Is this VCR worth servicing?

[tluxon]

About 5 years ago our Mitsubishi HS-U57 stopped playing tapes (forward drive would no longer engage). I got a quote to repair it for about $130 so I stowed it away up in the attic and bought a new cheaper VCR (they always get cheaper, don't they?) to replace it. I put it out of my mind because I had plenty of digital recorders and the kids only used our VCRs to play tapes from the library anyway.

Well, now it's weighing heavily on my mind that I should get all the home videos and other tapes that are important to us converted over to a better format before it's too late (I hope it's not already).

I've experimented with the more cheaply built newer VCRs (In the bedroom I still have a working NEC "tank" that retailed for $1400 back in about 1985) to see how they do on some of our tapes. One of them (low-end JVC 4-head Hi-Fi) does quite poorly (could need as little as a good head cleaning), while the other (Toshiba W708 6-head Hi-Fi) seems to do a great job of playing back older tapes. However, in comparison to the Mits HS-U57 they seem to be made quite cheaply.

So, since I'm conscientious about electronic waste I'm wondering if it might be worth it to dust off the Mits and get it fixed up for my video tape capturing task. Or should I use one of the others or buy a new VCR or does it matter?

Thanks,

Tim

[BetaMaster]

I feel your pain. I have two broken VCRs in my storage locker. Both would cost about $80 Cdn. to repair, but it's just not worth it any more. I had one of them repaired before, and the repair didn't take.

Sure modern VCRs are built more cheaply, but my older VCR (4 head mono) cost me about $500 Cdn. when I bought it in 1991. My brand new JVC S-VHS I bought 16 months ago set me back $200, and it has a flying erase head and two S-Video inputs. It plays everything I put in it, and I've never had a problem recording in S-VHS, S-VHS ET or standard VHS with it. Not only isn't your machine worth repairing, you could get a machine just as good for less money. For the money you spend on repair, your machine would probably be better than the repaired machine, if a bit less reliable.

Mind you, older is sometime better. My 1988 Betamax still works great.

Oh! If anyone knows how to dispose of a VCR better than tossing it in landfill, please let me know. I have a broken microwave too.

[lordsmurf]

You fix good equipment. Whenever my good stuff acts up, it gets fixed. Newer is not always better. With VCRs, almost never is newer better.

[SatStorm]

I second that!

[INFRATOM]

Nothing worth repairing if it doesn't have waranty, you can buy another one cheaper at Walmart!! they charge $90/hr just to look at it and give you estimate on repair. A typical VCR now is $50. Looks like everything is disposible. What to do I would suggest give it to your local school they sell it in yard sale make money for school, some night schools and colleges have repair trainig courses that can use these things.

[handyguy]

Its probably a belt. ABout 50 cents from Studio SOund service on the web.

[tluxon]

Nothing worth repairing if it doesn't have waranty, you can buy another one cheaper at Walmart!! they charge $90/hr just to look at it and give you estimate on repair. A typical VCR now is $50. Looks like everything is disposible. What to do I would suggest give it to your local school they sell it in yard sale make money for school, some night schools and colleges have repair trainig courses that can use these things.

I have a hard time looking at better quality electronics as "disposable", even though it would be cheaper to simply replace it than repair it. The problem is that it's sometimes impossible to truly "replace" it in every sense of the word. I'm impressed with how sturdily the Mits is built and might prefer it working well over continuing to recycle newer and cheaper units.

On the other hand, I remember that the PQ of the Mits was always just a tad grainier (likely a sharpness issue) than that of the Toshiba W708 or the old NEC we have, so maybe I already have better options for my VHS captures.

Its probably a belt. ABout 50 cents from Studio SOund service on the web.

I've opened the case up, but I've never looked into taking it apart to get to the belt, if that's all it needs. Are these things very hard to find parts for and repair myself?

[tdan]

This site is a good place to start for diagnosing and doing some simple repairs yourself:
http://www.fixer.com/

[ozymango]

About 5 years ago our Mitsubishi HS-U57 stopped playing tapes (forward drive would no longer engage). I got a quote to repair it for about $130 ...

I'll bet you it's a belt or drive gear/wheel, an "easy" fix. If you're at all mechanical. Are you at all mechanical? Wanna give it a shot?

So was this quote from the same time, 5 years ago, or is this recent? I fix my own VCRs myself (discounting blow circuits, which are fortunately quite rare) and 99% of the time it's a belt or "rubber part" issue, they break, they crack, they harden over time, and if you're at all mechanically inclined you can usually figure out what part isn't working, and swap it out.

Personally, I recommend fixing things that can be fixed -- but there's a heck of a lot of leeway in terms of what "can be fixed" means to different people. I rebuild cars and motorcycles and VCRs and pretty much anything that has little tiny moving parts and this is fun for me.

As handyguy already wrote, check with Studio Sound Electronics on the web and see the parts tha come up for your VCR. Do the pictures make you go, "Whoa!" or "Cool!"?

If they make you go "Cool" then have at it. And if they make you go "Whoa," I still think it's definitely worth taking this back to a shop to get another current estimate, and see how much it is. You might also check for other (and even the same, if you can find it) Mitsubishi decks on eBay or other online sources to see what kind of prices and interest there is. It may be that your "dead" deck is worth a few $$$ to some other person for parts reasons for their dead deck ... ... and that could go towards a new VCR.

Good luck!

[tluxon]

About 5 years ago our Mitsubishi HS-U57 stopped playing tapes (forward drive would no longer engage). I got a quote to repair it for about $130 ...

I'll bet you it's a belt or drive gear/wheel, an "easy" fix. If you're at all mechanical. Are you at all mechanical? Wanna give it a shot?

So was this quote from the same time, 5 years ago, or is this recent?

I'm a mechanical engineer, so I guess I'm fairly mechanically-minded . The "about $130" quote was at the time it stopped working, and it was from the place we bought it, Magnolia Hi-Fi - probably the most expensive place to get it fixed. There was a very good electronics repair place nearby that I never checked into, but they would've probably quoted no more than 1/2 of that. I think I dropped the idea of repair mostly to save myself time and since our VCRs were used primarily for playing tapes for the kids - it made sense to buy a new "cheaper" unit.

As handyguy already wrote, check with Studio Sound Electronics on the web and see the parts tha come up for your VCR. Do the pictures make you go, "Whoa!" or "Cool!"?

I always say "Cool!" when it comes to things mechanical and if I have the proper tools and a little bit of time. In fact, my oldest boy who is 8 is already taking electronics stuff apart and trying to fix it (he's brought circuit boards to me saying, "this thing needs to be re-soldered"). He's actually taken an old VCR apart in one of his science classes just to see what's inside. I think it would make a great father-son exercise to try to fix this one - I just didn't know what we might find and what part availability was like. Thanks for the reference to Studio Sound Elecctronics.

Tim

[jbenj01]

I have a ~9-yr old Mits S-VHS player (HS-???) that keeps eating my tapes and will not eject tape (lid won't open).. Should opening her up and giving the carriage a wack fix the problem?? .

Seriously, any suggestions.. ? (hope this isn't a hijack).

[johns0]

I have a ~9-yr old Mits S-VHS player (HS-???) that keeps eating my tapes and will not eject tape (lid won't open).. Should opening her up and giving the carriage a wack fix the problem?? .

Seriously, any suggestions.. ? (hope this isn't a hijack).

Take off the bottom cover and see if the plastic pulley has cracked and fallen off the capstan wheel,if it has then crazy glue back on,make sure you put it on the right way.

[jbenj01]

Thanks for the suggestion.. will give it a try.

[handyguy]

"I've opened the case up, but I've never looked into taking it apart to get to the belt, if that's all it needs. Are these things very hard to find parts for and repair myself? "

I can't really say cause its not in front of me. The play belt is usually accessed from a panel on the bottom.