Sony SLV-R5UC SVHS 3D model for blue gear?
 

Hi folks,

New to the forum and VCR repair in general.

I embarked on my home video digitization project a few weeks ago, and it's been a remarkable journey of failures. Now I see why people just send their tapes into professionals.

My latest failure was with the purchase of an SLV-R5UC. When I tested it out, it ate my tape (luckily I used a tester VHS, so nothing valuable was damaged).

I took apart the unit and discovered the proverbial "blue gear" had cracked in half (see attached).

Is there a 3D model for this gear that I could print with my 3D printer, or do I need to order one online?

Sometimes an alternative is to repair the broken gear. I've done so using ordinary cotton sewing thread and Super Glue. The cotton can be stronger than the original plastic.

Regardless it's important to check if some other issue caused or contributed to the breakage (such as dried, ageing lubricant causing the gear to overload and break), and attend to that issue first. If not the new or repaired gear may fail just the same way.

Why don't you just buy a replacement?

Because $0.30 for filament is less than $20 and 1hr of printing is less than a week for shipping :wink2:

Luckily, the person who sold this to me is willing to take it back. I'm thinking I will take my $250 and put it toward a refurb VCR that is more likely to give better results.

Blue gear is pretty common to go bad and there are quite a few YouTube videos showing how to do it step by step. I've done it to 2 Sonys and one of the two had an mechanism alignment issue after, so I have to go back in there and re-time things with the alignment holes one of these days.

I will say that no Sony VCRs have line TBCs that I'm aware of, hence why you don't really see them on the recommended VCR list. Using passthrough with a Panasonic DVD recorder is basically a must with those as you'll see obvious flagging/tearing up at the top otherwise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHiZeMg8vOc

alternatives methods:
Gear Teeth Repair With A Candle!:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgzW8SLhHdg

Pour Glue on Baking soda and make gear wheel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu7KiFdQmmg

Do you think a brittle and rough 3D printed part will perform and last as good as an injection molding part made in a million dollar factory back in the day? Everyone has the right to save money but to a certain extent, If the gear is not available I can understand that.

None of those methods work for the gear in question because it has a complicated hollow structure, it is not a simple plain gear.

No, but it would get the job done. The job being a quick way to service the device to evaluate its functionality before returning it to the seller.

In the end I returned the device, so the question isn't relevant anymore. Based on what I'm reading, I should invest in a JVC or Panasonic player if I'm going to go the high-end route.

In the meantime, my thrift store GoVideo player seems to work decently.

3D printed parts are rarely functional in a mechanical environment, unless using the printers and materials specific to it. Most lower-end cost 3D printers (not really "cheap") are just to make pretty stuff, trinkets, not anything functional.

3D printers are great for prototyping. You can print functional parts with the right nozzle, filament, and settings. They aren't as durable as mold injection, but they can be functional with a little know-how.

If the VCR had worked, I probably would have just ordered a mold injection gear. I just wanted to evaluate it quickly. But I ended up returning the device and opted for a high-end JVC VCR (as you know). Luckily, the woman I bought it from on Craigslist was gracious enough to take it back.