VCR won't tape and get no playback

Do you have any small children who have access to the machine? Kids are notorious for posting coins, half eaten biscuits and bits of toys into the tape slot. 1st give the machine a light shake and see if it rattles, next remove it from any power source and remove the cover. You may find something obvious, if not, reconnect the power, being careful not to touch anything inside, and try to load a tape. Dirty heads WILL playback, but will NOT record. The standard for these machines is load spool to erase head, to video head, to soundhead, then between drive spindle and pinch roller and on to take up spool. Has the tape you are trying to record had the tab removed, if so (like a pre recorded tape) it will NOT record until you place a piece of tape securely over the tab hole.

Do you have a tracking control on the
vcr if you do it should be centered during
record It can be adjusted during playback
to clear up the picture adjust it for the best
picture

If you dont have a tracking control on the
vcr then it may require a mechanical adjustment
of the backtension or guidepost which requires
special tools to perform

The VCR has at least four "heads" two are for 2 hr and two for 6 hour (sp and slp)

It is most likely one of the heads used in the SLP mode is slightly blocked with tape debris--heads need to be manually cleaned in the right way.

Your playback heads might be clogged. I am not sure if this camera with give you a RF warning if your record heads get clogged. Also most professional machines drums are rated at 1000 - 1500 hours before they need to be replaced. If you are at 500 and never cleaned the heads it is time to. Run a cleaning tape a few times.

Hi,

Initially, I am inclined to think that nothing is wrong. It is just most likely that that particular tape was recorded in a different speed other than what your VCR is capable of playing. This is a form of compression wherein a longer recording/playing time is squeezed into the same type/kind of tape. The various settings are SP, LP, EP or even an XP. Pls click here to give you an idea of the recording time/speed at different settings.

Hope this be of initial help/idea. Pls post back how things turned up or should you need additional information. Good luck and kind regards. Thank you for using FixYa.

Check your "tracking" If the tape played fine in the old machine, then tracking is the answer, provided that the new machine records good.

If it plays back pre recorded tapes then there is nothing wrong with that section of the unit. Does it playback audio and not picture or does it not playback anything.
Also, when trying to playback a recording what is seen of the screen? Snow(black and white dots or wiggly picture?

The unit uses two separate circuits to record and playback tapes. Is any thing else connected to the unit while you are recording? If you are using anything plugged into other ports on the recorder it may not see the camera input causing it to not record anything..

Take the unit back to the store and exchange it for an other unit of the same. The likelyhood of two units not working is very slim, and good luck with your new unit.

buy a new damn vcr o ya We r in the 21st century we now use dvd's go get ya self a dvd player abd you wont have that problem.

hi sir
the speed in EP is differ from sp ,EP it is much slow then all quality would be less cause you are using less magnetic particles on the tape so here are many reasons for bad recording
first may be you have to clean video heads
or ,you have to clean the path of the tape in the recorder there are some metal guides that turnes with the tape to get it rounds the heads they may be dirty
or clean the capstain pinch roller and its metal roller that makes it run ( the capstain roller )
or you should have new heasd drum sir
regards