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  1. Member
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    I have an LG RC897T DVD/VHS recorder for a number of years. Rarely did I use the VHS portion, recently the VHS picture was very poor, color lines and spots on the screen. Tried a number of cassette head cleaners, it got progressively worse, now there is no VHS picture at all. Tried cleaning the heads manually, didn't help. Anyone know where I can get a replacement video head ?
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    Seriously ?!?!?!

    Throw it in the trash!!!

    DVD/VHS combo units are the biggest worthless POS ever sold!!

    It would have to be a seriously highend VHS/S-VHS/etc. machine to even consider replacing a head or any other repair that cost money.

    No offense, but seriously......

    And unless you have the correct equipment and know how the price you would pay to have someone repair it would be more than you could buy a new system for.
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  3. Originally Posted by joecass View Post
    I have an LG RC897T DVD/VHS recorder for a number of years. Rarely did I use the VHS portion...
    If that's the case it's unlikely that the head would need replacement. It's more likely is a bad capacitor, probably in the power supply section. Do a quick test, play a VHS and hit fast forward (seek), do you get a picture then?
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    If you want to keep this because of the ability to theoretically record your VHS tapes to DVD, you'd be much better off to go with separate units. If you have issues where the DVD recorder mistakenly thinks a defective tape has Macrovision on it, even though it's something you recorded yourself, with separate units you could at least put a TBC between the VCR and DVD recorder to fix the problem. With a single unit when this happens, you are SOL.

    None of the VCR/DVD recorder combo units had a VCR that would be respected by the members here or recommended by them.
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    Originally Posted by nic2k4 View Post
    Originally Posted by joecass View Post
    I have an LG RC897T DVD/VHS recorder for a number of years. Rarely did I use the VHS portion...
    If that's the case it's unlikely that the head would need replacement. It's more likely is a bad capacitor, probably in the power supply section. Do a quick test, play a VHS and hit fast forward (seek), do you get a picture then?
    Someone must have missed the majority of the OP,

    recently the VHS picture was very poor, color lines and spots on the screen. Tried a number of cassette head cleaners, it got progressively worse, now there is no VHS picture at all. Tried cleaning the heads manually, didn't help.
    Regardless, a waste of time, effort and money to repair a combo unit!!!
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    Yes, seriously, for several reasons. The DVD recorder portion still works fine. Great picture. The VHS part was always sub-par, but it played Super VHS tapes when it worked, and that's the reason I want to repair it. My arsenal of DVD recorders and VHS machines is growing old, I've thrown out at least four different machines in the last few years; the prices for used machines are ridiculous. Also, if I wanted to eventually sell it, nobody wants a combo machine with a non-working VHS portion. I just thought someone here would know where to get a replacement head, I guess I was wrong in making that assumption.
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    If nobody else joins the thread, maybe you can reach out to orsetto via PM as if I remember correctly, he might have the knowledge you require. I'm still not convinced it is worth it. Have you contacted LG to see if they can repair it for you? Or are you thinking this is some kind of "do it yourself" project you can do on the cheap?

    Yes, used machines are costing more and more because by this point they're all old and some are now in landfills. The situation is just going to get worse with fewer machines being available every year, prices going up, and the quality on those remaining machines being very suspect. Not to be a jerk, but at this point you are running out of excuses for why you haven't previously transferred your apparently irreplaceable VHS tapes to DVD. Maybe you should seriously consider whether your remaining tapes are really worth the cost and effort required to repair this device.
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    Originally Posted by jman98 View Post
    If nobody else joins the thread, maybe you can reach out to orsetto via PM as if I remember correctly, he might have the knowledge you require. I'm still not convinced it is worth it. Have you contacted LG to see if they can repair it for you? Or are you thinking this is some kind of "do it yourself" project you can do on the cheap?

    Yes, used machines are costing more and more because by this point they're all old and some are now in landfills. The situation is just going to get worse with fewer machines being available every year, prices going up, and the quality on those remaining machines being very suspect. Not to be a jerk, but at this point you are running out of excuses for why you haven't previously transferred your apparently irreplaceable VHS tapes to DVD. Maybe you should seriously consider whether your remaining tapes are really worth the cost and effort required to repair this device.
    jman98 is really, giving you straight, honest talk, you really should seriously consider it.
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    Originally Posted by jman98 View Post
    If nobody else joins the thread, maybe you can reach out to orsetto via PM as if I remember correctly, he might have the knowledge you require. I'm still not convinced it is worth it. Have you contacted LG to see if they can repair it for you? Or are you thinking this is some kind of "do it yourself" project you can do on the cheap?

    Yes, used machines are costing more and more because by this point they're all old and some are now in landfills. The situation is just going to get worse with fewer machines being available every year, prices going up, and the quality on those remaining machines being very suspect. Not to be a jerk, but at this point you are running out of excuses for why you haven't previously transferred your apparently irreplaceable VHS tapes to DVD. Maybe you should seriously consider whether your remaining tapes are really worth the cost and effort required to repair this device.

    Actually I didn't tell the whole story..... I transferred all my VHS tapes onto DVD years ago. In my area, on weekends TNT runs marathons of the original Law & Order TV series which date back to the early 1990's. I love watching these shows even though I've seen most of them. Last summer I acquired 2 JVC Super VHS machines. The S-VHS ET 6-hour picture is, to me, more pleasing than what I would get using a DVD recorder (of which I have many). I previously used the LG 897T to play these tapes in my bedroom, until the VHS part stopped working. After that, I bought a third JVC S-VHS machine. Unfortunately, the third JVC recently bit the dust. The LG has been laying around for six months.... don't want to throw it out just yet, and I don't want to invest in another used JVC machine. I've seen LG 897T's going for $250-300 on Ebay, if possible I'd rather fix the VHS part if it were reasonable. I haven't contacted LG nor did I contact any local repair shops.
    I have three distinct TV recording setups in three rooms. The two JVC machines which still work, one I use for recording, the other for playback, having a working VHS machine in my bedroom is a luxury rather than a necessity. Years ago VCR parts were cheap and replacing a head didn't seem all that difficult. I did look on line and didn't find any replacement parts readily available, so I thought a quick post here would help. Maybe Orsetto will see the thread and respond in kind.
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  10. Most thrift shops in USA have vcrs for about $10.
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    Yeah, this is just a ridiculous endeavor.....
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    The part number is 6723R-0506E called durm assy available at Sears Parts for $17 also at MCM for $30.
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    "Years ago VCR parts were cheap and replacing a head didn't seem all that difficult."

    VCR parts are indeed relatively cheap, but as Noahtuck noted, replacing a videohead drum requires specialized equipment and knowledge to properly calibrate it to spec. This is especially crucial as EP recordings are the hardest for a VCR that it wasn't recorded on to play.

    I worked with a guy who used to fix VCRs and when I asked him if he could replace the videohead drum on a couple of my beloved Betamaxes, he shrugged and stated that while he could, it was a major pain in the a** to do so. I left it at that and never asked him again.

    Even if you manage to replace the videohead drum for a reasonable price, that doesn't mean the something else may be wrong.

    "I've seen LG 897T's going for $250-300 on Ebay..."

    People can ASK whatever they want on ebay. What they SELL for is something else. A quick check of the completed listings for this model shows that they usually sell for <S150.00. There are several that sold for over that amount, but they were either caught up in a bid war or very good / new.

    Instead of spending money on what would at best be an even trade between repair cost / sell price, suggest you keep an eye on ebay for those <$150.00 sales. Buy two if you want to futureproof!
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