AIWA VCR head replacement

[pentium]

I managed to find an AIWA HV-MX100U sitting in a shopping cart at the same place where I picked up an Apple Network Server yesterday.


this thing is awesome. Not only will it allow input from an NTSC, PAL, or SECAM source or VHS tape but it will also output to any of thise three standards as well. It also has two differnt region tuners AND it has SCART I/O.
For a person like me who has tapes from all around the world, it's perfect and eliminates a completely separate A/V system from my main one.
The problem is that when I got mine it had been in the weather for too long. The head drum is corroded beyond repair (it can still deliver good audio but the video heads are no good and the image is full of static) and the main belt was hardened up and broke in my hand and an elastic stretches too much (or the components need a regrease).
The rest of the deck however still runs fine. I just cant do anything with VHS tapes.
The main mechanics of the deck, including the two main problem items, pops out after you remove three screws.

To get this repaired would be awesome but is it possible? One idea I had was just replace the dead 4-head drum for another (or at least the top half which contains the heads). The other was look for a shop around here which still services VCRs, bring the assembly in and order the needed parts and hope it's not too expensive. Then again I could always get another but the only one I saw was selling for $200.

[kc8adu]

Re: AIWA VCR head replacement

did you try cleaning it?
pic does not show much detail of the drum but the surface that is important looks ok.

[tmwalsh]

Re: AIWA VCR head replacement

Even the capstan looks clean... Someone must have gotten a new DVD player or DVR, making this redundant. Do the 'shoes' that wrap the tape around the drum move in their tracks. One looks as if it is corroded in place. As kc8adu noted, the 'vertical' {more or less} surface of the drum looks fine, the top is corroded, and that won't affect how it plays or records. The heads travel in the narrow slot in the shiny 'vertical' surface.
I would suggest getting a real belt, the correct size, and lubrication of spots that have shiny 'movement' tracks. The mechanism and playback depend on the belt providing the correct tension and torque capacity to operate properly. The pinch roller also needs to be clean and not 'shiny'. From your picture, it looks good, but if it is dried out and rock hard, it won't work either.
tom

[pentium]

Re: AIWA VCR head replacement

I had better shots of the drum but I got rid of them thinking that they were not necessary.
Anyways, the aluminum drum had corrosion on spots all over it which left grey rough spots that would chew up the tapes if the tape was not moving.
Internally however it looked okay however at least oe of the heads looked as if they were starting to rust. I'll try to take a photo when I get back from work tonight if you guys still want one.

[kc8adu]

Re: AIWA VCR head replacement

the heads themselves do not rust.
seen plenty of them chipped or torn out from cleaning tapes though.

[pentium]

Re: AIWA VCR head replacement

sorry for the delay.
Anyways, here is the head from a better macro shot.



The blemishes are not dirt but areas where the drum has been pitted from corrosion.

[tmwalsh]

Re: AIWA VCR head replacement

That is not the head. It is the drum. The head is [are] rotating in the slot you see in the drum surface. You can actually see one of the heads on the right side of your picture, in the slot, pretty near the orange-ish colored sponge pad which is the head cleaner.
If you clean up the drum, pits will not cause problems AFAIK, but volcanoes will. Do not touch the heads with anything other than suede-like leather(?) cleaning pads. Some are good and careful and can clean with cotton swabs if they know what they are doing, but it is not recommended. I bet you could polish the drum without touching the heads if you are careful.
tom