JVC SR-MV45 flashes 'LOADING', doesn't respond?
 

I'm having a problem with a JVC SR-MV45 VCR which I purchased secondhand a couple months ago. It was working when I first got it, but now all it does is flash, "LOADING", on the display. It will load a tape and it will eject it when the eject button is pressed, but it does not play, fast forward, or rewind and it doesn't seem to respond to the power button at all.

I tried unplugging it for a couple of hours and plugging it back in; no change. Any suggestions for anything else I could try on my own?

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Never mind. I found this thread. I do have one very slightly bulged capacitor. I used to be halfway decent with a soldering iron and I have a good industrial electronics store just up the street, so I'm going to see what I can do.

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Well, it wasn't the capacitor. Unless I screwed up the replacement, which is certainly possible although I don't think so. Or if the replacement capacitor was itself bad, which is also a possibility. I do have a capacitor tester, which is intended for A/C and electrical work and has a 0-200 mF range. For a 1500 microfarad capacitor (which this is), I would normally expect it to read 1.5 (which is at the very low end of its range), but it didn't show a good reading. Perhaps I'll see if I can find another source for a 1500 microfarad 10 Volt capacitor.

Edit To Add: I really think that my multimeter is good and that the new capacitor was bad. I just ordered a handful of capacitors from Mouser for this and future use...2 1500uF, a 1200uF, two 3300uF, and two 3900uF (backordered). All Panasonic, all with 10000 hour ratings. Total cost: $6.52; the shipping at $7.99 was more than the parts. We'll see if this is any help.

Capacitors are too touchy, too moody. They're the 13-year-old girls of electronics.

When I moved about 12 years ago, 1000 miles away, JVC and Panasonic equipment failed on me. When I moved 6 years ago, equipment failed again. Each time it was the caps. The AG-1980P gets on my nerves the most. Changes in temperature and elevation seem to set the caps off. That also goes for anytime you have something shipped to you.

It just needs caps replacement.
- If you can do it, that's great.
- If not, the repairs can be costly -- at least on the Panasonic S-VHS VCRs.

But once replaced, you're generally good for about 5-10 years. I've never had a completely failed bad deck, when caps was the initial likely issue.

LOADING is just caps, so you should be fine once repaired.