Need help cleaning a VCR

[BetaWolf47]

I know this is a gaming site, but I figure someone here may be able to help. The only site I see for this sort of thing is pretty dead.

I just got a Betamax VCR the other day. It's in great shape, with the only problem being skipping in video and audio during playback. I'm looking for help specific to Betamax, since head placement is a bit different on these. The model in question is a Sony SL-HF750. Where are the heads, how do I clean them, and what should I be wary of while cleaning?

[dendawg]

4503

Depicted above is the tape path of your typical Betamax VCR. The big round circle is the video head, and the four little grey objects to the left are the various audio/erase heads...those and the capstans are what you need to clean. You should be able to get by with Q-Tips and alcohol.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Nooooooooooooo not q-tips those things leave bits of cotton behind!

If they're anything like VHS heads, I just soak a bit of white typing paper with alcohol, rotate them slowly, and lightly hold the paper next to the heads so they're cleaned up. DO NOT DO THIS WITH A LOT OF FORCE SINCE THAT WOULD BREAK THE HEADS.

Look for some videos on Youtube.

[dendawg]

Nooooooooooooo not q-tips those things leave bits of cotton behind!

Okay, maybe not on the video head drum, but the stationary ones should be okay. :oops:

[Tokimemofan]

Nooooooooooooo not q-tips those things leave bits of cotton behind!

If they're anything like VHS heads, I just soak a bit of white typing paper with alcohol, rotate them slowly, and lightly hold the paper next to the heads so they're cleaned up. DO NOT DO THIS WITH A LOT OF FORCE SINCE THAT WOULD BREAK THE HEADS.

Look for some videos on Youtube.

Very bad idea some typing paper contains abrasive fillers with a 8.5+ hardness. That can do a LOT of damage. use lotion free Kleenex very carefully and blow off the fibers or ideally go to a photographic shop or an optometrist and get some lens cleaning tissue or microfiber cleaning cloths and use those. I have cleaned tape drive mechs that way and they use the same helical scan head on a much smaller and more fragile scale. BTW yes Q-tips suck and they don't work for anything bet the most mild cleaning. Keep in mind that a drive belt or other foam or rubberized part may have failed, but that is common in most older formats, I once had an early 90s Quantum SCSI hard drive from a Mac that had a melted rubber sheath on the head assembly hinge, but the drive still worked! Being a pure analog system, skipping is usually a mechanical problem such as slippage.

[BetaWolf47]

Okay, you guys are scaring me. Not going to attempt this until I get some clarification.


Depicted above is the tape path of your typical Betamax VCR. The big round circle is the video head, and the four little grey objects to the left are the various audio/erase heads...those and the capstans are what you need to clean. You should be able to get by with Q-Tips and alcohol.
The big drum is the video head? I've read that this is the most fragile part. Those small squares are audio and erase? I'll check it out then.


Nooooooooooooo not q-tips those things leave bits of cotton behind!

If they're anything like VHS heads, I just soak a bit of white typing paper with alcohol, rotate them slowly, and lightly hold the paper next to the heads so they're cleaned up. DO NOT DO THIS WITH A LOT OF FORCE SINCE THAT WOULD BREAK THE HEADS.

Look for some videos on Youtube.
No q-tips. Duly noted. Cleaning guides have said that a lint-free q-tip is fine. There are no clear Betamax cleaning guides on YouTube though. The read and write heads are different.


Very bad idea some typing paper contains abrasive fillers with a 8.5+ hardness. That can do a LOT of damage. use lotion free Kleenex very carefully and blow off the fibers or ideally go to a photographic shop or an optometrist and get some lens cleaning tissue or microfiber cleaning cloths and use those. I have cleaned tape drive mechs that way and they use the same helical scan head on a much smaller and more fragile scale. BTW yes Q-tips suck and they don't work for anything bet the most mild cleaning. Keep in mind that a drive belt or other foam or rubberized part may have failed, but that is common in most older formats, I once had an early 90s Quantum SCSI hard drive from a Mac that had a melted rubber sheath on the head assembly hinge, but the drive still worked! Being a pure analog system, skipping is usually a mechanical problem such as slippage.
I have a microfiber cloth. Is that the best thing to use? What kind of cleaning fluid should I use? I have 91% isopropyl, Windex, denatured alcohol, and maybe a few others around. What's the best way to clean the heads without messing them up?

I don't know if there are any mechanical parts failing. All seems to be well, but I suppose I ought to give it a look. Here's the unit I have, if this helps:
http://www.betamaxcollectors.com/sonysuperbetamaxmodelsl-hf750.html

[Tokimemofan]

Okay, you guys are scaring me. Not going to attempt this until I get some clarification.


The big drum is the video head? I've read that this is the most fragile part. Those small squares are audio and erase? I'll check it out then.


No q-tips. Duly noted. Cleaning guides have said that a lint-free q-tip is fine. There are no clear Betamax cleaning guides on YouTube though. The read and write heads are different.


I have a microfiber cloth. Is that the best thing to use? What kind of cleaning fluid should I use? I have 91% isopropyl, Windex, denatured alcohol, and maybe a few others around. What's the best way to clean the heads without messing them up?

I don't know if there are any mechanical parts failing. All seems to be well, but I suppose I ought to give it a look. Here's the unit I have, if this helps:
http://www.betamaxcollectors.com/sonysuperbetamaxmodelsl-hf750.html

Put away the denatured alcohol, that may contain gasoline. use the 91% Isopropyl alcohol. Yes the drum is the video head, but while they can't take much abuse they aren't too fragile. Just make sure nothing gets caught in the horizontal groove.

[BetaWolf47]

Okay, tomorrow I am going to try Windex and the microfiber cloth. Windex because it doesn't leave residue like alcohol does. I'll pop open the lid and run it to see if there are any mechanical problems first.

[Tokimemofan]

Okay, tomorrow I am going to try Windex and the microfiber cloth. Windex because it doesn't leave residue like alcohol does. I'll pop open the lid and run it to see if there are any mechanical problems first.

Some 91% alcohols do that from what I have heard on forums related to lasers. Try 70% instead.

[RP2A03]

First, let me just say that using Windex scares me.

Second, whatever you use it is imperative that it completely dries before you insert a tape. If there is any left over moisture the tape will stick to the heads and ruin them.

Third, do not go up and down.

Lastly, you may find this useful: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/vcrfaq.htm#vcrvhctech

[SithWarrior]

First, let me just say that using Windex scares me.

Second, whatever you use it is imperative that it completely dries before you insert a tape. If there is any left over moisture the tape will stick to the heads and ruin them.

Third, do not go up and down.

Lastly, you may find this useful: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/vcrfaq.htm#vcrvhctech

thanks for the link couldn't find much info on cleaning VCR's before

[Tokimemofan]

thanks for the link couldn't find much info on cleaning VCR's before

I didn't know that repairfaq covered VCRs. ^.^

[BetaWolf47]

Okay, I opened it, and... there's no way I can get to the video head directly. The system is a mess of mechanical parts. Here's a picture of the video head. It's surrounded by a large circle of metal. Any way I can clean it?

http://img813.imageshack.us/img813/1443/betavideohead.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/813/betavideohead.jpg/)

[FABombjoy]

Just to clarify, I can't tell if you know or not, but to be sure:

That silver cylinder is the drum which encapsulates the heads and head motor. On top of the drum is a flywheel (the part with the rubber ring attached). If you spin that, you'll see the tape heads go by in the opening slits on the side of the drum. There are probably 2 or 4 tape heads at 90 or 180 degree offsets to each other. The heads themselves are quite small and can have sharp edges, which is why you're not supposed to use cotton swabs to clean them. You can buy chamois swabs to do this - you wet them with iso alcohol, hold them in place across the drum opening, and manually spin the heads. You could also take lint-free densely woven fabric and do the same. If you've ever seen an old-style fabric-based cleaning cassette for a VHS VCR or audio cassette, look for a similar material. Do not scrub the heads - there is no need to be vigorous and they may not be the source of your problem.

I think you can load a tape, hit fast forward (not while playing, just plain fast-forward), and pull the plug, which should leave it with the tape pulled away from the drum and enough space to clean. Or maybe not. It's been a long time since I cleaned a Betamax. :D

If you want to clean the exterior of the drum, you'll have to disassemble it further, or just play a few tapes that you don't care about. The tape being pulled across the drum should be enough to remove any contaminates. If it sat in a barn for 20 years with the case apart, I'd say it needs to be fully stripped and cleaned, but in that pic it seems fine.

If you haven't cleaned or replaced the capstan pinch roller, it will probably cause more playback problems than the video heads. Over time it looses it's stickiness and the tape won't be pulled across the drum at a proper or consistent speed, causing the picture to bounce, lose sync, etc. The roller can also become oblong which will cause repetitive video anomalies. I think this might happen if a tape were left in the unit for a long time.

Usually there is a simple way to release and remove the pinch roller. Cleaning it with plain old dish soap may be enough to bring back the rubber grippyness and restore playback. That is what I would do first before messing with head cleaning.

Your pinch roller probably looks something like this: http://www.palsite.com/pics/pinch_roller_assy_bg.jpg

[xelement5x]

Slight thread hijack, I've been looking for a high quality VCR to copy some of the older videos and stuff I have, plus recordings of our family for my parents, and I was wondering if anyone knows of a FAQ for used VCR shopping? I've been told to try and find a 6 head VCR, or that a 4 head that's made well will work as well. Any advice? I found an (advertised) 6 head at a thrift yesterday but someone had stuck a pair of sunglasses in the unit :roll: