed less belts because of the fact that the visual search feature needed more stability for clearer and faster visual searches than a belt drive for that particular feature didn't provide but direct drive did, and a 2-head VCR which lacks the visual scan feature wouldn't necessarily need direct drive for the rewind and fast forward because it doesn't utilize the visual search capability hence why a 2-head VCR might have more belts than a 4 or a 6 head VCR would.

I know for a fact that my parents first VCR a Goldstar made Zenith 2-Head Mono VCR from 1990 had about 6 belts in it but then the JVC Sourced Zenith VCRs from the 1980s (which all of them were 4-head units even the lower end mono units) had only 2 belts and they were for the loading mechanisms, the rest of the unit was direct drive (the capstans, the idler tires, the video drum, etc.) on all of the JVC made Zenith VCRs from the 1980s, and those VCRs were actually quite nice and quite reliable units because they were 90% direct drive (the other 10% was belt driven but those parts weren't super critical parts that needed to be direct drive).

[waltchan]

Originally Posted by ZenithDude88

the rest of the unit was direct drive (the capstans, the idler tires, the video drum, etc.) on all of the JVC made Zenith VCRs from the 1980s, and those VCRs were actually quite nice and quite reliable units because they were 90% direct drive (the other 10% was belt driven but those parts weren't super critical parts that needed to be direct drive).

Yep, that's right. JVC VCRs were incredibly advanced at that time that service technicians seldom saw JVCs for service during the early-90s, because the two belts lasted a long time and people were enjoying them in their homes. Toshibas were even better. Some Panasonic AG models qualify as long as it has a linear power supply. On the other hand, Hitachi was such a huge disgrace, I think, a sloppy Japanese-pride work thinking 6-7 belts meant more reliability. Japanese have always been fascinated with low-maintenance and reliability, and Hitachi failed miserably.

[ZenithDude88]

Originally Posted by waltchan

Yep, that's right. JVC VCRs were incredibly advanced at that time that service technicians seldom saw JVCs for service during the early-90s, because the two belts lasted a long time and people were enjoying them in their homes. Toshibas were even better. Some Panasonic AG models qualify as long as it has a linear power supply. On the other hand, Hitachi was such a huge disgrace, I think, a sloppy Japanese-pride work thinking 6-7 belts meant more reliability. Japanese have always been fascinated with low-maintenance and reliability, and Hitachi failed miserably.

I've actually owned several JVC Sourced Zenith VCRs over the years, most of which were given to me by people who were retiring them in favor of DVDs or because they got new VCRs and they all worked great with the exception being an old Zenith sideways loading VCR that the small loading mechanism belt that loaded the tape into the heads had failed and I couldn't find a belt small enough to replace it with and when that belt went it screwed up the loading mechanism's timing, other than that I've never had any issues with them.

I've also owned a couple of JVC VCRs from that time period, one was an S-VHS unit from about 1987 that I had picked up at a garage sale that the unit was complete except for the original remote so some of the special features weren't functional because of not having the original remote, and now I have the Prosumer grade unit that was the sister to the JVC S-VHS unit that I had previously (same setup and everything for the controls) that I had picked up at Goodwill and it was complete with its original owners manual and remote for $5 and that thing works like a charm.

Anyways I've had a couple of Toshibas over the years more recently an early 1990s unit that was a 4-head Hi-Fi unit that the belts in it went bad and when I went to replace the belts the timing of the loading mechanism for the tape to the heads got screwed up some how and I was never able to get the unit to work right so I ended up scrapping it out.
The other Toshiba I had was one that was given to me by my High School I graduated from which they had bought them brand new in 2004 and they gave it to me because supposedly the unit quit working somehow but when I got it home and plugged it in and turned it on and loaded a tape, sure enough it fired right up and worked like a charm I even had its original remote for it but then I went to change the loading mechanism belt (for loading the tape into the deck) because it was starting to get a little sluggish and then the VCR suddenly quit working as in it wouldn't power on anymore and had a blank display on the front, so then I scrapped it and salvaged the belts off the unit. So Toshiba VCRs I've not had much luck with.
Just my 2 cents worth.