JVC VCR wrinkles the tape?
 

Hello,

I am in possession of a JVC HR-S7600U VCR which I have had for about two years now. Recently I have been noticing that the VCR wrinkles the VHS tape, it does not wrinkle the entire tape width. It only wrinkles a thin slice [Image: Wrinkled.jpg] , but is enough to have the picture quality go haywire. Specifically the top portion of the picture, see [Video: VHS_TopPortion.mp4].

I opened the VCR and it appears that the wrinkling happens around the capstan mechanism as I could barely see the wrinkles on the tape before it made its way back into the VHS cassette. I will provide a picture just in case, see [Image: Capstan.jpg]. I bought a pack of JVC T-120 SX tapes and I have only opened one out of its seal and left the others sealed. It was only recently that I opened another and the one I recently open is the one that has been getting wrinkled. The odd part is that I tried recording on the first one I opened and it does not wrinkle it like the other JVC T-120 SX cassette. It also wrinkles a TDK T-120 cassette that I also have. I will leave a photo of the JVC T-120 SX box just incase; see [Image: VHS_box.jpg].

Try to remove and put the pinch roller upside down, If the curl moves to the opposite side you have a bad pinch roller, if it stays the same way you got another mechanical problem, Miss- alignement, bent or broken components, lack of grease, tape tension problem, just to name few. You would have to have the repair skills to tackle this.

Yes and being an S-VHS machine doesnt make it any less in need of regular maintenance than a standard VHS machine. In its current state of damaging tapes, your 7600 is worse than useless. A standard VHS machine in good playing order is way superior.

FYI, jargon term for wrinkle is "feathering".

The wrinkled edge is actually due to permanent stretching of that same edge. Being now longer than its original length, it must "gather" itself into that wavy shape. For the tape restoration specialist it can be a tricky exercise to restore proper tape to tape head contact.

Tape edges are more vulnerable to stretching damage than the centre tape portion which gains strength from being supported from the tape on both sides. The edges are only supported on the inner sides.

DAMN, I sure hated seeing those feathered edges. I always sought to avoid dropping or otherwise physically stressing (twisting?) the deck to avoid messing with the mechanical alignment. When I had a case, I knew it was time to clean as that was a common cause (as I recall). I think I remember oxide building up on guides or something, the capstan, too. I'd generally throw out a tape once it had that edge-wrinkle. I did a lot of TV/movie recordings with steady play/record time and little shuttling most of the time, so my 1000+ tapes have mostly been spared from this nightmare. I currently have 2 supers, 1 SQPB (just acquired) and 7 consumer VCRs I had used as duplicators, and none of them do that, thankfully.

The usual cause of feathering is bad alignment.

Man, it may seem that to be the case, I wish I had the know-how to align the deck. At the very least see what needs to be fixed as the VCR has been producing squeaking noises when I play it. It would go away after playing a tape for a few minutes but on a few occasions, it would return. It is important to note, when these "squeaking noises" occurred the image would be wavy. Looking inside my VCR, I already ripped a ribbon cable for the jog wheel of the VCR. :smack: Technically I don't need it as I have the remote but I do want to fix it so ill make a separate post if someone has a replacement part.

Yes, I want to fix the VCR; the problem is that I need to learn or know what the problem is and how to fix it. Its unfortunate in the sense that I am only 20 years old and not born when VCRs were being used more than they were in 2003. I only say this because I became very interested in using VCRs and digitizing family tapes at a time when VHS and VCRs are relics of the past and almost all information about how to align and fix them is very, very minimal.

Ouch, that's more than mere misalignment. The tape is not being pulled properly, either due to the tape, or due to the deck misbehaving.

Your tapes my be (currently or future) be getting damaged here.

I am not converting any of my family tapes as of right now. The only thing I have put in my VCR at this moment is blank tapes which were the JVC tapes that I took a picture of. Could it be a problem with the underside of the VCR? Also, should I even try to fix this VCR or buy a new one? I would like to fix it as I currently do not have the money to spend on a refurbished VCR.

You likely cannot repair this issue on your own. Fixing it, or buying a new one, may cost the same. Either way, you're looking at 3-digit $ here, not thrift store pricing.

- eBay is gambling, not buying, so just realize that.
- Buy cheap, buy twice.

Video is simply not something that can be done without funds. Even cheap junk has costs.

I wish I had better news for you here, but it's just facts.

When I was talking about possibly not affording it, I am talking about prices in the thousands like TBCs; I cannot afford a TBC right now because I do not have the money. Maybe I can afford it this summer, who knows. The reason is that I have not been working due to university, but now because I am on summer break I am going to work to get some extra money.

Also, I guess it is not surprising I bought the VCR on eBay and the seller did mention the squeaking noise. My mistake was shrugging it off and thinking nothing of it. :smack: One more thing, if I cannot fix it, then who can? Are people still doing that service even though VCRs [Consumer grade] have probably been a thing of the past for many years at this point...

You can find a TV repairman as a holdover from the past, a dying breed.
VCRs are electro mechanical, so it takes an electrician and a mechanic to fix them, with few (if any) parts available. But you can still find them if you look around.

OP's case is a perfect example of having someone does the tape conversion for him, Not only repairing or buying a guarantee in good working condition VCR is bloody expensive and continue to do so as supply and qualified technicians are dwindling, but the capturing task itself will be a rabbit hole for him since he has no experience on VCRs tape playback and the problems that may arise in the future, add to that capture hardware and their issues. So I suggest that save some money and spend it on getting tapes done by a knowlegeable person who is familiar with the task, They offer a capturing service in this forum and there are hobbyist members here who can do a better job than Legacy Box.

I already went into the whole capture device rabbit hole, and settled for an ATI USB 600 capture card. Another thing is that a TBC is also important to have as a capturing device isn't some magical device that gives you the best picture quality on its own. Furthermore, I don't just use the VCR to digitize family's tapes, I also use it to create videos. (Hence the blank tapes). Always liked the VHS look and it has gotten popular now at days, though people go to video editors to simulate the look these days.

I sure hope that' not the quality you'll be getting out of a VCR.

Of course not! I have two other (cheap VCRs) if you will that does that, "quality," you are referring to. Plus in the images, I am applying pressure to the video drum which is something I do not do with the JVC HR-S7600U VCR, that would be mad! It would cause more mechanical problems if that was the case too. No, the only function the 7600 has is that I use it as a recorder. I record the video I want onto tape using the 7600 and that is it.