Disintegrated VHS deck brakes - homemade solution - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

ben · 8th Jun 2009, 2:13 am

Note: The following applies to the deck specified below but could also be adapted for others, as I have had the same problem on different decks (i.e. similar era thomson/ferguson/saba and philips units too) ...here goes....

I recently acquired a mid 90s samsung SV-80 VCR (almost identical to the SV-60 AND SV-73 - See last two pics) which was almost spotless, but occasionally acted erratically when you were hunting for things on a tape. Opening it up revealed there was considerable tape spillage when changing from wind/rewind to stop or play - the braking was almost non-existent. (Picture 1 shows the location of the two brakes in the deck). Closer inspection showed that the little pads which come into contact with the spool carriers had begun to fall apart.

These are quite solid and reliable decks,with very fast winding yet quite gentle tape handling. They were amongst the last half-decent VHS mechs to be made before the likes of funai took hold, so I thought this was worth saving. The brakes weren't listed in my usual supplier's spares catalogue, so I decided to make some new pads.

My solution was as follows:
1. remove two springs, centre and centre-left of first pic.
2. unclip and remove white brake pad asslys. (use small flatbladed jewellers screwdriver).
3. Clean off all the old pad residue, down to the plastic.
4. Cut off a piece of cotton (a t-shirt hem!) or similar fabric (roughly 2cm long by 4mm wide - I should have measured it really....) This is fiddly! see second pic.
5. Cut the same from an old rubber flat section drive belt (in this case an '80s VCR capstan belt)
6. Place the two pieces together, wrap them around the white brake assly. then, using the flatbladed jewellers screwdriver, gently press one end home into the gap at one side of the rear of the white brake assly. The rubber should of course face outwards. Repeat for the other side. Trim excess so it won't foul the deckplate in movement. (check third pic to see how it should look.)
7. Add a drop of hot melt glue or similar to help retain it.
8. Refit and check. If it is assembled crookedly it may foul the deck and not engage when stop is pressed!

Apologies for the imprecise explanations, hope this is of some use to someone.

I should add that this job inluding some trial and error didn't take me more than about 1 hour.

Vicboduk · 8th Jun 2009, 1:49 pm

A nice fix Ben - It's ingenuity like this that assures that we keep our "vintage" gear going when spares are no longer available.

Vic

love kt3 · 8th Jun 2009, 2:50 pm

hi,i had a more simple fix;take the break out,kleen it and carffuly drip some hot melt glue where the old rubber had been and make a small bump.when it cooled it worked as new.done it in dozens of jvc hrd 1560,akai f 30,older panasonics etc.

8th Jun 2009, 2:13 am	#1
ben Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Madrid, Spain / Wirral, UK Posts: 7,498	Disintegrated VHS deck brakes - homemade solution Note: The following applies to the deck specified below but could also be adapted for others, as I have had the same problem on different decks (i.e. similar era thomson/ferguson/saba and philips units too) ...here goes.... I recently acquired a mid 90s samsung SV-80 VCR (almost identical to the SV-60 AND SV-73 - See last two pics) which was almost spotless, but occasionally acted erratically when you were hunting for things on a tape. Opening it up revealed there was considerable tape spillage when changing from wind/rewind to stop or play - the braking was almost non-existent. (Picture 1 shows the location of the two brakes in the deck). Closer inspection showed that the little pads which come into contact with the spool carriers had begun to fall apart. These are quite solid and reliable decks,with very fast winding yet quite gentle tape handling. They were amongst the last half-decent VHS mechs to be made before the likes of funai took hold, so I thought this was worth saving. The brakes weren't listed in my usual supplier's spares catalogue, so I decided to make some new pads. My solution was as follows: 1. remove two springs, centre and centre-left of first pic. 2. unclip and remove white brake pad asslys. (use small flatbladed jewellers screwdriver). 3. Clean off all the old pad residue, down to the plastic. 4. Cut off a piece of cotton (a t-shirt hem!) or similar fabric (roughly 2cm long by 4mm wide - I should have measured it really....) This is fiddly! see second pic. 5. Cut the same from an old rubber flat section drive belt (in this case an '80s VCR capstan belt) 6. Place the two pieces together, wrap them around the white brake assly. then, using the flatbladed jewellers screwdriver, gently press one end home into the gap at one side of the rear of the white brake assly. The rubber should of course face outwards. Repeat for the other side. Trim excess so it won't foul the deckplate in movement. (check third pic to see how it should look.) 7. Add a drop of hot melt glue or similar to help retain it. 8. Refit and check. If it is assembled crookedly it may foul the deck and not engage when stop is pressed! Apologies for the imprecise explanations, hope this is of some use to someone. I should add that this job inluding some trial and error didn't take me more than about 1 hour. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Regards, Ben.

8th Jun 2009, 1:49 pm	#2
Vicboduk Hexode Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: S.W. London, UK. Posts: 416	Re: Disintegrated VHS deck brakes - homemade solution A nice fix Ben - It's ingenuity like this that assures that we keep our "vintage" gear going when spares are no longer available. Vic __________________ It has to be here... I've just put it down!

8th Jun 2009, 2:50 pm	#3
love kt3 Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Hifa Israel Posts: 146	Re: Disintegrated VHS deck brakes - homemade solution hi,i had a more simple fix;take the break out,kleen it and carffuly drip some hot melt glue where the old rubber had been and make a small bump.when it cooled it worked as new.done it in dozens of jvc hrd 1560,akai f 30,older panasonics etc.