FS: Refurbishing services for Panasonic AG1980, JVC VCRs

[aramkolt]

I would like to formally announce my refurbishing and sales of recommended VCRs.

Currently, I specialize in refurbishing the following models. I have several models available for sale that I've already refurbished as well:

Panasonic AG1980 - Have refurbed about 20 of these now with excellent results!
JVC HR-S7500U, HR-S7600U, HR-S7800U, HR-S7900U
JVC HR-S9500U, HR-S9600U, HR-S9800U, HR-S9900U, HR-S9911U
SR-MV40, SR-MV45, SR-MV50, SR-MV55
SR-VS30U, SR-VS10U

Refurbished VCRs.jpg

To get to this point, I bought many of these VCRs in non-working condition and have been successful in restoring about 80% of them to excellent working condition. Working on a variety of non-functional machines has allowed me to identify common failure points and perform preventative maintenance and component exchange before those failures occur, even if the VCR doesn't yet have those common problems. This has also allowed me to accumulate some parts machines as well.

I source all electrical components from Mouser.com (to guarantee authenticity) using only top tier capacitor brands (Panasonic, Nichicon, Rubycon, and Chemicon).

Refurbishing Services:

AG1980 / AG1980P

Common issues with these include:
-No picture at all
-Failure to load or eject a tape (if there's a tape stuck inside your unit, leave it in there and I will safely remove it)
-High pitched screeching sound coming from the unit
-Dim front display
-Image noise that looks like repeating diagonal lines, sometimes described as "herringbone noise"
-Frequent "Comets" that are short streaks of static noise that seem to show up more often on certain lines of video

-For best image noise elimination (including "comets"), "screeching sound" elimination, and overall longevity, I would recommend the full refurb service.

-If the only issues are tape loading problems, picture/color problems, and/or dim LCD display - a partial refurb will usually address those problems.

-If you prefer, I can start with the partial refurb and then report back with capture samples of the output, and you may decide to then upgrade to the full refurb if you are not satisfied with the result.

AG1980 FULL REFURBISHING service - $750 (includes return USA shipping):

Full recap of TBC board (both through-hole and surface mount)
Full recap of Power Supply
Full recap of Head Amp
Full recap of the LCD board
Full recap of the front control board
Recap of a few select capacitors that I've seen go bad on the many units I've already refurbished.
+STANDARD DECK MECHANISM REFURBISHING - includes complete disassembly of the capstan shaft for re-lubricating, full disassembly and cleaning of the mode switch, replacement of the loading motor coupler with a new one, and re-greasing known problematic areas. Pinch rollers that show any signs of cracking will be replaced with a new one. Original pinch rollers that are in good shape will have their surfaces restored with American Recorder S-721H fluid. All tape-path-contact surfaces will also be cleaned. Decks that are misaligned with tracking problems will also have tracking adjusted with an oscilloscope.

AG1980 PARTIAL REFURBISHING service - $550 (includes return USA shipping):
-This is similar to Deter's Servicing based on an AG1980 that I fixed that had a loading problem where the user had purchased the unit from Deter as refurbished. Deter replaced the surface mount capacitors on the TBC (not the through-hole ones) and changed 5 capacitors changed on the front LCD board).
-Also includes standard deck mechanism refurbishing as described in the full refurb description above.

Bare AG1980 TBC + front LCD board Recap - $300 (includes return USA shipping):
-You send me ONLY the TBC board and front LCD board (Do not send the entire VCR) and I'll recap both and send them back. This is a similar service as the "partial refurb" in terms of capacitor replacement. Be aware that you do take some risk of possibly damaging connectors when removing those boards and re-assembling yourself. You'll want to wrap the LCD board and the TBC board in plenty of small bubble wrap and ship inside of a box to prevent those from being damaged during shipping. This is a good option if your AG1980 has already been taken apart and had image noise or no picture, but the mechanism otherwise seems to work fine.

JVC VCR RERFURBISHING (HR-S7x00U series, HR-S9x00U series, SR-MV Series, SR-VS Series)- $300 - includes return USA shipping

Common problems with these models include failure to completely load a tape, eating tapes, shutdown after pressing play or after loading a tape, not powering on at all, or failure to get past a "loading" message on the front LCD.

JVC refurbs include disabling of the dynamic drum (if your model has one - this is done as both a repair and preventative maintenance and it does not affect playback for captures), loading motor belt replacement if needed, mode switch cleaning (except SR-MV series as they use a type of mode switch that doesn't get dirty), and pinch roller replacement if there is any evidence of cracking (or surface restoration of the original if no cracking present). Power supply and other components will be checked and replaced as needed.

*On the SR-MV series, front LCDs are often dim and may partially get better with refurb, but may remain somewhat dim. Luckily, this does not affect the rest of the function of the VCR.

All VCR refurbs include cleaning of the tape path and alignment adjustment using an oscilloscope if not tracking well.

To inquire about sales/service/refurbs:

Send me a direct message on DigitalFaq with:
1. Model number of VCR
2. Symptoms it currently has - you may include a short video of the problem if that's easier than describing
3. Note any prior repair attempts or known physical damage
4. Your return address, paypal email address, and cell phone number

I'll typically reply back within 2-3 days along with the address to send your VCR to (which is in Michigan). Approximate refurbishing turnaround time is usually 1-3 weeks.

If the repair/refurb is successful (they usually are, but nothing is 100%), I will paypal invoice you for the stated refurb rate and ship back once paid. If I am unsuccessful, I will only charge $100 which will mainly cover return shipping and a small amount for my time and parts put into it involved with the attempt. Depending on your model and the stock of parts I have for that model, I may offer to buy the unit from you or waive the assessment/repair attempt fee depending on the going rate for parts units of that model.

I will send the paypal invoice you after I've attempted the refurb and the outcome is known, so no payment in advance is necessary.

I have done a few repairs/refurbs for other users already, and I'll see if they'll comment below with their experience.

Please do not hesitate to message me with any questions.

[cpm311]

Review from a customer below:

If you don’t want to take the time to read this entire review, here’s the summary: (10/10 results) My device kept ejecting tapes, and I figured now would be the perfect time for a full refurbishment. I found aramkolt via this post and found it credible due to his prior post history, which clearly showed he knew the AG-1980s very well. Upon receiving my VCR back, I can say with absolute confidence that it has never played tapes this well before his work. Simply put, aramkolt has made this VCR perform like never before and gave it a new lease on life. If your machine is in the same boat, look no further – this is your guy. For those still skeptical, please keep reading for my full review.

For this review, I want to walk you through exactly how the interaction went, from transporting my unit to aramkolt, the unit being serviced, and the unit being returned. Before getting started, I must mention that I had asked aramkolt to perform his full service ($750 option). Now, for those of you saying his price is high, I would say that this is a step above Deter’s refurbishment, and it’s worth every penny. Aramkolt scrutinizes every part of the machine, from the obvious re-capping to calibration/deck refurbishing. In addition to what’s outlined here, specifically for me, he went above and beyond with the smallest details. My power switch, which had been damaged ever since I bought the VCR from a friend, was something I didn’t ask aramkolt to fix, nor was it something that was necessarily cited as part of the refurbishment. Yet, upon unpacking my VCR, my power button was miraculously repaired.

Now that I’ve justified the price, let’s get on with the experience. I reached out to aramkolt via a digitalFAQ private message, where he made it clear how I should move forward with shipping, as well as answering some of my questions. This was my first positive experience with aramkolt. I never like to ship my electronics and was worried it would break during shipping. I figured aramkolt had more experience with this than I did and reached out for advice. He was more than happy to help, recommending shipping materials and mail carriers, and was unbelievably polite and fast with his replies. At this point, we moved from digitalFAQ to phone text messaging for future contact. My package arrived without any problems, and right away he began messaging me about my device.

Here’s something I didn’t necessarily tell aramkolt: my device had relatively low hours on it and didn’t mention it because I hadn’t figured it was important to mention. After only a couple of days with my device, he reached out and mentioned the good condition of my device. In my eyes this was a VERY good sign. This may not seem important to my review, but to me, a sleazy repairman might try to argue that your device is in worse condition than it really is to justify a higher repair cost. Aramkolt was clearly not that type of person; he was very honest about the condition of my machine, which was great to see. Another thing that impressed me was how he kept me updated on my machine’s progress. Over text, he would send me images of the progress, answer any questions I had, and show me some of the specific areas that had caused my machine to keep ejecting tapes.

Finally, after about a week, he had my machine back in the mail and on its way. It arrived at my house in fantastic shape—although the box had minor scratches from general handling by the drivers and sorting machines, the packing was exceptionally well-executed, and there was no risk to my machine at all.

Obviously, since receiving it, I’ve tested the machine with a few tapes and checked all functionality. What do you know? The machine worked perfectly—better than it ever had before. Maybe it's just placebo with the TBC, but I swear he must have done some magic to get this VCR to produce such high-quality output. Hopefully, I’ve done aramkolt’s work justice with this review-- I will never take my machine to anyone else.

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cpm311

This was my first positive experience with aramkolt. I never like to ship my electronics and was worried it would break during shipping.

He actually doesn't, so I'll reach out to him with tips, as well as create a shipping guide.
I'd never even considered the shipping in our past discussions.

You were wise to be concerned. It can go very, very badly.

[bhall001]

Came here to post my experience with Aram. Really can't add a whole lot more than what cpm311 already said. He sums up the whole experience very well.

My AG-1980 would not play tapes at all. Had made up my mind to go with the full refurb before even reaching out to see if he was willing to look at the unit. Upon explaining my issue, he gave me tips of things to try to fix it myself before sending it in, which I think speaks volumes about his knowledge / character.

Not only did he turn it around very quickly (appx. 1 week), the communication was top notch. He provided pictures of various stages of the work, including the capacitor replacement and head cleaning. Kept me in the loop the entire way.

The unit was shipped back *extremely well*. Combination of foam padding, bubble wrap, and packing paper was used. Probably could have fallen out of the back of the UPS truck and been OK.

I've played about 3 or 4 tapes in the unit since receiving it back, and the unit performs amazingly well. I know how playback can vary depending on the tape and the machine, but one tape I tried had tearing on the top of the screen in three different units (all of them with built in TBC), and this unit can play that tape with no noticeable tear.

I'm thankful I saw this post and gave Aram a go. Don't hesitate if you are on the fence. He is likely going to get my JVC units in the near future too if he is game to work on them.

[Jimmy.W]

Do you have any for sale? I've been looking for one and my search has brought me to you. PM me if you do.

Thanks

[aramkolt]

Yes, I still do have most recommended VCRS with line TBCs to include AG1980's, HR-S series JVC, and SR-MV series JVC units pre-refurbished and available and I am still doing refurbs on all models as well. PM sent.

[MediumDave]

I have a JVC multi-system VHS deck (HR-DD857MS) whose dynamic drum gears have cracked. I popped in a DD emulator board that I already had on my rebadged 9800U and although it got the machine to stay powered up, the cracked gears have definitely left the drum misaligned. Would I be able to send in just the head drum assembly to have the DD gears disabled and realigned?

My AG1980 is mechanically fine (the loading mechanism was serviced last year) but I'm seeing the early signs of unhealthy TBC caps to go with its dim front display. I'll have to start setting aside funds for a partial refurb.

[Nitro87]

I had a JVC HR-S7600AM refurbished by Aram, and it was amazing. Plays lovely and smooth and all the gunk cleaned. He even kindly threw in two NTSC test taps for me which I didn't happen to have. Communication was top notch throughout. Couldn't be happier. Would highly recommend his service.

[aramkolt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MediumDave

I have a JVC multi-system VHS deck (HR-DD857MS) whose dynamic drum gears have cracked. I popped in a DD emulator board that I already had on my rebadged 9800U and although it got the machine to stay powered up, the cracked gears have definitely left the drum misaligned. Would I be able to send in just the head drum assembly to have the DD gears disabled and realigned?

Yes, I can permanently disable dynamic drum units with cracked gears, including those that affect the sensor readings. Normally just the DD unit would be fine (without the head drum), but sounds like yours has some instability where the drum pivots perhaps, and I can address that so that there's no issues there either. Ironically, you won't actually need the DD emulator at all once I fix your unit. PM me if interested.

Thanks!

[currandrew]

Hi, I have a Panasonic AG-5710 with a broken power supply. I believe it might be similar/identical to the AG1980 power supply. I've attached photos to see if they are alike. Would it be possible to purchase a replacement board from you? If not, do you know where I could buy one? Thank you!

[aramkolt]

Yes, the AG-5710 is identical to the AG-1980 in terms of the power supply and most internal boards. I've refurbished 3 or 4 of those. The "motherboard" has a few variances and the output board is a bit different, but the power supplies are definitely the same. I'll PM you.

[cnole]

Aramkolt recently did a full refurb of my Panasonic Ag-1980, and I couldn’t have been more satisfied with the whole process. Highly recommend!

[currandrew]

Thank you for the conformation.

[cbehr91]

Another happy customer.

I sent aramkolt my JVC HR-DVS3U with many years of heavy use, but otherwise no problems. He gave it a thorough cleaning, deactivated the MiniDV side (at my request), and replaced some PSU capacitors as well as the mode switch. Turnaround time was about a week (I wasn't in a hurry). Swift communication throughout.

[SpacemanSpiff]

Hello! I’d like to inquire what you currently have for sale. I’m looking for a Panasonic w/ TBC (of course), NTSC, but am open to the specific model, I found this forum and your post in my search. Do you have any available?

Kind regards!

[aramkolt]

Yes, I do have fully pre-refurbished AG1980's for sale.

I do also have some pre-refurbished JVC SR-MV series VCRs that all have line TBCs.

You'll notice there are a lot of parts/as-is SR-MV series on ebay that don't work. The refurbs that I do include extensive recapping of the digital board (surface mount capacitors), power supply areas, and some other caps that commonly fail. I replace all of these whether they are bad or not which will prevent future failures. The ones that I refurbish should never fail in that same way as the originals did as the capacitors I use are much higher quality and rated for 105C temperatures. It's best to refurb the SR-MV series before they stop working because there's a chance that the original capacitors can go "bad enough" that it causes permanent damage to some of the integrated circuits that may not be fixable after a refurb.

I'll PM you with the details on pricing.

[aramkolt]

To edit the above, I do still have AG1980's available pre-refurbished, but no more SR-MV series at the moment. I can still refurbish any of the models noted in the original post if you have one that needs a tune up or isn't currently working.

[BmacSWA]

I’m throwing in huge props to Aram and the quality work he does. I met up in person with him to buy hardware and have him repair a board for my es10. He’s EXTREMELY knowledgeable and the quality of his work is incomparable to others I’ve seen. Soldering micro surface mount caps? Forget about it, no problem. Also, the Ag1980 I bought from him is murdering tapes the A- MV-50 I bought a few years ago couldn’t quite handle. Do not have reservations about working with him, he’s top notch. Thanks Aram!