Aligning VCR Heads?

[frozentax]

I just got a used 8mm VCR for salvaging some old 8mm tapes. These tapes were recorded with a camcorder whose video heads were misaligned. I'm wanting to manually adjust the video heads in this VCR and try to get a good picture (is this crazy without the proper tools?).

Is there any good guide for (or someone who can walk me through) aligning these heads? I popped open the top and see the head drum, just don't know where to go from here to adjust. I'm looking for the service manual now, maybe that'll shed some light.

Thanks for any help!

[zoobie]

crazy as it may seem, I don't think there was any adjustment in this format
but keep looking...maybe you can find a screw adjustment in there
look on the remote, too

[frozentax]

Thanks for the reply! I got a hold of the service manual, and it seems this all has to be adjusted electronically..? With a service remote RM95 (or emulator) that interfaces on the actual circuit board via a LANC connector.

Does this sound right? The original camcorder was from like 1986, but if head tracking is electronically controlled, maybe I have a different issue?

Basically I play these tapes back and I get very intermittent picture (mostly just black/no signal), with bands in the middle and bottom. Audio is hardly existent - sometimes garbled/static. If I pause the VCR, I can see a picture. If I fast forward, I see a fluid (albiet noisy) picture. This happens in any 8mm camcorder with these tapes.

[zoobie]

what make and model are you talking about?
maybe someone else can jump in here...

[JohnnyMalaria]

I'm not surprised that the alignment would be electronic.

I would discount alignment as the problem because the image appears (reasonably) OK on pause and fast forward. The mechanism is in the same configuration in all cases. i.e., the tension arms are forward and the tape is wrapped around the drum etc. Perhaps it's a tape tension issue - too low/high play compared to pause/wind?

[johns0]

The tape guides sounds like they are loose which is a very common problem with 8mm recorder/player,if they are loose you will have to manually adjust them to get rid of the tracking rings and that will bring the audio back so it doesnt cut out,then tighten the tape guide post screws.

[frozentax]

The Video8 VCR I'm using for playback is a Sony EV-C25; the tapes were originally recorded on an old Sony handycam (long gone) which, I thought, the locking screws came loose at some point and the tape guides became misaligned. They exhibit the same playback problem (see previous post) in any other D8/Hi8/V8 camcorder.

I managed to get the service manual for the VCR and the "8mm Video Mechanical Adjustment Manual" for the "F" style mechanism. I found the locking screws for two of the main guides and played with their height somewhat. Depending on the adjustment, I can get the video to appear on the screen consistently (although garbled and noisy). No audio though - not sure why.

There are two other guides that I'll try to adjust later - maybe they control tension.

Oh, and I believe there is some form of electronic "fine tuning" alignment as well (using the service remote I mentioned earlier). But this seems mechanical - so you're suggesting maybe the tension guide on the original camcorder became loose?

[handyguy]

Are you sure it's not the tracking adjustment? You should be able to do that at the source.

[frozentax]

The tape guides sounds like they are loose which is a very common problem with 8mm recorder/player,if they are loose you will have to manually adjust them to get rid of the tracking rings and that will bring the audio back so it doesnt cut out,then tighten the tape guide post screws.

So given the symptoms with these tapes, it does indeed sound like the original camcorder's guides became loose?

Are you sure it's not the tracking adjustment? You should be able to do that at the source.

I have four guides in this VCR that I can adjust.. it's just a matter of trying to adjust all of them at the right level to match the tapes... a lot of trial and error, if this is really the issue.

[frozentax]

Doing a little more reading.. I'll have to examine the tape under a magnifying glass, but if there are creases or scratches the tape may have been mis-threaded on the original record. If that's the case, is this fixable? I'll have to take a look later.

[neomaine]

frozentax,

I'd go for just cleaning the vcr heads first before you muckle with the actual electronics or any real moving parts. A *new* bottle of 95% isopropyl alcohol with a lint free swab accross the heads and anywhere the tape touches may do it. Its worked for me on a few machines. It cleans off the oxide built up over usage. Just need a little tender care and light touch.

[frozentax]

I used a wet head cleaning tape, but is your method more effective?

[JohnnyMalaria]

If you use a swab make sure you wipe it parallel to the direction the actual heads (in the drum) move - i.e., like going around the equator - and not up-and-down - like going from pole-to-pole.

[NightFire]

Definitely try cleaning the heads since it is old. Do not use QTips and hold the swab against the drum lightly and turn the drum manually without moving the swab. This type of cleaning is much better than the tapes and also cleaning the tape path is a great idea. Moving the tape guide posts up and down until it is synced is usually the best way to fix extreme tracking problems. I have a EV-S900 for just such tapes but it has the Beta U style threading. I also have a EV-C200 that looks exactly the same that I could open and give you some pointers if still needed (with pics if necessary).