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  #1  
05-16-2018, 01:18 AM
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lordsmurf lordsmurf is offline
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A member here is having issues with his JVC S-VHS VCR, a suggested high-end model with internal line TBC. It's also a deck he got from me about a year ago. When it left here, it was perfectly aligned, and played both SP and EP like a champ. But gravity affects VCRs, regardless of how much it's been used. Shipping can also cause VCRs to adjust badly; some bad jostles + gravity over time = just enough out-of-spec alignment to start to see problems appear.

It's a simple fix, quick adjustment.

This is a very rough write-up. Honestly just an outline for a guide.

And it assumes that you know the VCR was already capable of having a good alignment.

This is also a rough eyeball method. VCR techs like TGrant would use scopes to measure and correct this with near-perfect precise adjustments. (Of course, you'd ship it to him, have him ship it back, and you may find yourself right where you started. Even if you write "DO NOT DROP" in the VCR shipping box, some shipping/postal workers are illiterate goons. So I'd hesitate to send a VCR back for mere alignment. I'd toy with it first.)

Although this could work for any VCR, not just JVC, it usually does not. Nor does it work for all JVCs. The guides inside the deck must easily move with a flathead screwdriver*. Otherwise just give up now. Something like the Panasonic AG-1980P can never use this method (though it's partly because the guides lock down better). * Update: You can also Dremel out the center of a flathead, and it will allow more decks to be easily realigned.

Let's begin...

Removed the lid of the deck.

You can either do this procedure with a tape that's already getting boogered up (due to the alignment being fubar), or a non-important tape (old retail movie). And if using boogered tape, make sure you're not viewing any already-damaged areas.

When the tape is inserted, and starts to play, you'll see the guides slide up near the heads.

Take a photo now! Get a good clear picture of both guides! You may need to refer back to this original position. You can quickly forget where you started! And then you'll be in even worse shape.

You'll need a small flathead screwdriver.

Let's orient you. The front of the deck is where the tape gate is, where you slide it in. The back is where the power cord is. And hopefully you know your left from your right -- right?

You'll first adjust the right guide.

The right guide mostly controls tracking.
The left guide affects both timing and tracking.

If the round guide was a pie, a good turn is maybe a 1/16th slice (1/4th of a 4th).

You need to be careful, steady hands required. If you slip, and hit the tape, or something else, you may cause significant damage to the deck and/or tape. I try to rest my hand on the tape cage, and hold the screwdriver with both hands. Seriously, this is like surgery on a live VCR.

Insert the screwdriver in the guide top, and give it a slight twist clockwise (or counter). Go slow. Watch how the image on screen reacts to the turn as you're making it. You'll do this while watching in the VirtualDub preview. If a screwdriver doesn't fit, or it won't turn, then just stop now. You cannot use this guide. Don't force anything.

If clockwise does nothing, or makes it worse, reset yourself. Now try counter. If a 1/16th is bad, try another 1/16, and another. You'll almost never go more than 1/4th (4 x 1/16).

If no effect, either way, return to start position. The left guide perhaps needs a tweak instead. That guide is never almost never more than 1/8th (2 x 1/16th) turns. But again, this is a sloppy eyeballed non-sciency way.

It'll be obvious when it doesn't like what you did.

If none of this helps, you'll need to seek an expert alignment. It can also be a warning sign the the heads are going out of spec, significant wear from usage.

Do you have all this? Good luck!

I shot some images some months back, with the intention to make a guide, but I'm not ready yet. Other priorities first. And I've misplaced those digital photos at the moment. When I eventually write that guide, I'll be sure to update this post.

Again, good luck.

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The following users thank lordsmurf for this useful post: benzio (01-12-2019), msgohan (04-04-2020)
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  #2  
12-09-2018, 01:39 PM
hodgey hodgey is offline
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Useful guide even though it's incomplete.

I found that this worked on my Samsung VCRs as well, which I used to record a tape that was recorded on a badly aligned deck and wouldn't otherwise track.

The procedure is almost exactly the same on Video8 cameras/decks, though everything is much smaller. Guides coming loose seem to be an issue on Video8 cameras, I've had a few V8 tapes that were recorded misaligned and managed to salvage some by misaligning a camcorder, so it's useful to know.
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  #3  
12-09-2018, 01:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hodgey View Post
Useful guide even though it's incomplete.
How so?
If you mean the guide has no images, yes, I do want to make a more complete one soon.

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  #4  
12-09-2018, 01:56 PM
hodgey hodgey is offline
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Actually yeah that was what I meant.
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  #5  
12-09-2018, 02:14 PM
confusedperson confusedperson is offline
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Since the guides are symmetrical vertically and horizontally, resetting the VCR to its original position (if necessary) could be tricky -- a photo wouldn't help you there. Is it safe to make a little dot on the top with a permanent marker, like possibly on the top left side? Then you'd always know.
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  #6  
12-09-2018, 02:19 PM
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lordsmurf lordsmurf is offline
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Quote:
Since the guides are symmetrical vertically and horizontally
I don't understand what you mean here.

There are two guides, both access from the top. Take a picture from top as well, to remember what was where. If you for some reason go 180+ degrees, then add a mark to the guides. If for some insane reason you go 360+ degree, you just need to remember it. Taking notes helps.

Yes, marking it is fine. I mark a lot of things, using extra fine tip Sharpies.

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  #7  
03-07-2023, 04:19 PM
Master Tape Master Tape is offline
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I read this in another thread and just wondered.. after you re-adjust the guides and you've fixed the picture, if after ejecting the tape do you have to turn the guide(s) back to the starting position? Or leave them at their adjusted positions going forward?
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  #8  
08-26-2023, 10:13 PM
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lordsmurf lordsmurf is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Master Tape View Post
I read this in another thread and just wondered.. after you re-adjust the guides and you've fixed the picture, if after ejecting the tape do you have to turn the guide(s) back to the starting position? Or leave them at their adjusted positions going forward?
It depends on why you're realigning.

- If for a single tape (or even several problem tapes), then put it back afterwards.
- If deck was acting up in general, no tapes tracked well, then obviously leave it.

Something else not mentioned here (in the first post, my mini-guide) is that this is 1 of 2 realign methods. This is the easy method, and it's hard to screw up the deck. The 3x screws at the audio head is the other, but can be nasty to fix, and easy to make deck not track anything at all. Sometimes that method is required, when the mere guide alignment isn't enough.

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  #9  
08-27-2023, 12:49 AM
latreche34 latreche34 is offline
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You should have a dedicated deck for miss-aligning. Keep the main deck with factory setting for 95% of the tapes, and that special deck for oddball tapes that "behave badly". It is never recommended to use one deck for two jobs for two main reasons, Once you lose the factory alignment it is not easy to get back without long procedure involving SP, EP, HiFi and Level test tapes, An oscilloscope and ideally more other testing equipment. The other reason is that doing so will wear out the adjusting screws since they are not made to be adjusted constantly so they either strip or lose the adjustment easily on their own.

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  #10  
08-27-2023, 01:06 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by latreche34 View Post
You should have a dedicated deck for miss-aligning. Keep the main deck with factory setting for 95% of the tapes, and that special deck for oddball tapes that "behave badly". It is never recommended to use one deck for two jobs for two main reasons, Once you lose the factory alignment it is not easy to get back without long procedure involving SP, EP, HiFi and Level test tapes, An oscilloscope and ideally more other testing equipment. The other reason is that doing so will wear out the adjusting screws since they are not made to be adjusted constantly so they either strip or lose the adjustment easily on their own.
Correct, good add.

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