JVC BR8600 tape loading problem?

[itaprog]

Hi, if anyone can help...

Someone gave me an old JVC BR8600 VHS editing recorder, which his friend retired from use at his video production studio.
The unit was dead except for the rear fan but I managed to identify faulty power regulator and replaced it, and the machine was up and running, how sweet.

The problem was that the VCR would load the tape around the head assembly fine, then after a brief pause unloaded to the cassette housing.
I took it apart as far as the loading mechanism and cleaned the photo sensors. Then it seemed to get better, and play back a tape, as long as its length, then for the second tape it refused to spin the take-up reel. If the unit is powered off for a while and powered back on, then it would play one tape, then the same thing with the second tape.

I tried to see what was wrong, and attempted cleaning where I could, and checked all contacts on the loading assembly, it all seemed fine, put it back together, then it happened - the loading mechanism wouldn't respond to cassette being inserted.

There are two photo sensors on the either sides of the loading mechanism. Could it be that they are faulty, or something on the mainboard like caps had failed?

Does anybody have clue as to what can be the problem? Any advise I'd appreciate!

FWIW, I'm attaching a service manual that I found on the internet.

-- merged --

Oops, the file didn't get uploaded... Admin edit: Fixed!

Here's a link:
http://freeservicemanuals.info/servi...C/br-8600e.pdf

Best regards from Tokyo!

[lordsmurf]

Thanks for attaching the service manual.

I wonder if the 8600 is anything like the 9600. Does it also power itself off immediately after being turned on? The 9600 will refuse tapes, as well as any command at all, when the tiny black plastic dynamic drum gears are stuck.

But it's worth noting that a VHS-only editing VCR probably has no value. Even a consumer VCR from Toshiba or Sharp probably has a better image. Old editing VCRs also rarely understand anything other than SP mode.

[itaprog]

Thanks lordsmurf for replying.
The unit doesn't have the dynamic tilting head. I read here about 9600 and the little black gears, which I was hoping to find in BR8600, but alas, nowhere to be found.
I have a few hundreds of VHS tapes that I set out to convert to digital media sometime ago, and I do want the quality that BR8600 offers, beyond I'd ever seen with consumer video decks, like crisp image and real HiFi audio that other ones failed to keep track of.

Best regards,
Tatsurou from Tokyo