Philips VR 713 ..Tracking Problem?
Vic Abbott
previously recorded on the machine would not play without the auto track
having to be adjusted. With Pre recorded tapes I am lucky if the tracking
will get a decent picture at all. HI FI sound has disappeared completely.
Recently recorded tapes play back reasonably ok but the HI FI sound now will
not come up (up until about a week ago this was intermittant).
I am assuming that this is some sort of tracking problem as both the HI FI
and Video are affected. I have cleaned the heads as well as I can but this
has made no difference. The machine does not appear to have any form of
manual tracking adjustment so I cannot try to force things into improvement
on the HIFI front.
My other thought is that I may have a set of knackered heads.
Can anyone throw any light on this problem and suggest a possible solution?
I have access to a scope / multimeter / comms test set.
Rod Gasson
Vic Abbott wrote in message <7rggv6$g1r$1...@news7.svr.pol.co.uk>...
>A fault suddenly appeared on my Philips VR 713 a couple of weeks ago. Tapes
>previously recorded on the machine would not play without the auto track
>having to be adjusted.
Err, how do you adjust the auto-tracking? (I ask because you later state
"the machine does not appear to have any form of manual adjustment")
Surely, overriding the auto-adjustment (which I assume you did) is the same
as using a manual adjustment?
> With Pre recorded tapes I am lucky if the tracking
>will get a decent picture at all. HI FI sound has disappeared completely.
>
>Recently recorded tapes play back reasonably ok but the HI FI sound now
will
>not come up (up until about a week ago this was intermittant).
This suggests that the tape guides may have worked loose.
>I am assuming that this is some sort of tracking problem
It seems that way.
> as both the HI FI
>and Video are affected. I have cleaned the heads as well as I can but this
>has made no difference.
I could scream. I really could. In one breath you make an excellent
deduction (faulty tracking)
yet you somehow thought that cleaning the heads would fix it? Why? Dirty
heads causes an effect very much like dirty heads - which is a significantly
different effect than faulty tracking.
OK. Cleaning the heads rarely hurts, but even so.......
>The machine does not appear to have any form of
>manual tracking adjustment so I cannot try to force things into improvement
>on the HIFI front.
Ignore the HIFI. If you have a tracking problem then lets take care of
this first - the HIFI
problem is quite likely to be cured at the same time (as the side effect
that it is).
>My other thought is that I may have a set of knackered heads.
No, not if you have a tracking problem. Worn heads also have their own
distinctive symptoms, and tracking problems are not a part of this symptom.
(assuming you are referring to the video heads).
>Can anyone throw any light on this problem and suggest a possible solution?
>I have access to a scope / multimeter / comms test set.
For tracking problems you need to look at the parts of the machine that are
relevant to tracking. This is NOT the video (or HIFI) heads so forget about
them.
First thing to check are the tape guides. When playing, are they fully
laced up and firm against the back
"V" blocks. If not, why not? (its a mechanical problem).
Does the tape follow the "rule" in the lower drum assembly precisely? if
not, why not (the guides have worked loose).
During play/record, does the tape ride up (or down) across the audio/CTL
head? If yes, replace the pinch roller.
Does the subloading arm correcly pull the tape over the audio/CTL head? If
not, lubricate it.
Is the audio/CTL head clean ? (clean it).
Is it worn ? (replace it).
I could go on telling you other things to test or check, but for now, I
think I've given you plenty to go on with, and these things I've mentioned
will account for 99.99% of all tracking problems.
Cheers
Rod
Vic Abbott
WRT the tracking adjustment, the only thing this video has is a track button
on the RC. Press it once, 'tracking' is shown on the osd and the thing
usually sorts itself out in 4-5 secs. I don't know how to override this.
..Do you? An old Amstrad I have has a simple pot on the front panel,
that's what I call manual adjustment!
I cleaned the heads as I was in there at the time and there were black
deposits on the head drum base (on the trailing edge of the tape run) which
I thought could have been pushing the tape up slightly.
I'll follow your suggestions and report.
Vic
Rod Gasson <r...@videocam.net.au> wrote in message
news:7ri1jq$89p$1...@helga.videocam.net.au...
David Matthew Wood
<v...@Vabbott.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
> Thanks for the Info Rod It's much appreciated.
>
> WRT the tracking adjustment, the only thing this video has is a track button
> on the RC. Press it once, 'tracking' is shown on the osd and the thing
> usually sorts itself out in 4-5 secs. I don't know how to override this.
> ..Do you? An old Amstrad I have has a simple pot on the front panel,
> that's what I call manual adjustment!
I'm not saying this would fix the problem ('cuase it probably won't) but on
a lot of VCRs now, the channel buttons are used to manually adjust the
tracking once the machine is taken out of auto.
>
> I cleaned the heads as I was in there at the time and there were black
> deposits on the head drum base (on the trailing edge of the tape run) which
> I thought could have been pushing the tape up slightly.
>
> I'll follow your suggestions and report.
>
> Vic
>
Don't confuse the tape path with the acutal heads.
--
David Wood
AOL IM: SNESfan78
ICQ #: 6885878
"When in Slobovia, do like the other Slobs do, I always say."
-Bugs Bunny
Rod Gasson
Vic Abbott wrote in message <7rj4r4$gmk$1...@news4.svr.pol.co.uk>...
>Thanks for the Info Rod It's much appreciated.
>
>WRT the tracking adjustment, the only thing this video has is a track
button
>on the RC. Press it once, 'tracking' is shown on the osd and the thing
>usually sorts itself out in 4-5 secs. I don't know how to override this.
>..Do you? An old Amstrad I have has a simple pot on the front panel,
>that's what I call manual adjustment!
Generally, the machines that have autotracking default to auto-tracking mode
UNTIL
you press the tracking button(s) (while playing) which causes the override,
and then they'll stay
in this manual tracking mode until you stop and restart the tape (or press
both tracking buttons simultaneously to put it back to auto-tracking.
Cheers
Rod
Vic Abbott
I have checked everything you suggested & cleaned the CTL head.
The picture is now fine, but still no HI FI audio.
Any other Ideas?
Vic
Rod Gasson <r...@videocam.net.au> wrote in message
news:7rkeu3$pe1$1...@helga.videocam.net.au...
David Matthew Wood
<v...@Vabbott.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
> Rod
>
> I have checked everything you suggested & cleaned the CTL head.
>
> The picture is now fine, but still no HI FI audio.
>
> Any other Ideas?
Use a chamos tip and alcohol and clean the hi-fi heads in a HORIZONTAL
fashion. Basically, you will be following the path of the tape with it.
Rod Gasson
Vic Abbott wrote in message <7rp407$1pr$1...@news8.svr.pol.co.uk>...
>Rod
>
>I have checked everything you suggested & cleaned the CTL head.
>The picture is now fine, but still no HI FI audio.
>
>Any other Ideas?
Is the "no HIFI audio" on all tapes, or just those that you record on this
machine?
If just what you record, then you *probably* have worn or damaged heads.
If it's all tapes, try the tracking control and check the audio output
select switches.
If these are working and set ok and you still have no HIFI audio then as
above it could be worn or damaged heads, or it could be that the audio
processing IC has failed (which isn't too uncommon with these machines).
Oh, If I recall correctly, this model Philip's is a Panasonic design - and
as such, the capacitors in the power supply are prone to drying out, and the
effects of these are unpredictable, poor picture and loss of HIFI being
among them, so this is yet another possibility. If this is the case, then
heating and cooling the power supply will generally make the symptoms
disappear (warm) and show the worst when cold.
Cheers
Rod
Lasernut23
recorders, the up/down channel buttons on the unit would be relegated for
manual tracking control during tape playback. - Reinhart