digitalFAQ.com Forum - JVC 7600u tape path issues or problematic tapes?

Hi,

Just wanted to say thanks for the forum first off. I have learned what I know about analog digitization almost exclusively from this forum and have been getting excellent results digitizing my Hi8 collection using the advice and product recommendations posted here. It's truly a fantastic resource.

This is the relevant gear that I am using:

JVC 7600u>ES15>AIW 9600
The capture PC is an ASrock 775Dual-VSTA, Core 2 Duo e7600, ATI AIW 9600, Creative Audigy (V1 I believe), and running Windows XP SP3 Integral Edition. I will be replacing the old Audigy sound card with a TBSC when it arrives. The ES15 might be completely redundant and unnecessary to use with the JVC VCR. If so, I will remove it from the chain. If there were any good frame TBCs available that I could afford, I would get one. The ES15 is all I have for now, unfortunately.

Now, the issue. I have recently acquired the JVC 7600u. I am currently in the testing phase and am only running unimportant/common tapes until I am sure the VCR will not damage the ones I care most about. Most commercially released tapes I have tried have played perfectly, but I have had an identical issue with a home-recorded tape, and a commercial release.

The first tape I ran into a problem with was made on an editing deck in the early 90s with some camcorder recordings. It would play cleanly for about 5-10 seconds, then drop out completely, then repeat this cycle indefinitely. I put this tape into a cheap Sony VCR/DVD combo machine to see whether the issue was with the tape, and the playback was fine. I then put the tape back in the JVC, and it suddenly played back fine, albeit with some minor tracking issues. From what I have gathered, playing the tape partly in the Sony combo might have repacked the tape somewhat, since I did rewind it in that machine. I did not play the tape all the way through in the Sony though, and it played fine in the JVC from start to finish afterward.

The tape with the most issues was a commercial release. I put it in the JVC, and it had exactly the same issue as the previous tape. I have attached a video of the problem. I inspected the tape by lifting the cover, and noticed that the top edge of the tape was slightly wavy. Once again, I put the tape in the Sony combo, and it played back OK. This time, I let it play for about half the tape, and then put it back in the JVC. It played back fine for about 15 minutes, then I rewound the tape, and the issue returned. Playing it through, fast-forwarding, and rewinding in the Sony did not fix the tape after this. I popped the cover on the VCR and could see that the tape appeared slack in the tape path. It was also making a slightly unpleasant sound during playback. I recorded a short segment of the playback with the cover off. I only ran the tape for a short time, then rewound and ejected it, and noticed the bottom of the tape was now quite wavy.

I have tried running the VCR with all the different function settings — TBC/NR on/off, with or without the ES15, etc. — but nothing has made a difference aside from running the tape in another VCR and then playing it back in the JVC.

I did notice the felt on the supply-side tensioner, and the two smaller brakes were dirty. The larger tensioner wasn't too bad, but the other, smaller brakes had no fuzziness left and were quite hard. I gently cleaned the felt with some 99% isopropyl, which restored some of the texture. I figured the dirty felt wasn't applying enough tension, but it hasn't made a difference.

I have noticed that some of the tapes I have tried don't sound very good when playing back or rewinding/fast-forwarding. Some make a slight rubbing or crinkling sound as they travel around the head, and some make a lot of noise when rewinding. I have also noticed that many of the problematic tapes slow down periodically during rewind, then speed back up. Some of the tapes that look the worst, and sound noisy in the machine will play back absolutely fine. The only tape that absolutely refuses to cooperate and will not play back properly is the one I have included in the example. There are sections on the physical tape that look absolutely fine, with no deformation, but the cyclical dropouts persist.

I have attached two unencoded AVI files of the cyclical dropout issue, and a short segment of a tape that recorded great from start to finish. I tried uploading some short clips from my phone of the tape noise during playback with the top cover off, but it wouldn't let me upload the MP4s. I will try converting them and adding them to this thread.

Hopefully, some of you can share your insight into this issue and help me determine whether the problem is with tapes, the VCR, or both. If there are any tests you can suggest, please let me know. I apologise in advance for any ignorance in this post. I don't know much about this subject, but I am trying my best to learn.

Thanks