Are K mechanism chassis interchangable

[FishonDavid]

I have searched the forum, im finding alot of great info, including the list of K decks / K-Mechs on a previous thread,
Panasonic S-VHS PAL K decks / K-Mech:
Panasonic NV-HD100B/EB
Panasonic NV-HD610, NV-HD605
Panasonic NV-HD620
Panasonic NV-HD625
Panasonic NV-HD630 NV-HD628
Panasonic NV-HD650
Panasonic NV-HD650
Panasonic NV-HD700
Panasonic NV-HD90
Panasonic NV-HD90B
Panasonic NV-HS1000B/EC
Panasonic NV-HS800B/EC
Panasonic NV-HS900
Panasonic NV-HD660 K-MECH
Panasonic NV-HS1000 K-MECH
Panasonic NV-HS800 K-MECH
Panasonic NV-HS900 K-MECH

im wondering if any of these cassette loaders are interchangeable , ? im finding it so much more expensive to purchase a AG-1980 chassis, just so i can get a little spring assy or a pinch roller, or other misc small things that seem to disappear or break , and im in need of, it would be great, if i purchased a less expensive unit, just for those simple parts that are just impossible to locate individually, , if anyone knows the answer to this, im working on an AG-5710 and am missing the little spring projection , that activates the VHS tape door to open on the case, and would like to buy it from a less expensive K mechanism VCR, (see my photos please) if anyone knows, or has purchased the less expensive VCRs for this very reason please shout out!!

[hodgey]

They are mostly interchangeable but with some small caveats. There are like 2 main versions, ones that were mounted to the side on the earlier decks, and ones that were mounted in the middle over the main PCB on the later ones. Main difference is that the side mount ones had a PCB under the mechanism to connect the sensors etc, while on the mid-mount ones that's on the main pcb instead so the stuff plugs directly into that. I don't know for sure if all have the exact same door bits, would consult the service manual for whatever deck you go with to be sure. Another smaller difference is that some of the latest non-SVHS k decks had a different style of head amp and drum assembly with the drum motor on top (which was carried over to the z mech decks.) and afaik there is one chassis screw hole or something that is only on some though idk if it's used for anything or not.

Unlike the earlier G mechanism used in e.g the 1970P, NV-FS200, and to a lesser extend with the followup Z mech, there was as far as I know not much if any difference between the setup used in the S-VHS variant and the most basic 2 head variant from a lineup when it came to the K mechanism.

Panasonic doesn't seem to have used the K mech for consumer decks in the US, they used a different simpler mech and design for whatever reason. It's possible some parts were shared but haven't looked into that, might be worth checking for the models from the same time period.

So, if you are in the US it might be easier to look for the "commercial" variants (not the big bertha broadcast ones, and the ag-md models, those have a different mech). Most of these were much more similar to the euro and Japanese consumer decks, and the ones released around 1993-1997, would mostly have used the K mech. Ex - ag 5260, AG1070 time lapse, , AG2550P and likely the older AG2530P, AG2540P but can't confirm, AG1300P,and probably some more similar ones. Stacks of some of these seem to pop up on govdeals occasionally. PAL or south armerican/multi-system variants may be a bit harder to come by in north america and may be more worth/usable as a full deck than parts if you do come across one.

[FishonDavid]

thats super to hear, for example, I just checked online for the AG-1320, and they are abundant in the US ebay, for very cheap, it makes more sense to me, to buy one of these, and rob from it, the small parts, (mechanical not electrical) then to splurge on the commercial grade VCRs such as the AG-1980s and others of that caliper. just for parts, ill buy and confirm the loading cassette assy is the same, after i purchase...

[hodgey]

I don't know for certain that the 1320 specifically uses the K-mech as I didn't find a service manual or inside picture, it's likely as it shares the design with the PAL decks from 1997, but it's at the very end so it's possible it uses the z mech instead like the multi-system variants from the same year. Maybe you can ask the seller for a inside peek.
The 1330P is definetly Z mech at least.
EDIT: Looks like the 1320P is z mech:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/26424552750...UAAOSwBvNTqJXb

The 1300P is K mech at least as shown in the link earlyer. 1310P may also be - should be between 1300 and 1320 in release year based on the model number, but little info about that one.

[FishonDavid]

Okay, hodgey, good idea, i think ill do google searchs for "non commercial" K-Mechanism chassis VCRs and see if i can get some confirmation before making a purchase,

[bookemdano]

Been away from this forum for a while (so many hobbies, so little time) but back about a year ago I had the same idea while trying to repair my 1980P and compiled a list of other K mechanism decks. The way I did that was to do a google image search for Panasonic vcr service manuals. Panny helpfully puts the mechanism code right on the front page of the manual, so it was fairly easy to spot at a glance which were K decks.

In the US, there aren't very many. Here's the list I came up with (three of which you already know about):

AG-1300P
AG-1980P
AG-2530P
AG-2550P
AG-5710P

AG-TL300
AG-TL500
AG-TL700

Those last three are time lapse (TL) models. Back when I was doing this research, these decks were quite a bit cheaper/more plentiful on ebay than any of the other models. Of course they're also the center-mounted variety hodgey referred to above (and not stereo/SVHS), so there are some major differences. But for things like a mode switch, or the little spring you're looking for, any of these should fit the bill.

There are probably other models too. I didn't spend much more than a few hours one evening looking.

Hope that helps!

[FishonDavid]

Awesome, your list really narrows it down for me, , i put the project to the side until i was sure, which models to look for , now you have given me more insight and direction, , thank you Bookemdano (btw loved that show)