JVC BR-S800U Ejects Tape Shortly After Inserting

[Korok]

I am an industrial electrician and quite confident in my job but, honestly, I don't know anything about the internal workings of a VCR. I'm not even sure on the proper names of the parts but I will attempt to describe what's happening to the best of my ability.

So I recently picked up a JVC BR-S800U. When I got it, it would not take in tapes. If I pushed it in all the way it wouldn't eject them until I turned the unit off and then on again. After a little searching I found that pressing the counter reset and eject button while turning the unit on would reset the unit to factory default settings???? This helped. The unit will now take tapes in, but shortly after, it ejects them.

I took the top off to see what was happening inside. After inserting the tape the unit turns the tape forward and backward about a quarter turn. Then the video head starts spinning and it pulls the tape out. It does this twice and then ejects the tape. The tape doesn't move at all after being pulled out. I have tried multiple tapes and they play fine in another vcr so I'm sure it's not an issue with the tape. Pressing buttons on the unit doesn't seem to have any effect. No Play, FF, Rew.

About the Unit:
The left side has an empty bay for maybe 2 expansion cards ????
The right side has a bunch of cards labeled from front to back Video 2, Video 1, Normal Audio, FM Audio, and AV I/O.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[newpball]

So I recently picked up a JVC BR-S800U. When I got it, it would not take in tapes.

So you bought it broken?

[Korok]

I got it off ebay. It was advertised as working. I thought no big deal if its an easy fix. I will return it if I cant get it to work.

[orsetto]

I got it off ebay. It was advertised as working. I thought no big deal if its an easy fix. I will return it if I cant get it to work.

Unless you got it for chump change (under $100), return it if its defective. The problem could be a slight mechanical adjustment (cheap fix IF you know how), or it might be a bad sensor (pricey or unobtainable part). DIY repair on these models is usually not a good idea.

The BR-S800U was an expensive, excellent "pro" editing VCR for studio use in its day, but is not really optimized for playing "consumer-VCR-made" VHS tapes. The high cost to repair would not be justified by any particular performance advantage over a $20 Sharp VCR you'd find at Goodwill. The empty expansion slots are for optional TBC (Time Base Corrector) and DNR (Digital Noise Reduction) daughtercards: if these cards were included, the unit *might* be worth repairing. Without them, its just a hulking heavy VCR with playback no better than any ordinary VCR you might already have in your house.

If anything, the playback might be worse than a cheap consumer VCR. When it comes to VHS and SVHS, "pro" does not always equate to "better" - the pro decks were designed specifically for pro studio purposes, which makes them somewhat less compatible with tapes recorded on consumer VCRs. The tape transport and video head design of rack-mount "pro" decks differs slightly from consumer decks. Sometimes this doesn't matter, sometimes it does.

It is hard enough these days finding a competent repair service for consumer VCRs: service for "pro" VCRs has all but vanished (and almost all old pro VCRs need service: they were designed to be serviced at regular intervals). With no real advantage (other than the thrill of owning a $5000 pro deck for peanuts), I suggest people stay away from the huge "pro" VCRs. To get noticeably better playback of consumer tapes, look for a high-end consumer SVHS (or preferably DVHS) model with built-in TBC+DNR. Something like a JVC HM-DH30000U or Mitsubishi HS-HD2000U can be found in good condition for about $200-$300. Some other suggestions can be found here:

http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-restore/1567-vcr-buying-guide.html

(Note some once-popular SVHS models should be avoided today: the Panasonic AG-1980 is extremely difficult/expensive to repair, and the famed JVC 8xxx and 9xxx models are almost as bad.)

[Korok]

Thanks for your reply. I paid less than $100 for it and don't mind trying to fix it (especially if its just a slight mechanical adjustment). I have put in a return request and am waiting for a reply.

*Edit

Sellers Reply

"Sorry to hear the recorder is ejecting tapes. It was tested and was working when I got it in. Sometimes after sitting a while, or what happens most of the time, it gets banged in transit, and the belt that goes around the motor gets loose or needs to be replaced. Most of the older ones like that need to be replaced anyway. I can send you a label and you can ship the item back (I'll pay shipping costs), or if you have a tv / vcr repair shop anywhere around, they can replace it with a new belt for about $30, $10 for belt, and 20 for their time, and I can refund you however much it cost (this is preffered because shipping that thing is expensive from where you are). Thanks and sorry about the problem."

[orsetto]

If the seller is correct in identifying the problem, it might be an easy repair, but you would need to source the belt yourself and replace it, or find a local repair shop that can do it for you. The catch is, it may not be just a simple belt, in which case you could be staring down a several hundred dollar repair. This is something you may not be able to determine on your own before your eBay return period expires. Best thing to do is take it ASAP to the nearest repair shop you can find for an evaluation: if you get a repair quote under $100, its probably worth it if the seller reimburses part of the cost.

[Korok]

Well I just wanted to let you know what happened with this vcr. It ended up being a jammed pinch roller. They were able to free it up and give the unit a "tune-up". It seems to be working quite well now. Thanks for your input.

[orsetto]

Thats great! Glad you reported back with good news: its encouraging to hear (most of these VCR stories end sadly or expensively).

What repair tech did you go to in New York? There are so few left, we all try to keep a list of those who are still active.

[Korok]

Leader TV
www.leadertv.com/

I've had good experience with them in the past.