"John T" wrote in message
u...
Hi,

My Panasonic NV-FJ620 has the same fault at the moment, but sometimes when
the tape inserts, it'll try a couple of times to eject after unthreading
the
tape, but after this, the tape will thread again but this time the unit
goes
into picture search mode in fast forward - when it does this, the unit
acts
like it's locked up. It will not respond to any button pressed whatsoever.

I've been hearing about a mode switch possibly needing a clean - where is
this switch located on these units?


John


Mode switches are usually located under the main cam gear. This gear is
usually the largest in the assembly. It has a maze of valleys which a pin
rides in; the pin landing in various positions according to function
selected. You won't be able to see the gear's maze until you remove it and
turn it over.

The mode switch is a multi-position, flattish, round switch which is rotated
by the aforementioned pin. As for locating the mode switch, look for wires
that lead under the gear assembly; there will be several wires going to it.
As for cleaning the mode switch, don't be surprised if it's well-sealed and
difficult, if not impossible to get into. Sometimes you can simply spray
cleaner into it -- a plastic extender tube really helps here.

There is a multitude of websites devoted to VCR maintenance and repair; this
page may shed more light for you:

http://www.fixer.com/osm/operations.html