I have a Sony SLV-N71 VCR with the marketing gimmick known as an
"Automatic Head Cleaner." How would I remove this thing from the VCR?
I'm thinking it would be fairly obvious after opening it up, but I would
like to know from someone who has done this before.

Since the unit is now several years old, I cannot imagine that the
automatic head cleaner is doing anything good. By this time, it is
probably just making the heads dirty when they were previously cleaned.

I'd rather clean the heads and tape path manually when necessary. It
also seems like this would prolong the life of the heads.

Also, does anyone know who manufactured the majority of the components
inside this VCR? I've seen several references for other Sony models, but
not much about this one.

Thank you.