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Jeff, WB8NHV

wrote:
It eats tapes only sometimes, usually when I stop it. Problem is, that
it doesn't have a rubber idler or any belts. so where should I be
looking.

I'd replace it, but I can't buy one with a digital tuner until next
year and I'd hate to buy a new one only to throw it away early next
year.

A VCR with no idler or belts almost certainly has cheap plastic parts
(gears, etc.) in the drive mechanism, as do most VCRs made today. The
trend is going heavily towards completely gear-driven systems,
eliminating belts and idlers almost entirely; the only problem is, this
type of VCR is or can be extremely noisy--I have a Panasonic VCR which
is very noisy when in rewind, but that's the nature of the system. I
simply use an external rewinder, rather than the VCR's rewind function.
Saves a lot of wear and tear on the VCR's drive mechanism as well.

Your VCR may not be worth repairing unless it is still under
warranty, in which case, of course, I'd go ahead and have it fixed.
But if it's a year or two old or more and out of warranty, I would just
get rid of it and get a new one.

If you get a VCR with an ATSC (digital) tuner next year, you won't
have to discard it early next year or for quite some time. If you have
digital cable you have nothing to worry about as far as compatibility
issues are concerned; your ATSC-equipped VCR will work with the system.
The only drawback is that if you have an analog TV, you won't see the
programs in HD. I have digital cable (with a converter box) and an
analog TV and VCR, and they work just fine together. Yours should as
well; in fact, with a VCR having a digital tuner, as will be required
of all TVs/VCRs next year, you will be able to eliminate your cable box
as well, if you are using one at this time.

Kind regards,

Jeff, WB8NHV (email addy not shown to deter spammers)
Fairport Harbor, Ohio USA