Ron wrote:

Just in case someone else is running into the same
problem with their R5...
Symptoms were as follows:

S-EP and N-EP recording ok.
S-EP and N-EP playback ok.
S-SP and N-SP recording ok.

S-SP and N-SP playback would be ok at first, but then
started to become gradually unwatchable after the unit
was on from several minutes to a couple of hours or so.
Unplugging the VCR for a while would temporarily fix the
problem (several months ago), but over the last few weeks,
this helped less and less, and finally it didn't help at all any
longer.
Changing those infamous ELNA electrolytic caps on several
other boards in addition to the ones in the power supply
wasn't the solution this time. However, it did turn out to
be a capacitor on the Head Amp board (RP-76).

I had already checked all caps previously from the conductor
side, and they were all ok, but this one (C240) was a surface
mount cap and couldn't be reached or seen without
unsoldering the shielding first.
It had leaked and partly dissolved some of the traces around,
so it required some "micro-surgery" to rewire a couple of diodes
and transistors, and to scrape off the mess it had created.

After replacing it with a recycled, run-of-the-mill 10V/22uF cap,
this R5 is working again like a charm!! -Ron








I'm happy to hear that. Yay for electronics wiz-kids!

- NR