Panasonic tape loading issues?
 

Being a VCR engineer I am seeing more and more K mechanism Panasonic VCR's with tape loading issues.

Tapes being ejected instantly
Tapes stick inside
Tapes wont play
Error code 04 being displayed

Most of the time this is caused by a slipping motor coupling which I have now got down to changing in under 15 minutes. I change this coupling on all K mechanism VCR's that come my way before even turning them on and it makes them perform much more positively (as well as preventing the tape being eaten on first try).

Would a tutorial on fitting a new coupling be of any use here if I made one?

It means taking the lid off the machine and taking the whole mechanism out. Perhaps you all already know about this and do it yourselves?

yes - by all mean post a how too.
far too many of these decks have loading issues

i have found also the pinch roller lube dries up and makes it stick
sometime it is so bad it breaks the plastic dink off where it engages the cam
the first thing i do with any K-mech i get is remove, clean and lube the pinch roller shaft

Ah yes - the jammed roller. I had that last week but I always check that area. I'll add it to the tutorial.

How is best to upload here? Should I contact a mod?

Make a new thread/post for it. I'll clean it up if needed, and sticky it. :)

This will be a very useful guide!

Glad to be of help and put something back after all the good advice I have had from here. I have a VCR with eject issues on its way to me now so that will be a perfect opportunity to get the camera out and make the guide.

I'm sorry to bump up this old thread... but did you ever make this tutorial, Quasipal?
I can't seem to find it?

Hi, I started but realised that the K mechanism of NTSC machines is seemingly different to PAL models. Someone on YouTube already had a USA K Mech teardown so wasn't sure what use mine would be as PAL is less popular.

But I have a deck just arrived needing this so if it will help I'll do it for this one. I have this week off so I'll stop faffing and get it done.

That would be great, thank you very much :-)
I've just ordered myself an NV-HS1000 with a few issues. Don't know if it's the exact same problem as this "slipping motor coupling" problem, though. It makes some really strange sounds when ejecting a tape and it's not able to strart playback of tapes that is totally rewinded to the tapes start position. When inserting a tape that is totally rewinded to it's start position, absolutley nothing seems to happens when pushing the PLAY, FF or RW buttons. When inserting tapes winded a littlebit from start, playback seems to work quite fine.

I'll try cleaning it and see if that helps. If not, I'll probably post a new thread, with a video that shows this issue, next week :-)

My AG-1980 has started to get flaky when loading tapes.
I would live to see a how-to on the "slipping motor coupling" too!

Thanks

I'll get everything together and do this. I'll also cover lubrication and common problems.

Excellent, Quasipal. Thank you very much :-)

Ok, here it is - on YouTube but unlisted. About 30 minutes, I did my best but any questions please ask. I should have added that the idler (which the bely goes around) can also 'separate' giving chewing or no picture in visual review search. No longer available, you will need to repair what you have with super glue (sparingly) and they are a bear to fix!

https://youtu.be/IHhfF8zCNT0

Hope it helps!

Thanks! Looks good.

Do I understand correctly that a common loading issue is either a split in the plastic sleeve on the loading motor shaft, or lub getting under the worm gear, either of which will cause slippage between the motor shaft and the worm gear, and thus load failure?

Nearly. As the coupling is done via a secure coupling the main issue is the collar splitting. The oil is what often makes it split - oil and nylon don't go and it makes the collar crack.

Looks excellent, Quasipal. Thanks A LOT! I will try to follow your procedure on one of my HS1000's as soon as possible :congrats:

No problem, but just be aware that the HS1000 has the deck drive ribbon cable not at the top, but underneath to the right - you will see. Also on HS1000 you will need to remove a long PCB on the underside of the mechanism to access the load motor, three screws, has pressure switches on it. Easy to remove, no wires, but be careful.

Quasipal, thanks a bunch for the video. I've been avoiding this for years and I was fighting with my last good HS1000 today with this issue. Took it apart among my spare one, alas both had cracked couplings but the spare one still works more or less.

Do you have the part number/ url for the coupling or is a new one hard to find nowdays? -> Superglue? Threadlocking fluid?

What grease would you recommend for the gears etc?

http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/atta...4&d=1499568792

Thanks, Quasipal. -- Good stuff!!

Glad to be of help. I get mine here https://www.cdlens.com/?item=20407 and they have loads of other Panasonic repair parts too. Happy shopping!

As to lube, I use Sony CD slider grease (old stuff from my old job) but you can use standard automotive moly grease sparingly.

I was just doing some digging with some help from service manual and ordered some parts from Dönberg. Didn't see it in cdlens, thanks for the tip.

https://www.donberg.ie/descript/v/vdp_1434.htm (minimum order 20 €)

My AG1980 has the split plastic piece on the loading motor shaft (along with a lot of oil).

Interesting the the only sources of that specific part (VDP1434 PANASONIC COUPLING FOR LOADING MOTOR) appear to be outside the USA. Around US$8 with shipping.

How well does the super glue fix work?

I pulled the cassette loading motor out of my malfunctioning K mechanism and found the little plastic piece (VDP1434) was not broken, I actually suspect a mode switch for that mechanism (tbd). I did find the little plastic piece oily. Quasipal did I think say that oil is bad there. Easy enough to clean the oil off.

I would think $8 is not too much for a new gear delivered as opposed to glue but how to determine which one is a quality part not a cheap knock off?

Mode switch VSS0365 is listed online for $6.93 contact info for that company is in California. Where to order from?:hmm:

Did you try cry cleaning the contacts on the position switch as Quasipal suggested.

Of the $8 for the tiny plastic (nylon?) part, $6 was shipping.

Attached is a photo of the cracked plastic part on my system. The image was contrast-enhanced to better show the cracks and the oil in them.

No haven't got to that yet though I did receive my little jug of De-Oxit which is by the way not cheap.:eek:

The K mechanism that I suspect a mode switch is now assigned to AG-1980 that is still apart for caps. It makes sense to have a new part on hand though. When I put it back together I want to be able to rule out the mode switch completely. (or almost completely)

Just to add that super glue does not really work at all in this application due to the plastic type and that it is heavily stressed by pushing it onto the loading motor shaft.

One tip is winding 5 Amp fuse wire tightly around the plastic and tacking it with super glue. I did this once and it's still holding. May be an option but you must wind the wire tightly as any slack will prevent the two parts sliding together.

Would super glue on the shaft, before the cracked part is reinstalled work? Also perhaps griding the shaft a bit so it is not smooth and round.

In any case I have ordered the part.

-- merged --

The tiny part for the loading motor shaft arrived Thursday (took 2 weeks to receive it). Installed it in the AG-1980 on Friday, and it now loads/unloads properly!

Good gel superglue is about $6 per tube. So $8 is is not far off.

Last time my AG-1980 quit working, I almost cried. :P

Glad to hear it. :congrats:

I like having threads like this here. It gives me hope about 1980 failures that are solvable. Of course, hoping that I never run into the problem. These 1980 decks are so costly already.

I'm sorry for bumping this old thread... but damn it! When following this method, I broke the connector of the ribbon cable when trying to lurke it out with a screwdriver :-( Does anyone have a leftover? ...or knows where I can get a new one? I really feel like the bigest moron right now :smack:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/atta...1&d=1511743669

Maybe. I do have a spare-parts deck. I'm not sure where that wire is, but I can look next week (Dec 4-8).

IF LS doesn't have one, I may have one in my parts box - but as LS said, where is that wire?

Oh, thank you very much to both of you :)
If I can buy it from one of you, you'll really save my life :congrats:
Please let me know if you can find one of those :)

Another thing I wonder: It seems like I might need a new soft break. My capstain is very blank and shiny. Where can I order a new one?
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/atta...1&d=1511811279

I may also have a new soft brake - but you need to let us know where the broken connector goes to and from as it wasn't clear from your photo.

It would be great if you could get me a new soft brake also :congrats:
Ah, of cource. It's the cable that goes from this connector (the red circle) of the Panasonic NV-HS1000:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/atta...1&d=1511828208

...and this is where it goes to:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/atta...1&d=1511828208

Oh wow, that's really deep in there, isn't it?

I have the very lead you need - lucky I keep everything isn't it! Yours for free - just pay postage. Came from an HS1000 too!

As to the soft brake, sorry I can't find one (only have G deck ones), although my suggestion is as follows. Lift up the pad and using a cotton bud (Q tip) dampened with a little isopropyl, wipe the braking surface and also where it rubs on the flywheel. The only problem this getting shiny causes is a squeal when stopping.
You can reline them if you are handy (as I often do) by cutting off the old pad and using soft fine leather - glued on with contact adhesive.
If possible look out on eBay for any K deck machine (bottom of the range is best - cheaper) and if you see a new / mint one at a cheap price, buy it and move over the whole capstan and soft brake - and lubricate the capstan at the same time. I covered this in my video. My experience is that one the flywheel gets a really polished circle then it is time to replace it.
Buying a second machine in mint or new condition means you have a whole raft of spares as the decks are identical - and it is WAY cheaper than buying the parts - if you can find them.

PM me your address and I'll pop the lead in a jiffy and quote you postage.

Thanks A LOT, Quasipal. That's VERY kind of you :) ...and for very detailed description on what to do with the soft break also... and yes, a spare-part deck is a very good idea :wink2: THANKS! :congrats:
I'll send you a PM in a minute.
You really are an angel! :)

Connector is on its way to you now. Hope you get it fixed!

You're a lifesaver, Quasipal :)
Thanks A LOT!