"reverse_side" bravely wrote to "All" (10 Feb 06 12:01:08)
--- on the heady topic of " Panasonic VCR; a grey screen unless you pause,
FF or REW"

re Subject: Panasonic VCR; a grey screen unless you pause, FF or REW
re Xref: core-easynews sci.electronics.repair:357963

re Thanks nvic/asmiov; I tried a careful head clean with a small amount
re of meths, can u adv where the faq is for doing cleaning heads
re properly etc, the one on the bottom is mainly for forum admin etc.

re wouldn't be surprised if there's an olympic event of VCR shot put
re soon!

re are the chipped/misaligned symptoms visible btw?

re just tested playback and it looks so close to being fine, grey then
re good picture, then it fights but then goes grey again (or gray as you
re guys may like instead!).... grrrr. 300 joules, stand clear.


The faq has a new address so you should search for it. There was a
change of ip server so the address seen around might not be right.

A small 30x lens and bright light is needed to inspect the head chips
for damage. An effects head looks different from a play head (gaps).
The head gap looks like the points of the z he ==z==
Tiny wire coils can be seen behind the pole pieces that protrude.
The gap is wide or narrow depending if it is an effects or play head.
A chipped head will have half a corner missing: ==... or ...==
Or worse: ..... just jagged edges or completely broken off.

As for cleaning the heads, the most important warning is to never
scrub up and down. The next most important warning is not to use
anything that can get snagged, for instance cotton swab is a no, no.
There are special chamis swabs made for vcr head cleaning.

A simple method I use is with the machine unplugged. Take a 5cm (2")
long strip of printer paper 1cm (3/8") wide dipped in isopropyl 99%.
Place the strip along the tape path edge over the bottom drum and
shuttle the top drum back and forth so that the head scrubs against
the strip of paper. Apply only gentle pressure with the fingertips.
Turn the strip over or use a new strip until it no longer streaks with
dirt. Do this for each head in turn. It seems crude but is quite safe.
Let the alcohol dry off before use.

A*s*i*m*o*v