My aunt told me her vcr suddenly began recording and playing only snow.
There is no mirror finish on the head. It's deeply scored as if it
were being turned down on a lathe. What could have caused this? Was it
manufactured that way?

"sawney beane" wrote in message
...
My aunt told me her vcr suddenly began recording and playing only snow.
There is no mirror finish on the head. It's deeply scored as if it were
being turned down on a lathe. What could have caused this? Was it
manufactured that way?

Drums have channels cut in them to facilitate an air cushion under the tape
as it's dragged across -- this keeps friction down and thus helps keep tape
and heads cool.

The uneven surface you see on the drum mount is simply to help guide the
tape.

Now, if you have scoring which isn't even or doesn't look purposeful (i.e.,
stock), then somebody's been doing a pretty horrible job of cleaning, or a
toddler has "fed" the VCR the wrong items.

"sawney beane" wrote in message
...
My aunt told me her vcr suddenly began recording and playing only snow.
There is no mirror finish on the head. It's deeply scored as if it were
being turned down on a lathe. What could have caused this? Was it
manufactured that way?

Almost forgot.. the snow is most likely just dirty heads. Try a WET TYPE
cleaning tape, or, if you feel capable, manually clean using lintless swab
and 91%+ alcohol (or cleaning solution made for the job). Just remember
never to clean using an up and down motion on video heads. This can cause
the fragile heads to shatter. Hold the swab steady and hand turn the drum
across it. Don't press against the heads; only a small amount of friction
is required.

Ray L. Volts wrote:
"sawney beane" wrote in message
...
My aunt told me her vcr suddenly began recording and playing only snow.
There is no mirror finish on the head. It's deeply scored as if it were
being turned down on a lathe. What could have caused this? Was it
manufactured that way?

Almost forgot.. the snow is most likely just dirty heads. Try a WET TYPE
cleaning tape, or, if you feel capable, manually clean using lintless swab
and 91%+ alcohol (or cleaning solution made for the job). Just remember
never to clean using an up and down motion on video heads. This can cause
the fragile heads to shatter. Hold the swab steady and hand turn the drum
across it. Don't press against the heads; only a small amount of friction
is required.


Thanks, it works again. It took several passes with a wet cleaning
tape, then an abrasive one. I wonder why the picture disappeared
suddenly. How long ago did they quit using heads with a mirror finish?

The oxide coating material from the tapes can accumulate on the heads. I
takes only one defective tape, which is somehow damaged, to release enough
debris to clog the extremely small gaps in the actual head assemblies. The
wet and dry cleaning tapes remove most of the debris from the assemblies and
allow functions once again. It may be prudent to run the wet cleaning tapes
through the machine on a regular basis, probably once ever 6 weeks or so, or
if the picture tends to go snowy once again.Cheers
"sawney beane" wrote in message
.. .
Ray L. Volts wrote:
"sawney beane" wrote in message
...
My aunt told me her vcr suddenly began recording and playing only snow.
There is no mirror finish on the head. It's deeply scored as if it were
being turned down on a lathe. What could have caused this? Was it
manufactured that way?

Almost forgot.. the snow is most likely just dirty heads. Try a WET TYPE
cleaning tape, or, if you feel capable, manually clean using lintless
swab and 91%+ alcohol (or cleaning solution made for the job). Just
remember never to clean using an up and down motion on video heads. This
can cause the fragile heads to shatter. Hold the swab steady and hand
turn the drum across it. Don't press against the heads; only a small
amount of friction is required.


Thanks, it works again. It took several passes with a wet cleaning tape,
then an abrasive one. I wonder why the picture disappeared suddenly. How
long ago did they quit using heads with a mirror finish?

"Papa_J" writes:

The oxide coating material from the tapes can accumulate on the heads. I
takes only one defective tape, which is somehow damaged, to release enough
debris to clog the extremely small gaps in the actual head assemblies. The
wet and dry cleaning tapes remove most of the debris from the assemblies and
allow functions once again. It may be prudent to run the wet cleaning tapes
through the machine on a regular basis, probably once ever 6 weeks or so, or
if the picture tends to go snowy once again.Cheers
"sawney beane" wrote in message
.. .

I wouldn't recommend cleaning unless it needs it. Tapes in good condition
tend to do this on their own.

When the picture turns to snow suddenly, it is usually due to a defective
tape - a crinkle in one place will do it. Regular head cleaning won't help
and just increases the possibility of damage.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the
subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.