Just picked up a Panasonic PV-1730 Hi-Fi VCR

[vortalexfan]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

Yes! But at the same time they didn't figure out how to keep the 8000 and 9000 VCRs from coming un-docked from the PV-A860 docking tuner charger power unit, until Panasonic came up with a modification kit a while later. Don't know how many of those I installed that kit in but it was a bunch!

Zenith and JVC in the 1980s had some pretty interesting Hi-Fi and Mono VCRs (one of them was a sideways loading front loading VCR) and most of those were also direct drive units as well.

[Ed in Tx]

Originally Posted by vortalexfan

Zenith and JVC in the 1980s had some pretty interesting Hi-Fi and Mono VCRs (one of them was a sideways loading front loading VCR) and most of those were also direct drive units as well.

Was warranty service for JVC and Zenith, HR-D470 sideways load, and those did not have direct drive reels. DD capstan motors, yes, and the cylinder of course. Even the relatively sophisticated HR-S5800 and S6700 that you could use two together with a remote controller for editing didn't. ☺ The big industrial VCRs might have though, we didn't see many of those.

Matsushita owned a large stake in JVC but they sure didn't share any chassis or anything else.

[vortalexfan]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

Was warranty service for JVC and Zenith, HR-D470 sideways load, and those did not have direct drive reels. DD capstan motors, yes, and the cylinder of course. Even the relatively sophisticated HR-S5800 and S6700 that you could use two together with a remote controller for editing didn't. ☺ The big industrial VCRs might have though, we didn't see many of those.

Matsushita owned a large stake in JVC but they sure didn't share any chassis or anything else.

I've had a few JVC (and JVC's Rebadged as Zenith) that did have direct drive mechanisms (mostly the really high end prosumer grade Hi-Fi units.)

[Ed in Tx]

Originally Posted by vortalexfan

I've had a few JVC (and JVC's Rebadged as Zenith) that did have direct drive mechanisms (mostly the really high end prosumer grade Hi-Fi units.)

Look up any HR model JVC and I betcha there's a belt from the DD capstan motor to the reel drive mechanism. Pretty sure you're thinking about the "prosumer" industrial models. But hey I've been wrong more than once!


Thinking about it, some of them (HR) had a centrally located DC motor between the reels for reel drive but still used an idler wheel to move one way or the other depending which direction the tape needed to go.

You're probably thinking of JVC's "BR" line. My 2¢!