When I insert a tape into my Symphonic 6480 VCR, it ejects the tape about 15 seconds later. The record tab on the tape is not broken and the record button has not been pushed. What could it be?
Disclaimer: IANA electronics geek. Found this, FWIW.
http://wisslertv.aibudo.com/help/vcr/vcr.html
http://members.aol.com/bcts1/video.htm
But if if was me, before I threw it away, I’d try unplugging it, letting it sit for a minute, and then plugging it in again.
before throwing it away, take a screwdriver and open it (unplug it first - duh).
you may not be able to fix it, but at least you’ll have an idea how they work - if you feel brave, plug it back in and watch what it does to load the tape (you may run into a problem with a light sensor, but probably not on a consumer-grade machine).
p.s. - is this happening on every tape, or just one?
IANAVCRR guy, but…keep in mind: Bench time for VCR repairs hovers around the $ 70-100.00 range an hour. For a hunnerd dollahs, you can buy a new one.
IANAVCRR guy, but…keep in mind: Bench time for VCR repairs hovers around the $ 70-100.00 range an hour. For a hunnerd dollahs, you can buy a new one.
Try another cassette too…
The number one cause for VCR problems relates to the belts and the idlers of the machine, which regulate the timing mechanisms (I’m also not a repairman). So as others have said, the problem might be in the timing - the tape is loaded, but because the belts are slipping, it simply ejects.
The list that Duck Duck Goose posted is pretty good, but it could also be a broken belt on the takeup motor (the one that pulls the tape back into the cassette after it’s gone over the heads, etc). If it was me, I would take the whole thing apart and try and figure out which part is whacked out. For a non-techie type person, check to see if something is stuck inside. If not, it’s time to go down to ye ol local electronics store and buy a new one. Repair costs around here are about $40 to $50 and are usually flat rate, but if the repair is expensive they simply return it and say “too much damage.” I think I paid about $60 for my last VCR, and it’s a 4 head hi fi stereo the whole works kind of thing. There’s no way in heck I’m gonna spend $50 to repair a $60 VCR.
It used to be that the belts were by far the most likely thing to die in a VCR. Now they make them cheaper, and the litte plastic gears get stripped or jump and the mechanical bits in general have all sorts of problems (just because they are flimsy and cheap). In the past 20 years, I’ve had 2 power supply problems (caused by noise spikes coming in through the power lines), one set of worn out belts, one motor that went bad, and one VCR with an audio problem that I haven’t bothered to figure out (I’m leaning towards a worn out audio head due to cheap tapes).
make sure the magnetic tape is under that flap - if it’s not there the vcr will usually eject the tape. Expecpt for mine which will hold on to it requiring vcr surgery.
Try the following link for instructions on how to fix your VCR. Perhaps there will be something there.
Since nobody’s linked to it yet: http://www.repairfaq.org has a section on VCR repair some that a non-tech can do but mainly for techs.
A really good thing to try is to search Google’s, esp. its usenet archive, for your model number. If it’s a common enough problem for your model, there’ll probably be someone who ran into it before.
I second a worn belt as a likely cause. These are real cheap, if you know how to find the place that sells them. I had a similar problem recently and a new loading belt fixed it. But it was a real beyitch getting the old one off and the new one on. A lot of other things had to be removed to get to it. Some are easy to change, some aren’t.
There are also reasons like a weak power supply and such that require tech know how to fix. Oh, I just realized: it may be the tape/reel sensors.